A Wealth of Support

Thanks to everyone who has sent warm wishes to me after hearing about the verdict. As you might have heard, Avista will mostly likely continue with the trial. They're not a group who will just go down without a fight obviously. You can bet that the hacks are pumped about the idea of a longer trial, it gives them more to write about. But I'm still going to take the high road on this and will abide by the judge's decision for now.

A friend of mine who sent her regrets also showed me an internet post that says that a new internet site wants to hire me as a joke. They want me to be their unpaid intern. That shows you what kind of class these internet hacks have. All they can do is report on things that other people do and kick people when they think they are down.

If I was going to work for any new internet blog, it would be Kramer's MinnPost. I've already got the experience managing almost all those reporters, and if I worked there I wouldn't have to pay for any benefits or retirement when they all retire in the next five to eight years. The bottom line would be golden and they could go back to writing the same stories that they have been writing for the last twenty years.

Thanks again to the people who have sent cards and notes and have called. You're the best.

Paul Magers House Into A Home

We're still re-decorating of Paul Magers's house. I can't believe it either. My wife's designer told her that maybe I should work on furnishing a home office. That would make me more supportive of buying all the new stuff for the house. Getting rid of all the ear marked Crate & Barrel and West Elm and all the other home catalogues, that's what would make me more supportive.

But a home office isn't a bad idea. We have one now, but it could be updated. Also, if Avista promotes me out of the publisher spot at the Star Tribune, I might want to work partially from home like a lot of reporters do. I could get two monitors on the computer or a sweet laptop or something. Actually, I could get a wi fi and take the laptop to the pool when the wife was out.

With a home office, I could also write a book or different editorials for the Wall Street Journal. I don't know what they would be about, but it could be topical. Can you imagine that? Sitting by the pool with beer, writing articles or a screenplay? That's the life right there.

I'll have to think about this screenplay idea more.

Out with the CFO, In with the Consultant

The Star Tribune management team lost a great team player this week. Mike, buddy, we're going to miss you.

This is a tough business we're in. Sometimes a door opens that you've just got to pass through, even if that means moving to Iowa. It's nice to see Mike is also moving on past the lawsuit and on to greener pastures. Much greener pastures!

And for another update, to show commited Avista and I are to quality journalism at the Star Tribune, you'll be glad to hear the company hired Robin Domeniconi from Time Magazine to be a consultant. If you don't know anything about the news or journalism, but own a media company like Avista, Domeniconi is just the person you want to hire. Even though the reporters think they can vote out the management at our company, Avista is still going with top notch people to help run the ship.

"We, the journalists of the Star Tribune, call on Par Ridder to resign as publisher. We believe the unethical actions to which he admitted in court have damaged the Star Tribune's credibility and integrity and undermined our ability to hold public figures accountable for their actions. For the good of the Star Tribune and the community it serves, we believe he should step down."

It looks like I'm getting a letter tomorrow that asks me to step down. Yesterday the reporter's Guild voted 110 to 2 to ask me to resign. To be honest, it stings a little.

I don't think reporters know how tough it is to run a paper these days. News is just bad business. Try to put out a good product, no one will read it. People would rather read C.J. and the AP headlines than anything a reporter would spend expensive time on. And when you give people what they want to read, they still don't read it. How many more baseball writers could we frigging have and we still aren't getting 15%+ returns? And the reporters want me to quit because I was bringing over some forms to help out the business.

But whatever, like Avista has said, they run the show, not the labor line.

"The Guild does not get to decide who is publisher of the Star Tribune."

That's what Harte had to tell the Reporter's Guild yesterday. I think they forget that. Harte also reminded them of something else, this:

"Star Tribune Chairman Chris Harte said the newspaper's owner, Avista Capital Partners, has full confidence in Ridder."

The story that has those quotes also says the Guild represents about 300 reporters and other people who work at papers. We'll see how many it represents after tomorrow's vote and after Avista keeps me as the Publisher. The report even points out that I just took the spreadsheets from the Pioneer Press so I could remake them at the Star Tribune. It's because they're complex spreadsheets that would be hard to remake. But that's I guess not what the reporters want to think.

I See How It's Gonig to Be

You've probably heard by now that the writers guild voted to not vote on "no confidence". Nope. They're going to wait to vote that I should resign.

Fine. Go ahead. See what difference it will make.

Did you read Lambert today? Everyday with this guy. He said Singleton has spent 3 mill suing me. What a fucker. It's cost almost htat much for Avista, too. When my civil trial end, you can bet we're going to counter sue that bastard for every penny we lost. And we're going to get it back, too. You'll see. Avista isn't going to loose that kind of money. Not a private equity group. I'm going to show returns. Even if the Stewards don't want me to, all of them.

What a fiaso. In our meeting today I told Chris we I should have just let someone else from management take that damn information and had soeone else void the non-competes. Breach of ethics. This is business! I told Barrett that too tonight when we were out for drinkss. CEOs can't catch a break man. I'm telling you.

Wall Street Tribune

Hey, did you hear about Murdoch trying to buy the Wall Street Journal? I'm sure our paper ran an AP piece on it. Well now someone else is trying to buy the paper right out from under Murdoch. Supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle and Web entrepreneur Brad Greenspan might combine capital to top Murdoch's offer of 5 bill, which is a damn good offer because it's $60 a share/ 65% premium.

It's a little weird to think of a supermarket operator buying a newspaper. That's like the Lunds buying our paper, which would be really weird. But buying a newspaper is a good investment. Just ask Avista.

Guess what reporters are doing while money makers fight to make their paper more money. Not showing up for work. What is with these people! It's like they want their businesses to perform poorly. I can tell you right now that as soon as either Murdoch or Burkle and Greenspan take over, they're going to see just how many of these people they want to bring with them on the bus. That's the first step in going from good to great. I know it and those guys know it. Not showing up for work really sends a clear message on whether reporters want on that bus or not.

Ganging Up on Me

Brian Lambert had to bring in re-enforcements for his daily attack on me yesterday. Ron Rosenbaum from KSPT called my testimony lies and called me stupid. Thanks guys. I'm testifying in a trial right now and it doesn't help to have journalist hacks call me names.

Both Lambert and Rosenbaum wanted to know why Avista hasn't fired me yet. I'll tell you why. It's because the organization needs a good publisher. And I'm that publisher. That's why I was brought over from the Pioneer Press. And that's why I brought over the last few years of data from that newspaper to my new job. Was it illegal? Of course not! It was being prepared for my new job!

And if Lambert or Rosenbaum or whoever think I got my new job as publisher just because my parents are close to Avista, you're wrong.