Earlier today, 49ers beat writer Matt Maiocco announced he was leaving the Press Democrat effective today. Normally when a random beat writer moves on to a new job I don't give it much of a thought. However, I consider this more than just passing news. MM's blog has been recognized as one of the best among the mainstream media. I know a lot of folks disagree with his opinions, but he's been a key source for 49ers news for 49ers fans in general, and myself as a blogger, in particular. Before being added to the 49ers press release list, MM was one of my key sources for breaking news. There are plenty of other folks breaking news (Matt Barrows being my other prime source), but MM was definitely one of the pre-eminent sources.
In his article announcing his departure, MM stated that he would be resurfacing shortly, just not in a print publication. Given the continuing demise of print media, this actually doesn't come as a huge shock. I won't look at this as jumping off a sinking ship, but the writing has been on the wall for print media. In his tweet of the story, he mentioned he couldn't mention where until May 3. There are a whole host of Internet opportunities available, and I'm curious to see where he ends up. A lot of writers have gone over to FanHouse.com, so that certainly wouldn't be a shocker. But, as I said, there are a lot of potential opportunities for him out there.
Best of luck to Matt, and we'll certainly be keeping an eye out for where he ends up.