When the Cleveland Press Really Died

Ah, how we miss you.

Still.

The Cleveland Press, circa 1982.

The Press often had better street creds than the Plain Dealer did. It was more the working stiff’s paper, open a bit more to dissenting views.

This year will mark the 25th anniversary of the death – or murder – of the Cleveland Press. It left the Plain Dealer a newspaper monopoly. It deprived the PD of healthy competition.

Point of View newsletter revealed the first real evidence Cleveland Press 's death six months before the afternoon newspaper folded.

In the early 1980s, I would spend many Friday afternoons – when news sources had escaped for the weekend – at the Cuyahoga County Recorder’s offices.

I would search the recent filings of legal documents, typically new business partnerships, formed for this or that venture. It usually proved rewarding as it did in the case of the Press.

I found evidence of troublesome Cleveland business and political relationships. I think Milt Widder and Bill Dvorak, who wrote interesting gossip columns at the Press, must have had a source at the Recorder’s office. It seems a good bet that they got tips from someone there for rare gossip column items.

These searches led to a number of juicy political items. One revealed George Forbes in business with landfill mogul Pete Boyas and another, Jim Carney, a Cleveland Democratic Party boss and city power broker, a partner with Forbes. A number of connections showed up in business and political figures in partnership to vie for the city’s cable franchise.

These rarely examined legal filings tipped the business associations of other political and business movers and shakers.

Sometime at the end of December 1981, I came across evidence filed for a land deal. It foretold the end of the Press.

The deed had been filed quietly at the Recorder’s office.

Though it involved a newspaper, there was no mention of the real estate transfer in either newspaper – Press or Plain Dealer.

“When any 103-year old institution disappears, it’s heartbreaking. When a daily, living connection to everyday people dies, it’s tragic,” I’ve written of the newspaper’s death.

The legal papers filed that December acknowledged the transfer of the land upon which the Cleveland Press stood to a private partnership headed by Press owner Joe Cole. He had purchased the Press from Scripps-Howard. The Cleveland paper had been the flagship of the famed newspaper chain.

I wrote about the land deal in the Jan. 30 1982 issue of Point of View.

It started:

“Cleveland Press owner-publisher Joseph Cole has said that the reason he wanted to save the city’s second newspaper was that he wanted to repay the people of Cleveland for his success as a millionaire businessman here.

“The more cynical among us said that Cole wanted a valuable piece of property in downtown Cleveland to make more money.

“In fact, Cole recently announced that he wanted to develop land adjacent to the Press newspaper building as an office-hotel complex. A $128-million project was announced with fanfare.

“Those interested in preserving at least a two-newspaper city reasoned that the dying Press could possibly be revived with income from an office building, a subsidy to the lack of income from the paper.

“But a series of real estate changes in the Press property in December suggests that the more cynical might have been right.

“That the reasoning that Cole has less interest in paying back the city and citizens of Cleveland and preserving a second newspaper and more interest in fattening his wallet, might be correct.

“Cole has had the real estate property – land and building – of the Press Publishing Company, which he heads, transferred to a limited partnership in which he holds controlling interest.

“The changes in the ownership of the Press real estate holdings suggest that the profits from any real estate development would not go toward subsidizing a losing newspaper but to a limited partnership controlled and benefiting Cole.

“The Press Publishing Co., owned by Cole, sold the property and building at the corner of East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue to Lakeside Associates.

“Lakeside Associates, formed the same day as the property transfer, has two limited partners named: Joe Cole and James P. Malone, Jr.

“Documents filed with Cuyahoga County say that Cole owns two-thirds and Maloney one-third.

“The Partnership, according to the filing, was organized “to acquire certain real estate property and improvements situated at E. 9th Street and Lakeside and to own, lease, rent, mortgage, improve, repair, sell, convey and otherwise deal with such real property and improvements.”

It was the death knell of the Press.

I ran across the information by chance.

Today, two office structures sit on the formidable foundation where the newspaper presses once stood. (More about the Death of the Press in future columns.)

I ended the article of January 1982: “The outlook for the Press isn’t bright and the real estate deal suggests that Cole got the main asset out of the newspaper’s ownership – a warning and a message of his real concern.”

From Cool Cleveland contributor Roldo Bartimole roldoATadelphia.net

The following is the entire Jan. 30, 1982 article from Point of View newsletter:

Cleveland Press owner-publisher Joseph Cole has said that the reason he wanted to save the city’s second newspaper was that he wanted to repay the people of Cleveland for his success as a millionaire businessman here.

The more cynical among us said that Cole wanted a valuable piece of property in downtown Cleveland to make more money.

In fact, Cole recently announced that he wanted to develop land adjacent to the Press newspaper building as an office-hotel complex. A 128-million project was announced with funfair.

Those interested in preserving at least a two-newspaper city reasoned that the dying Press could possibly be revived with income from an office building, a subsidy to the lack of income from the paper.

But a series of real estate changes in the Press property in December suggests that the more cynical might have been right.

That the reasoning that Cole has less interest in paying back the city and citizens of Cleveland and preserving a second newspaper and more interest in fattening his wallet, might be correct.

Cole has had the real estate property – land and building – of the Press Publishing Company, which he heads, transferred to a limited partnership in which he holds controlling interest.

The changes in the ownership of the Press real estate holdings suggests that the profits from any real estate development would not go toward subsidizing a losing newspaper but to a limited partnership controlled and benefiting Cole.

The Press Publishing Co., owned by Cole sold the property and building at the corner of East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue to Lakeside Associates.

Lakeside Associates, formed the same day as the property transfer, has two limited partners named: Joe Cole and James P. Maloney, Jr.

Documents filed with Cuyahoga County say that Cole owns two-thirds of the shares and Maloney one-third.

The partnership, according to the filing, was organized “to acquire certain real property and improvements situated at East 9th Street and Lakeside and to own, lease, rent, mortgage, improve, repair, sell, covey and otherwise deal with such real property and improvements.”

The Press Publishing Co., owner of the Cleveland Press, was given a lease for up to 50 years on the building that houses the newspaper for $1 a year and other charges, presumably rent.

Lakeside Associates has a $10 million mortgage from BankOhio National Bank. Lakeside Associates also gives a second mortgage on the land and buildings to the Press for $3-million.

The question arises, whether Cole has stripped the Cleveland Press of its main asset and will allow profits from any projected building development to flow – not into the Press coffers, thus keeping the sickly newspaper going – but into his own pockets via the limited partnership Cole has formed.

The building project – a $500-foot tower as the first of the two-phased development – will be called North Point. The second phase includes plans for a 400-room hotel and retail shops.

The public announcement by Cole was accompanied by a page one Press story of significant length with drawings and a page one color photo.

The change in ownership of the land, in contrast, didn’t get a whisper of an announcement in the newspaper.

While the real estate deal was consummated in December, a story has yet to appear in either newspaper as of this writing.

Nor have employees of the Press been told of the change in ownership of the land.

Cole is semi-retired from Cole National Corp. In 1973, he was given a 25-year contract for $135,000 a year for the first 10 years thereafter, and with a scheduled increase each time the consumer price index rose 2 percent.

Cole and Mayor George Voinovich announced the $128-million project with a rare city hall press conference. This again gave some the idea that Cole had bought the Press for its prime downtown location rather than to run a viable newspaper.

The Press land was part of the city’s urban renewal project and looks out over Lake Erie, separated from the lake by the Shoreway and Burke Lakefront airport.

Voinovich, who has been reluctant to appear publicly with speculators announcing major downtown projects which often go nowhere, apparently offered no resistance to the appearance with Cole.

Peter Phipps, a former Press reporter now with the Akron Beacon Journal, asked Voinovich whether the mayor didn’t think there might be a possibility of a conflict of interest in taking the lead with Cole. A publisher, of course, has significant control of the news slant and editorial comment of a newspaper, thus its coverage of a mayor.

Voinovich, reflecting his desire to remain a private mayor, refused to answer the question, using the lame excuse that Phipps was a former Press reporter.

Cole also refused to answer, telling Phipps that the question didn’t warrant an answer.

Since Cole got Voinovich to front for the announcement, coupled with the fact that Cole may seek government funds, possibly eve tax abatement, and hasn’t given details about tenants or financing, the question and others seemed quite in order.

Financial problems appear to be a continuing problem at the Press.

A week before the building announcement, Herb Kamm, the resurrected editor, told the Press staff that the newspaper couldn’t pay all of its bills at that time.

The cash flow, the staff was told, was bad but being rectified. It was indicated also that the Press probably would not pull out of the red next year (1982).

Kamm, who apparently has told others that he will retire earl this year, tried to spike rumors of his impending retirement.

Kamm also made a point of referring to Bill DiMascio, executive editor, as his “deck officer,” which some mistook as his “deck hand.” Kamm’s remark represents a clear message to the staff that he was back calling the editorial shots.

DiMascio, who had been taking an active interests in editorial matters, hardly walks through the city room anymore,” say reporters. “He just stays in his office,” says one reporter.

The Press has been losing advertising lately, as has the Plain Dealer. But the Press can little afford the decline and the continuing recession can only hurt more.

The Sunday Press slipped from its high of 96 pages to 80 pages and finally down to 72 pages, its usual count lately. With the lower age count, of course, goes less advertising.

Department stores, a main Sunday advertiser, have not renewed a 22-week contract for Sunday advertising, another problem.

The outlook for the Press isn’t bright and the real estate deal suggest that Cole got the main asset out of the newspaper’s ownership – a warning and message of his real concern.

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