Tom George Bets On The Daily Ostrich

It’s been just a week since Tom George was ousted from the publisher’s desk at the Sunday Casual-Observer, and already he’s found a spot to land his golden parachute. Revered publisher Max Colander announced his retirement from The Daily Ostrich this morning, and introduced George as the new owner and publisher.

Insiders said Colander’s departure was sad, but not unexpected. “Max is a sparkplug,” said Will Bithers of the News Media Alliance. “We won’t see another like him for a long while. But of course he’s also a terrible gambler.”

Colander echoed that note in is announcement, apologizing for the wager that cost the Daily Ostrich its Manhattan headquarters. “I regret that bet,” he said. “I miss the Nest, and it’s tough to run a national paper in your garage. I don’t blame the folks who left.”

George, for his part, was upbeat in his remarks. “Sure,” he said, “it’s nice to have a building and a work force, but come on, it’s the Daily Ostrich. It’s a publisher’s dream. You know the motto: Watch out for the Ostrich! It’s just as true now as it ever was.”

Financial terms of the sale haven’t been disclosed. George said only that the terms were “favorable,” and Colander said the deal wasn’t about the money. “I just want the paper to have a future,” he said. “If you’ve met Tom, you know he’d dive under a bus before he’d quit being a tycoon. He’ll give it a good fight.”

As to his plans for the Daily Ostrich, the new publisher said he had “a few things in the hopper,” though he warned that readers can expect a frugal newspaper. “I can’t let myself get carried away,” he said. “I’ve made that mistake before. I’ll do a lot of the writing myself, and you know how that goes. If all else fails, I’ll write about my lunch.”

Asked if the public cared to read about his lunch, Mr. George responded with a wink. “That’s the trick,” he said. “A good publisher always eats an interesting lunch.”