Reaction to Wajsman at the paper is mixed - some don't take his bid seriously, others think he's a megalomaniac, and others think he can't be worse than the Aspers. The truth is that other than his political leanings (and it's unclear if he would be in a position to impose those on the paper if this deal happens), it's not clear what would happen if Wajsman, Heard and Grafstein become the new owners. Maybe they would be benevolent dictators, willing to fund a professional newsroom in exchange for an editorial page where they can say what they want. Or maybe they would continue budget cuts and scrape beyond the bone to make money off what will be a huge investment for them. Nobody really knows for sure.

My most memorable experience with the Suburban was reading the letters to the editor section, all of which praised Wajsman's editorial the previous week, how much of a visionary he is etc... Real objective.

If media outlets tend to be more about ego than bottom line, then I guess you can't go wrong with Wajsman. He's one of the most egotistical people I've ever seen in the media. I'd be surprised if the Gazette's newsroom wasn't a little wary about the thought of him at the helm.

But I guess it's not really in Fagstein's best interests to be anything but welcoming to this consortium, being an employee of The Gazette and all. At least he's still getting his paycheques, unlike the many Gazette freelancers who are never going to see a penny of the money owed to them for work over the past few months.

CKMI's problem isn't lack of efficiency, it's that it doesn't have the staff and financial resources to compete with an entrenched leader like CFCF in a market that's not all that big to begin with.

It is true that the Suburban employs journalists and tends to cover local issues well.