Iowa Public Radio reported that Gannett, which is the nation’s largest newspaper chain, has sold the Burlington Hawk Eye to an Illinois-based chain. Community Media Group also operates newspapers in Keokuk, Ft. Madison, and Carthage.
Chairman Larry Perrotto said the Hawk Eye is unlikely to become a daily newspaper again. It currently publishes five days a week. But he plans to increase staff size, which has been cut drastically in the past decade, though he says it will take some time to accomplish that.
According to the IPR story, the editor of the Burlington Beacon is skeptical about plans to improve the Hawk Eye.
Shop Talk is a weekly panel discussion about journalism issues. This week’s program featured Will Buss, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University and advises the student editors at the Western Courier and the students at student radio station The Dog: Jessica Martin, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University and is news director of NEWS3-TV at WIU; and TSPR News Director Rich Egger.
