the newspaper business

Doonesbury artist Garry Trudeau has some doubts about reporters also writing blogs for their newspapers, so he did a cartoon about it.

“I wasn’t picking on anyone or any blog in particular,” replied Trudeau, when contacted by E&P. “I was just commenting on how many journalists seem to be pulling double-duty now — and wondering what the impact is on quality.”

Click to enlarge

Nice non-answer Garry. He also said he didn’t get much reaction to the cartoon.

So I wrote a letter to the Editor of USA Today, and it was published today:

Read the newspaper

Mark Van Patten - Bowling Green, Ken.

Don Campbell encourages USA TODAY readers to avoid polls, to watch C-SPAN and to read non-partisan websites to gather information about presidential candidates. But I find it ridiculous that he doesn’t encourage readers to read newspapers and newspaper websites to get their information.

He is, after all, a journalism professor and columnist for the largest newspaper in the USA.

Even though Campbell wrote that the Pew Research Center and Harvard University study concluded the media are writing too much about polls and campaign strategy, I still think newspapers provide some of the best information on presidential candidates.

The creator of Dilbert who has spent the better part of his life poking fun at corporate life and workers, isn’t such a successful boss himself. Despite all the protestations, Adams found himself as a partner in a restaurant.

Until this summer, Adams’ involvement consisted of signing checks, writing clever jokes for the menus and leaving big tips for the staff after his regular visits. Then a personal battle between Belkin and a former chef intensified just as the big feed chains began staking their claim on the booming exurbs — thrusting Dilbert’s creator into the middle of a managerial nightmare.

He isn’t doing so well. 

He recently took over complete management of the restaurant after a falling out with his partner.  He went from making fun of idiots to becoming one.

He’s getting clobbered by chain restaurants opening up all around him and is losing money.

It will work. Adams is probably going to write the whole thing of as research and end up with a sit-com deal.

No one is more critical of his management skills than the humorist himself. “I’m quite sure I’ve succumbed to the pigeon theory of management,” he said. “Flying in every so often and dumping on everything.”

Using time-lapse photography, Journal Sentinel photographer Tom Lynn offers a day in the life of a game at Lambeau Field. Tom began by stationing a Canon EOS Mark II digital camera, mounted with a 16mm lens, atop the southwest corner of the stadium, encapsulating the entire bowl of the stadium with the field at its core. Powered by an external battery pack, the camera automatically fired every 20 seconds, shooting from 9:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., capturing the stadium as it filled with fans, as the game unfolded, and as the stadium emptied. The entire process captured 1,194 total images, which have been compressed into this two-minute video.

Link 

Hello NAA Readers, here’s my comment in a more readable form

Good lord. You folks are killing me with these long diatribes on what you all think is wrong, what needs to be fixed, and what your predictions are for the future.

Taken as a whole, since this blog has started, it would be a full time job to read, think about and respond.

Let me just address one issue you raised.

Advertising is news. You cite verticals that have made a successful transition to the web. But most naysayers overlook the biggest category of advertising - Retail ROP and Preprints. It will take a huge national rollout of 20mbps broadband (NOT just DSL) and a cheap monitor to view the information before Retail Advertising can make a successful transition.

Since broadband rollout is controlled by telecos and cable who need a return on investment satisfactory to investors, it will be a long time coming to reach penetration to serve the big box retailers.

Newspapers are OK as long as telecos and cable keep broadband speeds down (no incentive to increase speed) and local governments do not see broadband as essential infrastructure like electricity, water, sewer, streets, etc.

When that change comes then options for delivering Retail ROP and preprints via the internet become real.

Since no HTML or returns are recognized, I’ve already written more than anybody will ever read.

Nice job keeping discussion in as clunky a format as possible. Ever hear of WordPress?

UPDATE: Had I read the first post in the new NAA Blog (does anybody?) I wouldn’t have wasted my time. The latest post explains that NAA asked 22 people to do “essays.”  Not blog posts - essays.

So NAA approached 22 A listers and had them lecture to those of use who actually work at a newspaper.

I’m not subscribing to the RSS feed anymore. Let them talk among themselves. I’ve attempted to interact with the A listers before, and they really don’t want to hear from peons like me.

We will be num-chucking our way through the airport security to try and reach Ft. Myers, FL sometime on Turkey Day (if the plane doesn’t crash.)

I really like reading the Snooze Press print edition when we visit. My daughter and SIL are subscribers. Don’t get excited, they are both news junkies.

However, I also am reading a lot via RSS. I’m writing this now, because I’ll probably forget it later. That’s a good thing: then I won’t be aware if I am reading more RSS or more print Snooze Press and we’ll see how things go.

I’ll also get to see my granddog show off.

Newspapers will die if we don’t act to improve the health of the industry, writes Kevin Martin, head of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, in an op-ed piece. The FCC “should modify” the rule that bars ownership of both a newspaper and a broadcast outlet in a single market.

There is never discussion about small markets like this one. Meanwhile, WNKY and WBKO have been allowed to double their advertising inventory by becoming affiliated with more networks. WBKO ABC/FOX/CW and WNKY NBC/CBS.

The newspaper owns a radio station, and that was grandfathered in. But if we wanted START a TV station, what choice is there? So locally, who cares what the FCC does, it won’t have an impact here.

 UPDATE: It has been reported that new FCC rules if enacted would only effect top 20 markets.  #20 is Orlando,  so you can see how restrictive this proposal really is.

I got spammed today with suggestions on how I can spend Thanksgiving Weekend. This email was sent to me by the official newspaper of Boomerland - The Orlando Sentinel.

They probably have hundreds of people in their newsroom, access to thousands of wire stories, and this is the best they could do. They were so proud of their ideas, they sent out spam to promote it.

Can you tell me again why newspapers are relevant?

Dear Member,
Got plans for Thanksgiving yet? We’ll help you in the kitchen and show you plenty of fun things to do on this fabulous four-day weekend!

Cooking for the entire clan?

• # Watch cooking videos (Thursday morning would be a good time)
• # Try Thanksgiving recipes (hmmm, turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie?)
• # Print FREE grocery coupons (guess where you can find those!)

Get in the Thanksgiving mood!

• # View & share fall foliage photos (Hey! they finally got leaves in Florida!)

What to do after the feast.

• # See a matinee (pay $8 after tryptophan kicks in)
• # Check out local events (OK, where would I find out about them?)
• # Play at the theme parks (lots of time after eating and cleaning up!)
• # Watch videos (watch the cooking videos again and make fun of the person who made your meal.)
• # Visit a nature par

Tell me again how newspapers are relevant?

NEW YORK Here are some of the top daily gainers for the six-month period ending September 2007, based on today’s FAS-FAX. The daily average is based on Monday-Friday.

Newspaper/City –- % increase – daily circ

TRIBUNE-REVIEW, Greensburg, Pa — 48.36% — 149,068 (*ABC noted “change in publishing plan and/or frequency”)

DAILY SUN, The Villages, Fla. — 9.52% — 28,620

THE BEACON NEWS, Aurora, Ill. — 7.49% — 27,563

BULLETIN, Bend, Ore. — 7.21% — 32,369

THE DOTHAN (ALA.) EAGLE — 6.03% — 33,546

SHAWANO (WIS.) LEADER — 6.01% — 6,505

REDLANDS (CALIF.) DAILY FACTS — 5.14% — 6,852

LEADER-TELEGRAM, Eau Claire, Wis. — 4.45% — 26,024

THE JOURNAL-REGISTER, Medina, N.Y. — 4.07% — 2,787

THE MACOMB DAILY, Mount Clemens, Mich. — 3.65% — 42,045

LA OPINION, Los Angeles — 3.57% — 124,784

THE MONTANA STANDARD, Butte, Mont. — 3.42% — 14,732

THE DAILY ITEM, Sunbury, Pa. — 3.16% — 24,929

THE ST. AUGUSTINE (FLA.) RECORD — 2.63% — 17,582

THE GARDEN ISLAND, Lihue, Hawaii — 2.57% — 9,646

CITRUS COUNTY CHRONICLE, Crystal River, Fla. –- 2.57% — 26,303

NEWS HERALD, Panama City, Fla. — 2.44% — 28,526

TIMES, Weirton, West Va. — 2.43% — 5,310

BANNER-HERALD, Athens, Ga. — 2.39% — 26,569

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER — 2.31% — 338,260

UPDATE: DAILY NEWS, Bowling Green, KY — 1.1% 20,157