If a tree falls in the forest, does it matter if the tree isn’t on the Internet?

When Boise financial adviser Dave Petso interviewed a Micron executive on Petso’s KIDO-AM (580) show in late August, the executive, Kipp Bedard, talked about Micron’s interest in acquiring other companies. Bedard, the vice president of investor relations, mentioned the “decimated” stock price of Qimonda AG, a struggling Micron competitor based in Germany that employs 13,500 people. Bedard didn’t directly say Micron wants to buy all or part of Qimonda, but he did cite its bargain price right after saying Micron is looking at opportunities for acquisition.

That was significant to investors in Micron and Qimonda — and it’s relevant to the Treasure Valley economy, because it could delay Micron’s plans to build a new fabrication unit here. But not until the Statesman’s report (which I wrote after I happened to turn to Petso on my car radio while running Saturday errands) was posted on the Internet did the news gain traction. Then anyone who had punched “Micron” or “Qimonda” into an automated Yahoo! search could read it.

“Micron exec hints at Qimonda deal talks,” said a MarketWatch headline Tuesday, the first business day after the Statesman story appeared. Qimonda’s stock rose as much as 18 percent in trading Tuesday, while Micron’s fell slightly. By the end of trading, Qimonda had settled back to a 7 percent gain for the week. Micron was up 2.6 percent for the week to $4.36.