Rocky Mountain News staffers launch website to rally readers

DENVER — Staffers at the Rocky Mountain News have launched a website to rally readers who want to show their support for the newspaper and prevent its possible closure.

The site went online Sunday evening, a day after reporters, editors and web producers from the newspaper met to brainstorm on ways to try to keep Colorado’s oldest newspaper operating.

John Ensslin, a reporter and spokesman for the group of about 30 staffers, said they settled on the website — www.iwantmyrocky.com — because it was the most immediate and positive thing they could do to build support.

He said they bought the domain name for $12 and a core group of about 10 staffers worked to get the site launched. The first blog posting was from Rocky columnist Mike Littwin.

Ensslin said the site will give readers and staffers a forum to talk about what the newspaper means to them and will help put a face on what some may see as just a business transaction.

“I don’t know what the result will be but I know I feel better doing something than nothing. And I think we all feel that way,” Ensslin said.

E.W. Scripps Co. said it expects to lose $15 million on its flagship paper this year and announced it was putting it up for sale last week. Scripps says it may close the newspaper if there is no buyer by mid-January.

A telephone message left at Scripps’ corporate headquarters about the site wasn’t immediately returned.

Ensslin said the site could help show a potential buyer what the newspaper is worth.

The site urges supporters to buy the newspaper as well as write to Scripps and Colorado’s representatives in Congress, urging them to make sure that the U.S. Justice Department monitors the process.

The Justice Department oversees a joint operating agreement between the News and The Denver Post. The two newspapers share business and production operations but maintain competing newsrooms.