PiPress Politico partnership: The Pioneer Press may have figured out a winning way to harness the power of the web: they’re partnering with Politico.com to cover the Republican National Convention (the site struck a similar deal with fellow MediaNews Group paper, the Denver Post, for the DNC). During the RNC, the PiPress will incorporate Politico’s name into its name banner on a several-page front section that’ll feature stories by Politco writers — they’re sending 30 staffers to each convention — as well as pieces produced with PiPress reporters; a second section of non-RNC news will feature another front cover bearing the PiPress name. Politico.com will run some PiPress news on their web page.

Partnership not quite new: PiPress editor Thom Fladung told Editor & Publisher that the paper has been collaborating with Politico for awhile (here’s how they’re dealing with PiPress crediting). As an example, Fladung cited the scoop that Barack Obama would claim the Democratic nomination in St. Paul. "We were the first in the nation to report it and they helped confirm it," he said.

Strib contract ratified… Meanwhile, across the river, the members of the Star Tribune’s Newspaper Guild chapter ratified its contract agreement with management, agreeing to terms that include a 16-month pay freeze, the elimination of six newsroom jobs (through buyouts), and a shift that’ll mean employees will have to pay a bigger share for healthcare. The 3-year contract was approved by a vote of 210 to 27.

…And its debt package up for sale. Finance & Commerce reports that the lenders behind Avista Capital Partner’s purchase of the Strib last year are putting their debt package — originally worth $400 million — up for sale. Strib management confirms that their lenders have hired a financial advisor, but they won’t say whether lenders Credit Suisse and Royal Bank of Scotland are selling their debt load. What’s it all mean? "[I]t could be a sign that those lenders no longer believe the Star Tribune will be profitable enough to service their debt, despite all the cuts that have taken place at the newspaper in recent months," F&C speculates. 

Inspired writing: David Brauer says the PiPress will combine its A and B sections into one section on Mondays and Tuesdays to save on paper costs. According to Fladung, the number of stories won’t drop and most stories won’t shrink. So we’ll stick get our regular dose of fluff, like this Philadelphia Inquirer piece the paper recently ran. It began: "Things got emotional at the Country Thunder USA country music festival in Wisconsin on Saturday night when Jessica Simpson, whose switch to country music has been an inspiration to us all, broke down in tears on stage during her set." (Hat tip Taylor Carik.)