Mike Madigan to unveil end to Rocky Mountain News' final series

The announcement last December that the Rocky Mountain News was being put up for sale came mere months before the paper's 150th birthday -- a benchmark that was to have been commemorated by a 150-part series by Mike Madigan, who spent thirty years at the tabloid, in which he highlighted...

By Michael Roberts

June 22, 2009

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The announcement last December that the Rocky Mountain News was being put up for sale came mere months before the paper's 150th birthday -- a benchmark that was to have been commemorated by a 150-part series by Mike Madigan, who spent thirty years at the tabloid, in which he highlighted memorable front pages over that span. The Rocky's late February shuttering meant that readers didn't get the chance to read all of Madigan's offerings -- but its demise didn't stop him from finishing his task. He's compiled the series, including unpublished segments, into a book entitled Heroes, Villains, Dames & Disasters, which is being excerpted beginning today at INDenverTimes.com, a site started by around thirty former Rocky types that continues to bump along despite having fallen about 47,000 readers short of a 50,000 subscriber goal that would have led to a full-scale launch. For many readers, the Rocky's death still felt abrupt despite its lingering nature. Madigan's tome may provide something akin to closure.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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