With the McClatchy's purchase of Knight Ridder a done deal, newspapers affected by the change are weighing in on what it means to them and their readers. Newsrooms have been wondering, too.

It's particularly interesting in North Carolina and South Carolina (not North and South Carolina, as an editor at the Greensboro paper once told the copy desk). The region is dotted with KR and McClatchy papers. Here's how some of them are covering the transition:

• The Charlotte Observer says readers won't see a significant difference. Its story quotes an op-ed columnist for the paper who's worried that the deal will do nothing to eliminate what he sees as bias in news coverage. (Note: Registration may be required to read the Charlotte story and the accompanying column by its publisher.)
  
• The News & Observer of Raleigh sees collaboration with Charlotte on specialty publications. The N&O story also touches on sharing coverage of sports and coordinating circulation along the coast.
• The State newspaper in Columbia predicts an increase in regional stories. The story also mentions how the change will require changes to the design of front pages and newsracks, which sport the Knight Ridder logo.
• The Web site of the Rock Hill Herald goes with this headline: "Carolina papers grow stronger." The story quotes Bill Rogers of the S.C. Press Association, who says the biggest change will come in advertising, not news.

None of the stories mentions copy editors or page designers, leading one to believe that they won't be consolidated out of a job.