Can Two Detroit Papers Survive a Split?
The Detroit Free Press and Detroit News had the last joint operating agreement in the country. It just expired.
In Detroit, a hundred-and-fifty-year-long newspaper battle has been reignited. December 28 marked the expiration of the country’s last functioning joint operating agreement (JOA), under which the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press joined their circulation and ad operations while maintaining editorial independence from each other.
Under this agreement, the Free Press, owned by USA Today Co. (formerly known as Gannett), ran the business operations for both it and the News, owned by Digital First Media through MediaNews Group. Anyone subscribing to either paper received the Free Press’s Sunday edition, which included a section by the News. The Free Press also paid the News a certain amount each year. Advocates of the JOA say the deal is the reason both papers are still standing. Critics say the JOA has limited their potential.
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