Poker Face

Ouch. Found on Romenesko.

From PAUL BRIBBON: A poker column ... yeah, that's what the Chicago Tribune needs more than an editorial page cartoonist, a daily features columnist, a coherent editorial policy on the presidency and FCC, a deeper news hole, a larger and more experienced staff, an employee pension plan, and fewer entries in the clarifications box. If it weren't for that poker column, the Tribune probably would have lost only 6.5 percent of its readers in the last six-month reporting period, instead of 6.6 percent. And, Tribune Company shares would have closed Tuesday at $36, instead of $35.65, down a mere $17 from its pre-poker-column high of nearly $53.

Now, if Tribune Media Services can only convince ESPN or the Travel Channel to cover competitive Jumble, the paper really would be back among the elite of American journalism.