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Media
Media Saturday
29Jul
Journal pub raps isle dailies
Saturday, July 29, 2006 at 08:15AM Honolulu Weekly Publisher Laurie Carlson, who also publishes the Big Island's bi-weekly Hawaii Island Journal, fired a public volley across the bow of the Big Isle's monopoly daily newspapers in a publisher's letter printed in the Weekly. Marking the one-year anniversary of her purchasing the Journal, Carlson had this to say:
"Stephens Media Corporation, owner of the two Big Island dailies, has offered to buy the Journal more than once. They enjoy a near monopoly of print media on the Big Island and don’t like sharing their turf with other publications. Last year I approached them about printing the Journal at one of their two presses on the island of Hawai‘i. The Las Vegas-based corporation said that they would consider printing only if they could buy a portion of the Journal. We said, “No thanks.” We’ll continue to print on O‘ahu and barge the Journal over to the Big Island.
"Apparently Stephens sees the Journal as a threat to their printing and daily newspaper monopoly because they are launching what they refer to as an alternative (to what, one might ask?) publication. We suspect that whatever they come up with will be entertainment heavy and will avoid the serious issues that can draw criticism and cancelled advertising orders from the advertising community."
Hmmm. I wonder why that letter wasn't also published in the Journal.
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Reader Comments (1)
"Hmmm. I wonder why that letter wasn't also published in the Journal," you ask.
Because that letter was part of Honolulu Weekly's 15th Anniversary commemorative issue -- a milestone that has nothing directly to do with the Journal. Laurie Carlson has promised us another of her infrequent Publisher's Letters for our upcoming HIJ Anniversary Issue this fall.
Nor is this the first time mainland corporate interests have tried to co-opt HIJ in search of a newspaper monopoly on this island. Before selling to Hawai'i-based Carlson last year, previous owner/publishers Lane Wick and Karen Valentine turned down offers from Gannett and Stephens Media because they, like Laurie, insist that the HIJ remain the locally-owned, independent voice in Hawai'i.
We are aware, of course, that the launch of a pseudo-"alternative" paper owned by the Stephens Media conglomerate is on the horizon, and will address the situation as appropriate.
We also believe that the vast majority of local readers are intelligent enough to know the difference between a locally-owned and -controlled, truly independent alternative voice and and "alternative lite" owned by a Las Vegas-based corporation that also owns our two island dailies.
Aloha,
Peter Serafin
Editor
Hawai'i Island Journal