Monday, March 26, 2007

More Not-So-Great News

Hey guys,

Dana passed along this link, which is more not-so-great news about the industry as a whole.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/26/business/media/26paper.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Just another reminder that we've gotta be on the top of our game all the time, not just in print but on the Web, as well. People need news now more than ever, so we've got to find ways to get them to come check us out. You've done a great job of adapting in recent years, so keep that up and hopefully we can figure out a way to bring old-style journalism to the new-style audience.

-Brent

Across Town...

Hey Gang,

This is a bit peripheral to us at the Daily News, but I figure that we all benefit from a strong newspaper business, so I thought I'd pass this along. As you know, the Guild is stepping up its efforts to help out the newsroom at the LA Times during its seemingly unending string of bad luck. They've launched a new web site, tribunewatch.org, where folks in the industry can check out all the various goings-on at that company, so I thought I'd spread the word.

Separately, if you guys missed David Carr's piece in the NYT about last week's editorial mess-up at the Times, it's a very good read. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/26/business/media/26carr.html?ref=media

I was particularly struck by former editor John Carroll's comment about the role the staff has played in fighting off corporate meddling: “It is a nonunion paper in which labor has taken ownership of the place,” he said. “They have played an important role in building it, and they don’t want to see it damaged.”

While that's great that the staff has rallied like that-- we've certainly found that's the best way to keep things together here-- if they're going to keep that up, a union would certainly come in handy. As you guys come into contact with your counterparts over there, don't forget to remind them that we're here to help them on that angle. ... then we'll go back to trying to beat 'em on stories.

Alright, more to follow soon about more Daily News-esque news.

-Brent

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Some Not So Fun Reading

Hey Guys,

Brad Greenberg passed along this link to a Columbia Journalism Review piece that's worth checking out-- it's pretty grim news for the business, but brings up a lot of important things to consider: http://www.cjr.org/issues/2007/2/Klein.asp

While it sounds like things are quite a bit worse at some of these other papers than what we've been through in the past few years, it's a good reminder of how tough the industry is right now and how much we've gotta do to stay afloat. Your continual hard work and dedication to both this union and this paper make the fight easier, but we're definitely going to need all that effort in the years ahead. Thanks again and keep it up.

-Brent

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Back in the Land of Switched-On

Hey Guys,

After yet another computer blackout, I have my machine back temporarily-- my apologies for the long delay in communication, but at least for an afternoon, I'm back online. And so, what better to do on this beautiful summery day than catch y'all up on the latest union news.

Firstly, let me share the good news that we've got yet another new member, Gideon Rubin of the AV bureau. Gideon started out as a freelancer covering the Lancaster Jethawks, then moved over into regional sports then recently started covering news up in Palmdale. He has proved himself to be both an extremely resilient and versatile employee and staunch defender of his coworkers. That's a great combination that many of you exemplify -- the willingness to work hard and speak up when things could be done better -- so I'm glad to welcome him to the crew. You'll fit in nicely here, sir.

Secondly, Alex made a good suggestion that we re-start the writers' workshops that we held in the past. We kind of got sidetracked on that after several productive sessions, so let's get that going again sometime soon. I can try to set something up after work, but if someone else would like to take the lead in organizing one, I'm more than happy to hand it over. Any takers?

And finally, it's been far too long since we've enjoyed a little happy hour relaxation. Let's try to get together sometime in the next couple weeks and kick back. Details TBA.

That's all for now-- thanks for your patience in these long dark periods. There's been plenty going on, but this malingering laptop has kept me unplugged for far too long... Thanks again and I'll chat with y'all soon.

-Brent