Sunday, September 24, 2006

Tech guy Helmick is staying

Trying to keep up with the turmoil caused by the layoff at the Beacon Journal is a tough job. The blog statement that the early press run had been discontinued was incorrect. Apparently there is still a run, but the daytime copy desk as such is gone. No sense tryng to go into any details until the magic day around Oct 21 which will be the end of the 90-day notice period.

A couple of good things have happened that merit mentioning. Somehow, money was found, an insider reports, so photographer Bob DeMay was saved. And so was Dave Helmick, the newsroom technology guy.

Helmick was carrying some boxes out of the office Thursday evening for Dave Wilson and someone (thinking the boxes were Helmick's) observed: "There goes the collective knowledge of the newsroom's computer system." (Helmick was hired as a MAC tech but he heals sick reporter and editor terminals as well. ) Given the deep Information Technology cuts and the fact that none of the techs left seemed assigned to the newsroom, it appears there was a reconsideration. Friday was to have been Helmick's last day. Now he is staying.

We are still trying to catch up with several copy editors who are on the way out or already gone. Stay tuned.

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