Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/tag/billings-gazette/)
I met Craig Lancaster almost as soon as he came to Billings nearly 12 years ago, shortly after he was hired to work at the Billings Gazette, where I’d already been for more than 15 years. He quit the newspaper in 2013, about six months before I did, to try his hand at writing novels and freelancing full-time. Now, he’s on the cusp of another big change — moving at the end of this month to Boothbay, on the coast of Maine, with his wife, the novelist Elisa Lorello. (more…) Continue Reading →
KTVQ and the Billings Gazette jointly filed a motion Wednesday to intervene in legal proceedings involving three Billings police officers fighting not to be identified as the patrolmen disciplined for having sex on city property, two of them while on duty. (more…) Continue Reading →
In a move sure to set heads spinning in the newspaper industry, Last Best News has purchased the Billings Gazette, it was announced shortly after midnight today, Sunday, April 1. Widely seen as a plucky upstart with questionable prospects when it launched as an online-only newspaper just four and a half years ago, Last Best News now finds itself owning the largest daily newspaper in Montana. (more…) Continue Reading →
Here’s some good news about all the bad news regarding Lee Enterprises, the Iowa-based newspaper chain that owns the Billings Gazette and other newspapers in Montana. Employees at the Lee-owned Casper Star-Tribune are trying to unionize, according to a story by Corey Hutchins at the Columbia Journalism Review. (more…) Continue Reading →
The Billings Gazette is seeking reader input on a symbol to demonstrate the community’s opposition to hate-filled messages left on a church and on buildings around town. The idea is to replace the menorah symbol, which was adopted to show rejection of anti-Semitic activities in Billings a quarter of a century ago. The menorah, which was printed on a full page in the Gazette and placed in windows all over town, drew national attention and helped spark the Not in Our Town movement. (more…) Continue Reading →
Lee Enterprises recently implemented another round of staff cuts at its Montana newspapers, including the Billings Gazette, the largest newspaper in the state. At the Gazette, it appears that at least seven people were laid off or agreed to take buyouts in recent weeks, including up to three people in the newsroom. (more…) Continue Reading →
Newspapers may be in their death throes, but they aren’t dying quietly. (more…) Continue Reading →
When legendary Chicago newspaperman Mike Royko encountered a reader who didn’t like his latest column, he would reach into his pocket for a quarter. “Here’s your money back,” Royko would say. (more…) Continue Reading →
You probably haven’t heard much lately about newspaper layoffs. That could lead you to believe that the worst is over. You would be wrong. (more…) Continue Reading →
Mike Gulledge was named publisher of the Missoulian and Ravalli Republic Wednesday as part of a regionalized management restructuring. Gulledge also serves as publisher of the Billings Gazette and as operating vice president for the Missoulian’s parent company, Lee Enterprises. According to a press release from Lee, “The move is part of a trend in Lee that includes regionalizing some operational aspects of the business, especially in markets that have similarities or are located near each other, while maintaining intense focus on local news and advertising.” This week, the Missoulian eliminated half of its daily news and feature sections, moving from a four-part paper to a two-part publication, eliminating a number of local stories and columns in the process. The daily editorial page dropped from two pages to one page on Monday through Friday, with two pages on Sunday. Continue Reading →
