McBane on state of newspapers today

Dick McBane, who retired as a BJ reporter in 1997 and lives in Lilburn, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb five miles from Stone Mountain State Park, comments on the state of newspapers in today’s Internet world:

John:

    As an old news man, it is sad to see the newspapers on the decline, here as everywhere else. The Atlanta Journal Constitution published a Gwinnett County edition when we first moved here. When it dropped the Gwinnett County edition I dropped the Constitution in favor of the Gwinnett Daily Post, a local publication that seems to understand its role in the news geography of the area. It is generally well-written and well-edited, but it too is in the downward spiral. The quality is still good, but it dropped its Monday edition, and now it is also dropping Tuesday and will have a combined Saturday-Sunday edition, so, while it continues in name to be the Daily Post it will, in fact, be published just four days a week.

Dick McBane

    It makes me value my years at the Beacon Journal and the Marietta, Ohio, Times, even more.

    At the old BJ we worked for the best newspaper in the country (and I really do mean that) at a time when it meant something.

        Dick 

I second Dick’s definition of the BJ as one of the great newspapers in America when we both worked there (not that our being there was the only reason that happened). I put the credit squarely on John S. Knight, who was an editor in fact and at heart and knew there was more than bottom-line financial considerations to running a great newspaper. JSK valued the newspaper carrier as much as he did his editors, and everyone in between.

I think someone told me that Jack considered merging with the Ridder family/corporation the worst mistake of his career.

I felt really sorry for those so loyal to the BJ and the Knight corporation that they kept their KNI/later KRI stock. For some, a peak of $300,000 in stock value plummeted to $40,000 in their retirement, when they needed it the most.

I didn’t get caught in that. When McClatchy finally bought what was barely breathing of KRI, I got ONE share of McClathy stock in the exchange. 

I long ago had sold the KRI stock when the stench of Ridder all over it became so unbearable, and built up a nest egg of utility dividends that go nicely with my BJ pension and Social Security check and stock portfolio. It helps pay for my world travels to 52 countries and 43 states. 

Not smart; just lucky.

Dick – an excellent, detailed reporter during his time at the BJ -- and I aren’t the only ones saddened by the demise of newspapers, including the BJ. I mean, we loved the ol’ gal. I ran to work every day because JSK, Ben Maidenburg and Pat Englehart made it so much fun.

And we don’t blame those left at the BJ, other than the Canadian management, because they are doing their best in a deplorable situation, particularly in comparison to what we had during our time at 44 E. Exchange Street. There are talented people left, like Bob Dyer, Mark Price and Jim Carney. But when you eliminate 60% or more of the staff, keeping up the quality level is a mountain that it’s unrealistic to expect to conquer.

Change is inevitable. Improvement isn’t always the result. The demise of newspapers is another example of corporate management not getting ahead of and becoming a vital part of the Internet avalanche instead of being spectators as it swallowed up their profits and readers.

-     - - John Olesky, BJ 1969-96