In the newspaper business, who owns the place makes all the difference in the world

John Christie

Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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In "The Graduate," Dustin Hoffman seeks career guidance from his neighbor, who offers him the since-famous one-word advice: "Plastics."

Not bad. But a better would have been: "Ownership."

The importance of working for good owners came to mind last week as The Seattle Times Co., owners of the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel, celebrated its 110th anniversary.

The Seattle Times was founded in 1896 by Alden Blethen, who was born in 1845 near Thorndike. After a newspaper career in Maine and the midwest, he moved to Seattle and founded what has become one of the premier newspapers in the country. In 1998, the three Maine newspapers owned by the Gannett family -- the KJ, the Sentinel and the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram -- went up for sale.

The Seattle Times -- now run by the fourth generation of Blethens -- purchased the three papers. Frank Blethen, the chief executive office of the company, recalled that period this week in his anniversary message to employees. I offer some excerpts from that message so that you can see for yourself the values and direction we get from the "home office."

"Almost eight years ago, when the Portland, Augusta and Waterville newspapers were being sold by their long-term local owner, the Blethen family undertook the largest and riskiest investment in our history. We did it, in part, because Alden Blethen was born in Maine.

"We acquired what became the Blethen Maine Newspapers. If we had not, the papers would have been sold to absentee financial investors who would have milked them dry, pumping excessive short-term profits outside of Maine. Sadly, this is the state of most of the newspaper business today, but not at Blethen Maine Newspapers or in the Seattle Times Company's small family of newspapers in Maine and Washington.

"Our family roots run deep in Maine (300-plus years) and Washington (100-plus years). We care deeply about these states and their wonderful communities. They are the only places we are interested in being. We are pleased that we could keep Portland, Waterville, and Augusta away from the sorry fate of the faceless investor ownership which has fallen on most newspapers."

The fifth generation of Blethens are now working at the newspapers, including Frank's nephew, Rob, who is the advertising director at the Portland Press Herald.

When I speak to groups of aspiring journalists, I'm often asked about what to look for in the first job. That's another opportunity to bring up the importance of ownership, whether you go to work in a newspaper or any other private sector job. Locally, for example, anyone who's been around for awhile knows the best places to work -- from auto dealerships to contractors to service jobs -- are characterized by good owners. I didn't think about ownership when I took my first newspaper job, at a daily paper in Massachusetts. But I lucked out.

The paper was owned by a wealthy Boston Brahmin from one of those families that can trace its roots back to the Mayflower. The owner was a classic of his type: tall and athletic; a Harvard grad; a World War II hero; a world-class sailor. A man who could afford anything but still drove a nondescript Chevy wagon and wore off-the-rack suits. On the surface, he appeared like a typical member of the Yankee establishment, and in many ways he was.

I assumed he also believed in the values of journalism. I tested which would take precedence when the paper published a series I wrote about brutality and politics in the local police department. A confederacy of the establishment was in an uproar, from city officials to longtime families to judges and lawyers.

The paper was threatened with loss of advertising and subscription revenue and then, added to that expense, there was a lawsuit that demanded I reveal my confidential sources or be found in contempt of court and sent to jail until I named names. I remember my editor going to the owner's office to see what we should so, especially about the lawsuit.

When he came out of the office, we had an appointment at the best (and most expensive) law firm in Boston and were told to spend what was necessary to win the suit.

Some years and many dollars later, we did.

A lot of owners are just fine when things are going fine. The test comes when they are not, when long-term values conflict with short-term results.

That's when you'll be glad if you went to work for owners who have a history and a personal commitment to doing the right thing. I had that in my first job and I have that now, with the Blethen family, in what may well be my final job.

To all you people out there now looking for work, don't make your decision just on pay, benefits and vacation time. Find out who owns the place and what they're made of.

John Christie is publisher of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. His e-mail is jchristie@centralmaine.com