Bend’s only daily paper of record was at risk in early 2019. The Bulletin’s history goes back to the founding years of this community. The most recent owners inherited the paper from their father, a storied journalist who built a vibrant institution on the “empty” side of Oregon. When they announced that the company’s financial outlook was terminal, the community reeled.
The newspaper group went for sale and garnered almost no bids. It wasn’t until after a predatory hedge fund came close to sealing the deal that deep-pocketed members of the community stepped forward.
A mix of lenders and investors made a sale to the Oregon-based EO Media Group possible. In late June, we found out who those were. Here’s what I wrote at the time (7/30/2019):
We know who The Bulletin’s investors are now.
How do they give politically?
$234,518 in total political giving is identified in Orestar.
- $26,139 or 11% to local or state Democrats
- $132,441 or 56% to local or state Republicans
If we analyze how they gave to ballot measures and PACs, the ratio goes further rightward.. but not hard right.
These contributions total $65,938 or 28%
Most donate to biz & development interests and often have a more local focus.
These figures count all giving listed in Orestar from:
- Amy Tykeson
- Bill Smith
- Jay Bowerman
- Lou Capozzi
- The Bend Foundation board members (Mike Hollern & Kirk Schueler)
- and their spouses and associated organizations.
This is just a rough search and might miss some entities.
The new investors in The Bulletin give politically at a much higher rate than the average voter.
That said, their giving is not as prolific as what you might see from some more “activist” type donors. This is more what you see from an “old guard” establishment in a community.
If you’d like to play with the data, check out the exported Orestar numbers here.
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