The new editor of the three-headed newspapers in Flint, Bay City and Saginaw has weighed in on his thoughts on the new changes from the, in his words "wood paneled (office), with panoramic views." (Hat tip to Inside Out for finding this column)
My favorite line from the editor's column:
"We're taking all that institutional knowledge, all of the equity in these great brands, and building a three-day print product that is as good as anything that's ever rolled off our presses."
Not really, Mr. Editor, you have sent most of that institutional knowledge packing, just ask the many sources who no longer have frequent contact with a beat reporter. Trust us, many of us who have left hear from those sources that no one is coming around anymore.
No blame on the staff left behind either, they are buried in assignments and running from pillar to post trying to cover multiple beats and assignments. I'll be eager to see how often the management team picks up a phone and reaches for a keyboard to help out with covering events.
And the assertion that the print product will be "as good as anything that's ever rolled off our presses" is hyperbole of the 9th order. A combined features section and other combined sections that will try to serve three different communities have no chance of being "as good as anything that's ever rolled off our presses."
That's the kind of quote I would expect from a newly elected politician, not a newspaper editor who should be grounded in reality and truth.
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John's "shared content from readers" response is also interesting. Looks like they'll be using the Oakland Press model of "citizen journalists," a horde of free drivel-providers.
Honestly, this guy IS a politician. Not a good one, but a politician nonetheless. No one in BC has ever accused him of being an editor.
Now, let's dissect this piece of Pulitzer-like prose:
"We're taking all that institutional knowledge . . ."
. . . and laughing at it. We've told a lot of that institutional knowledge to walk right out the door, while expecting the balance of that institutional knowledge to hang around the graveyard with a huge pay cut and a suspended pension.
". . .all of the equity in these great brands . . ."
WHAT equity??? This one isn't your fault, Tennis Boi, but people well above you took all the equity in those three great brands -- equity that took 135-plus years to build -- and crapped all over it. "MLive"?? How much money was wasted on the creation of THAT concept? To this day, I have people walk up to me who have no idea that there is a connection between "MLive" and the individual Booth papers. I guess the thought of having individual sites with names like, oh, lessee, "flintjournal.com," "saginawnews.com," and "baycitytimes.com" -- then linking all the other Booth papers on each site's home page -- never occurred to anyone.
Naaah, let's just send 'em to MLive and see if they can actually FIND something . . . kind of a "Where's Waldo?" type of challenge.
". . . and building a three-day print product that is as good as anything that's ever rolled off our presses."
Bull.
You've obviously given up on daily news by going to the 3-day schedule. And, taking this a step further, the three papers you DO publish will be filled with magazine-ish, featurish junk, and perhaps recaps of the week gone by.
People will not be fooled.
Your core readers want news. They want it seven days a week, and they want it in print. And, like so many of the Freep and DNews subscribers to whom I've spoken these past couple of weeks, once a few days go by that they don't have that product, they come to the realization that they don't really need it. They may check out the corresponding Web site from time to time, but not for very long, because there's so much more out there on the Web.
That 7-day print publication is just a little more built-up equity that's being tossed into the dumpster.
Oh, and forget about getting the community to buy into the "new, improved" online presence kicking and screaming. People have far, far more important things to do than look at the Facebook page of some editor or reporter who's trying to act "in tune." Your predecessor's already doing a pretty good job of making a fool of himself with just such an endeavor.
Can you say, "self-indulgent?"
They went to a 3 day publication to void the job guarantees. The rest of this is just B.S. Those who disagree are either naive or brainwashed.
So wtih the job pledge gone - will more days of prints come back? One could only wish!
Well with all the money they are saving now I don't see why not. They have much less help and paying them a whole lot less. I have learned from this even though deep down I always knew. Nothing would surprise me now. They screwed too many of us and sadly the worst is yet to come.
He was a suck-up fool when I worked with him. I see nothing's changed but his title, which is laughable in itself.
We are overwhelmed,
and soon to be poor.
People, dont expect much...
Jack of all trades = poor quality
Here's the hard hitting news you can expect from the new regime:
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/04/heartfelt_messages_children_in.html
and the bottom story of the day...
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/04/economy_putting_the_pinch_on_t.html
Insane.
As the days grow closer to my pay cut i delve into the thought... Hmm i was never given a full time job, never had the bennies or 53rd wk, or health insurance. Just my hourly pay. Did the work, but no full time. Now im left just to be mortally pissed off, and maybe just soak up room at my job, maybe not do anything, maybe just sit there like a rock and not care, maybe i just wont work, just sit there, and go down with the ship. Moral is something of the past.
I unfortunately work for the urinal..and have for ten years. However I am a carrier and a peice of crap to this company, which I have busted my ass for 7 days a week with nothing in the end but a giant pay cut and a kick in the ass!!! Since november I have lost at least 1/4 of my pay, which if you drive 100 miles a day can kill your profit. After six months of that I am left with no money and I am assuming no route as of june 1st either. This has just turned my whole world upside down. the really sad thing is the urinal has no idea what they have done by switching to 3 day pub, they will lose their ass and they deserve it! HEY Flint Journal KISS MY BIG FAT ASS!
In the weekly Flint Journal sales meeting we were told that we should be enthusiastic about the changes. Well we are just thrilled to death about our huge pay cut. A couple of weeks ago everyone received a packet in the mail about COBRA. Obviously our health insurance is on the way out also. I think most of the us are just biding our time while we look for another job.
Jim, don't know if you still get the dead tree version, but Sunday's sports section included three jumped stories on Page B-4 that all ended abruptly without the concluding paragraph(s).
Is there anyone left at the newspaper who actually reads the paper before they send it to the press?
One story, maybe a mistake. But three stories (almost in a row) all end in the middle of a sentence.
There's the future and as you said, "better than anything that has ever come off the presses before."
B.S.
I have noticed more mistakes in our paper than ever before. So students, in your classes at college, remember to tell the teacher you dont need to get things "rite"
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