Newspaper's demise saddens longtime employees

Several Tribune employees say they are not surprised by the closing of the newspaper, to which many have given the best years of their careers. And with very few print publications hiring reporters these days, many are unsure of what they will do next.

Sports columnist Scott Bordow is typical.

"I have no idea what I will do," he said. "I hope some door opens. I would love to stay in this business, but the market is shrinking, not expanding."

Bordow, whose well-read commentaries on the Suns, Cardinals, and other teams were a mainstay of the sports pages, said he was not surprised by the decision, saying it probably was inevitable after the company laid off 142 employees last January and sharply cut back coverage.

"It's a reflection of the times," he said. "I talked to an 18-year-old young man at a party about a year ago who was intelligent and well-spoken who said he had never read a newspaper. He said he gets all his news on the Internet. Until we figure out how to make money off the Internet, there will be more papers dying."

Sports Editor Bob Romantic said he also is unsure what he will do next, but he suspects he will have to seek out a different career.

"Sports writing is something I wanted to do since I was 13 or 14 years old," he said. "That job has never seemed like work. But it may be time to look at other options. There are not a lot of sports jobs out there."

Romantic said the loss of high school sports coverage is likely to be especially missed in the community because no other publication covers it as thoroughly as the Tribune.

"It was something we were really proud of," he said. "It's what being a community newspaper is all about."

He added that some readers have urged the staff to build a Web site to continue the VarsityXtra coverage.

"I wish it were that easy," he said.

Several Tribune press operators said they have started to think about their future plans although they have nothing definite yet.

"It's sad, but I'm excited to start over with a new challenge," said Mike Case, who has worked at the newspaper for 30 years.

He said he is thinking about going to Phoenix Culinary School and starting his own catering business.

"There are printing jobs out there, but who knows how long those will last," he said. "If I have to start over, I would like to try something different."

A.J. Scott, also a press operator, said the announcement left him with an empty feeling even though he saw it coming.

"I guess I'm still in the denial stage," he said. "I might take a break now. I have no plans."

Mike Hedgpeth, a press operator at the Tribune for 34 years, said he still has lingering hopes that someone will come along and buy the paper to keep it open. But he conceded that's not likely.

"I have no idea about my future," he said. "I might like to do something like work with the forest service or game and fish (department) ... I like printing, but this is a chance to get out and try something different."