The Sun refuses to kneel before Sheldon Adelson

[pecosbob]

In 1950 the Las Vegas Free Press began publishing founded by the International Typographical Union, which consisted of typesetters locked out of the Las Vegas Review-Journal for trying to unionize.

Despite the presence of longtime Review-Journal editors Sherwin Garside and Ray Germain, who also were partners in a local printing company, the Free Press was in trouble, with advertisers shying away from it, except for the Desert Inn's director of publicity, Hank Greenspun. Greenspun's crusading instincts and his unhappy relationship with Desert Inn operator Moe Dalitz prompted him to buy the Free Press, expand it to five days a week, and rename it the Las Vegas Sun, as of July 1, 1950. He remained publisher and, except for the brief tenure of longtime aide Adam Yacenda, editor until his death in 1989.

By the time Greenspun died in 1989, the R-J almost totally dominated the region. While he was dying, Greenspun approved his family's negotiation of a Joint Operating Agreement with the Review-Journal. When it was completed the next year, the Greenspuns owned ten percent of the combined operation. The R-J completely controlled the business side while the Sun maintained its editorial independence in weekday afternoon editions and sections published inside the R-J on weekends and holidays.

By 2005, the Sun's circulation in the afternoon, a largely dying market for newspapers, was less than twenty-eight thousand. Its influence rested on its history and the significance of Brian Greenspun, who followed in his father's footsteps as a developer and political figure. The Sun also took advantage of a new opportunity to influence Las Vegans. Given its declining circulation, the Greenspuns and the Review-Journal negotiated a change in the Joint Operating Agreement. As of September 30, 2005, the Sun would appear as a six-to ten-page section each morning in the R-J. While it no longer appeared as a separate publication, its stories, columns, and features now would reach more than 160,000 subscribers.

http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/las-vegas-sun


Here's an editorial from the Review-Journal about their reasons for terminating the JOA.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorial-why-we-want-to-stop-printing-the-las-vegas-sun-1837661/

And one from the Las Vegas Sun.

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2019/sep/01/the-sun-refuses-to-kneel-before-sheldon-adelson-an/

I grew up in Houston and watched as the only progressive newspaper in the city was bought and silenced by the local Hearst paper the Houston Chronicle. Don't want to see it happen again here in Nevada. The Sun gives a voice to the few here willing to criticize Adelson and some of the more hare-brained ideas developed by the casinos. Would be a sad thing for it to end.

[sharedvalues]

1. Local media is important. Public dollars for local media is what we need

“Vouchers” for local media

https://currentaffairs.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-33-bike-dancing

[pecosbob]

3. Interesting idea

The bit about historical precedent for such a thing is good.

[sharedvalues]

6. You listened to it? Awesome.

Was looking for a transcript.

[pecosbob]

7. Gotta admit I sampled it since it's over an hour

I haven't a clue how to untangle this gordian knot that is modern media...we have to start somewhere. An outsider of sorts, I grew up distrusting the corporate slant of most print journalism and the failure of televison and then cable news to do anything other than distract attention from real issues. Pacifica Radio opened an affilliate in Houston when I was a teen and introduced me to a world of alternative media. They fire-bomed that station three times over the years.

[sharedvalues]

8. Love this post!

+1,000

Should move this over to a new thread in Media.

You me and @certainot

In some ways, though the internet is killing local media, it is sustaining alternative media. Where we used to have mostly alt-weeklies and mimeographed newsletters, and progressive radio that petered out, now we have robust discussion on forums, and Twitter, and Current Affairs, and places like TPM. The left’s communication amongst itself has never been so strong.

The hard part is figuring out how to reach the masses. Conservatives have done that with Fox and with radio.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. The key is Sheldon's

Son In Law and how he proceeds after the Old Man Passes. And that will show up on the Editorial Page after the first of the year.

[pecosbob]

4. The proof is in the pudding

[Wellstone ruled]

5. We are about to see major

changes on the Strip. Bet Mariam goes back home. Ideology is a strong motivator. Interesting times in Vegas. Once close friends are both in latter stages of Cancer. Reid and Adelson.

[sharedvalues]

9. Yeah I don't have a ton of faith. Look at Lachlan Murdoch

Too much money in lying rightwing “journalism” right now for the failsons to walk away.

[Wellstone ruled]

10. Here in Nevada,Adelson controls the Press.

We do have a couple of small indy's,but their readership is minimal to have any real effect.

[sharedvalues]

12. Rightwing oligarchs are the main threat to America

The problem of our time is that rightwing billionaires have figured out how to manipulate democracy by controlling the modern media.

[Wellstone ruled]

13. Started with the

Gannett Family buying up Job shop printing plants in the seventies. Which btw,was and is were the printing money is to be made. There next move was of Course the USA today thing and with a series of Job Printing Plants already cranking out Advertiser's as well as Ad inserts,what a prefect place to expand the USA Today Paper. And now that industry has morphed into a few control the whole industry.

[sharedvalues]

14. NY Post, then Limbaugh (thx Racist Reagan), then Fox

Then Breitbart. Daily Caller. WSJ. Newsmax. Etc etc

[Wellstone ruled]

15. Well planned out by the

Ultra Conservative Billionaire's .

[UTUSN]

11. K&R