Tuesday, August 14, 2007

An email to BJ staff from Terry Pluto


Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:36:09 -0400
To: abjstaff
Conversation: email
Subject: From Terry Pluto

I just want to thank everyone who has been so tremendous to me in my 22 years at the ABJ. I will miss the people the most. This paper jump-started my career when it was stalled, allowed me to grow as a writer and a person.

The reason that I'm making the move begins with Susan Goldberg (a former K-R editor) from San Jose, who called me late in June. She is close to a lot of ABJ types, and in our first meeting, she said, "We are going to hire a 3rd sports columnist. We want it to be you. If it's not you, it will be someone else."

In San Jose, she had 4 sports columnists.

We worked out a deal in writing where I also will do 3 faith stories a month, which was important to me.

It comes down to being able to perhaps finish my career for the paper that I grew up reading -- I am a Clevelander. It has a large reach, and Susan and some her management team make this appealing to me.

This is not a negative on the ABJ. Andrea and Bruce were willing to do about anything for me to stay. If this offer came from out of town, I never would be leaving. But it's a chance to make a move to a larger paper and not have to physically move.

That's rare.

I just didn't want to take a look at the PD with a new sports columnist and think, "That could have been me. I should have taken that chance."

As Rich Desrosiers told me last night -- when all this happened -- we can appreciate what i am doing, but we don't have to like it.

terry pluto

2 comments:

Eric Poston said...

It's going to be hard to fill Terry's shoes at the ABJ.

Anonymous said...

While I am happy for you -- that you have the chance to return to your roots and not leave the home you have made in Akron -- I am so sad for the ABJ.
You are a fabulous and gifted writer (whether writing sports or religion columns [or books])and the PD is already much better for having you there.
Best of luck to you always,