the newspaper business

The editor at Yankton South Dakota is taking the falling bull by the horns and hoping s/he can prop it up with a secret weapon. S/he is adding more comic strips.

Showing what editors are made of, and as per the requirement taught by all the best J-schools, the editor will let the readers decide by vote.

The comics being tested include “Baby Blues,” “Bizarro,” “Mother Goose and Grimm,” “Mutts,” “The Pajama Diaries,” and “Pardon My Planet.” All are with King Features Syndicate.

Hertz said the paper’s goal is to attract more younger readers while retaining the readers who like its current comics lineup.

Obviously this editor is attuned to the marketplace in Yankton. It’s more comics people want from their newspaper - more comics. Young people are especially interested in comics on newsprint. I read it in the blogs all the time. Xers want Comics. Millennials want comics.

It’s been right there in front of us the whole time!

Sheesh.

On March 17, I made the first attempt to have tree trimmings picked up at my house.

Today the piles of tree trimmings are still there, despite repeated attempts to have them removed.

There are at least six other piles within a block of my house.

Maybe Scott Waste doesn’t know what tree trimmings look like, because two Scott Waste trucks just rumbled by the piles.

Maybe this will help.

Don’t make me paint up a sign and stand in front of your building Scott Waste. I have a can of spray paint and I know how to use it.

Before:

After:

Second pile:

The has city ordinance against modifying motorcycle exhaust systems from manufacturer’s original. I’m not positive, but I think this is one of those “look the other way” ordinances. Like spitting on the sidewalk, or that buildings must have posted a “no spitting” sign.

Have you ever heard a quiet Harley? I love the pahrump-pahrump-pahrump of a Harley. What I don’t like is the conversation drowning roar they put out when the owner shows off.

Do they teach you in Harley school to make as much noise as possible in the city limits?

I watched the Teddy Bear run one year and in the block in front of city hall, Every. Single. Harley. gunned it that whole block. As the noise echoed off the Federal building and Courthouse, the police and sheriff officers just smiled.

Here’s a case where Boomers could take a note from Millennials. Even though millennials wouldn’t be caught dead on an American made motorcycle - the Japanese manufacturer’s have learned how to muffle noise without sacrificing performance.

I can say without equivocation: every Harley rider is guilty of making obnoxious sounds every time they ride.

But since they are Boomers, cops just look the other way.

A 3G and WiFi compatible reader is being tested in France. It’s called Read&Go.

French telecom company Orange has announced a new e-book reader, entitled the Read&Go. While most such readers — like the Kindle — are meant to be universal devices, Orange’s machine concentrates almost exclusively on newspapers.

The skate park is a roaring success. Highly used by skaters of all ages, lower crime than other parts of town, and clean.

What more can you ask from a park?

Slim Nash was the believer and leader who got the park built in the face of some formidable opposition.

If there ever was a time a person could say “I told you so” it’s on the one year anniversary of the skate park.

I posted a topic on the Daily News forum a while back that is still kind of kicking around.

In a nutshell, it deals with the unofficial name of the biggest development in downtown Bowling Green since forever.

The unofficial name is Circus Square.

It’s based on a vague reference on a map from 1877 that seems to be locked in a secret place available only to those who like the name.

That’s it. Back in 1877, some map maker labeled an area “Circus Lot.”

There is absolutely no evidence that supports the contention that a circus ever was held in that area. Not even once.

So do I believe Circus Square is a “bad” name? No.

Is it meaningless? Yes.

Is there a better name? Yes.

Will I ever be around to see it called anything but Circus Square? No.

As with a lot of discussions, when they see the light of day, positions tend to harden. Instead of being a catalyst for open and candid discussion, and perhaps coming up with a better name. Those who support the name Circus Square are firm in their position. I’ve been around long enough to know when heels are being dug in.

Here’s the gadget that newspaper executives are hoping will save the newspaper business.

Philips-LG is developing an electronic display which uses color E-Ink first used by the Sony E-reader (remember those? no, I don’t either.)

News is gathered, sent to the thing-a-ma-jig, and is read.

Hearst Corporation, more a magazine company than newspapers, is spending money on a startup called FirstPaper to move the gizmo along.

How many hurdles can you think of in 60 seconds. BIG hurdles.

I’ll have a personal transporter before this gets into testing.

Ya see? This is why AngryJournalist.com gets traction. Gatehouse Media lost $231 million last year. The CEO’s bonus went up. Base and Bonus = $850,000 + $429, 380 in dividends from stock he doesn’t own = $1.3 million in compensation.

With a base salary of $500,000, Reed’s cash compensation totaled $850,000 for 2007, according to a proxy filed Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In 2006, his base salary was the same, but the bonus was $200,000.Reed, 41, was granted 75,633 restrict stock units, stock that vests over time… In 2007, GateHouse said, Reed received $429,380 in dividends from unvested stock. 

and apparently, they have to cook the books a little to get cash flow:

and the companies “adjusted EBITDA,” a non-GAAP measure of cash flow that does not include interest payments, depreciation, amortization or other one-time costs, was $104.6 million. 

In case you hadn’t noticed, there is some serious blogging going on which is being threatened.

Bug Girl writes a very entertaining blog - yes, about bugs. I ran across one of her posts by “stumbling” or following a tag or some other random way.
She’s been in my RSS reader since a long time ago. I don’t understand a lot of what she writes, but there is always some fun stuff in her posts.
But she may quit!
She may quit because she might get sued.

Neurodiversity is a science blog run by one woman with a passion for neurology and science. And now she’s been served with an order to turn over all her financial records, all correspondence with fellow bloggers, and a host of additional personal details, just because she blogged about a topic related to the case.

And she links to this site that explains more about the legal thuggery.

If you “stumble” or “digg” posts, please visit the link above and give it your push. This legal thuggery needs to see the light of day and feel the heat of public outrage.

(crossposted)