Small-town Alaskan newspaper seeking new owner for $0, here's the catch

An Alaskan newspaper publisher, Larry Persily, is looking to hand over the reins of Skagway News to a new owner at the price of $0. According to reports, Persily is looking for someone who will ensure that the Skagway based newspaper will never have to pull its shutters down. The 68-year-old journalist was of the opinion that a single multi-tasking person who can take on the role of a reporter, publisher, owner, editor and someone who lives in the small tourist town the entire year. Persily further added that he just wanted the newspaper to survive and did not care about the money.

Effort to keep Skagway news in business

According to reports, the journalist wants someone who is ready to commit his/her future to make Skagway news to run. Persily said that it is a very difficult job as one will have to make a 125-mile trip to get to the printer over a mountain pass. He also said that an ideal candidate should realise the fact that not many people are comfortable in front of the camera, adding that he/she should also be ready to attend local events.

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Persily said that the people who take over the role can expect a yearly income of $50,000 in order to have a comfortable life in the Alaskan town. The new owner will also have the support from Persily with proper guidance on Alaskan journalism. Larry Percily's decision comes after the newspaper started facing stiff competition from online newspapers. According to reports, 20 per cent of community and metro newspapers have shut down or have merged since the year 2004 while 1,300 communities have completely lost coverage of local news.

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Persily had bought the struggling newspaper in the month of April after one of his friends who had founded the local newspaper in 1978, talked him into buying it. He then tried to reverse the struggling financial conditions but it proved to be very costly and difficult as their editor quit after 12 months. The Alaskan town of Skagway is a part of the Klondike Gold Rush national historical park and witnesses a million tourists that come to the town via a cruise ship.

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