This blog is mainly about the spectacular train wreck at The Sacramento Bee and its parent company, the McClatchy Company. But I also post about current events, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, politics, anything else that grabs my attention. Take a look around this blog, hope you enjoy it.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
“The Star-Telegram is not even a shadow of what it was a few years ago”
I came across an outstanding story by Dan McGraw in the Fort Worth Weekly on dramatic deterioration at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Click here for the full story. . . .
11 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Just read it, even though I still work there, I must say - that story is right-on!
I'm sure there will be many of us who will just say "former workers just pissing on us" but in this case people - it's true. Point the finger at the MCT exec's who are clueless of the impact we USED to have.
Excerpt from the article- *** The New York Stock Exchange has warned the company that it will be de-listed from the big board if the stock doesn’t get above a dollar by June.
MNI has used the S-T and other profit-generating papers like a drunken father who drinks away his paychecks and then raids the college funds of his hardworking children to pay for it.
The only thing the S-T means to MNI is more easy money coming into the corporate coffers. Otherwise, they could care less about it.
I don't get it, how could DMN layoff more people when production has not changed at all and they will be picking up the Wall Street Journal after Dow Jones announced it's closing the doors at it's Dallas plant? I know a lot of former Dallas Herald and Fort Worth ST employees working there that will soon be left without a job.
"The problem for the [Star-Telegram} is that they have always been a stong cash contributor ...The paper will suffer because McClatchy will bleed them dry of every cent they have." This is the key point in the article and was made by a respected, independent media analyst, John Morton. Wake up, Fort Worth and S-T employees. McClatchy doesn't give a fig about us and will keep on destroying the paper in a hopeless attempt to pay off its debt. We need a local group to come forward, buy the paper and save it from the slow-motion suicide being engineered by "Hatchet Man" Gary Wortel and his henchman, Jim "Oops" Witt on behalf of "Boy Blunder" Gary Pruitt and the McCrappy family. We also need a UNION to protect employees' interests, forcing McCrappy to NEGOTIATE on changes in the terms of employment. Google The Newspaper Guild and contact the union if you are interested in this response. Otherwise, look for another job, accept the next buyout if there is one and get the hell out of there before it destroys your self-respect and passion for journalism. It's time to fight back or abandon ship. If you still believe that journalism is a noble calling that's worth fighting for: Organize, don't agonize. Join a union to protect yourself and the profession, and to preserve what's left of Fort Worth's newspaper before it's too late.
EXACTLY. They (we) sit and point fingers at everyone but we do nothing. Here in advertising at the FWST - we do that ALL DAY. The people who got out had a plan and took the money. My plan is to just retire when the end comes so its not that big of a deal. Others have no plan - ZERO - and think they will come along one day and the problems will be gone.
Very good article. The FW Weeeky took the high road on this one and in turn shed light on what we feel everyday at this place. I feel he could have addressed the reason behind dfw.com a bit more. I scratch my head on this move every day I'm here. Ed Bass buy us. Please buy us NOW! This ship is headed into an iceberg and we need a better captain.
Against whom, and with what purpose? Selling more papers? Producing better quality papers? My answer is like your paper…RUBISH. It’s way beyond too late for all of you. Why Cry Wolf now?
Like your Marxist who reasoned in the above thread, “Why cover tea parties since it’s only angry white people.” Certainly white people are not your “white knight”
My advise, go back to sleep. It’s merely another MNI death throw.
How sad that Jim Witt (and perhaps other Exec Editors) is apparently too scared to comment on his own newspaper--especially questions directly relating to the news gathering operation. He "referred all questions to Gary Wortel"--wow that MNI really knows what a newspaper is all about!
Seems like MNI has castrated all of its editors. So much for "truth to power."
11 comments:
Just read it, even though I still work there, I must say - that story is right-on!
I'm sure there will be many of us who will just say "former workers just pissing on us" but in this case people - it's true. Point the finger at the MCT exec's who are clueless of the impact we USED to have.
Excerpt from the article-
***
The New York Stock Exchange has warned the company that it will be de-listed from the big board if the stock doesn’t get above a dollar by June.
MNI has used the S-T and other profit-generating papers like a drunken father who drinks away his paychecks and then raids the college funds of his hardworking children to pay for it.
The only thing the S-T means to MNI is more easy money coming into the corporate coffers. Otherwise, they could care less about it.
Funny, All that reading (good) and bias is never mentioned.
They be in an extra heap of trouble.
I don't get it, how could DMN layoff more people when production has not changed at all and they will be picking up the Wall Street Journal after Dow Jones announced it's closing the doors at it's Dallas plant? I know a lot of former Dallas Herald and Fort Worth ST employees working there that will soon be left without a job.
"The problem for the [Star-Telegram} is that they have always been a stong cash contributor ...The paper will suffer because McClatchy will bleed them dry of every cent they have." This is the key point in the article and was made by a respected, independent media analyst, John Morton.
Wake up, Fort Worth and S-T employees. McClatchy doesn't give a fig about us and will keep on destroying the paper in a hopeless attempt to pay off its debt. We need a local group to come forward, buy the paper and save it from the slow-motion suicide being engineered by "Hatchet Man" Gary Wortel and his henchman, Jim "Oops" Witt on behalf of "Boy Blunder" Gary Pruitt and the McCrappy family.
We also need a UNION to protect employees' interests, forcing McCrappy to NEGOTIATE on changes in the terms of employment. Google The Newspaper Guild and contact the union if you are interested in this response. Otherwise, look for another job, accept the next buyout if there is one and get the hell out of there before it destroys your self-respect and passion for journalism. It's time to fight back or abandon ship. If you still believe that journalism is a noble calling that's worth fighting for: Organize, don't agonize. Join a union to protect yourself and the profession, and to preserve what's left of Fort Worth's newspaper before it's too late.
1:10 Organize, don't agonize.
EXACTLY. They (we) sit and point fingers at everyone but we do nothing. Here in advertising at the FWST - we do that ALL DAY. The people who got out had a plan and took the money. My plan is to just retire when the end comes so its not that big of a deal. Others have no plan - ZERO - and think they will come along one day and the problems will be gone.
Very good article. The FW Weeeky took the high road on this one and in turn shed light on what we feel everyday at this place. I feel he could have addressed the reason behind dfw.com a bit more. I scratch my head on this move every day I'm here. Ed Bass buy us. Please buy us NOW! This ship is headed into an iceberg and we need a better captain.
Anon 1:10 Organize, don't agonize.
Against whom, and with what purpose? Selling more papers? Producing better quality papers? My answer is like your paper…RUBISH. It’s way beyond too late for all of you. Why Cry Wolf now?
Like your Marxist who reasoned in the above thread, “Why cover tea parties since it’s only angry white people.” Certainly white people are not your “white knight”
My advise, go back to sleep. It’s merely another MNI death throw.
Yeah, that's it, we'll form a double-secret "union" to get MNI to drop us like a hot rock.
How sad that Jim Witt (and perhaps other Exec Editors) is apparently too scared to comment on his own newspaper--especially questions directly relating to the news gathering operation. He "referred all questions to Gary Wortel"--wow that MNI really knows what a newspaper is all about!
Seems like MNI has castrated all of its editors. So much for "truth to power."
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