Yesterday while OTBKB was in Manhattan taking care of some family business, the NY Observer reported that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is set to buy the Brooklyn Paper.

Yeesh. See what happens when OTBKB goes into Manhattan.

Here's how I found out: I was checking my iPhone as we were driving from the Upper East Side down to SoHo and I saw a couple of emails. One from Brooklyn Optimist, one from the Brooklyn Paper, one from Leon Freilich, Verse Responder.

Huh? Murdoch? The Brooklyn Paper…At first I thought it was a joke. But when I actually read Brooklyn Optimist's post I realized it was true.

I tried to reach Gersh at the Brooklyn Paper but it was impossible to get through; I had many questions, concerns. Here's an excerpt from the article in The Observer:

Celia Weintrob said an official statement would be released on Friday.

In 2006, Mr. Murdoch purchased a rival chain of papers, The Courier-Life chain, which publishes 12 papers in Brooklyn. Last year, when Gawker speculated that the Paper was in financial trouble, Mr. Kuntzman was dismissive of that report—and of Mr. Murdoch's chain of papers.

"The Brooklyn Paper, which just won 'Newspaper of the Year' from a major national trade group, is certainly not going out of business," he told Gothamist.
"Brooklyn needs us too much right now, what with local papers being
snapped up by billionaire moguls who have no interest in local news
except maximizing classified ad sales. Has Rupert Murdoch even BEEN to
Brooklyn? His reporters don't know the territory, either."

My first comment to Hepcat: "Brooklyn blogs just got very important."

Looking back, I have to say, I was wondering about the Atlantic Yards turnaround by the paper's publisher.After years of fair and hard-hitting anti-Yards coverage that even won the Paper some awards.

And what about the fact that the Brooklyn Paper was no longer using WNYC as their hold-soundtrack on the telephone?

Too liberal? 

Was this all part of grooming the Paper for the News Corp sale? 

Does this mean that the Brooklyn paper and the Courier are merging? Will Smartmom be part of the newly Murdocked (sic) Brooklyn Paper? Will Gersh have the free editorial hand he's had under Weintrob?

Will reporters still be expected to work for close to nothing for that billionaire? It's one thing when it's a fledgling and financially strapped locally-owned newspaper. Quite another when it's the biggest media mogul in the world.

Will Smartmom want to be in the new Brooklyn Paper. I'll have to talk to her and get back to you.