The Sarasota Herald Tribune, owned by the New York Times Company, shut down its 24/7 local cable news operation, SNN News 6, at midnight yesterday after a deal announced in November to sell the channel to local investors failed to close. The Florida newspaper said a key investor unexpectedly dropped out. SNN General Manager Linda DesMarais and her husband, veteran broadcaster Doug Barker, are still hopeful of finding additional investors to close the purchase. Meanwhile, Comcast is running a crawl advising viewers that the channel has temporarily discontinued programming.
