Former Post-Intelligencer biz columnists starts newsletter

Bill Virgin, the former business columnist at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, is continuing his coverage by launching a newsletter, writes Todd Bishop of TechFlash, a site from the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Bishop writes, “The veteran journalist is launching subscription-based newsletters devoted to Washington state manufacturing and Pacific Northwest railroading. He has started an umbrella business dubbed Northwest Newsletter Group, which could eventually include more newsletters by him or others. He’s also exploring the possibility of syndicating a regular business column to newspapers around the state.

“‘Washington Manufacturing Alert’ debuted this week, with a lead story on the M&A market in the manufacturing industry. That newsletter is set for release every two weeks, available for $140 a year for email delivery and $160 via traditional mail. The railroading newsletter is set to launch in early May –- exploring everything from model railroading to tourist lines to working railroads.

“In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that I’m far from unbiased on this topic, having sat next to Bill in the P-I newsroom for five years and benefited countless times from his insights. But many of his longtime readers have been wondering where he ended up, so it’s great to be able to report that he’s still on the beat.”

Read more here. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer became a Web-only operation last month, laying off many of its reporters and editors.