Colorado Springs Independent Faces Second Staff Layoff as Publication Changes Ownership Again

Uncertainty Looms Over Colorado Springs Independent as Staff Laid Off Again

The Colorado Springs Independent, a long-standing alternative weekly newspaper, faced a shocking upheaval this week as its entire staff was laid off. This abrupt dismissal, which arrived without severance packages, caught the small team off guard, particularly since the publication had been recently revived less than a year ago. Currently, both the Independent and the Colorado Springs Business Journal are undergoing a shift in ownership, which raises questions about the future of the storied publication.

In less than two years, the Independent has experienced significant turmoil. The publication had ceased its operations in late 2023 due to financial challenges coupled with a poorly executed rebranding effort that aimed to transition it to a nonprofit model. The situation soon changed when local entrepreneurs Kevin O’Neil and JW Roth stepped in, announcing their acquisition of both the Independent and the Colorado Springs Business Journal shortly thereafter.

Under the umbrella of a new organization named Pikes Peak Media Company, which hired former Summit Daily News editor Ben Trollinger as the new editor-in-chief, the Independent aimed to restore its reputation for bold and sometimes controversial reporting. In his first editorial for the re-launched paper last May, Trollinger expressed the desire to regain the trust of the Independent’s audience. “It’s a lot to live up to,” he noted at the time, gearing up to meet community expectations.

However, in a twist of fate, the challenges to the publication proved to be insurmountable. O’Neil and Roth’s prominent community projects, including a proposed high-rise apartment building that stirred public discontent and a new concert venue that faced criticism, added complexity to the editorial independence of the Independent. Trollinger admitted that it became difficult to cover stories tied to the ownership’s projects without risking the perception of bias. “If we didn’t cover something they were involved in, it looked suspicious. If we did, public perception might be we were a mouthpiece or a propaganda organ,” he explained.

As financial pressures mounted, the Independent found itself losing traction. In the weeks leading up to the layoffs, Trollinger sensed growing frustration from the owners and a desire for the newspaper to align more closely with their interests.

Transition of Ownership

Fast forward to this week when Colorado Media Group, the parent organization behind several local publications including NORTH Magazine and the Southern Colorado Business Forum, announced it had acquired both the Independent and the Business Journal. CMG owner Dirk Hobbs stated that serious discussions around the transaction began in February. However, he expressed his surprise concerning the decision to dismiss the staff. “It’s shell shock, right?” he remarked, showing empathy towards the team.

At present, Hobbs stated that two-thirds of the Independent and Business Journal’s employees are interested in remaining with the publications under his management. The future of the Business Journal seems clear as it will continue as part of Hobbs’ Business Forum. However, the fate of the Independent remains uncertain. Hobbs aims to maintain its focus on the city’s food and arts scenes but is less sure regarding the publication’s identity as an alt-weekly.

Future Considerations

Former reporter Pam Zubeck, who retired during the Independent’s closure in 2023, shared her mixed feelings about the ongoing transitions. While she recognized the potential for the new ownership to offer more stable funding, she expressed skepticism regarding the future of the Independent brand. “I wouldn’t know why you’d want to keep the Independent name, because it’d be confusing to people depending on what the new owner wants to do with it,” she noted. Zubeck emphasized the need for Hobbs to restore the online archives that had fallen into disrepair, affirming that preserving the Independent’s past stories would serve the community well.