The Pomp And Joe Show
BREAKING - The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will cease operations on May 3rd
07 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What announcement did the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette make regarding its operations?
Bob, here I am having a wonderful time today, and then I see on the Post Gazette website, just confirming that this is real. I mean, it's on postgazette.com.
You have to say that about everything these days to make sure it is real.
Post Gazette to publish final edition and cease operations May 3rd. And I asked a couple people, does that mean just the print edition or the whole darn thing?
Chapter 2: How much financial loss has Block Communications incurred operating the Post-Gazette?
And they seem to think it's the whole darn thing. Can't be. Can't be the whole darn thing. PostGazette to cease operations, not cease the print edition, cease operations on May 3rd. Over the past 20 years, it says Block Communications Incorporated has lost more than $350 million in cash operating the newspaper.
Chapter 3: What impact does the closure of the Post-Gazette have on local journalism?
Despite those efforts, the company said that the realities facing local journalism make, quote, continued cash losses at this scale no longer sustainable. Does anybody need a columnist out there?
Joe Starkey's available. I'm his agent. You're my agent, Bob.
Chapter 4: What were the reactions of the hosts to the news of the Post-Gazette's closure?
I'm your agent. I'm going to get you a big deal.
This is bad, though, for tons of people.
Does it have anything to do with a strike and how long that lasted?
Yeah, I mean, people have come back to work.
Chapter 5: How has the landscape of local newspapers changed in recent years?
Wouldn't surprise. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know what it's about. It's a lot of money to lose.
Chapter 6: What personal experiences do the hosts share about working with the Post-Gazette?
It's not exactly, you know, a winning enterprise is newspapers.
I mean, things have radically changed in all of the media that we consume now over the past, especially five years. But even before that, it started to change.
Yeah.
Wow.
Chapter 7: Who were some notable columnists from the Post-Gazette?
It's kind of shocking to be sitting here.
I've been Ohio's just had a tweet about it.
Yeah. What'd he say?
Incredible.
Chapter 8: What are the broader implications of the Post-Gazette's closure for the community?
I think incredible.
That's all he said. Yeah. I mean, this affects a lot of people, including me. I mean, I'm advanced, obviously, in my career, but I've been writing sports columns. First of all, I've been writing sports. Period in local newspapers. And it's funny, I was just sitting with Mark Madden last night, who was my first boss recently. At the Post-Gazette, he ran the zone editions that I wrote for.
So this is weird that this is happening today, but that was 1992. I don't know, somewhere in there. Then off to the Valley News to write sports. Then to the Trib to cover the Penguins. Trib as a columnist. And then after a little bit of time off Post Gazette as a columnist. So with maybe six months off, that was it. I've been writing sports for one of the two. Well, really, Valley News Dispatch.
So for one of any number of newspapers. For how long? How long is 1992? I mean, that's a long time. 40, 37 years or something?
33, 34 years.
So this is shocking.
I mean, this is- Yeah, I mean, it affects so many people, my goodness. And you're right. From your standpoint, like I feel about mine, we've been in this a long time, but everything changes. And those who are just getting started, and this is their opportunity, this is stunning news. Very strange.
Limits, your thoughts?
Yeah, I'm in shock, guys. Growing up, we would get the Post-Gazette every single day. And the press, too, both. I still have a ton of ā I still have the Post-Gazette front page when Dan Rooney passed away, Super Bowl front pages that my dad kept and we have that we're going to frame to put in our basement. This is just stunning, man.
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