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THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, AuguST 20, 2019
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
JIM VAN NOSTRAND
Editor
Founded in 1873
JEREMY FELDMAN
Circulation Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
WRITER’S NOTEBOOK
Bend newspaper buy is an opportunity
W
hen Heidi Wright called me
June 3 to suggest that our
company should take a look at
bidding on Bend’s daily newspaper, The
Bulletin, I was at once startled, skeptical
and intrigued.
We hired Heidi as our chief operating
officer in June 2017 — away from The
Bulletin, where she had been the chief
financial officer of its
parent company, Western
Communications. At that
point, we had just bid on
two other newspapers
out of Wescom’s bank-
ruptcy in Baker City and
LaGrande.
STEVE
Pursuing the Bulle-
FORRESTER
tin prospect, the board of
EO Media Group con-
vened two impromptu meetings. For the
first of these sessions, at the Sheraton
Portland Airport Hotel, we invited Daily
Astorian Publisher Kari Borgen, who
had also worked within Western Com-
munications. Asked what she thought of
the opportunity, Kari said: “It’s exciting
and it’s scary.” That typified our deliber-
ations, during which we probed the risks
and assessed the promise.
My daughter, Susan Forrester Rana,
flew up from Oakland for our second
board meeting, during which we set our
top bid for The Bulletin. By this time my
cousin, Kathryn Brown, had made con-
tact with a longtime family associate who
is an executive of the Bank of Eastern
Oregon. In addition to that bank financ-
ing, Heidi was speaking with prospec-
tive investors in Bend who were eager to
have our pursuit of ownership succeed.
The auction on July 29 occurred in the
office of the Portland law firm Tonkon
Torp. Our group — including my cousin
The Bend Bulletin and headquarters of Western Communications.
IN TAKINg OWNERSHIP OF THE BuLLETIN,
OuR COMPANy IS NOT SIMPLy BuyINg
ANOTHER PROPERTy. IT IS TAKINg HOLd OF A
JOuRNALISTIC OPPORTuNITy THAT WILL BECOME
IMMENSELy SIgNIFICANT TO ALL OF OREgON.
Kathryn, Heidi and our CFO Rick Han-
sen and our lawyers — were placed in
one room while the three-man team from
Adams Publishing Group was in another.
Rhode Island Suburban Newspapers, the
party that made the initial bid on The
Bulletin, did not show up for the auction.
To honor our family’s ambitions and the
gravity of the moment, Kathryn wore a
Pendleton jacket that had belonged to my
mother, Eleanor.
At 10 a.m. we moved to another con-
ference room — the bidding site. When
the Adams trio entered, we stood to greet
them. Mark Adams, the company’s CEO,
sat two seats away from me; Heidi was to
my left. In a thrilling auction that would
last 15 minutes, Adams would be their
bidder, Heidi ours.
The bidding requirement was to raise
by minimum increments of $50,000,
beginning at $2,550,000. After the ini-
tial round of bidding drove the price to
$3,050,000, the Adams group left the
room to confer privately. There was a
second conference at the $3,450,000
mark, after which Mark Adams jumped
the bid to $3.6 million. Heidi hesitated
for what seemed to me 20 seconds. But
Rick clocked it at fifteen seconds. Even
though we were below our ceiling, her
hesitation seemed an eternity. Instead of
raising our bid, Mark Adams graciously
congratulated us on our acquisition.
In taking ownership of The Bulle-
tin, our company is not simply buying
another property. It is taking hold of a
journalistic opportunity that will become
immensely significant to all of Oregon.
With the decline of formerly influen-
tial daily newspapers such as The Reg-
ister-Guard of Eugene and others, The
Bulletin will become a beacon in a part
of Oregon that is gaining economic, cul-
tural and political significance. The Bul-
letin will become a heavyweight part-
ner for our Eastern Oregon newspapers
in Umatilla, Union, Baker, Wallowa and
Grant counties — and for our papers on
the Oregon and Washington coast and the
Capital Press as well.
Our newspaper group fosters a culture
of collaboration. That has allowed us to
punch well above our weight. In collab-
oration with the Pamplin Media Group,
we have formed a statehouse bureau that
reverses the decline in coverage of the
Oregon Legislature and state agencies. In
2006 our papers collaborated on a series
of articles about climate change. In addi-
tion to pieces that were informed by sci-
ence, each newspaper developed cam-
eos of scientists, naturalists, farmers and
fishers who spoke about what they were
noticing in their region’s natural environ-
ment. That series won an award of Spe-
cial Merit in the national Grantham Prize
competition.
The environment and climate change
are the primary issues of the 21st century.
Our series — 12 years old — is ripe for
an update. And The Bulletin’s participa-
tion in such a venture would give a new
series even more impact.
Steve Forrester, the former editor and
publisher of The Astorian, is the presi-
dent and CEO of EO Media group.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Congress, do your duty
’ve been reading the U.S. Constitution
lately, and I’m puzzled. Would someone
tell me where it says power is to be con-
centrated in the hands of one, or even a few
individuals, allowing them to run the gov-
ernment like their own personal toy.
The Founding Fathers were intelligent
thinkers. They wrote what’s considered one
of the greatest government documents ever.
Wouldn’t you agree? Therefore, I think it’s
an imagination stretch that they left loop-
holes in it.
With so many lawyers in Congress, why
is the government having such a hard time
following the law, i.e. the Constitution?
In my opinion, if anyone in government,
goodness forbid, told witnesses to ignore
legal subpoenas, didn’t exercise their author-
ity to stop that, or hindered votes designed
to protect our elections from foreign inter-
vention, and by extension, protect the Amer-
ican people, it would smack of breaking the
law, aiding and abetting and failure of duty
to defend America.
I’m no lawyer, so what do you think?
Historically, most of our leaders either
couldn’t find these loopholes, or knew better
than to look for them.
Congress has the authority, and obliga-
tion, to prevent these abuses. Does it have
the courage?
I’ll keep looking for these loopholes.
Maybe they are in the white print (between
the lines), or the fine print (I haven’t gotten
there yet).
So, come on, Congress, the American
people — you remember, they elected you
— need you now, to enforce checks and bal-
ances and accountability. That’s real democ-
racy in action.
CARL DOMINEY
Astoria
I
Nonissue in Gearhart
hursday, Aug. 8, The Astorian published
a front-page article written by Nicole
Bales, “Gearhart police chief calls out city
councilor.”
I find this article to be poorly investi-
gated, and as a result has called into ques-
tion the reputation of Councilor Kerry
Smith. In the article, it reports that Police
Chief Jeff Bowman states that Smith was
“grossly wrong” when he came to his office
in July to inquire about a dog bite case.
Bowman said that Smith was asking
about the case as a citizen, not as a coun-
cilor. Bowman says he believed that Smith’s
mannerism was that he was questioning as
a councilor and not as a citizen. The arti-
cle says that Smith was unavailable to
comment.
Without obtaining both sides of what, in
reality, should not have been a major issue,
The Astorian prints an article that only
expands a nonissue, and fans the flames of
division. Bowman says that he hopes this
T
sends a message to city councilors.
The way this article was written it calls
to question Smith, when possibly it could be
the police chief who should be questioned.
Is it possible that Mr. Bowman has some
other issue with Mr. Smith?
When the police chief wants “the mayor
to know … and everybody else to know
… this isn’t the city of Portland where the
mayor is in charge of the police department
and he gets to interfere.” Really? My ques-
tion to Mr. Bowman is to whom does the
chief of police report?
MARK EDY
Medford
What’s wrong with this picture?
e see in the news that the administra-
tion in Washington, D.C., is order-
ing Immigration and Customs Enforce-
ment (ICE) to conduct more lightning raids
on businesses employing undocumented
workers.
Just guessing, here, that we will see a
fresh round of large men in uniform with
weapons in military surplus vehicles, weep-
ing children, adult men and women in
handcuffs and production lines slowing or
stopping.
Meanwhile, not a single white-collar
executive or supervisor who hired and paid
undocumented workers is anywhere in sight,
W
much less in cuffs or court. What’s wrong
with this picture?
RD SMITH
Gearhart
‘Shanghaied’ a treasure
thought the Astor Street Opry Company’s
Astoria Regatta Grand Land Parade entry
of their 35th celebration of “Shanghaied in
Astoria” — with 40-plus actors and a line
of six vehicles with special honoring of cre-
ators Del Corbett and Liam Dunn — was
testament to the joy and power of commu-
nity theater.
There are only 17 more performances of
“Shanghaied” left this season. The acting is
good, the singing great, and there is plenty
of popcorn to throw at the bad guys. Every-
one needs to see this fun, historic melo-
drama. “Shanghaied” is recognized as an
Oregon treasure, and you are remiss if you
miss it.
SARA MEYER
Astoria
I
Federal overreach
address this letter to our elected offi-
cials of the North Coast. I do not sup-
port Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) detaining individuals in sensitive loca-
I
tions such as schools, courthouses, medical
facilities, churches, etc.
I will not vote for any candidate who
supports this type of federal government
overreach in our community. I will also
strongly discourage each and every per-
son in my community from voting for such
candidates.
ALEX CARNEY
Seaside
Words matter
could be wrong, but I think Claire Withy-
combe’s article “State workers object to
PERS changes” (The Astorian, Aug. 12)
misstates the situation.
She refers to the recent changes to the
state Public Employee Retirement System
as “slashing” benefits. If this were the case,
then Gov. Kate Brown would appear to be
taking the significance of the problem seri-
ously, which she is not.
Other articles I have read have indicated
benefits would be reduced by 1 to 3%. This
is a reduction, not a slashing. To me, Ms.
Withycombe’s choice of words is inflam-
matory, not impartial journalism. To reit-
erate the saying “words matter,” this one
word, for me, changed the whole tone of her
article.
NORMAN BROWN
Seaside
I