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Monday, December 10, 2007

Blethen’s Porsche

posted by on December 10 at 13:10 PM

Employee parking space rates over at the Seattle Times are going up from $50 a month to $62.50 starting next year. That’s a 25 percent increase.

On a reporter’s salary. Ouch.

And what makes it hurt even more is this: Publisher Frank Blethen’s 2008 Porsche Cayenne AWD 4-door Turbo has started showing up in the parking lot.

Listed base price: $81,859.
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $93,700.

scaled.unknown.jpg

Photo courtesy of news intern Brian Slodysko before he was chased off the lot by security.

RSS icon Comments

1

That's a bargain compared to a few blocks south at City Hall. The market rate at City Hall and SMT is about $200 a month, city councilmembers included.

Posted by wow! | December 10, 2007 1:12 PM
2

that is one fugly car.

Posted by andy niable | December 10, 2007 1:16 PM
3

Josh: You don't want to ask how much more the publisher of the Stranger makes than you -- or Savage, for that matter.

At least the Times pays its reporters a decent wage with decent benefits, unlike your rag

Posted by bigyaz | December 10, 2007 1:19 PM
4

What kind of moron buys a Porsche SUV?
Or a Mercedes SUV? Or the Cadillac Escalade?
Rhetorical.

Posted by isabelita | December 10, 2007 1:32 PM
5

I think thats a hot car! Esp. the color. Rarr.

Posted by Amelia | December 10, 2007 1:38 PM
6

How small of a penis does a $90,000 car compensate for?

Posted by Greg | December 10, 2007 1:40 PM
7

$62.50 a month - sounds like a bargain.
What are the other local monthly rates?

How much do those reporters make?

Is a 60 cents per workday increase a true life altering charge to them?

Is it just the $90K car that's got your goat?

Are you supposed to be a reporter?

Posted by observer | December 10, 2007 1:42 PM
8

You were expecting Frank to slide into work aboard Rosebud?

Posted by Joe M | December 10, 2007 1:46 PM
9

Hey, Frank's downscaling. He used to drive a Range Rover. Gas prices, you know!

Posted by DOUG. | December 10, 2007 1:47 PM
10

At least he's not flying his chopper there.

Posted by Will in Seattle | December 10, 2007 1:48 PM
11

Color me obtuse, but I'm not sure I get your point. So the publisher drives a Porsche SUV. So what. One would presume that the publisher of a large city newspaper would make enough money to drive such a vehicle.

Am I missing something more?

Posted by Brad | December 10, 2007 1:49 PM
12

@11,
Yes. You are.

Posted by Josh Feit | December 10, 2007 1:51 PM
13

Amelia, you make me Rarr :)

Posted by my creepy underbelly | December 10, 2007 1:51 PM
14

Meanwhile, the Seattle Times continues to talk out its ass about global warming and how "we really should do something about that, as long as it doesn't affect our extravagant lifestyle in any way at all." Aren't there any buses from Mercer Island to Seattle, Frank?

Posted by lorax | December 10, 2007 1:54 PM
15

Is this a real news story or just sour grapes from Josh?

Josh, please tell us why anyone other than a bitter Stranger employee or a Times' reporter cares about this.

Posted by Boo | December 10, 2007 1:57 PM
16

The Porsche Cayenne is an abomination. The whole idea of making an SUV was a violation of everything Porsche ever stood for.

Posted by Orv | December 10, 2007 2:01 PM
17

I'd pay $280 a month to park at my workplace in Chicago if I didn't take the el every day. Perhaps parking in Seattle does need to be a bit more expensive to give a nudge to transit?

Posted by Lou | December 10, 2007 2:02 PM
18

@15 because the people at the top are always overpaid and the people at the bottom always get screwed? He could, in lieu of giving his reporters raises or buying that car, pay for the increase for 7500 of his employees for a year.

Posted by idaho | December 10, 2007 2:02 PM
19

How can he afford this? He's been claiming that the Times isn't making any money, thus his reasoning for breaking up with the P-I.

Posted by Justy | December 10, 2007 2:05 PM
20

Hey Feit,

I may be on vacation, but I TOTES pitched this story a few weeks ago, via a disgruntled Times reporter.

Just sayin.

xo from BCN,
ECB

Posted by ECB | December 10, 2007 2:23 PM
21

@19: Executives always get paid big bucks for running their companies into the ground. Then they deploy their golden parachutes just before impact. It's capitalism at work!

Posted by Orv | December 10, 2007 2:29 PM
22

At least Frank and The Stranger can agree on ONE thing: Building light rail outside Seattle is a waste of fucking money.

Posted by Will/HA | December 10, 2007 2:32 PM
23

Regarding the Cayenne, perhaps Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson put it best when he said, "I mean, just look at it!" before refusing to drive it another inch.

Posted by fnc | December 10, 2007 2:36 PM
24

serious on the, who gives a sh*t front, if parking is expensive for "reporters salary's" don't drive.

The boss drives a 90k$ stupid car? big deal I would expect him to drive a 300k Mercedes.

The boss makes more money than the employees, news at 11.

Posted by meanie | December 10, 2007 2:46 PM
25

Not my taste in a Porsche. Have owned one, years ago, god, almost scared me to drive it cause it went so fast so soon.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz - so a rich family likes expensive new cars, news in America?

Posted by Lordsman | December 10, 2007 2:54 PM
26

Doesn't it just kill ya when someone pays that much for a fucking car?

Posted by Bauhaus | December 10, 2007 3:14 PM
27

What's the value per space of the land that lot sits on, compared to what it would sell for on the market? Surface parking in that area is getting more and more wasteful as real estate goes up. And if they built a garage, it would be even more -- even adding a floor or two to new office construction to allow parking floors below adds at least $100 or so per space per month, amortized. It's eminently fair.

I assume they subsidize bus passes.

The boss drives an expensive car -- how UNUSUAL. Not.

Posted by Fnarf | December 10, 2007 3:25 PM
28

That is fucking cheap parking; no wonder he drives the Porsche. I pay $240 for downtown Seattle parking. ps. The Cayenne is a Toureg is a Q7, with modifications. All pretty ugly, but whatevers.

Posted by Eric | December 10, 2007 3:27 PM
29

Yes, the Times subsidizes bus passes and the majority of my coworkers take the bus, myself included. It's a screamin' deal: I buy one tank of gas per month (if that) and my insurance rates are next to nothing.

Posted by Big whoop | December 10, 2007 3:38 PM
30

Well, the Chevy Volt, a plug-in electric car, is a bit more than $90,000 as I recall ...

Posted by Will in Seattle | December 10, 2007 4:00 PM
31

You can lock your bike in that same lot, in a fenced bike cage, for free. I hope more people opt to bike to work, rather than drive, at the Times.

Posted by carfree | December 10, 2007 4:07 PM
32

Guess I won't buy the Seattle Times anymore. Bleth (I call him Bleth) doesn't need my dough.

Posted by punk nose ring | December 10, 2007 4:07 PM
33

TWO BUCKS A DAY?

fuck, i work in the wrong part of town.

Posted by max solomon | December 10, 2007 4:16 PM
34

Interestingly, the Times did boost the cost of parking but provides annual bus passes for about $150. The idea is to get people using public transportation rather than driving into town.

Hmmm. Isn't that something you and your cohorts would support, Josh?

Posted by tomcat98109 | December 10, 2007 4:49 PM
35

@34 et al,

I don't have as much invested in this minor Slog item as you seem to hope/imagine. (Encouraging bike riding sounds great, though.)

Posted by Josh Feit | December 10, 2007 5:39 PM
36

Then why waste the keystrokes, Josh? I've worked for other newspapers who had ostentatious publishers too. But that's because I've always worked for major metropolitan dailies (starting sophomore year of college) and not a free bar-ad tab with a major chip on its shoulder.

Posted by How many houses does Dan own? | December 10, 2007 5:55 PM
37

it's awfully lame to have to pay for parking, if you HAVE to use your car for work. so, i think the reporters and probably a number of the sales staff at the times have a valid complaint about paying for parking. otherwise, i'm not sure what the big fuss is about.

ps - blethen is a douchebag publisher, and that porsche, well, it's a douchebag car. so, i'm not sure what the big surprise is about there, either.

Posted by superyeadon | December 10, 2007 7:46 PM
38

@37 - Most reporters don't have to drive.

Josh, how about a posting that compares a photo of Dan Savage's $1,000,000+ home to whatever hovel you can afford on your Stranger salary (or are you another trust fund kid?).

Posted by tree | December 10, 2007 8:32 PM
39

savage is a national treasure, sort of like bob novak or valerie bertinelli. didn't you see the colbert show dammit? of course savage has an expensive house.

Posted by superyeadon | December 10, 2007 10:36 PM
40

Gee, maybe if some of you whiners got off your fat, lazy heinies, and wrote two or three moderately successful national best-sellers, you too could afford to buy a nice house.

Ah, but that would involve actual work and productivity - sorry, mea culpa. Continue with the snarkage.

Posted by COMTE | December 11, 2007 9:37 AM
41

@36: Dan earned the money for his many dream homes; Frank inherited the family business.

Posted by J.R. | December 11, 2007 10:55 AM
42

Congrats to the Times for doing something right for transportation.

Posted by TLjr | December 11, 2007 7:11 PM

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