Face the State Staff Report
A group of former Rocky Mountain News writers unveiled their plan Monday to transform a blog once dedicated to saving the storied publication from closure into a new online-only news source.
Preblud with former Rocky reportersFTS Staff Photo
The reporters, the voice behind IWantMyRocky.com, gathered with three entrepreneurs to introduce their proposal to create the In Denver Times. The Web site's future hinges on getting 50,000 pledges to pay an online subscription fee by April 23, a date symbolizing the Rocky's 150th anniversary.
Former Rocky writers, including Kevin Flynn and Sam Adams, gathered behind a podium on the Auraria campus as three Denver investors announced the details of their plan to launch In Denver Times. Steve Foster, a former Rocky writer, is the founder of the publication. The site will be financed initially by Denver businessmen Kevin Preblud, Ben Ray, and Brad Gray. While the trio lacks experience in traditional print journalism, they say the site will reflect "a vision based on a 150 year tradition." In addition to subscription revenue, the investors will also rely on future advertising to make ends meet.
The In Denver Times Web site is taking subscription pledges now, and if 50,000 pledges are made by April 23, the site will go live. If not, credit cards from pledges will not be charged. At a press conference Monday, Preblud, Ray, and Gray said they have also discussed backup plans in case not enough people pledge to subscribe, but likened the scenario to "asking a football coach what he will do if his team loses," without giving any specifics.
Readers can choose from three, six, or 12 month subscriptions that start at $4.99 per month. The publication will feature local news coverage, sports, entertainment and the arts, and politics. Real time delivery of news through new media methods like Twitter, mobile text message updates, and news applications for smart phones like Apple's iPhone will also be available to subscribers.
While reporters covering the press conference expressed skepticism about whether former Rocky readers who viewed the publication's content for free would pay to view the new site, backers say they believe paid online subscriptions reflect the future of journalism. A key selling point: former print readers of the Rocky will pay less for In Denver Times then than they did for the Rocky, but will still be able to read content from many of the same journalists, including Flynn and Adams.