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Singleton meets the Pioneer Press
Staffers liked much - but not all - of what the St. Paul newspaper's prospective new owner had to say.
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William Dean Singleton, the CEO of MediaNews Group, owner-to-be of the Pioneer Press, told employees in St. Paul on Thursday that no jobs, wages or benefits would be cut as a result of the sale of the paper.
But when asked whether he would honor current union contracts through expiration, Singleton said only that local management would determine labor strategy, according to several employees who attended the 45-minute meeting at the newspaper.
Singleton did not return calls from the Star Tribune.
Jack Sullivan, a Pioneer Press editor and unit secretary for the Newspaper Guild there, said he was reassured by the comments on the near-term jobs and compensation but was "still uneasy" about Singleton's lack of specificity about honoring the contracts. The Guild's contract expires in July 2007.
Several employees said that Singleton was generally well received by an audience of workers nervous about possible job cuts and that Singleton's comments about MediaNews Group's emphasis on local decision-making and emphasis on local news played well.
He joked at one point that the "Star Tribune is not failing yet."
Singleton told employees he was pleased with the news and business direction provided by Publisher Par Ridder, who will continue in his job with MediaNews.
MediaNews Group is the seventh-largest newspaper chain in America and will become the fourth-biggest after completing its agreement with the McClatchy Co., the Star Tribune's parent, and Hearst Corp. to acquire the Pioneer Press and three California newspapers -- the San Jose Mercury News, the Contra Costa Times and the Monterey County Herald. The $1 billion cash deal for the four newspapers was announced Wednesday and is expected to be completed this summer.
Pioneer Press education reporter Megan Boldt found the meeting "somewhat encouraging" and agreed with a comment in the meeting that in person, Singleton doesn't seem as bad as he has been made out to be in many stories.
Singleton often is portrayed as a relentless cost-cutter who is closely associated with the failures of newspapers in Houston and Dallas and large jobs cuts in Oakland and other cities. At the same time, he generally is credited with building up papers such as the Denver Post.
Boldt would have been happier with the talk if Singleton had given a definite yes on honoring contracts. "We want that final piece," she said.
Larry Olson, a union steward and outside advertising sales representative, said Singleton addressed the employees in a "humble and straightforward" manner -- except for questions about whether he would honor the union contract.
"I would hope that he would honor the contract, but I do not expect that he will," said Olson, who has worked at the Pioneer Press for about 20 years. "I believe he'd like to start here with a clean slate and no contracts to deal with. He'd be able to hire people at wages, benefits and working conditions that would fit into his corporation, MediaNews."
The Star Tribune's St. Paul bureau contributed to this report. Terry Fiedler • 651-281-1166
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