Shaniqua Bought A Newspaper

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(a while ago)

Shaniqua had followed through after the initial internet search. She had investigated further and read the newspaper’s financial reports. Like most of the legacy media it was hemorrhaging cash like stuck pig. She checked with a realtor. The price was right but the accumulated debt of the newspaper worried her. She would attempt to bargain with them and perhaps buy ONLY the business and none of it’s debt. The owners were desperate to sell. The newspaper had been on the market for some time and no one had shown the least bit of interest. They decided that it would be better to loose less than to loose more. They tried to bargain further.

That was a mistake. Shaniqua was a master haggler. She skinned ‘em.

She bought it for pennies on the dollar and none of it’s debt conveyed. She was now the new owner of the town’s only newspaper, the Chronicle.

some time later

She walked through the front door of the old building one day unannounced. She did NOT like what she saw. It was a filthy mess. There was trash on the floor, wires and cables were haphazardly laying about. The ash trays were overflowing and half filled styrofoam coffee cups with cigarette buts were everywhere.

She wandered about the newsroom as she pleased. No one seemed to notice her, either that or they didn’t care. She observed a distinct lack of work being accomplished. As far as she could tell everyone was just sitting or standing around...shooting the breeze.

Very few of the columnists were at their desks. None of them appeared to be busy with their job. One was playing solitaire on his computer, another was looking at porn.

The editing desks were vacant. She looked in vain for any ‘page-making’. She noticed a distinct lack of proof reading much less spell checking.

The people in the advertising department were lackadaisical at best.

She noticed the ‘Editor-in-Chief’s’ office. There was no secretary in the outer office. She looked through the door into the inner office, and noticed a man leading back in his chair, a glass of amber fluid in his hand..

..........and a female kneeling before him.

Her head was bobbing up and down.

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