Tuesday, June 2, 2009

The Bulletin in Philadelphia Closes a Second Time

For the second time, a Philadelphia newspaper called The Bulletin has stopped its presses.

About 25 staffers were told of the news in its Center City office yesterday by Thomas Rice, the investment banker who reinvented the Bulletin in 2004 after purchasing the naming rights from the family that had owned the paper.

The newspaper was famous for its conservative editorial slant. Never once did it gain a sold financial footing.

Staffers told the Daily News that for months paychecks had been late. Staffers, who declined to be identified, told the Daily News that they hadn't been paid for the last week and a half they've worked.

"I stayed here - we all stayed here - because we love newspapers," one staffer said. "It's kind of bittersweet, because I feel like I'm never going to work at a newspaper again."

The Philadelphia Bulletin was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982. At one time it was the largest daily evening newspaper in the United States. Businessman William L. McLean bought the newspaper in 1895, and it was McLean's ancestors who sold the naming rights to Rice in 2004.

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