Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Tuesday Nov. 25 -- Got news or a question?

If you have news or a question, leave it in comments.
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14 comments:

Anonymous said...

The local public radio station in Kansas City, KCUR, devoted about a half-hour to The Star over the weekend. They interviewed some laid off editorial folks and then publisher Zieman spewed blarney for about ten minutes about how bright the future is.

The links are here, if you can stand it, under "News Stories and Interviews."

Anonymous said...

KC Star LOSER. I guess this means no more layoffs......I'm sorry I forgot all you have left is part-time temps.

Anonymous said...

During a ‘reinventing’ the dinosaur press discussion, the statement was made that more people are reading newspapers than reported. The speaker offered the model that libraries offer newspaper reading for free, and not counted per person. He then went on to mention the newspaper sharing at Starbucks.

At the coffee shop near me, the tables are small and the space limited. Opening a full newspaper is an awkward option. Actually, 99% of the customers have a laptop open reading the news, or whatever. This shop was wireless before some people knew what wireless was.

The closing statement was “People like the feel and smell of a real newspapers.” He forgot to mention the need to line bird cages.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, couldn't get past Dodd's misrepresentation of the Pub decor and his memory of "back in the day." Especially considering that he got his job on the backs of all the people who were being fired without cause, without buyout and without consideration back in 1976.

Oh, and BTW asshole, if you're reading, you're the only people who didn't know that print was going to die a rapid and painful death. "No one knew", indeed.

Anonymous said...

I'll pick up a paper and skim it if I see it laying around somewhere. Sadly, there is usually not much worth reading.

I'm finding more and more that I get a higher quality of news reporting from the local, free, independent papers. They feature stories that are relevant to my area and are actually written by proper journalists--not just a rehash of what AP put out. They also feature a lot of events that fly under the radar of the local McClatchy rag. (And they don't kiss arse to the local politicians!)

Anonymous said...

I've been reading this blog and several others for the past few months as part of an attempt to understand what the hell is going on in my country. I've long predicted an upheaval of some kind in the media, but I've not been able to figure out what form it would take or what the outcome would be. Now I realize that practically all media companies are either dying or under tremendous pressure to change. What are these businesses supposed to adapt to, when you consider that they've arrived at this place not by offering news, but scandal, entertainment, repackaged junk and electronically generated gruel? The major media have long bought into the idea that straight news doesn't sell. Is journalism dead? And if so, when will the general public "get it," given that the "news" organizations will never "report" it? Will online media ever be able to replace the big newspapers and networks in the reach, authority and reliability -- the sheer ubiquitousness -- that they had at their peaks?

Anonymous said...

The'll get it when current papers like McClatchy go broke and are bought by a company that produces a good news source. Sorry but it won't be a paper product.

Anonymous said...

In discussing the end of print media, the hand wringing pitiful explanations by j-school professors is laughable. Little is said about the squander of trust resulting from the ‘Obama Team’ minded media not being truthful.

J-school professors are so liberal and biased themselves, they can’t see the problem of overcoming the loss of credibility. I started to read the suggestions of an elite college BS-er as he suggested the Huffington Post and Kos as the blog models of the future for their ‘objective’ blogging. You think surely he jests? Sorry, he was serious, petrified dinosaur serious.

On the other hand Jeff Jarvis writes:
It is our fault

“The fall of journalism is, indeed, journalists’ fault.
It is our fault that we did not see the change coming soon enough and ready our craft for the transition. It is our fault that we did not see and exploit — hell, we resisted — all the opportunities new media and new relationships with the public presented. It is our fault that we did not give adequate stewardship to journalism and left the business to the business people. It is our fault that we lost readers and [squandered trust.] It is our fault that we sat back and expected to be supported in the manner to which we had become accustomed by some unknown princely patron. Responsibility and blame are indeed ours.”

Anonymous said...

I've got a feeling that J-school profs are trying to find something that should be the new model for fear of losing their jobs. After all, if news organizations die, nobody wants to go to school to be a journalist. If nobody's enrolled in a J-school, the profs lose their positions.

I'm not saying there is no liberal bias, because there is. But I think you have to take into account that some who teach the application of journalism, rather than just its theory, are desperately trying to find something to teach as the new model for journalists today.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have data on the number of businesses cancelling their subscriptions to The Sacramento Bee vs. the number of residential cancellations?

Anonymous said...

Does anybody notice anything funny going on with the stock market regarding McClatchy stock. Buy 100 sell 100 stays around the same price day after day.

Anonymous said...

That is generally what happens when retail buyers dry up and a bottom sets in. The company becomes stuck in a narrow trade range. A couple of conditions could be going on. 1) Traders are the only participants, scalping for a few cents in either direction and at the end of the day anticipating a big move. Dangerous game that fools play.

2) Most likely event, McClatchy is propping up the price with small buys of 100 shares each during the day to prevent price adjustments to the downside during long periods of inactivity. With a stock so cheap one can affect it's price for most of a day with as little as 20k. It cannot however compensate for the wild swings such as todays last minute covering of over 100k shares at the bell, thus the run to 1.99 at close and low opening the following day. Nor could it compensate for the three period of covering today. With every pop from covering short positions, current long positions take advantage to unload current holdings. Thus the term, "Sell on strength".

Anonymous said...

Adding insult to injury...The Modesto Bee REALLY wants me back!!! I got a frigin' personal phone message from Mark Vasche on my answering machine...he'd know me if he saw me, but by just going by my name he has no idea who I am and that I am one of the pressmen that was laid off!!! Talk about getting desperate!
To add further insult to its readers, when the Modesto product was going to Sacramento, they boasted that the comics were going to be in COLOR!!!...yesterday and today they were black and white and were converted from a color version which made them look muddy and dark with noticeable moire patterns. The sad thing is they were on pages matched up with color ad pages.
GOOD JOB SACTO!!!KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!! (losers)

Anonymous said...

Your the loser 6:21. It was Modesto that sent the pages B&W because of issues related to losing power.

It's seems pretty obvious why you lost your job! You don't seem to be very aware of the process and I'm sure that this is also reflected in your press skills.