Confirmed, P-I Really For Sale

"Window To 2004" by Seattlest Flickr Pool contributor Grundlepuck.
Poignant...

The Seattle P-I newspaper is being put up for sale. Steve Swartz, president of Hearst Newspaper Division, told the newsroom that Hearst Corp. is starting a 60-day process to find a buyer. If a buyer is not found, Swartz said, possible options include creating an all digital operation, or shutting down the paper.

As the minutes tick past, that blurb keeps getting updated. Now, it's a full story, complete with quotes from Swartz: "One thing is clear: at the end of the sale process, we do not see ourselves publishing in print."

We're hoping the newspaper somehow manages to escape getting sold and goes all-digital. That would be a smart move, especially with the breadth of online coverage the P-I already provides. However, as MvB said yesterday, it's possible--perhaps even likely--that the paper will be purchased and the proceeds used by Hearst to buy out their JOA competitor. Good luck to everyone who works at the P-I during what promises to be a rocky transitional period, either way.