The Gazette introduces its new publisher

After he was introduced Tuesday as the new publisher of The Gazette, Steve Pope talked about the newspaper industry's troubles and the continued importance of newspapers to their communities.

Pope, 59, served as publisher of the Vail Daily newspaper and, since 2005, as general manager of Colorado Mountain News Media, a chain of six daily newspapers and 11 weeklies in Colorado's mountain towns owned by Reno, Nev.-based Swift Communications. The strong local focus of the mountain papers is the key to their success, he said, and something Pope hopes to replicate in Colorado Springs.

"I think that newspapers really need to be part of the fabric of the community," Pope said.

The Gazette, like most U.S. newspapers, has seen its circulation drop as more readers get their information from the Internet and as Web sites like Craigslist cut into advertising profits.

Throw in a recession that has slammed advertisers such as car dealers and real estate, and newspapers are facing an uphill fight.

Pope's prescription is an intense focus on local issues and community reporting, although he said he doesn't have any specific changes planned for The Gazette.

"Most of our wounds have been self-inflicted," Pope said. "I believe that, over time, we have driven a lot of our readers away."

Bob Brown, president of Swift Communications and a former publisher of the Vail Daily, said Pope advanced his paper's mission of local coverage and connecting with advertisers and became a leader in the community.

"He did an excellent job at that," Brown said. "You won't find any shortcoming in my mind with Steve Pope - you guys got a great guy."

Pope, who has also worked for Gannett, Knight Ridder and Media News Group, will be The Gazette's fourth publisher in the past five years when he begins work Jan. 5. He replaces P. Scott McKibben, who resigned in August to become executive vice president and chief revenue officer for the Los Angeles Times Media Group, part of the Tribune Company.

The Gazette is the third-largest newspaper in Colorado and the second-largest paper in the Freedom Communications chain, which also owns 32 other daily newspapers, 77 weeklies and eight television stations.

Jon Segal, president of Freedom Newspapers Inc., a division of Freedom Communications, said finding a publisher willing to experiment while still being a community leader were the qualities he was looking for. He cited Pope's experience with the Vail Daily and founding an alternative weekly in Houston, along with his extensive involvement in Vail business and charitable groups as reasons he was chosen from a pool of 22 contenders.

Newspaper publisher is still an important position in the community, said Dave Csintyan, chief executive officer for the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce. Having someone like Pope, who knows Colorado and understands local challenges, is vital, he said.

"I think that (job) is probably more important now than ever," Csintyan said. "Having a publisher that has his or her finger on the pulse of this community is essential to the health of the community."

The Gazette's future rests on getting readers and advertisers in Colorado Springs just as engaged, but Pope said he knows it won't come easily.

"These are challenging times - anyone who doesn't admit that is an idiot," he said. "The reason I'm willing to do it is because I'm confident there is a way for success in the newspaper industry."

The newspaper industry has been hit especially hard by the recession.

On Dec. 4, the E.W. Scripps Company put the Rocky Mountain News in Denver up for sale and said that it may close the newspaper if no buyer comes forward. Scripps said it has lost $11 million this year on the paper, which is published under a joint operating agreement with the Denver Post. On Dec. 8, the Tribune Co., which publishes the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, filed for bankruptcy.

Freedom Communications is in default on the terms of its debt, and the company is seeking to renegotiate the loans to provide more flexibility, a step several other newspaper companies have already taken.

Nevertheless, Freedom and The Gazette are profitable, Segal said.

The Gazette, Pope said, is in a better position than the Rocky Mountain News, or other large newspapers. Those big papers have a tough time connecting with readers, he said.

"I'm not sure I see a way out for the major metros," Pope said. "As long as we find ways to deliver that relevant readership, we'll be fine."

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CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0275 or awineke@gazette.com