New tower truly a sign of the times

Print media just can’t cut it. You had to be there to see the bright 3-D, full-color, animated display screens of the $500,000 remake of the BJ clock tower which will beam out news and advertising. The headline on the A1 story in Thursday’s BJ said it:

New tower
truly a sign
of the times

Neither the newspaper nor Ohio.com came even close to capturing what we in the old days would have called the “razzle dazzle.” Cecil Santoferraro, an old printer who hated any editor’s attempts at fancy layouts, would have called it “jazz on jazz.” Bob Dyer who is a pretty good reporter and Paul Tople, a good photographer, just could not find the words or images to describe this new thing of beauty. Take away the bright lights and it is just a big cardboard-like tower even though Mike Ayers put a lot of thought into its design.

The tower itself represents the print media and the bright, ever-changing scroll represents what we expect today instead of boring newsprint. The event was covered by a couple of TV stations–including BJ partner Channel 5–with brief reports. Warner Cable’s Channel 23 weather girl Betsy Kling brought me back to reality with a weather forecaster’s view when she commented: “Hey, Time and Temperature. What more could you ask?”

Citizens today do not require much to satisfy them. I get daily Google news alerts on “Knight Ridder” and the news business which tell of cuts in newsroom staffs and lament the diminishing circulation because people do not read newspapers. The trend, they say, is to quicky, Ipod news. So if management does now screw up, the old tower might bring in a few advertising bucks.

There was a crowd at the 60-degree temperature event probably, for the most part, because of free food provided by the BJ. That might have been the chief reason many were there. But I did renew acquaintances with old friends who are still working in the trenches. It was never mentioned, but most of them are hoping they can make it to retirement before anything bad happens.

The Beacon Journal mascot, Browser, and Akron U’s Zippy pushed a big, fake red button to light the tower for the first time. They were joined by a cheerleader in a countdown. A DJ played Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock.”

Earlier, Browser put his arm around Mayor Don Plusquellic as if to console him for what might happen.

The only glitch came when publisher Jim Crutchfield, who always comes off better in print than with a mike, made a goofy slip of the tongue reference to the City of Detroit when he meant Akron. Well. What did you expect? John Shively Knight?

To see Bob Dyer’s story and Paul Tople’s photos click on the headline above.