The brutal news came in telegrams delivered to the homes of the 649 employees of the Cincinnati Times-Star on Sunday afternoon:
"THE NEWSPAPER ASSETS OF THE TIMES-STAR WERE SOLD YESTERDAY TO SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPERS, OWNERS OF THE POST, AND HAS DISCONTINUED PUBLICATION. SINCE THERE IS NO MORE WORK AVAILABLE, WE NO LONGER REQUIRE YOUR SERVICES. PERSONAL BELONGINGS MAY BE REMOVED FROM THE TIMES-STAR ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. WE REGRET THE BREVITY OF THIS NOTICE."
The Times-Star was journalism's second major loss in the space of a single week. Only a few days before, rising costs and lagging ad sales had forced Publisher David Stern...