[NEohioPAL]B-J Cuts
Christopher
kaimei at earthlink.net
Wed Aug 30 10:03:22 PDT 2006
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But when is the last time an academic whiz brought a ton of national
basketball celebs to your town, got you mentioned in every major
national magazine and warranted a sign at each city boundary announcing,
"home of Lebron James?"
Like it or not, anything that contributes to the dumbing down of our
culture is a profitable investment. Mourn the loss of arts coverage all
you need to, but invest money in anything that doesn't require thought.
You'll be richer for it, even if you also remain easily entertained.
Christopher K. Young, between nervous breakdowns
www.shallowfocus.com
Pantsios, Anastasia wrote:
>I know I'll be in a minority here but I think high school sports should abolsutely NOT be covered by big city dailies. It adds to the mystique that sports are the single most important thing for a kid to focus on and the sure path to riches, acclaim, popularity and success. The kid who aces the SATs, is a National Merit scholar and gets into Harvard gets their little paragraph in the special education issue or a mention buried in the metro section but the kid who excels at sports is on the front page of the sports section every week and it gives totally the wrong message. When columnists wring their hands about how many more inner city kids want to be basketball players than accountants or doctors, I always think "Go look at your own paper's coverage and you'll see one of the big reasons why." Community and high school papers are the proper place for this ongoing coverage.
>
>
>
>>----------
>>From: neohiopal-admin at lists.fredsternfeld.com on behalf of Christopher Fortunato
>>Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 5:23 PM
>>To: Tom Burnett; neohiopal at list.fredsternfeld.com; neohiopal at lists.fredsternfeld.com
>>Subject: Re: [NEohioPAL]B-J Cuts
>>
>>Dear Tom, Effie and others,
>>
>>You are right there. When I empanel a jury one of the questions I almost always ask is what section of the newspaper they turn to first. I have never heard Arts and Life as an answer.
>>
>>With six people to cover sports, Terry Pluto is going to be overworked. There's no way to cover local high school sports which is a big thing papers should cover.
>>
>>By the same token, the local professional theatres should also be covered.
>>
>>Tom Burnett <tburnett at neo.rr.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> When all this shakes out, the BJ's sports department, I'm told, will
>> be 6 people. No department is being spared. Having spent 25 years in
>> that business, my gut tells me your letters will accomplish little.
>> Despite the paper's history of excellence (if we could attach an
>> electricity generator to the grave of John S. Knight, he's spinning
>> enough to solve the energy shortage), it's been on a downward spiral
>> for a decade, coinciding with the reign of Tony Ridder over Knight
>> Ridder.
>>
>> Ridder was strictly bottom line and he started cutting costs (staff)
>> at all the KR papers, even the ones that were making a decent profit.
>> So you have fewer people trying to cover the same sized community,
>> and circulation suffers. Circulation goes down, ad sales go down and
>> all of a sudden you have to cut more costs. Many of the Beacon's best
>> people found other jobs, so the coverage dropped in quality as well
>> as quantity. I'd say the decline goes back even 15 years, about the
>> time it stopped being able to compete with the PD on salaries.
>>
>> Letters and public protests can save things like comic strips or
>> features that cost little to keep, but decisions on things like
>> theater coverage are based on focus groups and polling and surveys.
>> The sad truth is, far more people read the sports pages than read
>> theater and movie reviews, so if even the sports staff is getting
>> nuked, there's little hope for the arts staff.
>>
>> Even the PD, for those who haven't heard, is cutting staff. The
>> management has asked for voluntary buyouts on the editorial staff,
>> offering 2 1/2 years pay and 2 1/2 years health insurance for those
>> with at least 20 years at the paper. Left unsaid is what will happen
>> if the paper does not get enough volunteers, but I think layoffs are
>> not out of the question.
>>
>> Tom
>>
>> _______________________________________
>> Neohiopal is SELF-SERVE. If you need to unsubscribe, change from digest to one-at-a-time delivery or vice-versa, go on hiatus while out of town, switch from mime to plain text or vice-versa, etc. check out the FAQS at http://www.fredsternfeld.com.
>> ______________________________________> There is a sister site to this list called the "NEoPAL Bulletin Board." Occasionally when "hot-button" discussions go on more than a day or two, the bulletin board is used: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/neopal/
>> _______________________________________
>> Disclaimer: The facts and/or opinions expressed in this message are solely those of the person in the "from" or "reply-to" header. The fact that this message is posted should in no way be taken as an endorsement by the administrator of this list. Subscribers should perform due diligence for all goods, services and activities promoted on NEohioPAL.
>>
>> NEohioPAL mailing list
>> NEohioPAL at lists.fredsternfeld.com
>> http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal
>>
>>
>>
>> _____
>>
>>Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.
>>
>>
>>
>_______________________________________
>Neohiopal is SELF-SERVE. If you need to unsubscribe, change from digest to one-at-a-time delivery or vice-versa, go on hiatus while out of town, switch from mime to plain text or vice-versa, etc. check out the FAQS at http://www.fredsternfeld.com.
>______________________________________
>There is a sister site to this list called the "NEoPAL Bulletin Board." Occasionally when "hot-button" discussions go on more than a day or two, the bulletin board is used: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/neopal/
>_______________________________________
>Disclaimer: The facts and/or opinions expressed in this message are solely those of the person in the "from" or "reply-to" header. The fact that this message is posted should in no way be taken as an endorsement by the administrator of this list. Subscribers should perform due diligence for all goods, services and activities promoted on NEohioPAL.
>
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But when is the last time an academic whiz brought a ton of national basketball
celebs to your town, got you mentioned in every major national magazine and
warranted a sign at each city boundary announcing, "home of Lebron James?"
<br>
<br>
Like it or not, anything that contributes to the dumbing down of our culture
is a profitable investment. Mourn the loss of arts coverage all you need
to, but invest money in anything that doesn't require thought. You'll be
richer for it, even if you also remain easily entertained. <br>
<br>
Christopher K. Young, between nervous breakdowns<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.shallowfocus.com">www.shallowfocus.com</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Pantsios, Anastasia wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="midCBB7DC5E6B979C4FAA205D6F2AAA705A062A49 at cft-mail.freetimes.com">
<pre wrap="">I know I'll be in a minority here but I think high school sports should abolsutely NOT be covered by big city dailies. It adds to the mystique that sports are the single most important thing for a kid to focus on and the sure path to riches, acclaim, popularity and success. The kid who aces the SATs, is a National Merit scholar and gets into Harvard gets their little paragraph in the special education issue or a mention buried in the metro section but the kid who excels at sports is on the front page of the sports section every week and it gives totally the wrong message. When columnists wring their hands about how many more inner city kids want to be basketball players than accountants or doctors, I always think "Go look at your own paper's coverage and you'll see one of the big reasons why." Community and high school papers are the proper place for this ongoing coverage.
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">----------
From: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:neohiopal-admin at lists.fredsternfeld.com">neohiopal-admin at lists.fredsternfeld.com</a> on behalf of Christopher Fortunato
Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 5:23 PM
To: Tom Burnett; <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:neohiopal at list.fredsternfeld.com">neohiopal at list.fredsternfeld.com</a>; <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:neohiopal at lists.fredsternfeld.com">neohiopal at lists.fredsternfeld.com</a>
Subject: Re: [NEohioPAL]B-J Cuts
Dear Tom, Effie and others,
You are right there. When I empanel a jury one of the questions I almost always ask is what section of the newspaper they turn to first. I have never heard Arts and Life as an answer.
With six people to cover sports, Terry Pluto is going to be overworked. There's no way to cover local high school sports which is a big thing papers should cover.
By the same token, the local professional theatres should also be covered.
Tom Burnett <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:tburnett at neo.rr.com"><tburnett at neo.rr.com></a> wrote:
When all this shakes out, the BJ's sports department, I'm told, will
be 6 people. No department is being spared. Having spent 25 years in
that business, my gut tells me your letters will accomplish little.
Despite the paper's history of excellence (if we could attach an
electricity generator to the grave of John S. Knight, he's spinning
enough to solve the energy shortage), it's been on a downward spiral
for a decade, coinciding with the reign of Tony Ridder over Knight
Ridder.
Ridder was strictly bottom line and he started cutting costs (staff)
at all the KR papers, even the ones that were making a decent profit.
So you have fewer people trying to cover the same sized community,
and circulation suffers. Circulation goes down, ad sales go down and
all of a sudden you have to cut more costs. Many of the Beacon's best
people found other jobs, so the coverage dropped in quality as well
as quantity. I'd say the decline goes back even 15 years, about the
time it stopped being able to compete with the PD on salaries.
Letters and public protests can save things like comic strips or
features that cost little to keep, but decisions on things like
theater coverage are based on focus groups and polling and surveys.
The sad truth is, far more people read the sports pages than read
theater and movie reviews, so if even the sports staff is getting
nuked, there's little hope for the arts staff.
Even the PD, for those who haven't heard, is cutting staff. The
management has asked for voluntary buyouts on the editorial staff,
offering 2 1/2 years pay and 2 1/2 years health insurance for those
with at least 20 years at the paper. Left unsaid is what will happen
if the paper does not get enough volunteers, but I think layoffs are
not out of the question.
Tom
_______________________________________
Neohiopal is SELF-SERVE. If you need to unsubscribe, change from digest to one-at-a-time delivery or vice-versa, go on hiatus while out of town, switch from mime to plain text or vice-versa, etc. check out the FAQS at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.fredsternfeld.com">http://www.fredsternfeld.com</a>.
______________________________________>
There is a sister site to this list called the "NEoPAL Bulletin Board." Occasionally when "hot-button" discussions go on more than a day or two, the bulletin board is used: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/neopal/">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/neopal/</a>
_______________________________________
Disclaimer: The facts and/or opinions expressed in this message are solely those of the person in the "from" or "reply-to" header. The fact that this message is posted should in no way be taken as an endorsement by the administrator of this list. Subscribers should perform due diligence for all goods, services and activities promoted on NEohioPAL.
NEohioPAL mailing list
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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal">http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal</a>
_____
Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->_______________________________________
Neohiopal is SELF-SERVE. If you need to unsubscribe, change from digest to one-at-a-time delivery or vice-versa, go on hiatus while out of town, switch from mime to plain text or vice-versa, etc. check out the FAQS at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.fredsternfeld.com">http://www.fredsternfeld.com</a>.
______________________________________
There is a sister site to this list called the "NEoPAL Bulletin Board." Occasionally when "hot-button" discussions go on more than a day or two, the bulletin board is used: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/neopal/">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/neopal/</a>
_______________________________________
Disclaimer: The facts and/or opinions expressed in this message are solely those of the person in the "from" or "reply-to" header. The fact that this message is posted should in no way be taken as an endorsement by the administrator of this list. Subscribers should perform due diligence for all goods, services and activities promoted on NEohioPAL.
NEohioPAL mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:NEohioPAL at lists.fredsternfeld.com">NEohioPAL at lists.fredsternfeld.com</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal">http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
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