Monday, August 17, 2009

Sacrilege!... Modesto Bee drops its own sacred standard, places big ad on front page

A former Modesto Bee employee tells me the Bee has violated a standard by putting an ad on the front page of the paper.

"In my 20 years there the BIG rule was there will never be any advertising on the front page! Period! NEVER! Mark Vasche said, and this is a direct quote "Over my dead body!" I guess the paramedics arrived in time to revive him!..."

The Bee apparently started front page ads last Sunday without announcing the change. Below is a copy of the Raley's ad that appeared on the front page of Sunday's Modesto Bee.




Personally I don't have an objection to ads on the front page. But newspaper purists -- like Mark Vasche? -- can't be happy.

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25 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember when the previous Publishers told us that the Bee would never put a "cheap looking" Post-it type ad on the front of the paper because it "cheapened it" and that the Bee would never take "those sexist" strip club ads. They told us that the Bee had higher standards and would never swoop so low.

Well, I guess going broke has a way of changing things.

Anonymous said...

So the postage stamp of a paper is now one step above the ad circulars that get mailed or thrown in the driveway?

How much do they charge for a "paper" these days? .75 cents or a dollar? Just like the WSJ eh?

Anonymous said...

Coffee and a front page ad with my morning propaganda? I can adjust.

In fact I’ll even switch to morning Kool-Aid, and a tin foil hat, so I can feel closer to the idyllic McClatchy utopian society?

Anonymous said...

I could see why Nob Hill beef would be advertised on their front page. It somehow seems....appropriate.

Anonymous said...

Never is a dangerous word.
--Anonymous

Dave D. said...

...Cruelty and mocking seem to be the McClatchy Watch standards now days. Kevin, don't you realize the ModBee is so proud of their ONLY advertiser they put it up front for all to see ? They've turned the corner, profits are up, costs are down, business is GOOD and look, we even found someone whos business model is so antiquated it's worse than ours. Raley's wastes money putting a meat ad in a paper that caters to carrot eaters and cabbageheads. Shoulda been a tofurkey ad.

Anonymous said...

I have a better Idea....why don't we put some T & A in our newspapers like most of the world . Our like the mexican newspapers do with pictures of murder victims and car accidents.

Kevin Gregory said...

Dave D heh

Anonymous said...

Black Angus? Why do we, in this post racial era, always have to focus on color? This is obviously a coded message about eating things black and the terminal racism that has fueled this hateful country for over 200 years.

And, by the way, if you disagree with me you are a racist.

Anonymous said...

10:58 Hah! If I agree with you then I am a racist too. Can't win.

Anonymous said...

Damn, that Angus steak looks mighty tasty!

Anonymous said...

"And, by the way, if you disagree with me you are a racist."

Ever look inside a washing machine lately? Notice the agitators are now white! They use to be black agitators!

Anonymous said...

The Bees would sell the back page of A section, if like, Macys wasn't in deep trouble.

I do so wish that Gregory Favre was still around so he could proclaim that Editorial would never allow ads on A1, or on the jump page.

Anonymous said...

-The Modesto Bee supports cruelty to animals-
That is what the liberals would say if they saw this ad on a
non-liberal newspaper.
Where is PETA?

Anonymous said...

“Publishers told us that the Bee would never put a "cheap looking" Post-it type ad on the front of the paper.”
Well the ad isn’t any of those things, it is worse. I don’t think it is even good marketing for the paper. Vegetarians and PETA members are not going to enjoy seeing meat ads on the front page of their paper, and guess who has lots of members living in Modesto?

Anonymous said...

Everybody in MoTown eats beef. It's cattle country! The Veg-heads live in San Francisco.

Anonymous said...

The Veg-heads live in San Francisco.





Pft! So do the Nob Hill meat munchers you bigoted breeder!

Anonymous said...

New PETA Billboard Urges Modesto Residents to Go Vegetarian and Be Happy. ...

Dave D. said...

...11:36, may I be so crass as to point out that there is no part of the beef, when cut up into primal cuts, that is know as the " angus". The nearest you can get to that name is the " eye of rump ", and that's way to near for me. Enjoy your steak.

Anonymous said...

Angus is another marketing hype. If you had a steak from Black Angus, Red Angus, Short horn, Hereford, Texas Long horn or any of the other dozen or so breeds you would never know the difference!

P.E.T.A.---People Eating Tasty Animals

Anonymous said...

Vasche announced the ad himself in a column published the day the ad ran. He all but apologized for it, recalled the times he swore the Modesto Bee never would run a front-page ad, and explained the reasons for the ad. All I can say is...it's about time.

Anonymous said...

It's about time...
It's about time Vasche retired! He didn't help out with keeping his production department employed...and his parting comments at the "Farewell party" were laughable. (How do you have a farewell party for a whole department you are permanently laying off?) He waxed on about the good 'ol days. Now he has a crappy looking paper that is delivered late. What is left of his staff...what is it now? hovering around 200-250? are doing double/triple/quadruple duty. Over worked and underpaid. If Pruitt and the wrecking crew wanted to cast off ballast, then look no further! (And get rid of the dead (over)weight publisher at the Merced Sun Star too!

Anonymous said...

8:55

David, Richard?

Is that you?

Anonymous said...

12:27 Heh...

Anonymous said...

12:27...Keep going down the list...you know most of us felt the same way! BWAHAHAHA