Tampa Tribune sold, new owners say they're in it for the long haul

CL has not been successful yet today in speaking with Loring, but he did tell the Tribune that "We are definitely in this for the long haul," adding that "We don't flip businesses."

That's the crucial statement, because private-equity firms like RCG have been known to purchase such properties, hold them for awhile to build up assets, and then sell them again for profit.

That's exactly what happened with Creative Loafing, which was purchased in August of 2009 by New York-based Atalaya Capital Management. The firm then sold the paper to SouthComm, a journalism company based out of Nashville, in July of 2012 (though not for a profit).

Although the merger of the Tribune, WFLA News Channel 8 and TBO.com was regarded as the essence of local-journalism "convergence" when the three entities began operations in the $40 million, 120,000-square-foot "News Center" off of Parker Street in the late 1990s, that relationship has grown less close, with News Channel now contributing Internet stories on its own website and no longer on TBO.com.

Which is why it's interesting to note in the Tribune's story that:

Media General will retain its NBC television affiliate, WFLA, News Channel 8. However, the newspaper and station will continue a news partnership that began in the late 1990s when they moved into a new building on the west side of the Hillsborough River.

The newsrooms of WFLA, TBO.com and the Tribune will continue to work together, officials said, likely with staffers from each attending daily news meetings and working on joint news projects.

After the Tribune fired 165 staff members last December, it has hunkered down to concentrate mostly on stories inside of Tampa, shifting reporters from other beats to work on issues affecting residents of the city.

Rumors of the Trib's potential demise have surfaced for years. The paper addressed those stories in an editorial, denying that it would fold after the 2009 Super Bowl.

The Tribune has a daily circulation of 144,510 and a Sunday circulation of 262,369.