Knight Ridder[1]
[disambiguation: Knight Rider]
Somewhat opaque media conglomerate with an extended history of technological development, often of indeterminate purpose. Knight Ridder was the first news organization to experiment with videotex upon its controversial purchase of Viewtron Systems in 1983, eventually shutting down the service in 1986. In 1988, the company sold its eight remaining television broadcast stations in order to purchase Dialog Information Services, a branch of Lockheed Corporation with no apparent function or assets. A decade later, after an extended period of inactivity and unprecedented opacity with its shareholders resulting in the plummet of its stock value, Ridder launched both Mercury News, the world's first online news publication[2], and the Spectre Complex, a proto-digital shopping mall accessible via the AT&T Sceptre console. The mall was a debacle for both companies, leading to escalating tensions and a gradual cutting of ties. During this time period, the company operated from three unmarked floors in a downtown high-rise in modern day Silicon Valley. In the late 1990's, Knight Ridder's board [3] launched a "strategic initiative" involving its immediate sale, despite a profit margin significantly larger than many Fortune 500 corporations, including ExxonMobile, leading to speculation of board infiltration by its former ally and primary competitor, Ma Bell.
- ↑ The company is thought to be of partial Dutch origin. In evidence: "ridder" equates to "The Knight" in Dutch, strangely rendering the name of the company "Knight the Knight" in full translation, thus forming a word-based palindrome and reflecting the loop-based nature of many of its technological develops, many largely hidden from the general public via release as integrated embeds in existing platforms or discrete deep web links.
- ↑ Knight Ridder board meetings were notoriously shrouded in secrecy, with each member represented by a shadow outline and remote audio feed in the company's pre-digital "digital conference room".
- ↑ The Mercury News was notable for its aggressive investigation and subsequent debunking of the faulty rationale used for the invasion of Iraq by the United States government. This coverage, though later widely praised throughout the journalistic world, damaged the financial prospects of the company by ending content generating contracts with many prominent media outlets, including traditional liberal establishments like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times.