PD columnist yanked after Imus column

Veteran journalist Sam Fulwood III has been dropped from his metro columnist's job at the Cleveland Plain Dealer by outgoing editor Douglas C. Clifton, Fulwood and Clifton confirmed on Thursday. Fulwood told Journal-isms (a blog by Richard Prince on the Maynard Institute for Journalsim Educatrion) he thought the move "mean-spirited."

Clifton said Fulwood's Thursday column, on embattled radio host Don Imus, was Fulwood's last, and that he was being reassigned to the arts and features staff to do general assignment stories on the pop culture beat.

Plain Dealer veteran Richard Peery, who took a buyout last fall after more than 30 years at the paper, told Journal-isms on Thursday that "the concern" was that Fulwood would be replaced by editorial writer Phillip Morris, whom Peery called "one of those . . . black writers who reinforces white supremacy rather than challenges it, and he does it constantly. I've told him that to his face," he said. Morris did not respond to a request for comment.

The Plain Dealer announced later in the day that Morris, who has served on the Plain Dealer's editorial board for the past 16 years, would succeed Fulwood and that his first column would appear April 24.

"'Phillip's once weekly op-ed column has been one of the paper's strongest, and the Metro column will allow him to do more of what he does best — get out into the community and offer intelligent perspective on it,' Clifton told the newsroom in an e-mail," the Plain Dealer story said.

Clifton told Journal-isms he expected that Morris' column would go "deeper into the community. Sam's column was occasionally that way, but it was more his personal reflections, which is perfectly fine, and frankly, I wanted something different."

Fulwood replied that "there's 180 days of my column on the Web site" if anyone wanted to see whether he had been in the community.

Fulwood, 50, came to the Cleveland paper in 2000 after 11 years in the Los Angeles Times' Washington Bureau.

"We're enormously lucky to have him," Clifton told readers on July 25, 2000. "He's an outstanding newspaper man with a passion for the business. Already he's shown concern and interest in Cleveland."

The information above is all from Prince.

See the PD story in Friday's newspaper by Brie Zeltner

And read the original Fullwood column

Fullwood's column was headlined: Imus bosses share the blame. It said, in part:

By estimates reported in The New York Times, Imus' frequently offensive and all-too-often racist comments generate in excess of $20 million in annual revenue for CBS Radio.

Add with what Imus has produced in ad sales for the network's affiliates and MSNBC, the self-proclaimed "shock jock" is a mouthy $50 million moneymaking machine for his bosses.

Fullwood concludes:

No, the truly disgusting part is that institutions allow Imus to do his edgy thing. They are like the silent and never-seen drug lords who make it possible for a street-level bully like Imus to traffic in blatant obscenities.

They do it because it's too profitable for them to turn their backs. So he's allowed repeatedly to insult, defame and humiliate women, Jews, African- Americans, so long as it draws a crowd to hear him.

What's worse, Imus is aided by a bevy of the nation's leading journalists, politicians, writers and entertainers. The guests on his show - former Sen. Bill Bradley, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, NBC News anchor Brian Williams, among others - make up the nation's media and intellectual elite.

By agreeing to sit for a pseudo- interview with this odious 67-year-old hatemonger, his famous and accomplished enablers allow their celebrity to burnish Imus' veneer of respectability. Plus, they provide the laugh track for his racist routines.

Imus rose to fame at Cleveland's old WHK and later honed his act at WWWE and WKNR in the 1990s.

McClatchy Sees Better Deal with Yahoo

In a move that could shift the balance of power in the newspaper industry, McClatchy Co. has abandoned a national online advertising partnership with Tribune Co. and Gannett Co. to join a rival group of publishers that is in the final stages of negotiating a broad deal with Yahoo Inc., according to people familiar with the discussions.

Final agreement on the Yahoo deal, including McClatchy's involvement, could be announced as early as next week, these people say. The network would establish a common online platform among a large group of newspaper Web sites that would allow an advertiser to easily purchase advertising space across multiple newspaper sites.

McClatchy's decision means Tribune and Gannett could be isolated from what appears to be a growing industry coalition aimed at creating an online national ad platform with Yahoo. Led by Hearst Corp. and MediaNews Group Inc., the rival group already includes 12 publishers that represent more than 250 newspapers across the country. The group initially struck an agreement last fall with Yahoo's Hotjobs employment site, but since then has been working on broadening that arrangement. McClatchy owns such papers as the Miami Herald and the Sacramento Bee.

The new deal would require that the newspapers in the consortium use Yahoo search on their Web sites. Yahoo and the newspapers would sell ads on each others' Web sites, and the revenue would be shared among the partners, according to people familiar with the discussions. Content from the newspapers in the partnership would be featured on Yahoo's individual channels, such as news and technology.

Click on the headline to read the full report in the Wall Street Journal.

Sigma Delta Chi awards announced

The Society of Professional Journalists has announced recipients of the 2006 Sigma Delta Chi Awards for excellence in journalism.

This year’s winners were chosen from more than 1,200 entries in 49 categories including print, radio, television and online.

The Sigma Delta Chi Awards date back to 1932, when the Society first honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939, when the organization awarded the first Distinguished Service Awards. These awards later became the Sigma Delta Chi Awards.

The awards, which recognize work published in 2006, will be presented July 20 during the annual Sigma Delta Chi Awards banquet at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Click on the headline to see the complete list.

43 at Atlanta Journal-Constitution take buyouts

Forty-three newsroom employees at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution have opted to take buyouts offered by the paper as part of a restructuring, a spokesperson said Tuesday.

There were up to 80 staffers among the 475 full-time newsroom employees at Georgia's largest newspaper who were offered the buyouts in February.

Most of those who have accepted the buyout will leave the newspaper on June 30, but some may be asked to stay longer to help provide continuity for the paper, spokesperson Mary Dugenske said.

The voluntary buyouts were presented to employees who are at least 55 years old and have more than 10 years at the paper. There will be no involuntary layoffs. Some staffers who remain may be asked to take on new roles at the paper, Dugenske said.

[Source: AP via Editor & Publisher]

A few extras attended retirees lunch

There were a few above the usual dozen attending the BJ Retirees lunch on Wednesday (April 11) at Papa Joe's Restaurant in the Valley. Among the non-regulars at the lunch was retired photographer Ron Kuner. The regular top attender Bob Pell was there and is looking good, and feeling good he says. You can see that from his photo and another of Kuner in an album of seven photos you will find by clicking on the headline above. Tom Moore took the photos.

The 15 attending were News retirees Art Cullison, Tim Hayes, Ron Kuner, Sandy Levenson, Tom Moore, John Olesky and Don Roese; printer retirees Cal Deshong, Ed Hanzel and wife Norma, Gene McClellan, Carl Nelson and Bob Pell and engraver Watson Blanton and wife Rosetta.

Casting a ' no' vote for P. Anthony Ridder

If you did not sell the McClatchy stock issued to you when Knight Ridder succumbed, you should have received a big package in the mail this week with a proxy card asking you to approve the election of four members of the board of directors and to ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche to audit McClatchy for fiscal 2007. On item one you can vote for all nominees except those you have marked or withold your vote for all nominees. There is a little box below which allows you to write in the number of any director you do not wish to elect. You thus could write 03 to say you do not wish to elect P. Anthony Ridder. So check that card out. You just might want to send it in.

Tampa Tribune to lay off 70

A Staff Report
The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune said today that it plans to lay off 70 employees as part of a cost reduction plan.

“Our decision to part with valued employees was difficult, and we very much appreciate the contributions of all those who will be affected by today’s announcement,” said Denise Palmer, president and publisher of The Tampa Tribune.

The paper currently has approximately 1,335 employees.

As part of its cost reduction strategy, Palmer said the paper planned to consolidate certain operations and outsource others.

Employees affected by the cost reduction plan will be informed over the next few days. Full-time employees will be offered severance packages, Palmer said.

The paper also plans several changes to the daily newspaper, including combining the Friday Baylife section into the Friday Extra section.

“The combined section will provide readers all the information they need to plan their weekend,” Palmer said.

On Sunday, the company plans to realign certain sections of the newspaper to improve ease of use and reduce costs, the publisher added.

In all fairness to Aetna

Posted for John Olesky:

As someone who has pointed out how switching to Aetna from UHC for prescriptions will cost me ($1,840 a year), it's only fair that I reveal that Aetna paid every cent of my $1,797.75 colorectal screening at Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital since my $250 deductible had been met earlier this year.

Under UHC/KRI/BJ, my deductible was $2,000. So Aetna pays $1,750 more than UHC by the time I would have hit the $2,000 UHC deductible.

I can see that we're going to get a lot of criss-crossing to the bad and good sides of the switch from UHC to Aetna under the Canadian.

Stay tuned.

Gwen Ifill writes about the 'joke'

Gwen Ifill is a senior correspondent for “The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer” and the moderator of “Washington Week.”

She has written a great Op-Ed piece for the New York Times on radio DJ Don Imus’ juvenile “joke” about The Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University

Ifill was with the New York Times when Don Imus allegedly said, "Isn't The Times wonderful. It lets the cleaning lady cover the White House."

You will find her piece plus a Washington Post editorial in the Commentary Section of the BJ Retirees web site. Just click on the headline to go there. . Sorry: No photo of ugly Don Imus.

Documentary on JSK in progress

A University of Akron graduate student is preparing a documentary on John S. Knight.

The Times of John S. Knight is a documentary being produced by Paul R. Jacoway and The University of Akron.

Jacoway is a graduate student in the College of Communication and under the advisement of Dr. Kathleen Endres. The project will chronicle Knight's life and contributions through his Editor's Notebook columns and parallel journalism/news events. Contacts are being established at the Beacon Journal for location shooting and with the JSK Foundation for further exposure.

“The project is in the research stage now,” Jacoway said.. “We will be shooting in the summer and fall. Editing will be completed in early 2008.”

Anyone who would like to participate is more than welcome. You can reach Paul Jacoway at paul_jacoway@yahoo.com, 330-374-0237. 715 W. Market St. Apt. 412. Akron, OH 44303.

Blogger Note: Some months ago it was suggested on this blog that it was time for a documentary to update the Knight Ridder history to include its demise last year. . Little or no interest has been shown for that idea. Perhaps Jacoway’s documentary might bring the history up to date.

Charles Salsky dies at age 62

[Slasky worked in classified advertising]

Charles J. Salsky, 62, passed away Friday April 6, 2007.

He was born in Akron. He was employed by The Akron Beacon Journal, had owned Newmark Realty and was in real estate and sales his entire career. Charles was a member of Nativity of the Lord Jesus Catholic Church and president of FCSLU.

Mr. Salsky was preceded in death by father, John. He is survived by wife, Linda (nee Baranek); mother, Agnes; children, Nancy (Travis) Johnson, Charles D. (Jan) Salsky and Marc Salsky; siste, Dolores (Chick) Kratzer; brothers, John (Laura) Salsky, Bob (Susan) Salsky; and granddaughter, Kate Salsky.

Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday 7 p.m. at Nativity of the Lord Catholic Church, 2425 Myersville Rd., where the family will receive friends from 5 p.m. until the time of service. Cremation to follow service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society. (Kucko-Anthony-Kertesz, 330-724-1281, www.kakfh.com)

[The Beacon Journal,, Akron, OH Monday, April 9, 2007]

News Index is now link on website

The weekly News Index and Talk Show Index we have been posting on the BJ Retirees website since they began can now be found by going directly to the site of the Project for Excellence in Journalism which includes bar graphs and other displays. Instead of printing a summary of the information, we are now making a link directly to their website. From our main BJ Retirees website, just click on the News Index which is in the list of items you might want to see. There are other display items on the PEJ site and an archive of past reports..

Paula and John visit DC, Gettysburg

Here's John Olesky’s report on a trip with Paula to Gettysburg and Washington, D.C. Click on the headline to see more photos. And click on the photo here to see the beauty of the cherry blossoms.

By John Olesky
Paula and I encountered Civil War history and today’s monuments-flavored democracy during our 4-day trip to Gettysburg and Washington, D.C.

I continue to be astounded, as I was during my previous Gettysburg Battlefield visit, that Generals Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet and George Pickett would send 12,500 infantrymen from the woods and across three-fourths of a mile of open land and up Cemetery Ridge with Union cannons and rifles blazing down on them from Little Round Top. Only 150 made it past the rocks line near the top, and 40 yards beyond the peak. More than half the Southern soldiers died that day, and there were 43,000 to 51,000 dead on both sides for the three-day battle. It was the South’s farthest advance on Northern soil, and the Union army shoved Lee’s men back within two hours. Lee’s attempt to penetrate Northern soil to convince England and France to aid the South failed.

We bought a CD which, with a map, provided driving instructions to key battle sites. Once you were at a site, you listened to a dramatization with cannon fire and actors portraying the combatants. It worked chillingly well. Gettysburg was an ugly family fight.

We had dinner at Dobbin House Tavern, built in 1776 on 300 acres of land four score and seven years before Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address within sight of the tavern. Few words; powerful statement. It’s a pity today’s politicians don’t follow Lincoln’s example.

In Washington we got passes to the subway and the hop-on, hop-off trolley. That avoided the parking hassle and got us everywhere we decided to go.

Since 9/11, Pennsylvania Avenue has been denied to vehicle traffic for blocks, so you can use the street to walk around the White House area, must like you do on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls. A bunch of guys with online skates and a rubber ball played street hockey in front of the White House. Across the street in Lafayette Park, I found a statue of one of my Revolutionary War heroes, Thaddeus Kosciusko, who came from Poland and directed fortifications at Saratoga and West Point. Oh, there also was a statue of that French guy who gave the park its name.

At Arlington Cemetery we saw way too many graves (250,000) from too many wars. Also John F. Kennedy’s eternal flame, heavyweight boxing champ Joe Louis’ headstone labeled “The Brown Bomber” and West Virginians’ markers. At the Vietnam Memorial wall, a guide with a hand-held electronic device located the name of Paula’s former neighbor in Cuyahoga Falls.

We listened to a rock concert while sitting on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial, as we looked out over the Tidal Basin and to the Washington Monument.

And enjoyed the white cherry blossoms that were everywhere.

Marilyn pays visit to page A1 of BJ

Former Beacon Journal reporter, now the medical writer for the Associated Press, was on the front page of the BJ again today with a fabulous story that a rare, inherited gene may have caused the Hatfield-McCoy fued.

Marilyn was used to making page 1 of the BJ. Today’s story probably landed her on front pages across the country. AP graphics to illustrate the story were used with the jump.

Here are the first few graphs. Click on the headline above to read the full story.

Gene might lead McCoys to feuding
Appalachian family's rare, inherited disease can trigger outbursts

By Marilynn Marchione
Associated Press
The most infamous feud in American folklore, the long-running battle between the Hatfields and McCoys, might be partly explained by a rare, inherited disease that can lead to hair-trigger rage and violent outbursts.

Dozens of McCoy descendants apparently have the disease, which causes high blood pressure, racing hearts, severe headaches and too much adrenaline and other ``fight or flight'' stress hormones.

No one blames the whole feud on this, but doctors say it could help explain some of the clan's notorious behavior.

``This condition can certainly make anybody short-tempered, and if they are prone because of their personality, it can add fuel to the fire,'' said Dr. Revi Mathew, a Vanderbilt University endocrinologist treating one of the family members.

Neal Shine, 76, former Detroit publisher, Dies

Neal Shine, a former publisher and editor of The Detroit Free Press who played important roles as the newspaper won major awards and later as it weathered the industry’s longest strike, died yesterday near Detroit. He was 76.

Guess what? The New York Times from whom we steal this copy spelled his first name wrong

The cause of Shine’s death was listed as respiratory failure..

In nearly half a century at the Detroit Free Press,. Shine worked his way up from copy boy to reporter to publisher. After helping to direct some of the paper’s proudest accomplishments, he retired in 1995.

As city editor, he helped direct the coverage of the Detroit race riots, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1968, and the reports on the shootings of students at Kent State University in Ohio in 1970, which won the Free Press a George Polk award.

[Retirees who were in the newsroom in 1970 might recall Shine was at the BJ to help with Knight Ridder coverage of the shootings.]

By the time Shine retired, the Free Press was embroiled in a 19-month labor strike that put Mr. Shine on the opposite side of the picket line from some of his closest colleagues and friends.

Mr. Shine began working at The Free Press as a copy boy in 1950, left in 1953 to spend two years in the Army and then returned as a reporter. By 1965 he was city editor. He became managing editor in 1971 and senior managing editor in 1982. He retired in 1989, returning the next year as publisher.

He is survived by his wife, Phyllis; their 6 children, Jim, Dan, Tom, Peggy, Judy Heuvelman and Sue Epp; 17 grandchildren; and 2 brothers.

Times Correction: April 5, 2007

An obituary yesterday about a former editor and publisher of The Detroit Free Press misspelled his given name. He was Neal Shine, not Neil.

Craig Wilson obit can't stand TRIM HARD

Craig Wilson’s classified obituary appears on Page B7, col. 5 in Wedneday'a Beacion Journal and includes this recent photo of him.

If if were news copy, it could have been the kind of thing copy editors dreaded. The copy would have come to the desk with an editor’s instructions scrawled on it: TRIM HARD.

Some of us retirees today are thankful that those kind of tough chores are long gone. Today we can just say “Click on the headline to read the full story.”

Craig probably would have noted that it is 25 1 /2 inches in newspaper column length with 16 graphs, 824 words, 31 sentences and average 27 words per sentence.

Calling hours and other information already have been posted here.

[Source: Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Wednesday, April 5, 2007, page B7, cols. 5 and 6]

Calling hours for Craig Wilson

This information is from Elizabeth Wilson:

Calling hours for Craig Wilson are Friday, 2-4 and 6-9 p.m. at the Campfield Hickman-
Collier Funeral Home on West Park Street in Barberton.

Additional viewing on Saturday for one hour from 11a.m. to noon and at noon a friend of his, Wyatt Patterson, will lead a short service/memorial about Craig.

Then at 1 p.m.we are planning to go to Anthe's at Portage Lakes for a lunch and chance to reminisce, share anecdotes, etc about Craig. We realize Saturday is the day before Easter and with travel etc, we don't expect to get as many people as we would hope for on another day. Since we are estimating over fifty for lunch, Anthe's is going to have us take the buffet instead of a sit down dinner and very much needs an estimate in advance of the number planning to attend.

If you will be able to join us for lunch, please send me a return email with the number planning to attend. If you know other friends of Craig's or mine who don't have email or I might have missed here please let them know as well. This will be covered in the newspaper tomorrow and Friday. We are really hoping for a good-sized crowd to share Craig's life one last time with us. If you email me, there is no need to call the funeral home as suggested in the death notice.

Elizabeth Wilson
Barbertongirl@neo.rr.com

Dawn Wilson writes about her Dad

You are very correct about the referencing. During my teen years, I began to realize that most of my friends didn't get to grow up in homes where everything was "dated and labeled." Vegetables on the right; fruits on the left. Akro-Mils cabinet drawers, each with its own label. When I finally got my own place, I thought it was fascinating to have a junk drawer, like other people. Dad, of course, had no such thing in his home.

I have learned so much from him. He is truly an inspiration to me and I’m appreciative to have such a great dad.

Here is a later picture of Dad (2001), pens and notes handy as always. Also, Dad was never the fashion plate but my stepmother, Elizabeth, became a good influence on him in this regard. Note that the 50’s glasses in your photo series finally changed to a 90’s model.

Thanks to you and all of Dad’s Beacon family. You meant a tremendous amount to him.

Dawn Wilson

Beacon newsman Craig Wilson dead at 79

Craig Wilson made the front page.

In his heyday, Wilson would have dutifully clipped the item and placed it a white envelope bearing his name carefully alphabetozed with others in a file drawer in the “morgue.” As all blog readers know, that’s the name that was given to the old reference library. Wilson, a precise, methodical man, probably would have attached a couple of notes to record information such as the home address or other facts left out by the obit writer. Craig knew the facts might be important later.

Wilson, who had 40 years at the Beacon Journal, died of cancer at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday at the hospice on Ridgewood.

He was probably best known as editor of the old Action Line, but his true craft was referencing.

When this blog first opened someone sent in an old group photo from a Beacon Journal picinic. Readers went wild trying to identify everyone in the picture. But it soon was learned that Craig had traced the outlines of those in the photo, numbered them and typed a list properly identifying everyone. He knew way back then soomeone would want this information.

You will find his obit by clicking on the headline. It was written by Connie Bloom, but Craig had all the information ready to make her task easy placed carefully in a white envelope..

Click on the photos to enlarge for a better view.

Craig Wllson dies

This sad post from Elizabeth Wilson:

With the greatest of sadness I am informing you that Craig Wilson passed wasiy
comfortably and to what I could tell painlessly at 4:45 p.m. today, Tuesday,
April 3 at the Hospice on Ridgewood.

Today marks the end of a very horrible year for us but I would not trade it for anything.

I owe more thanks than I ever could repay to many of you in our family  and friends, we
could not have made it this past year without you. The final arrangements are to be
handled by Todd Collier at Campfield Hickman Collier and are not set yet. We are thinking
of having calling hours on Friday and a memorial service on Saturday, followed by a
luncheon at Anthe's if we can arrange it.

We hope as many people as possible can join us but please look for the newspaper item
to confirm the details.

We do not need anything right now. I am going to try to confine phone calls to family and
friends who do not have email, and deal by email with those who do. There is so much
to be done and I have let so many important things only I can do slide during this last
year of Craig's illness.

I regret having this notice come by email but it is the only way I can manage right now.

If you know us very well you know Craig and I locked horns on a regular basis and every
now and then stepped on each other's toes. Maybe he stepped  on yours too once or
twice but I can assure you Craig Wilson is the finest man I have ever met. He had a pure
heart and a genuine concern for his fellow man and his surroundings. His loss to the
community, the family and to me personally is immeasurable. I am honored he chose
me as his wife. I am only sorry our time together has been cut short.

Big payday for Tribune execs

By Mark Fitzgerald, E&P's editor-at-large

CHICAGO While anxious Tribune Co. employees and gimlet-eyed Wall Street analysts weigh the benefits and perils of ownership by an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan), one thing is certain: Sam Zell's $8.5 billion winning bid Monday will make for a big payday for top management.

And a prompt one, too.

Last October, Tribune directors amended the company's bonus deferral, defined contribution and supplemental retirement plans to allow for quick lump-sum payments due top executives under the plans in the event of a "change in ownership or effective control of the company, or in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the company."

Zell's $34 per share bid will also results in some substantial executive nest eggs. Chairman, President and CEO Dennis FitzSimons, for instance, would receive $21.3 million for his shares, based on the number reported in February in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Based on his latest filing, Tribune Publishing President Scott Smith, who is also publisher of the flagship Chicago Tribune, would have holdings worth a cash value of $9.2 million.

---

Mark Fitzgerald (mfitzgerald@editorandpublisher.com) is E&P's editor-at-large

Philly papers to sell Page One ads

An Editor & Publisher Report:

The Philadelphia Inquirer is the latest daily paper to offer advertising space on the front page, the paper said in a statement Monday.

"The advertisements will run on the bottom of the front page in the right-hand corner Monday through Sunday beginning on April 15 and will reach almost one million daily readers and 1.8 million Sunday readers," the release stated. "The Inquirer is providing an opportunity for its advertisers to make a strong impression and reach a broader audience than ever before."

The first Page One advertiser will be the University of Pennsylvania Health System, with ads scheduled to run every Sunday for a year, the release said.

Source: Joe Strupp. Editor & Publisher

Zell wins auction for Tribune Co.

CHICAGO - Tribune Co. has accepted a buyout offer from real estate investor Sam Zell in a deal valued at about $8.2 billion and plans to sell the Chicago Cubs at the end of this season, the media company said Monday.

The owner of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and various other newspapers and TV stations spent six months soliciting bids and reviewing offers.

Tribune had set a self-imposed March 31 deadline to announce a spin-off, buyout or reorganization.

In addition to the Zell bid, the Tribune considered a competing offer from Los Angeles billionaires Eli Broad and Ron Burkle.

The company has been under pressure from key shareholders to boost its stock price and, along with others in the newspaper industry, has been losing readers and advertisers to the Internet. Tribune is the nation's second biggest newspaper publisher after Gannett Co.

Tribune said Zell plans to invest $315 million in the deal and will eventually become chairman of the Chicago-based company's board when the buyout is complete sometime in the fourth quarter.

The buyout will be conducted as a two-part deal, the company said. The first stage, expected to be completed in the second quarter, will involve a cash tender offer of $34 per share for 126 million shares, more than half of the outstanding Tribune shares. The remaining shares will be purchased later at the same $34 per share price.

Broad and Burkle also had offered $34-per-share, and the company's board reportedly spent much of the weekend sifting through the two offers.

Zell, 65, made his fortune reviving moribund real estate. After a bidding war culminated in February, he sold his company, Equity Office, to the private equity firm Blackstone Group for $23 billion.

If Tribune decides to accept another buyout offer before its shareholders approve the deal, the company will have to pay Zell a $25 million breakup fee.

Experts said that low figure would easily allow Broad and Burkle to submit another counter bid, but that prospect seemed unlikely.

Tribune shares climbed 85 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $32.96 in midday trading Monday on the New York Stock Exchange.

Click on the headline to read the full AP story, see earlier stories or Google for later information:

Editor & Publisher:

LA Times article:

Newsday article:

Commentary in three parts on our downfall

It would be nice if this really was an April fool’s joke and not a sad commentary on a rainy Palm Sunday. Not to spoil your day, but because we think you will want to read it, please click on the headline to see our commentary on the "Aftermath of the Knight Ridder takeover." Since it is commentary, it is posted on the web site in that section.

It is in three short sections with these subheads:

Pruitt says timing of Knight Ridder deal was 'awful'
A report was printed March 29 in the Sacramento Business Journal:

Tracking McClatchy stock since Knight-Ridder purchase
Former BJ staffer Ken Krause has been tracking McClatchy to report how the stock has fared

Pruitt Compensation valued at $5.6 million
McClatchy chairman, president and chief executive Gary Pruitt received compensation in 2006 valued by the company at $5.6 million, according to a regulatory filing.

Weinreb writes book on chess team

Michael Weinreb, a freelancer sportswriter in New York City who left the Beacon Journal in 2000 after five years as a sports writer, has a new book out this month with a long title: The Kings of New York: A Year Among the Geeks, Oddballs, and Genuises Who Make Up America's Top High School Chess Team.

It’s the story of a year spent with Brooklyn's Edward R. Murrow High School chess team as it strives for a national championship.

You can read reviews from the New York Times and Christian Science Montior and a bit about Weinreb himself on his website at
http://www.michaelweinreb.com/

Weinreb attended a graduate program in fiction writing at Boston University after leaving the Beacon Journal. His first book of short stories, Girls, Boys Etc., was published in 2004. He was a staff writer at Newsday until April 2006. He grew up in State College, Pennsylvania, and attended Penn State University.

The book, 304 pages, is published by Gotham Books which launched its debut list of books in the winter of 2003. ( ISBN: 1592402615, March 2007, $26.00)

Gary has no regrets, he tells E&P

The following was included in a report by Joe Strupp of Editor & Publisher on the ASNE convention in Washington, DC:

A year after brokering the biggest newspaper deal of 2006, Gary Pruitt has no regrets. In fact, the chairman of the McClatchy Company says his chain would have been worse off during the recent economic downturn of newspapers if it had not taken over Knight Ridder.

“I don’t regret doing it because our performance was actually better,” Pruitt told E&P during McClatchy’s Tuesday night reception at the ASNE conference inside the J.W. Marriott hotel in Washington. “Our advertising revenue performance and cash flow would have been worse had we not done the deal. The Knight Ridder papers actually improved our performance, advertising revenue and cash flow. Both are improved for our having done the deal.”

If the deal had not occurred, “we still would have suffered ad revenue decline, only worse.”

He noted, however, that the last few months of poor newspaper economics did not help. “Unfortunately, the timing of the deal corresponded almost precisely with the downturn in advertising,” Pruitt said. “A lot of people confuse the deal wit the environment.”

Pruitt spoke as guests drank up at the open bar and noshed on egg rolls, tuna ahi and dumplings, all courtesy of McClatchy. During remarks to the crowd, Pruitt joked that McClatchy, which has thrown such a party two years in a row at ASNE, at $50,000 a pop, would decline in 2008. “Next year, another company can do it,” he said with a smile.

Please read the comment by Ken Krause
*

Taking the newspaper out of logo

One of the first changes members of the American Society of Newspaper (ASNE) noticed at this year’s conference in Washington, D.C., which opened Tuesday , was the logo. No more does the ASNE name rest on a red and white box, with its formal name written out, surrounding the logo with the folded corner.

The new logo does not even mention the word, “newspaper,” stating, in a slick black and white design, “ASNE – Leading America’s Newsrooms.”

ASNE president Dave Zeeck acknowledged the “identity transfer” during his address to members. He said the idea was to expand the newspaper image beyond just print and on to online and other facets of the business. “That is what moving ASNE forward looks like,” he said.

Zeeck, editor of the News-Tribune in Tacoma, Wash., also said the word “newspaper” may eventually be removed from ASNE’s full name. “It deserves consideration,” he said. “Do we work for newspapers or news companies?”

He also said the conference, currently a four-day event, may be shortened to two or three days to save members time and money. More association with the Online News Association also may take place. “It is all being considered,” he said.

[Source: Joe Strupp in Editor & Publisher]

Yahoo Taps McClatchy for Foreign News

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Yahoo News said Wednesday it reached an agreement with McClatchy Co. under which the newspaper operator's foreign correspondents will provide international coverage for the Yahoo website.

The project is named "Trusted Voices" and will include McClatchy reporters in select regions, such as Iraq, the Middle East, China and Latin America. Reporters will file traditional news stories as well as personal blog reports only available through Yahoo.

"The daily blog contributions from the international correspondents, combined with their traditional news reports, will offer our readers an on-the-ground perspective unavailable from traditional news outlets," said Scott Moore, head of Yahoo News.

Shares of McClatchy Co. fell 21 cents to $31.39 Wednesday while Yahoo Inc. fell 24 cents to $31.31, both on the New York Stock Exchange.

New items on BJ Retirees website

News Index

The scent of scandal makes Gonzalez big story

Short Takes

We will be blogged to death by campaigners

Woodward's Notes from 'Deep Throat' Interviews on display

IRE award winners include Ken Ward of Charlestown (WV) Gazette on Mine Safety

Life in Vermont: First boil of maple syrup sap

Life in Vermont; From Geoff Gevalt's blog:

The sap began running last Wednesday, March 21. The latest the first sap has been in years. I had gotten the new rig all set up — new pan, arch with fire bricks and new stove pipe — and we had our first boil Thursday night the 22nd. Oldest daughter Anna and her friends helped out.

Naturally I had to go away this weekend: The Soccer Tourney From Hell in Baltimore Maryland. If Jacob’s soccer club suggests one more tourney out of state, I think I will scream. Teams from as far away as North Carolina and Vermont got to spend the day Saturday watching the rain — all games not scheduled for artificial turf (read: most) were cancelled. Eventually the organizers cancelled the tournament for most of the age groups.

An interesting cultural note: We wandered around Baltimore Saturday, stopping long enough to eat some oysters and crab cakes. A few of went to Lexington Market, an eclectic collection of booths and stalls in a block-long enclosed building with people selling everything from ham hocks to mangos, fried chicken to soups, chitlins to sausage. A lot of spots have stools or bars where you can get a crab cake and a beer or, for that matter, just about any type of food imaginable, except, perhaps, French on white table cloths. I lived in Baltimore for several years a long time ago. I used to eat at least one meal a day (with beer) at Lexington Market.

For me, the experience was great; while it was changed it was also the same; familiar stalls and businesses that were still there, after 25 years. Some of the folks I was with, though, noticed something else: We were the only white people for miles. They were discomfited by that; they were made uneasy. “Hey,” said one of the parents, “I’m a seventh generation Vermonter from a small little town without any black people.”

Fact is, I hadn’t noticed. Or, more accurately, I hadn’t made notice of our minority status — I didn’t really care. Now that doesn’t make me any better than the others; it just shows the value of diversity, and the value of my own experience. We fear what we don’t know. I saw smiling faces of people enjoying a Saturday afternoon at the market; they saw people staring at them.

On Sunday, my son’s team played two games, losing 1-0 to a team from New Jersey with a mom so loud I swore I was at a taping of the Soprano’s. They lost on a mistake in the final two minutes. Next they tied a very good team from Virginia that was, boy for boy, far better than they were. But the Vermont team just would not let the Virignia team score and they almost scored a couple of times themselves.After a seemingly endless trip home, we made it. Tommorrow (oops, today) I’ll work in the morning and boil sap the rest of the day.

Crutchfield gets title at Arizona State

TEMPE, ARIZ. - James N. Crutchfield, former publisher of the Akron Beacon Journal, has been named director of student media at Arizona State University.

Crutchfield also was appointed as the Weil Family Professor of Journalism at the university's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Crutchfield, 58, stepped down from his position as publisher of the Beacon Journal after the sale of parent company Knight Ridder last year. He joined Arizona State as a visiting professor in journalism ethics this semester.

As director of student media, Crutchfield will oversee the student media department, which publishes the university's independent student newspaper, The State Press and the paper's Web edition, a weekly magazine and operates the school's TV station.

The endowed Weil family professorship is named after Louis ``Chip'' Weil, former publisher of The Arizona Republic.

Crutchfield is a graduate of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and worked as a newspaper reporter, editor, manager and publisher for more than 30 years.

[The Beacon Journal,, Akron, OH, Saturday, March 24, 2007, page B4, col. 1]

Small Ohio daily seeks copy editor

An Ohio daily newspaper with a circulation of about 23,000 has an opening for a copy editor which is not being advertised. If interested, send email to hliggett@sbcglobal.net and I will put you in touch with the editor.

Tricia Colianne goes to Cleveland Clinic

Tricia Colianne, who started as an intern at the Beacon Journal in June, 2001 and became a full-time member of the Copy Desk staff in October of that year, has accepted a position as managing editor for development at the Cleveland Clinic. She will be managing editor of Cleveland Clinic Magazine which goes mostly to clinic donors.
The magazine is published twice each year.

Tricia also wrote the wine column, the Cellar Dweller, for the BJ until the end of last year and filled in on the national desk regularly. She taught copy editing at Kent State University last semester.

“I've had a lot of opportunities at the Beacon; it's a difficult place to leave,” she said..

Tricia is originally from Barrington, Ill., which is a northwest suburb of Chicago. Her family still lives in the Chicago area. She started at the Beacon Journal just after receiving her journalism degree from Ohio University.

Tricia’s husband, Pete Schellenbach, is a chef at Jac’s in the warehouse district in Cleveland. They will continue to live in West Akron.

Tricia’s last day at the Beacon Journal is today. She will begin her new duties on Monday.

Her email address is tricia.colianne@gmail.com.

Something new on the website

Short Takes:

Merrill Lowers Estimate on McClatchy

Times Company to increase divided on stock by 31%

Columbus Dispatch issues memo on dealing with geese

Salute to Gutenberg

From This Day In History:

1457: The Gutenberg Bible became the first printed book.

Boston Globe cuts 24 jobs in newsroom via buyouts

The Boston Globe reduced its newsroom staff by 24 people, or 6 percent, through a buyout that included several of its most prominent and longtime journalists, including two Pulitzer Prize winners, columnist Eileen McNamara and investigative reporter Stephen Kurkjian.

The buyout program was an effort to cut costs but avoid layoffs in the face of some of the harshest conditions for newspapers and other mass media in years. Staffers seeking a buyout had to apply for it. Most were notified yesterday that their applications were accepted, and their departures will occur over the next few months.

"It is always difficult to say goodbye to co-workers and friends," Globe editor Martin Baron wrote in a memo to the staff yesterday. "Wonderful people who have dedicated themselves so fully to the success of the Globe will no longer be working with us side by side. I know that all of us wish them well."

Other writers familiar to Globe readers who are leaving include restaurant critic Alison Arnett, religion reporter and former Middle East bureau chief Charles A. Radin, Bogota bureau chief Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, and outdoors writer Tony Chamberlain.

Click on the headline to read the full story by Robert Gavin, Gobe staff reporter.

Update on Craig Wilson

Email from Elizabeth Wilson:

Craig Wilson was in the Ridgewood hospice for eight days evaluation, medication adjustment and monitoring. He is now back home and loves company, phone calls and mail of substance that can be read to him. He especially loves reminiscences about the good ole days back at the BJ. We have plenty of flowers, food etc and don't need anything in that regard.  Phone him at 330-745-3358.

'Walks Around Akron' coming out in June

Walks Around Akron: Rediscovering a City in Transition will be out in hard and soft covers in June. The book, published by the University of Akron Press, is on the walk features by Russ Musarra and Chuck Ayers which appeared in the Beacon Journal magazine and elsewhere through the end of 2000 and continue in Akron City Magazine, which is published three times a year by the City of Akron.

Here’s the description from the University of Akron Press:

Walks around Akron: Rediscovering a City in Transition celebrates the simple pleasure of seeing a community at a slow pace from ground level. In March 1987, the Akron Beacon Journal began publishing a series of articles about Akron and its environs, written by Russ Musarra and illustrated by Chuck Ayers. These popular essays-with-art continued in the newspaper through the end of 2000 and can now be read in Akron City magazine. Musarra and Ayers soon realized that many places shown in Ayers's artwork had disappeared or were permanently altered not long after the articles were published--they had been inadvertently documenting Akron in transition. Anyone who enjoys walking or discovering overlooked sites will appreciate the informative charm of these stories and pictures that embrace Akron's history, its downtown and neighborhood development, its institutions and parks, and interesting nearby communities. Musarra and Ayers take the reader along to explore familiar and out-of-the-way places, whether it's Canal Park baseball stadium in the snow, a tiny cemetery in Copley whose graves date back as far as 1818, or a blue heron rookery in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. And readers can see all these things for themselves, using Walks around Akron as a guidebook for their excursions.

Russ Musarra retired from the Akron Beacon Journal in 2000 after thirty years of service. He edited the books Along the Towpath and Greetings from Akron with his colleague, Chuck Ayers, who illustrated the books. In addition, he wrote Akron Symphony Orchestra: Celebrating Our Fiftieth Anniversary Season and coauthored Sleep with the Angels.

Chuck Ayers began his career as a staff artist and editorial cartoonist at the Akron Beacon Journal. His cartoons have appeared in such newspapers as the New York Times, Washington Post, and Forbes Magazine. He cocreated the nationally-known comic strip, Crankshaft. In addition to illustrating Crankshaft, Chuck Ayers has also illustrated the books Along the Towpath and Greetings from Akron. He earned his bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Kent State University.

271 pages, 7 1/2 x 9 1/2
Cloth 978-1-931968-42-3 $42.95
Paper 978-1-931968-43-0 $19.95

Geoff writes about sugar mapling

Geoff Gevalt, former BJ staffer now living in Vermont, writes a blog in conjunction with his Young Writers Project described in earlier posts here. We thought you might like to read Geoff’s post today about maple sugaring. Here it is:

The trees are tapped, the buckets are up and their covers are stacked with snow. We have two new feet of snow, and it’s 18 degrees. Tomorrow it is supposed to go down below zero.A week ago Sunday it was 40 and sunny and climbed to near 50 the next day. We had a mini run, enough to fill one barrel but not enough to boil. Strange season. I suspect that when the sap starts running it will go fast. And it will be a short season.

We’ll see. More when we actually get started.

A quick story:

Maple sugaring is all about getting bigger, adding more taps, buying new equipment. I’ve fallen prey. We started with a stainless steel pot on an open fire. My aunt, God bless her, gave me a nice check when I turned 50 — “10 bucks for every year,” she said. And she insisted I buy something useless, something that I wanted. “If I find out you bought food or paid a bill, I’ll be angry,” she said. There was no messing with Ruth, so I did what I was told and bought a nice 24" by 33" evaporator pan.

Each year I’d build an “arch” or fire box out of cement blocks. Last couple of years, I added some firebrick inside. It was a royal pain in the ass. Once the ground settled, so would the arch and I was rebuilding it every day.

Enough, I said. In honor of the passing of Ruth and my mom, I splurged and bought a new (bigger) pan AND a metal arch. Slicker than … well, slick. In fact it sits awaiting its christening. So you don’t think I’m totally extravagant, I’ll tell you I HAD to buy a new pan since I fried the old one last year while napping inside in front of a DVD the kids were watching. So there, now you know I’m not extravagant. Just stupid.

Anyways, I bought this new rig from my friend Ricky up at Goodrich’s Maple Farm. Ricky used to have his equipment shed with Danforth’s in East Montpelier, but he sold out to Glenn Goodrich up in Cabot. So I wandered up one day and bought a new pan. I regretted it almost as soon as I got home and within a week was back up there buying the entire unit. (Now you KNOW I’m stupid.)

The fun part was running into Glenn Goodrich. He started out with 25 taps, he said, “just like you.”

“How many you have now?”

“20,000.”

No kidding. He has an operation like you can’t believe. The evaporator is enclosed and resembled a sawed off Greyhound bus. Everything is recycled; he’s got the steam winding up through to warm an extra pan on top which about 15 feet in the air. He’s got pumps that shoot air into copper pipes with pin holes to get the sap bubbling — it gets it hotter quicker. He uses reverse osmosis which removes much of the water and so he starts off boiling a condensed sap to begin with. And get this, he syphons off the condensed steam AND the water from the sap, stores it and is awaiting FDA approval to sell it as bottled water.

Now that’s Yankee ingenuity.

I will say right here and now I will not, not ever, have 20,000 taps. Count on it.

Click on the top photo to enlarge for better view.

Editorials mark war anniversary

Few editorials marked the fourth anniversay of the start of the war in Itraq. Here are summaries of a few posted by Editor & Publisher which plans to add to the list:

-- The Washington Post accepted blame for helping to ease the U.S. into the war but said it continued to support our open-ended presence in Iraq. The Los Angeles Times and New York Times did not offer new general statements on the war.

-- The Ventura County (Ca.) Star, on the other hand, wants out now, declaring that "shock and awe" has become just "shock." It concluded: "More Iraqi and American casualties in 2007 and beyond will bring us no closer to a harvest of democracy in Iraq. The war has brought less, not more, security to the region. We have stayed too long already.

-- The Toledo (Ohio) Blade said much the same: "The failure of Congress to pass decisive legislation to limit the Iraq war reflects more closely the personal and political interests of its individual members than the will of the American people. It is clear that the great majority of Americans are ready to see the Iraq war draw to an end....But Congress either doesn't get it or doesn't have the courage to bring the matter to an end.

--The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News Journal: "There isn't a neat solution Americans can embrace -- no conditional occupation that Iraqis will accommodate, no withdrawal with honor, not even a peace negotiated under American aegis. The objective, in any case, can no longer afford to be illusory. Democracy won't work for now. American policing isn't working. But the killing must stop.

-- The Detroit News, which supported the "surge" in Iraq, continues to back a strong effort, for now: "Our expectation is for the administration to do everything necessary to achieve whatever it is that will constitute a victory in Iraq, in a very short time, and then get out. The nation will not tolerate the marking of a fifth anniversary in Iraq with no discernible progress toward completing the mission."

--The North County (Ca.) Times backed the partioning of Iraq: "A divided Iraq might even redeem the sacrifice in blood and treasure we've made, though we've unequally distributed that burden among today's military families and tomorrow's taxpayers. At the very least, a divided Iraq might have a chance."

Click on the headline to see the E&P story.

Washington Post sells ad on sports section front

The Washington Post published an advertisement at the bottom of the Sports section front on Sunday and Monday, the first time in decades the newspaper has given over part of the front page of a daily news section to advertising.

The appearance of a Comcast SportsNet ad that spanned the width of the section's front, is another sign of tough times in the newspaper industry, as papers look for new revenue to help offset declining circulation and advertising.

"We in the newsroom feel like the space on the front of sections has traditionally been sacred space for us, so it's with some reluctance that we make it available to advertisers," said Philip Bennett, the paper's managing editor. "But we've seen what these ads look like and we're comfortable with them."

There were no plans to sell ads on the front page of The Post, Bennett said. The Wall Street Journal and USA Today sell front-page display ads. The New York Times sells ads in small type at the bottom of its front page.

The Post, which has sold ads on its weekly Real Estate and Health section fronts, plans to accept such ads for its Home, Business, Sports and Travel sections, said Katharine Weymouth, The Post's vice president for newspaper advertising. She would not reveal how much Comcast paid for the ad, but said section-front advertisers pay a premium over standard ad rates.

Front-page advertising was a mainstay of American newspapers during the industry's first few centuries. It was not until the 20th century that Page One, and later individual section fronts, became sacrosanct, news-only domains at many large newspapers, and later smaller newspapers.

Top of the morning to you

When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.

The lyrics to When Irish Eyes Are Smiling were written by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff, Jr. and set to the music of Enerst Ball for Olcott's production of The Isle O' Dreams. The music was published in 1912.

Chauncey Olcott was born in Buffalo, New York. He produced several shows about Ireland for the New York stage. His other hits included My Wild Irish Rose. Ernest Ball was also born in America, but was devoted to Ireland.

John “Sonny” Deskovich Jr. dies

[John was a former credit department employee of the Beacon Journal. His late father, John Sr., was a maintenance department employee, and brother, Robert was a truck driver.]

John ``Sonny" Deskovich, Jr., 67, passed away peacefully March 14, 2007.

Born in Pennsylvania, he lived in Akron all of his life. Sonny retired from Alside and as a reserve officer with the Akron Police Department and was a member of the Akron Yacht Club.

He was preceded in death by his father, John Deskovich, Sr. and wife, Cassandra. He is survived by daughter, Tracy (Samuel) Verduce; grandchildren, Alyse, Joey, Tony; mother, Ann Deskovich; brother, Robert (Mary) Deskovich; sisters, Sophie Phillips and Carol (Ron) Krosnick.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Monday at the Billow FALLS Chapel, 1907 23rd St., Cuyahoga Falls, 44223, with Rev. Ernie Kemppel officiating. Friends may call 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. If desired, donations may be made to a children's cancer camp known as Camp Quality USA, 3047 Dover Dr., Akron, OH 44312. (Billow FALLS Chapel.)
[The Beacon Journal,, Akron, OH, Friday, March 16, 2007, page B6. col. 4]

Andrew Miller, AP tech in 1940s, dies

Andrew Miller died on March 15, 2007, with his wife of 65 years, Charlotte, by his side. He was 88 years old.

Andy Miller was born Sept. 29, 1918, in Akron, Ohio, into a family of German-Hungarian immigrants. The youngest of three brothers and one sister, he went to high school and college in Akron, and worked as a Western Union courier and for the Associated Press at the Akron Beacon Journal. He was with the AP when he married Charlotte Barker on Dec. 4, 1941.

He was inducted into the Army Airways Communication System, Detachment 237, in September 1944. He served in Uxbridge, England, as a control tower operator and was honorably discharged at Camp Atterbury, Ind., in June 1946. He received the European Theater Ribbon; Good Conduct Medal; and the Victory Medal, World War II; and he was grateful to return safely home to his family at the end of the war.

In civilian life, Andy continued his career in air traffic control while supporting his growing family and rebuilding his home. He worked at Cleveland Hopkins Airport and Akron-Canton Airport, retiring June 30, 1973, with a celebration that honored his decades of service to the Federal Aviation Administration and the safe travels of millions of airline passengers.

He was methodical in his work, devoted to his friends and family, generous in his hospitality, boisterous in his laughter, secure in his position in life, and proud of all of those whose lives he touched.

Andy Miller was preceded in death by his parents, Andrew and Elizabeth Miller; brothers, Julius, Joe, and Geza, and his sister, Helen. He is survived by his wife, Charlotte Miller of Ghent; sons, David (Roni), Jim (Joy), Paul (Annie), and Dennis (Beth); daughter, Carol Morison (Kyle); 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. SUNDAY at the Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel, 85 N. Miller Rd., with Rev. Bill Meyer officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hospice Care Center, 3358 Ridgewood Road, Akron, Ohio, 44333; or Ghent Christian Church, 4200 Granger Road, Akron, Ohio, 44333. (Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel)
[The Beacon Journal,, Akron, OH, Friday, March 16, 2007, page B7, col. 3 ]

Pruitt sees bright future, thanks to Knight Ridder

Here's part of a memo from Gary Pruitt forwarded to us by Larry Froelich. Click on the headline to read the full memo on our website.

Here's Gary:

First, our cash profits are greater for having done the deal.

Second, remember the advertising growth I mentioned earlier? Well, if we hadn’t acquired Knight Ridder, McClatchy would have suffered an advertising revenue decline last year instead of a gain. In other words, the Knight Ridder papers have improved McClatchy’s performance.

Third, the Knight Ridder deal made McClatchy a more formidable internet presence, with expected internet revenues of nearly $200 million this year. The new scale of our internet operations also allows us to advantageously partner with large technology companies. We will be sharing news about this with you as partnerships emerge.

Most important, with the Knight Ridder acquisition, we’ve added thousands of talented colleagues, outstanding newspapers, websites and specialty publications, and more growth markets to our already strong and successful portfolio. The integration of McClatchy and Knight Ridder has gone exceptionally well. We are bigger, stronger, more diversified and more competitive than ever before.

As part of our analysis of the Knight Ridder deal, we sold 13 newspapers – 12 former Knight Ridder papers and one McClatchy paper. These were difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions. But they were made with the best long_term interests of the company in mind and at heart. As a result, our 31 daily and 50 weekly papers, our internet operations and our other businesses all share a brighter future.

Photos of March 14 Retirees lunch

Click on the headline to see a photo album of the March 13 retirees lunch at Papa's Joes in the Valley.

Olesky's first experience with Aetna drug plan

Report from John Olesky:

Well, I had my first experience with the Aetna prescription coverage that the Canadian forced BJ retirees into as of Feb. 1.

$12 was my monthly co-pay under United Health Care for my six prescriptions.

$144 was my annual co-pay under United Health Care.

$180 would be my monthly co-pay under Aetna if I got exactly the same prescriptions that I did under United Health Care.

$2,160 would be my annual co-pay under Aetna if I got exactly the same prescriptions that I did under United Health care.

$2,016 would be the annual increase for me under Aetna if I got exactly the same prescriptions that I did under United Health care.

Hytrin (terazosin), Accupril (quinapril) and Plendil (felopipine) have generic equivalents, so that brings the cost of those three to $15 a month.

Uroxatral has no generic equivalent but is on Aetna's approved list so I'm stuck with $20 a month for that.

Aciphex and Celebrex are not even on Aetna's approved drugs list, so that means $40 apiece for those two. There are drugs in the same class as Aciphex (such as Nexium, Prevacid and Protonix), but Celebrex is the only drug in its category.

So that brings my Aetna co-pay to $145 a month for what cost me $12 a month under United Health Care, even after switching at least half of my prescriptions to something else. That's $1,840 a year co-pay under Aetna. And the way that Aetna figures how the $2,400 limit applies, by the actual cost of the drugs and not by my co-pays, I'll be paying 100% on my own before you can say "heart attack." That means I'll pay 100% till I've spent an additional $1,400 of my own money, for a potential out-of-pocket cost of $3,240. That sounds like a lot more than my UHC $124 a year.

I can reduce my cost by one-third by getting 90-day supplies for each prescription via mail through Aetna, which charges for 60 days if you get 90 days by mail. That would bring my yearly co-pay down to $1,200. But the $2,400 limit would kick in just as fast, the way that Aetna figures it.

It looks like the current BJ employees aren't the only ones who got screwed by the handoff from KRI to McClatchy to the Canadian. The retirees are on a serious hit list.

-- John Olesky

Followup on Copley newspapers sale

The Dover-New Philadelphia Times-Reporter had a followup story on the sale of Copley newspapers quoting GateHouse CEO and the T-R publisher.

Click on the headline to read the full story. Here are comments from the story:

GateHouse CEO Michael E. Reed has said investing in news content is important.

“Good journalism is our duty,” Reed told Business Week. “If we don’t do that, we know we will lose our readership in buckets.”

Reed, a University of Dayton graduate, told Business Week that he believes in buying smaller papers because they are not encountering the same competition bigger newspapers face for advertising and news.

“These newspapers are the dominant media in their towns,” Reed said. “That’s why we never look at a market and say it’s too small.”

Michael Starn, the T-R’s publisher, said he was pleased about the pending purchase.

“I think it is terrific news for The T-R staff and for the community,” he said in a statement.

“(GateHouse) believes in the local autonomy of its community newspapers, which will allow us to carry on with the excellence our readers and advertisers expect,” he said.

“Hyper-local” news, a trendy journalism term, essentially means enhancing coverage of small-town events, politics and sports. So, for instance, the front-page space the Washington Post would give to a breaking Capitol Hill scandal would be the same as a “hyper-local” publication would give to a big decision by an area school board. The smaller paper might cover the national story through its wire services, but that story might be placed lower on the front page or inside.

In other words, it means devoting a lot of editorial attention and space to an event that the world at large wouldn’t notice, but means a lot to area readers and families.

With a circulation of about 23,000, The Times-Reporter is the 16th largest daily newspaper in Ohio, according to 2006 circulation figures from Editor and Publisher magazine. Ohio’s largest newspaper, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, has a circulation of about 339,000.

But The T-R is big for GateHouse – it will be its sixth- or seventh-largest newspaper, Starn said.

GateHouse currently publishes 76 daily newspapers with a total paid circulation of about 405,000, according to a February 2007 story in Editor and Publisher. That only amounts to an average circulation of about 5,330. The seven Copley dailies GateHouse will acquire have a combined circulation of 241,060 for an average of 34,437.

The Times-Reporter was created in 1968 after Dover’s Daily Reporter bought New Philadelphia’s Daily Times. Copley bought the paper in 2001 from the Journal Register Co. of Yardley, Pa.

GateHouse is the fifth owner of the Times-Reporter since 1987. See also a sidebar on the Times-Reporter.

It’s the Boston Globe, NOT the Bangalore Globe!

This is the message of a full-page ad placed in the Boston Globe by the Newspaper Guild:

Tell the New York Times Co. to stop sending Boston Globe jobs to India.

Dear Boston Globe Readers, Advertisers, Subscribers;

The New York Times Co., owner of the Boston Globe, has made the egregious mistake of choosing to outsource the work of Globe advertising and circulation employees to Bangalore, India.

These loyal and experienced Globe employees have worked with customers for years on their advertising & circulation account billing needs. They have always ensured that a positive, professional, consistent and successful relationship exists between readers, advertisers and The Boston Globe. And they have ensured that the Globe reaches home delivery subscribers in a timely and professional manner 7 days a week.

Now our membersÆ jobs are being outsourced to Bangalore, India and the quality of customer relationships with The Boston Globe could be dramatically and negatively impacted.

Our Boston Newspaper Guild members have worked diligently for years to ensure customer service quality. Personal account needs are always a priority, and their chief concern is your success.

By outsourcing our work, The Boston Globe & New York Times Co. are sending a message that they no longer care enough to retain the very best people to handle customer accounts and client relationships.

Further, billing and account information will now be shipped overseas to Bangalore, India, putting customers' most vital information at risk.

To voice concern about outsourcing the work of people at The Boston Globe, please call the Globe: 617-929-2000

On behalf of the members of the Boston Newspaper Guild who bring The Boston Globe to its readers, we ask for your support in the face of our members losing their jobs.

It’s the Boston Globe, NOT the Bangalore Globe!

This Message is brought to you by the Executive Committee of the Boston Newspaper Guild TNG-CWA Local 31245 on behalf of our members, who bring you the Boston Globe.

The ad is signed by Guild president Daniel B. Totten and officers Steve Richards, Kathie Dalton, Patrice Sneyd, Jenna Russell, Carl Younger and Scott Steeves.

Repository, 8 other Copley papers sold

GateHouse Media Inc. said Tuesday that it agreed to buy nine newspapers from Copley Press Inc. for $380 million, expanding its presence in the Midwest, the Associated Press reported.

The purchase includes the Canton Repository, the Massillon Independent, the Dover-New Philadelphia Times-Reporter and the Suburbanite, a weekly newspaper in Green

The purchase also includes the Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star, the State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill., and four other daily newspapers in those areas, with a total combined daily circulation of 241,060. The deal also includes the Subururbanite and another weekly newspaper with a combined circulation of 34,918.

GateHouse, based in Fairport, N.Y., said it would continue Copley's "outstanding stewardship." It expects to close the deal by the end of April.

"These newspapers are dominant local news providers in the markets they serve, with a rich tradition of journalistic excellence and local advertising reach, and therefore fit perfectly into the business strategy of GateHouse Media," Chief Executive Michael E. Reed said.

Hal Fuson, a Copley senior vice president, confirmed the price and said a deal was signed Tuesday. He did not elaborate on financial terms and declined to say if there were other bidders.

GateHouse publishes 74 daily newspapers with total circulation of 386,000 and 226 weekly newspapers with total paid circulation of about 525,000 and free circulation of about 477,000, according to its annual report filed Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It also publishes 113 shoppers with total circulation of about 1.9 million.

Its three largest daily newspapers are in the Boston area: The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Mass., the Enterprise in Brockton, Mass., and the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Mass.

The company posted a loss of $1.6 million on revenue of $314.9 million last year.

The sale leaves San Diego-based Copley with one daily newspaper, The San Diego Union-Tribune. The privately held company plans to keep its flagship paper and continue operating its wire service, Copley News Service.

In December, Copley sold the Daily Breeze and three weekly newspapers to Hearst Corp. in a deal that will eventually transfer ownership of the Los Angeles-area paper to Denver-based MediaNews Group Inc.

Financial details of that deal were not disclosed. But in court documents filed at the time, the purchase price was estimated at $25 million for a deal that included the Palos Verdes Peninsula News, The Beach Reporter and More San Pedro.

GateHouse shares fell 1.2 percent, or 24 cents, to $19.70 on the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday, then rebounded 7 cents in after-hours trading.

For a list of publications, go to the GateHouse Media web site

The Akron area papers reported the sale with the same basic company news release.

See reports in the Canton Repository

Massillon Independent

Dover- New Philadelphia Times-Reporter

State of the News Media 2007

The Project for Excellence in Journalism, a non-political, nonpartisan research institute that is part of the Pew Research Center in Washington,. today released the State of the News Media 2007–its fourth annual report.

You can read an overview of the report on our web site or go to the lenghty online report

You also may want to take a look at Facts About Newspapers, published by the Newspaper Association of America.

So you will get an idea of how times have changed we are reprinting the association’s statistics that were published in the June/July 1993 issue of Sidebar–just 13 years ago. The statistics for 2005, the latest from NAA, are inserted in brackets
.
The 1994 edition of Facts About Newspapers, published by the Newspaper Association of America, presents a statistical portrait of the U.S. newspaper industry. Here are some highlights:
+ More than 114.7 million American adults (61.7 percent) read a daily newspaper on an average weekday in 1993. [down to 51 per cent]
+ U.S. newspapers received the greatest percentage of all advertising expenditures in1993 - 23.1 percent, as compared with 22.2 percent for television, 19.9 percent for direct mail and 6.8 percent for radio. [down to 15 per cent]
+ More than 7.4 million tons of V.S. newsprint - 58 percent of all U.S. newsprint - were recycled in 1993, up from 36 percent in 1988. [increased to 9.7 million tons]
+ There were 1,556 U.S. daily newspapers in 1993, down from 1,570 in 1992.
[down to 1,452]
+ Newspaper employment increased to 451,700 in 1993, from 451,300 in 1992.
[down to 375.600]

[Circulation down 2.6 per cent daily and 3.1 per cent on Sunday. Until 2004 losses were less than 1 per cent[]

Catching up with Eric Sandstrom

Eric Sandstrom worked at the Beacon Journal from 1986-1998. His current job is managing editor / marketing & communications at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.

“Most of our publications target physicians, both local and national, and focus on new medical research and procedures,” Eric writes. :”I also teach a public relations course at night at Cleveland State University.

“My wife, Monica, teaches math at Roswell Kent Middle School in Akron. We vacation mostly in Colorado, where our kids (now adults) live and play. I am a long distance runner and member of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Akron.”

Eric’s home email address is emansand@aol.com

Alice: A prize-winning photo by Ed Suba

The blog occasionally likes to reprint memorable stories–current or past. A recent example is a Bob Dyer story posted in the Commentary section of our website.

And as a witness that there also are many memorable photos is this one of "Alice" which appeared in the July/August 1991 issue of Sidebar, the old BJ employee publication. The photo of Alice was with a story on winners of the 13th Annual Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards sponsored by Sigma Delta Chi and the Cleveland Press Club. The Beacon Journal staff received 25 awards at a June 13 banquet.

Among the awards was Ed Suba’s winning portrait -- a simple face shot of Alice smoking a cigarette outside a Merriman Road apartment. The portrait of Alice appeared earlier on the cover of Beacon Magazine to illustrate a story about Alice by Eric Sandstom who is now in public relations at University Hospitals in Cleveland. Alice was both homeless and mentally ill.

An update from Pat Dougherty

Here’s an update from Pat Dougherty, BJ Engraving Department retiree

By Pat Dougherty
Yes, there is life after retirement. I am totally convinced that 'retirement' is much more than a vision of just sitting down in your Lazyboy rocker and doing nothing. Doing nothing is borrrrrrring!

With that in mind, after retiring from the engraving department, I got a job at Acme packing groceries and chasing carts. Had a ball with the kids I worked with. Was I ever that naive about life? I probably was but I chose to not remember. (Selective memory you know. It's one of the perks of my age group.) At any rate there was enough fodder for a half dozen soap operas to be found in the store. Single mothers struggling to make ends meet - Marriage break-ups.- engagements. - In-store romances. - teen pregnancies - Young boys (& girls) who never had to do a lick of work or follow orders trying to adjust to a brand new world. And that's just the help. Customers were just as varied and just as much fun. I loved them all. Got to play Santa the last couple of years. Gave out candy canes to the kids. I will never forget an elderly lady who came up to me with a sly grin and whispered that she really hadn't been a very good girl this past year. So I whispered back to her, " In that case you get two candy canes." I will never forget the look on her face.

However all good things have to come to an end and I had to leave the Acme because of a bad back and knee. Just couldn't hack the bending over to back bags and pushing the carts around the parking lot. I really miss working with the folks there.

Got a new job as the custodian at St. Joseph's church in Cuyahoga Falls. It's part-time and lot less hectic than the Acme. I open and close the church and work at my own pace to keep the place clean. If I get tired and can just sit down and rest. Can't beat the atmosphere. Just me and God. We have had quite a few interesting conversations. Mostly I talk and He listens. But every once in a while He gets a word in edgewise.

Since I left the BJ, Liz and I have managed to add a couple of grand kids for a total of 7. The icing on the cake however, was the arrival 18 months ago, of our first great grandson Kai David Nelson.
My woodworking has been slow this winter - too cold in the garage. However I will be finishing a hope chest for my granddaughter Malinda. It's a graduation present. She will be getting a chemical engineering degree from UA in May.

Trying my hand at Bonsai. Have killed 5 plants so far. Where is Art Krummel when I need him? Maybe I should just stick to working with the timber rather than trying to grow it.

Read the BJ blogspot every day. Really enjoy reading about old friends and co-workers.

A few graphs about the Ridders

Here are a few selected graphs from a story by Joe Soucheray of the St. Paul Pioneer Press The headline says A Ridder goes, but the paper endures.

Why Par Ridder went running to the Enemy Paper [Minneapolis Star Tribune] as its new publisher is a mystery he would not satisfactorily answer for this newspaper, nor, I suppose, does he have any obligation to reveal anything outside the boilerplate that guys like him must learn along the way.

<><><><><><>

These guys — these interchangeable publishers — aren't newspaper guys. That would worry me if I worked in Minneapolis.

If Ridder could suddenly walk away from St. Paul, where he has history and a great-grandfather yelling at him from the grave, imagine what a sharp young guy like Ridder can accomplish when he gets in that boardroom with the Avista Capital investors.

<><><><><><>

I met Tony Ridder once. Tony is Par's father. I didn't know who he was. He came to town years ago to check on something, and we shared an elevator ride. I held an unlit cigar. This tall, regal fellow got into me pretty good about the cigar.

"It's not lit,'' I pointed out. For all I knew, he was some guy going upstairs to complain about an editorial.

That it was unlit didn't stop him from whining.

"Hey, pal. It's not lit. Don't worry.''

When he got off, somebody else on the elevator told me who the guy was. Oh.

Joe Soucheray can be reached at jsoucheray@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5474.

Click on the headline to read the full story.