Several FFE readers sent along the following link about the Michigan School for the Deaf forming a football team and the fact that the school, which sits on Ground Zero of the Journal's subscription area didn't even rate a phone call from the paper.
The paper merely linked to a Detroit News story about the possible football season.
A lot of folks, besides me, are confused by this new model for covering home town news.
One writer mentioned: "I guess with the downsized staff there isn't even time for one phone call to do your own story."
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Sigh. This isn't exactly the type of development that is going to wow FJ readers and solidify its place in the online stratosphere. I just don't see readership reaching levels that will sustain the paper's new business model, nor do I see advertising revenues doing so. I feel the paper is doomed. The only thing that could save it, besides a GM-like government bailout for dying papers, is an economic recovery so great that it even uplifts depressed places such as Flint. Of course, that must happen soon or ... well, the last person please turn out the lights in Buick City.
In the old days, you'd be humiliated at best and reprimanded at worst if an out-of-town paper cleaned your clock on a local story. Now you link to it. A national media commentator once referred to Newhouse as the "polyester" of newspapers -- and it is still true.
Jim,
I've heard rumblings that the Sunday paper might soon be dropped. Can any of your readers verify this?
I actually have hope for Buick City, but not the Journal. Not at least under current management's plan to run links to other papers, print stories in Sunday's paper that appeared on the Web site on Tuesday and the absolute lack of copy editing.
Don't worry. The current crack "leadership" group will make things right. In fact, I think Tennis Boi is, right now, learning how to say "More Than Just the Score and We Mean It" in sign language.
If they get rid of the Sunday paper that means they are getting rid of papers all together.
It's funny (not really), in the past week I have heard that the Flint Journal is talking about going back to seven days, closing (Or at least stopping delivery of the printed paper) at the end of September, and now they are getting rid of the only paper worth paying for (if you like the ads).. Where are all these rumors coming from?
For the record I have heard nothing about any closings, shrinkings or other news about the Flint Journal.
Hi Jim,
A question I have is I recently noticed in the masthead it says: "Printed in Flint, Michigan." If it's still printed in Flint, that's good for those workers and the city, but I know before the recent big changes there was some talk that the Journal would be printed at the Valley Publishing Center in Bay County. Did the print shop unions show their teeth? Did the paper run the risk of losing its tax breaks tied to the Flint plant? Do you know the story there?
- Just curious
The short answer is, I don't know, but I still have a couple sources who may be able to help.
I'll do a littled digging.
The official rumor I heard from a far-from-official source: The Journal's contract with its pressmen expires at the end of the year, at which point the paper will resume 7-day-a-week publication while keeping the 3-day-a-week home delivery schedule.
I HAD thought the Journal was being printed at the Saginaw-Bay City plant; I figured Flint drew the short straw and was given the earliest printing among the 3 papers (even though it had the largest circulation).
I since was informed the Journal was still being printed in Flint, which blew my mind -- why have a locally printed paper with a deadline of 8 p.m., which guarantees NO timely news will appear in the next day's day (if there is one).
None of this makes any sense to me.
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