Media nerds all around the country are in mourning today, as the venerable Gannett Blog has ceased publication.

Described by the New York Post's Keith J. Kelly as the "foremost tracker of the tumult and the repositioning that was under way inside the nation's largest newspaper chain," the site was founded by Jim Hopkins, a former reporter and editor at USA Today, in September, 2007.

The San Francisco-based blog was a must read for media watchdogs both inside and outside the news industry, and was taken seriously enough to be regularly featured on larger media sites like Jim Romenesko and Poynter

The focus of the site, Gannett, Inc, describes itself as "a media and marketing company," and owns a large number of daily publications, broadcast TV stations, and websites including USA Today, the Indianapolis Star, and, in San Francisco, The Bold Italic.

Hopkins decided to end the blog's six-year-plus run because, he says, "Gannett is no longer the same company" it was when he began the blog.

"Corporate projects broadcasting will eventually account for more than half of all earnings; throw in digital, and the figure is forecast to rise even higher. In other words, Gannett is now a TV giant with a side interest in newspapers."

Hopkins says he also "turned 57 years old on Sunday, a turning point to pursue new adventures while saying goodbye to old ones."

It's not to late for you to read Hopkins' thoughtful analysis of past Gannett news, however, as he says that "the site will remain available on a read-only basis as long as Google supports the Blogger software platform."

Thanks for everything, Jim. Happy birthday, and good luck.

[NY Post]
[Gannett Blog]