Amid the steady decline of newspaper revenues across the country, the Chicago Tribune has not been spared. Tribune Co., the larger parent, own the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, the Orlando Sentinel, and approximately 24 TV news stations in the United States.
Since 2005, the Chicago Tribune have periodically thinned their staff as revenues steadily sank. And Tribune Co. eventually filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2008. Currently saddled with billions in debt, Tribune Co. newspapers are just now looking at ways to remake their websites in an effort to breathe life into the company again. Discussed throughout the year has been the proposed sale of the Chicago Cubs baseball team franchise. Obviously a huge asset, but one which must be sold to reduce Tribune Co.’s massive debt load.
In a story dated 8/21/2009, the wealthy Ricketts family are reported to have signed an agreement with Tribune Co. to buy out a 95% ownership in the Chicago Cubs franchise, Wrigley Field, and a 25% stake in Comcast SportsNet (CSN) for $845 million. One must ponder how a monolith in American news publishing for over 150 years could begin to evaporate before our eyes, and forced into selling time honored assets simply to survive. What does this dramatic shift represent? And did failure to adapt lead to this eventual implosion?
The Chicago Tribune is obviously a famous brand, and as your might surmise their online website is ChicagoTribune.com. Logically enough, the Chicago Cubs’ website can be found at Cubs.com. Gerould Kern, the newly appointed editor in charge of revamping the Chicago Tribune, is quoted as saying about the newspaper …
“We’ve got to turn over every stone, do every smart thing we can do to stretch our resources. The newspaper business is in crisis. I want to do everything in my power to save it.”
As a domainer, I naturally think that “doing everything … to save it” would (and should) include purchasing the two definitive geo properties for Chicago, i.e. Chicago.com and Chicago.US. The first domain is the hands down ultra familiar .com destination, and the second domain is the one with the global footprint as the USA’s official country code. Whether Tribune Co. could afford these domains is a legitimate question. Whether they can afford not to own these domains is even more critical.
The Chicago Tribune is just now trying to figure out how they can reinvent themselves. No more resting on yesterday’s laurels. Can they someday become profitable again as the internet world moves forward at a dizzying pace? Will Tribune Co. miss the boat again by failing to recognize the power contained in a premium domain name?
I don’t know if the owners of Chicago.com and Chicago.US are even interested in selling their properties. But the Chicago Tribune, in my opinion, should find out. Unless another door to their future be closed in their face. My guess is that one day these premium domains will exchange hands. And the Chicago Tribune will either take that lead, or find themselves having lost out on their own future … failing to grab onto important future lifelines.
.US Domain Names
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