You can die any day in mid-Michigan as TV offers obituary services

Obituary from Michigan's WNEM television station

 OK, I know death is serious but if I got a quarter every time a Flint-area person joked about not dying on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday I could stop worrying about the health of my pension fund.

Wish I had remembered this when a bunch of people with Flint-area ties got together recently. Fortunately, a comment over on the Free From Editors blog reminded me that Michigan television stations are taking advantage of local newspapers' decisions to limit the frequency of publication by offering daily obituaries. The success of the venture may mean televised obits are coming to your town.

The Free From Editors comment  directed readers to an Advertising Age article: Local TV Garners Revenue From Obituaries From WNEM:

For $100, the station will run the deceased's name and photo on-air and publish a full-length obituary on ObitMichigan.com. Full-screen graphics listing names of people who have passed away are broadcast during the local station's morning and noon shows Monday through Friday, as well as on weekend morning shows. Viewers are pushed to the website for more information about the deceased as well as funeral-services information.

The article was about the CBS affiliate in Michiga, but the local ABC station also offers obituaries online and onair. Here's a sample online listing:

ABC12's obituary listing

 
 Three of the local newspapers, which publish Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays offer obituaries by phone on the other days. For instance, if you call  (810) 835-4444.you hear the name, age, city and funeral home for the most recent deaths in the Flint Journal area. That service was launched in June.  Executive editor John Hiner talked about the service. in a radio interview

Eight publications affliated with mlive.com deliver a daily email of death notices to those who sign up. and publish the obituaries online.

So, see, it doesn't matter what day you die. The notice can be published in multiple ways.

More awards: SNPA says yes to two Birmingham News photos

A photographer at The Birmingham News in Alabama won two photography awards from the Southern Newspapers Publishers  Association. Click on the thumbnails and you'll see why.

Bernard Troncale, a staff photographer for the Birmingham News,which  is part of the Advance Publications group, won second place in sports and honorable mention in the spot news category.  The new web features on al.com make it easy to see many of Troncale's photos. He also has his own web site

Bernard Troncale's second-place photo shows Fred Funk reacting to a missed putt in the first round of the Regions Charity Classic in Birmingham. Judges said:

“The strong horizontal lines of the golfer’s unusual gesture lead the viewer’s eye through the composition of this image, while the hint of a grimacing expression adds an element of emotion. It¹s the golfer’s body language that makes this image rise above sometimes passive golf photos, while the photographer added a feeling of anticipation to the image by placing the teetering ball near the edge of the frame.   The clean background and horizontal crop of this photograph also helps in leading the eye to the golfer’s partially shadowed face.”

The spot news photo    is part of package on Slain soldier Army Spc. Charles D. Dusty Parrish coming home.

Judges said: “This image is both sad and endearing. The pain of the soldier’s death is obvious in the emotional gestures of the adults, but the young son’s attempting to be stoic while he salutes is perhaps more powerful. While the photographer was covering a scene that is somewhat commonplace in recent years, the emotional layers of this image tell not just of a soldier’s death, but also of the legacy left behind.

Mac Thrower, editorial writer with the Mobile Press-Register was awarded first prize for eidtorials on a grocery tax in SNPA's 2009 Carmage Walls Commentary Prize competition at the SNPA News Industry Summit in Naples, Fla.

Judges said:

"Thrower's analysis of the need for reform of Alabama's antiquated tax system was exhaustive and convincing.  His excellent writing made compelling a subject that in less skilled hands could have been dry and lifeless.  The Press-Register, through its editorial page, provided excellent leadership on an issue that is critical to all who live in Alabama."

Read the entry  to see why the series of editorials seeks reform. For instance:

Poor families in Alabama are a little better off than they were two years ago, when the Legislature and Gov. Bob Riley agreed on raising the income tax threshold for a family of four from an obscenely low $4,600 a year to the slightly less repugnant level of $12,600. But, according to a new study, Alabama still levies the nation's highest income taxes on poor families.

I like that the contest links to the originals and/or entries.

I wrote earlier about some printing awards for four newspapers in the private Advance Publications group. I've written about the Birminham News and the Press Register.

Lineup changes at ONA workshop in Ann Arbor

Jim Brady, a consultant for the Guardian and former executive editor of the Washington Post, will lead a session Going Mobile at the Online News Association's parachute training in Ann Arbor.

Cory Haik, assistant manager editor of  seattletimes.com  is off the schedule.


The schedule and details about the speakers are in this post.

Launch time: California site ready for an audience

Collaboration is key in California where  Oakland Local, a news and community site for Oakland focusing on social justice issues, launched Monday. This is the grant-funded hyperlocal site headed up by Susan Mernit
that I said I'd be watching. I especially like that it launched just as a "Report on the Reconstruction of Journalism" began circulating.

The report's authors published some findings in the Washington Post, including recommendations such as:

• Permit local news organizations to operate as nonprofit or low-profit entities able to receive tax-deductible donation. (Actually, a Harvard University study - Can NonProfits Save Journalism - also just released says this already is possible.)
• Encourage philanthropists and foundations to increased support for local news reporting
  
•  Require public radio and television stations to provide local news reporting.
• Encourage universities and colleges to "become institutional sources of local, state and accountability news reporting, following the lead of pioneering journalism schools whose faculty and student journalists staff community news and investigative reporting Web sites"
• Make the Federal Communications Commission use some of its fees to create a national fund for local, innovative news reporting.  
• Increase access to and usefulness of public information collected by federal, state and local government  

You can download the report, although I suspect it will become a hot topic on many blogs if you just want to wait.

Meanwhile, head through the Internet to check out the OaklandLocal site.



From the about page:

"Centered on topics including environmental justice, food distribution, transportation, development & housing, arts & education, and gender & identity, Oakland Local aggregates information and news from local non-profits and community organizations working on these topics within a range of Oakland neighborhoods.

"We seek to create a unique local forum for sharing information, building community, speaking truth to power and working together for positive social change. We are committed to diverse voices, reader engagement, deep issue coverage and local commentary."

The Twitter tag of "talking to the people" doesn't seem to reflect the spirit of a site that described itself as "launching in partnership with 35 local nonprofit, neighborhood and community organizations."

Perhaps I'm oversensitive to the wording as the site' mood is one of the people instead of talking to anyone. There are forums, a directory of 320 local nonprofits and a blog directory. You'll also find a link to Get Satisfaction, plus plenty of email addresses to share feedback.

Also contributing are Spot.us, Newsdesk.org, The Center for Investigative Reporting, New America Media, Endless Canvas, Youth Rising, Youth Radio and Youth Outlook.

The site offers plenty to like - clear navigation, writer bios/links, a Daily Brief that is a roundup of articles from other news sources..

The site's seed money comes from a New Voices grant from J-Lab, funded by The Knight Foundation.

'Encore fellows' to look for next opportunity via CJR

How did I miss this "encore opportunity?" Most fellowships for journalists are offered for those midcareer. But Columbia Journalism Review just appointed four 'down-sized  journalists not ready for retirement yet "Encore Fellows."

The journalists, ages 47 to 59 and with as much as 30 years experience, will write for the magazine and spend time figuring out what's next. over the next nine months.

“CJR is thrilled to be able to play a critical role not only in assisting these distinguished journalists, but our hope is that they will inspire downsized journalists across the county, who will benefit from the examples set by this inaugural class of fellows in developing their encore careers,” said Victor Navasky, chairman of the Columbia Journalism Review.

Some estimate 16,000 journalists lost their jobs in 2008.

'Adman' tells tale of newpaper's death

Most blogs and articles about the end of newspapers are by those who once filled or are filling the newsroom. But in Arkansas, the "Gazette Adman" wants to tell the battle of how the Arkansas Gazette lost the battle. Start with The Arkansas Newspaper War: 1. Seeds of defeat. and go on to see how many times you nod your head.

"Ever tried to get into your vehicle, see lots of clients and work up ad programs while chained to your desk? Neat trick. Try it sometime."

It's timely as The Morning News and Arkansas seek approval of a merger from the U.S. Department of Justice. Catch up with that story (and more history) courtesy of the Fayetteville Flyer. Besides telling us that the blog’s author appears to have worked in classified, retail and management  from 1970 to the closing of the doors in 1991, the Flyer leads us to links of other employees' memories.

'Parade' appoints new publisher

Editor & Publisher reported today that Brett Wilson is now publisher of Parade magazine. He'll focus on advertising sales and marketing efforts.

Parade also created a new position - vice president of integrated sales - this month and appointed Kristen Fairback.

Parade is part of the Advance group.

The releases:

New York, October 19, 2009 -- Brett Wilson has been named publisher of PARADE, the largest circulation magazine in the U.S., it was announced today by Parade Publications CEO Jack Haire. Wilson will be responsible for all advertising sales and marketing efforts.

Wilson comes to PARADE from USA TODAY, where he was senior vice president of advertising sales. Prior to that, he spent more than 20 years at Time, Inc., where he was most recently publisher of Money magazine. He held various other positions, including associate publisher and advertising director for TIME, advertising director for Sports Illustrated, and advertising manager for Southern Living magazine. He started his career as regional marketing manager for Southern Living in 1987.

"Brett's leadership skills and proven experience in both the newspaper and magazine industries make him uniquely qualified to assume the responsibilities of publisher of PARADE," says Haire. "We believe he will help grow our business across key categories, in print and digitally. He is a really great person, and we are delighted to have him on our team." Wilson will report to PARADE President Randy Siegel.

Brett and his wife, Patricia, live in Connecticut with their two children, Taylor, 16, and Sara, 14. Please join us in welcoming him to PARADE.

KRISTEN FAIRBACK NAMED VP/INTEGRATED SALES FOR PARADE

October 7, 2009 -- Kristen Fairback has joined Parade in the newly created position of Vice President, Integrated Sales, it was announced today by Randy Siegel, Parade's President & Publisher.
Fairback will play a leading role in integrating the company's print and digital sales efforts.

"As our digital presence continues to grow, it's more important than ever to provide our customers with a wide array of integrated sales solutions," says Siegel. "Kristen has proven experience in the field, and we're delighted to have her on board."

Kristen comes to PARADE from Entertainment Weekly and EW.com where most recently she was Associate Publisher. Prior to that, she was the Eastern Advertising Director for LIFE magazine.

Four Advance Publications newspapers get printing awards

The Southern Newspapers Publishers Association honored four Newhouse newspapers for their printing quality.

The Grand Rapids Press and The Oregonian earned first place awards in their categories.

The Michigan Muskegon Chronicle and the Alabama Birmingham News earned second place awards.

The SNPA site says the "Judges evaluated entries only for those quality attributes that can be objectively measured: black ink density and uniformity, color ink density and uniformity, color register, page alignment, litho defects and other defects."

One more Advance tie - Randy O'Neill of the Times-Picayune in New Orleans was one of the judges.

Online News Association offers 'Parachute Training' in Ann Arbor (updated)

Two Three former Advance Internet employees are among the instructors who will lead sessions on video and blogging skills at ONA Parachute Training this week in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The training for independent, community, non-profit and displaced journalists and bloggers is Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Campus Inn and sponsored by the Online News Association. It is part of the organization's Parachute Training Initiative, supported by a $50,000 seed grant from the Gannett Foundation. I wrote about this when the group sought feedback on skills needed.

There are two tracks - beginner and intermediate - covering multimedia, blogging, mobile, legal and business issues, marketing through social networks and finding your niche on the Web. There also will be two half-day video sessions, limited to 25 participants on a first-come, first-served basis (on-site), and a session on legal issues.

It's a great price - $10 to cover food.

See my other post about a Community Conversation taking place on Wednesday.  Here's more about the Thursday lineup, which I'm picking up from the ONA site: (OK, I added the links and some details about folks since I wanted to know who they were. I especially wanted to see the blogs of people teaching blogging.).

8 a.m.: Registration


Video Session 1: 9 a.m.-Noon (limited to 25 participants)


The Fundamentals of Shooting, Editing and Posting Video: We’ll discuss why and when video is needed as a storytelling tool. This is a hands-on tutorial with an experienced videographer, intended for beginners who should bring their own cameras. Professional-quality equipment is not necessary. (An inexpensive Flip video camcorder, for example, will work just fine.)
Trainers: Tiffany Campbell, Producer for Enterprise, and Cory Haik, Assistant Managing Editor, seattletimes.com

Tiffany led a video workshop at the recent ONA convention, where the program description included this: Lately, she's been developing Web video and a growing multimedia team, while heading up special projects, interactives and enterprise development for seattletimes.com.

Campbell began her journalism career at CNN. She held several positions during her years there, including video journalist and broadcast writer. She switched to Web journalism in late 2004 when she relocated back to the Pacific Northwest to work for the Seattle Times.

In addition to her journalism career, Campbell teaches at the university level and at regional and national journalism conferences.She lives with her husband, Curt Woodward of the Associated Press, in Tacoma, Wash.

Cory (who was eliminated from the schedule sometime Monday at the registration site) was part of a "Four Cool New Web Tools for Journalists" session at ONA. The bio description included:

"she is an online journalist who has spent her last decade managing the disruption of Web media — which she likes. From running operations and development to reporting, editing and
production, Haik has her hands in most things that make online journalism work. She sits on the Board of Directors for the Online News Association and is currently the Assistant Managing Editor at seattletimes.com

 She spent many years following the storms of the Gulf Coast at NOLA.com, site of the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, where she was the Managing Editor. She shared in two Pulitzer Prizes for covering Hurricane Katrina. Haik holds a master's degree in communication theory from the University of New Orleans."

Session 1: 9-10:25 a.m.
Track 1
Finding Your Niche: How individual journalists can take advantage of the unique attributes of the Web to identify and deliver the news and information that folks need and want. We’ll first take a look at how you define your niche in a crowded media landscape. Then we’ll discuss immediacy, aggregation, interactivity, multimedia, database utility and social networking.
Trainers: Ken Sands, ONA Board member and self-employed digital media strategist, and Kelly McBride, Poynter Faculty and ethics group leader

Ken has worked for Congressional Quarterly and spokesman.com and currently is self employed, according to a bio posted on Poynter. He is a contributor to Poynter's E-Media Tidbits, with his latest article a look at how news organzations are using social media and improving site design.   He's also written about how tools to ease sharing of online finds can affect the user's experience.

I found a story that tells how a fake headline that made it into the newspaper led to Kelly's post as ethics group leader at Poynter. She was a reporter at the Spokesman-Review and blogged for awhile as The Imperfect Parent. Today, the blogging focus is Everyday Ethics. and other pieces for Poynter.

Track 2
Reporting with the Web: How reporters can use social media/aggregators/RSS/Web tools to be better reporters and how editors can use them to distribute their content. You’ll learn the skill of reporting with the Web, using sourcing and crowding-sourcing and engaging with users who are working alongside you. Learn how to uncover stories that only exist because of the Web, and gain more depth and context from the Web for your traditional content.

Trainers: T.J. Ortenzi, Associate News Editor, The Huffington Post; and Cory Haik, Assistant Managing Editor, seattletimes.com (Both are former Advance Internet employees, including a stint in New Orleans at NOLA.com. Haik was as managing editor during Katrina, Ortenzi a web producer.)

Ortenzi did a session called "Enterprising with Twitter" at the ONA convention. The bio for that included:

"Ortenzi , associate news editor editor, is responsible for the homepage of The Huffington Post. Before joining the staff in August of 2009, Ortenzi was an Associate News Producer at seattletimes.com and a homepage producer at NOLA.com, the Web site of The Times- Picayune in New Orleans.

At seattletimes.com, Ortenzi scanned the wires, wrote headlines and summaries, and ultimately acted as a journalistic liaison between the newsroom and readers. He also managed The Seattle Times' Twitter account.

Ortenzi honed his news judgment in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as a homepage producer for NOLA.com. He is a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans, where he received a BA in Communications and French. Ortenzi lives in New York City with his fiancee and is a proud native of Hershey, Pa."

Session 2: 10:35 a.m.-Noon
Track 1
Blogging Effectively: We’ll narrow our focus in this second session, discussing blog software, frequency of posting, interacting with readers, a corrections policy, how blog writing is different and turning your life over to the blog.
Trainer: Ken Sands, ONA Board member, and Kelly McBride, Poynter Faculty

Track 2 Jim Brady, U.S. Consulting Editor, The Guardian
Going Mobile: Up to 70 percent of all mobile Web browsing is done on an iPhone. What does that mean for news providers? When will folks monetize mobile? What phone should a journalist have? When is it a good idea to develop an app on the side? Should you blog/take video or live-stream from your phone? What is the percentage of mobile readers vs. computer-based readers?
Trainer: Cory Haik, Assistant Managing Editor, seattletimes.com Jim Brady, U.S. consulting editor for the Guardian was substituted sometime Monday on the registration site.  Columbia Journalism Review interviewed the former Washington Post executive editor on why he left the Post and now is consuling for the Guardian as well as branding, web innovation and building audiences in September.



 Noon-1:30 p.m. Lunch and networking:


Video Session 2: 1:30-4:30 p.m. (limited to 25 participants)
 Production Values: From the 30 seconds of the burning house to a produced tier three that gives you context, b-roll and true narrative, this class will arm every journalist with good Web video production values. We’ll also talk about the technical side — editing programs, camera choices and production/hosting solutions.Trainer: Tiffany Campbell, Producer for Enterprise, seattletimes.com

Session 3: 1:30-2:55 p.m.

Tracks 1 and 2
Legal Issues: Jon Hart, a founding member and ONA counsel, will focus on basic issues involving aggregation, plagiarism, libel, comments and group insurance for bloggers. When can you be liable for content that your readers post? Are you better off policing user postings or remaining hands-off? Can other sites really post your headlines without your permission? What can you “borrow” from other sites? Why do Web sites display privacy policies and visitor agreements? Where can you find affordable libel insurance?
Trainer: Jon Hart, Dow Lohnes PLLC in Washington, D.C. (via Skype)

Hart was part of the legal panel at the 2009 ONA convention. His bio for that included he practices in the Media and Information Technologies group. He specializes in the representation of media and technology companies on a broad range of commercial, transactional, operational and content matters. Hart is the author of "Internet Law: A Field Guide" (BNA Books, 6th Edition, 2008). He's been on the faculty of the Stanford Professional Publishing Courses since 1994, and serves as general counsel to the Online News Association. He clerked for U.S. Circuit Judge Jerome Farris and U.S. District Judge Almeric Christian. Hart is a graduate of Middlebury College and Stanford Law School.

Session 4: 3:05-4:30 p.m.
Track 1

Self Promotion: How do you market yourself through social networking and find pay for your work? How do you connect with an audience on Twitter and Facebook and grow traffic to your blog? This session will focus on developing recognition for your blog by branding, or developing a distinctive voice, as well as managing your online reputation/personal brand.
Trainer: Shawn Smith, Optimal Webworks and New Media Bytes blogger. 

The Michigan State University graduate also was an Advance Internet employee, working his way up to senior producer mlive.com He describes himself on LinkedIn as an Internet marketer with journalism roots.  He also participated in ReThink News at Michigan State University, where he suggested news organizations need to look at a variety of content and test at niche products.

 
Track 2
How to Turn Your Blog Into a Business: At a time when staff and dollars are stretched and venture capital is scarce, a good business plan is essential to getting the resources you need or attracting the investors you want. This session poses the questions you must answer and how you should organize a business plan that will clearly lay out the elements of your project, along with strategies for growth and success, including change management.
Trainer: Neil Chase, Federated Media

Neil is vice president of author services for Federated Media, which is described on LinkedIn as providing "online marketing services for creators, audiences, and marketers. The company operates a network of author-driven Websites, including Digg, Boing Boing, and Dooce. Its federations include sports, technology, automotive, business & marketing, media & entertainment, momentum, travel and leisure, and parenting."

Neil also has worked for The Arizona Republic, San Francisco Examiner, and the New York Times. He's familiar with Ann Arbor, having spent four years at the University of Michigan and worked for the student newspaper the Michigan Daily. He launched the new media program at Northwestern University, according to a Knight Digital Media Center biography.

Poynter to host Community Conversation in Ann Arbor

What does Ann Arbor, Michigan, think it wants in media? Poynter Institute is hosting a Community Conversation the night before ONA Parachute Training

The Online News Association describes this part of the event as a bonus, "an evening of conversation to unearth the news and information needs of the local community" on Oct. 21,

The Poynter Institute's conversation is set for 7 to 9 p.m. and described as:

"What Now?: What’s working in other communities not served by a newspaper? What are the immediate and long-term remedies in Ann Arbor? Where can other organizations step in and serve the community?"

There's a reception at 6 p.m, which follows a workshop for citizen journalism.

Update: I was told Monday morning there is no charge and an update with more details coming.

All events will be held at the Campus Inn in Ann Arbor.

Faith watching: Newsrom to pulpit plus under the eyes

It's Sunday so let's use some of this day once reserved strictly for God to reflect on journalists who preach - in churches, in newspapers and online.

The Associated Press wrote about Steve Scott, who used a buyout from the St. Paul Pioneer Press to move from religion reporter to his own pulpit in Wisconsin. I reacted much like Amanda Greene, who blogs as the Divine Diva for the Wilmington Star News: This is not a man bites dog story. Just as some reporters who once covered politics become politicians and former education beat reporters move to the front of the classroom, some with enough interest in religion go to the seminary.

The writer of Religion reporter to pastor — not an uncommon path says she knows at least five religion reporters who have either gotten into newspapers after the ministry or entered the ministry after newspapers. She did not name them.

Let's see, in Michigan I think the latest to exchange the paper for the pulpit is Mike Wendland. The former Detroit Free Press technology columnist started a weekly broadcast "Get Real: A Christian Take on Current Events," a combination of a talk show, live band and Bible study. PCMike now is the communications pastor for Woodside Bible Church in Troy. Most of his career was in the media but since "becoming a Christian in 1989" he has become more active in the church. He joined the Woodside Bible Church staff in 2004.

Michigan also had an editor who left to preach: D. Gunnar Carlson, who retired from the Muskegon Chronicle in January 2006 (he also was editor of the Saginaw News) He became pastor of Grass Lake United Methodist Church on 7/1/07. He joined the Chronicle in 1972,and expected to retire from there. But he left at age 58 to pursue a new career.

“God often has something quite different in store for us than we expect, and that’s what’s happened here” Carlson told Clayton Hardiman for a Dec. 20, 2005 article in the newspaper where he had been a reporter, features editor, metro editor as well as editor.

Not quite the pulpit but close is what David Crumm, another former Detroit Free Press staff person, is doing. There's  David Crumm Media LLC, a multi-media publishing company focusing on religion and spirituality that is headed by partners Crumm and John Hile. I especially like  www.ReadTheSpirit.com that Crumm describes as an online home for readers who believe that diverse spiritual connections between people of faith build stronger communities. The online magazine includes inspirational stories, fresh voices, reviews of books and films—and much more.
 
Robert Herguth, who worked for the Chicago Sun Times , Daily Herald and briefly at the Business Journal in Milwaukee before a buyout, pulled together ChicagoCatholicNews.com Get some of the background on why and how in this post.  (Herguth also is behind Chicago Wildlife News  and a site about organized labor, Chicago Union News.)

While out looking for these names, I ran across a few other blog posts about journalists and religion. I started with another take on Steve Scott on GetReligion.org

But it was Journalism, Jesus and (Tim) Tebow that kept my attention. I didn't know about this Florida Gator who was using that empty space under his eyes to promote a religious theme. Nor did I know how that upsets some sports columnists and that Tebow's words and actions prompt journalism issues. Terry Mattingly looks at:

"increased mainstream media coverage of (a) the content of Florida Gator superstar Tim Tebow’s faith, (b) the impact of that faith on how people (including reporters) perceive him and (c) the impact of that perception on, oh, his chances to receive another Heisman Trophy?"

GetReligon.org, by the way, is designed to critique mainstream media's coverage of religion.

Do read Patrick Condon's Associated Press story Steve Scott story that led to this post. I found some posts of Scott's posts over on MinnPost, written while he was on his way to the pulpit.

Here's Mike Wendland's first broadcast. That was followed by "Is America a Christian Nation?." The latest one was "Is Marriage Meant to Last Forever?" Keep up with them online.


GetReal - Episode 1 - A Christian Take on Current Events from Woodside Bible on Vimeo.

More Freep layoffs

Thhe Detroit Free Press finalized seven layoffs, including two reporters and one copy editor

Sometimes, we can't help ourselves

Does it drive you nuts when there is a wrong their or there or they're? Grammar Nerds can create a sticky situation with this product. Just $3  or save a buck and get 3 sets for $8 plus shipping from the Portland Oregon Temple of Commerce.

Go for a real copy-editing fix.

Quote bowdlerizing that may only be of interest to copyediting nerds

Reality? Marley & Me, re-considered

My feeds and defined searches can pull in more then doom and gloom. See this post "in which the author wonders whether the 2008 Owen Wilson/Jennifer Aniston vehicle Marley & Me accurately reflects the fortunes of an ailing newspaper industry.

ThisWashington City Paper post is worth a click: Marley & Me, Considered 


Go ahead. Smile. It won't hurt much.

(Michigan connection: John Grogan was a former Kalamazoo Gazette reporter who is married to former Muskegon Chronicle reporter Jenny Vogt)

Michigan reflections: Out of the newsrooms

I went looking for something else and stumbled into a couple more look backs at careers. Some leave by choice, others are "downsized out of a career" through the decisions of others. Everyone survives.

From Detroit, Michigan, Bill McGraw said 'Thank you' to all who filled 37 years of Detroit stories


In the Sept. 27 column he said he'd be working at Compuware Corp., but first recounted some of the highlights that included 427 articles covering the Tigers in 1984 and an obituary that inspired a thank you letter .It's a nice collection of a runthrough that began in Detroit in 1972.

A call out of the blue gets Musekgon Chronicle columnist Susan Harrison Wolffis to remember how "it was so much more than a job" when you are "downsized out of a career."

An interesting insight:

"There was a time when researchers thought women were better equipped emotionally when their careers were over, when they retired or their jobs ended. Men were the ones — generally speaking — whose identities and esteem were closely tied to work. Women — generally speaking — had other things that defined their worth: family, outside interests, friends. The thought was, because they had more than work in their lives, women handled life's transitions with less trauma."

No Michigan connection but this one-year reflection caught my eye. Perhaps it is the reference to the fishes and loaves story and the amazingness some of us have that we are provided with what we need if we trust, if we believe. So, like so many of us in newspapers and outside, Hal Talerton never expected to be let go, or to be without work for three months, much less a year.

"I've survived it all — the shock, the loss of confidence, the frustration, the bouts of depression, the anxieties, the doubts about the present and the future, the feelings of hopelessness. I've also experienced the emotional support of friends and family, the recognition of strangers who had seen my mugshot in the paper and were sorry I was gone, the reassurances of loved ones and former colleagues, and the near-miraculous juxtaposition of frugality and good fortune that has allowed my wife and me to get through the past 12 months without dipping far into our savings."

Go ahead, bookmark that post so you can share it with the next person you need to assure will make it because "Being laid off is a terrible experience, I think anyone would tell you, but life is good."

Consider adding the Erstwhile Editor blog to your feeds or stopping by for regular visits.

I especially liked a followup post that contains a plus to no career:

"When we both worked, my wife and I tended to eat instant meals more often — microwave dinners, fast food, hot dogs, etc. Since I have the time to cook, we've prepared more meals from scratch (or nearly scratch), and we've eaten healthier. We've also paid attention to portion size. I've also exercised more, by doing yard work, walking the dog and actually going to the gym (gym membership is one luxury I did not give up as we reduced our living expenses). As a result, I'm leaner and healthier and feel better (in part because job stress is gone)."

See, life is good.

News (or mad?) scientist won't workship at local-local-local altar

Glynn Wilson's comments about the Newhouse's Advance Publications dominating media in Alabama caused
The Locust Fork News-Journal's entry on How the Internet Changed the World, For Good and Bad to turn up in must-reads this week.

I was thankful for a reminder to look at this man's effort to create a "wide open independent weblog for big news and the big picture."

"It is my educated opinion that most newspapers will never get past the ink, paper and delivery truck economic model and figure out the Web economy, so new news organizations will have to be built to replace them. That’s one of the reasons I started the Locust Fork News-Journal four and a half years ago, to start experimenting with how to do this. It is still a work in progress."

Unlike many who are experimenting with news, Wilson does not see hyperlocal, or even local, as a key to success. Instead, he suggests we think about this:

"The Web has the potential of a global audience. But you can’t build national and international traffic by spending more time covering local news and sports and by forcing people to sign up to read your site. It just won’t work. That’s why I have kept my site open and free and focused more on national news."

Visit the post for more on how he got to that attitude and a quick review of Internet's role. Visit the site to see how his experiment is going. Feel generous? Donate a "road trip," "tank of gas," "carton of ACLs, " "3 month server bill" or just pick up the tab for a 12-pack Yuengling Black and Tan. OK, I admit there are sponsorships and ad placements possible.

Ann Arbor News building listed for $9 million

Looks like the building that once housed Ann Arbor's daily newspaper is ready for the market. The newspaper's successor, AnnArbor.com posted a piece today:Ann Arbor News building listed for $9 million

The Ann Arbor News building goes onto the market today, creating a high-profile development opportunity in the form of a rare downtown listing combination that includes two buildable lots and a historic office building.

The listing with the local office of Colliers International sets a price of $9 million for the building, adjacent parking lot and nearby parking lot with Ann Street frontage.
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Politics in the press: West Michigan newspapers wrapped up in politics

Muskegon Chronicle editor Cindy Fairfield says a conservative voice will join Opinions page in her latest Sunday column.

The decision means another former Chronicle writer returns to the fold. Steve Gunn, who the editor says "currently advocates for conservative issues, is a fantastic writer, a knowledgeable journalist and a person who embraces a point of view similar to many conservatives in our area."

Gunn's weekly column starts Thursday.

(By the way, she also shared that a "good news" column .... a collection of items and tidbits that show Muskegon area people doing good things" is coming soon.)

Meanwhile, over in Grand Rapids, Press editor Paul Keep tells readers "We report the news, not political agendas" by sharing conversations with two readers with opposing viewpoints of what the daily newspaper does. One was a sometime subscriber, upset with not seeing his liberal viewpoint often enough in the newspaper. Another saw the paper as too liberal, set off this time by an article about Michael Moore's latest film.

Now some would take the opposing characterizations as indications that the paper is balanced. Keep uses it to remind readers that

"A newspaper isn't doing its job if it makes decisions about what to print based on whether its editors agree with the person being written about. We are not pushing agendas. Our job is to tell readers what is going on in the world, as best we can. That may well stir some people up from time to time."

Of course, not all agree that all voices are represented in mass media. Isn't that one reason for Reporting Michigan's debut to ensure a conservative voice. The former Ann Arbor News reporter Tom Gantert is doing a good job of frequently updating his site and Facebook.

One last thought from Paul Keep:

"When did people start wanting to read only what they agree with in their daily newspaper? Like him or hate him, isn't it legitimate news when a famous filmmaker like Moore turns out a new movie? As a conservative, don't you want to know what this influential liberal is up to?"

Yeah, know your enemies.

See a story about Michigan media moves? Bookmark it in the Publish2 Michigan News about News  newsgroup.

Newhouse news: Star-Ledger needs 50 to go via buyouts or layoffs

An expected memo went out to another batch of employees working for companies in the Advance Publications fold. Today's recipients are the employees of the Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey, where editor Jim Willse recently announced his retirement.

It follows an offer made to employees at The Oregonian and the Times Picayune in New Orleans.

To: Full-Time Employees
From: George Arwady
Subject: VOLUNTARY BUYOUT OFFER

Consistent with my updates to you, the revenue situation at our newspaper has worsened this year, and we expect a further significant revenue decline next year.

We are working on the budget for Y2010, and it is clear that we must reduce our staff significantly to offset the continuing steep decline in revenue. My best estimate is that the full-time workforce must be reduced by at least 50 people.

Accordingly, we are announcing another voluntary buyout offer. Full-time, non-represented employees can apply to receive 2 weeks’ pay for every year of completed service, capped at 26 weeks’ pay, along with medical coverage for the severance period. The newspaper reserves the right to reject applications based upon business needs.

We sincerely hope that we meet our staffing goals through this voluntary buyout offer. If we do not, we will need to resort to other ways of reducing our employee costs, which could include involuntary layoffs.

Catching up - Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper finally jumping into online conversation

Whoa. The Cleveland Plain Dealer took a giant step on the Internet today in its attempt to make the conversation at its place more civil. 

"But we're also doing something we should have done earlier: We're joining the online conversation. For too long, we at The Plain Dealer posted stories on cleveland.com and then turned away to focus on the next day's news. Now, we're encouraging our reporters and editors to pay attention to what you're saying, to answer your questions and respond to your complaints."

Hip, hip hooray. But what took you so long?

Reading your news organizations web site, or at least comments generated by the stories you write, should be just as natural as picking up the print newspaper and reading the letters to the editor. Knowing what people or organizations you cover are doing online should be as normal as knowing what they do in "real life."

Is there a reporter in the world who would walk away with nary a word to someone who spoke to them at a public meeting or in a public place? Why does it become to OK to ignore what's being said just because it is online.

John Kroll, director of training and digital development for the Advance Publications newspaper in Ohio, tells us he been working to improve the   Plain Dealer's handling of online comments on our stories. He mentions how the Ohio staff plans to follow AnnArbor.com's "We don't tolerate jerks" policy.


Read John's column for more about the policy and encouraging signs that more people involved with the newspaper side of the organization are getting the ways of the Internet.

I wish I could be in the Ohio newsroom the first time a reluctant reporter discovers a story via the comments.

I thought all of the newspapers in the Advance Publications were further along but the recent system wide - system being Newhouse newspapers such as the Syracuse Post-Standard in New York, The Oregonian, Times-Picayune in New Orleans, Birmingham News in Alabama, Grand Rapids Press in Michigan, etc. - upgrade of software that now allows people to develop profiles, recommend stories, and track comments has shown me how few people at these newspapers are online.

It is especially irritating to me that people who carry some responsibility for the online links haven't posted anything about themselves, much less shared a photograph.

Let's hope the rest of the newspapers follow The Plain Dealer's lead and get talking with their villages. Then, perhaps we can teach 'em how to put hotlinks in and with articles.

(By the way, John did a great job yesterday jumping in, collecting comments, and answering many of the concerns that cropped up in the 245 comments posted as of 12:30 a.m. Oct. 13.

He's been jumping in - answering readers' questions by giving specific links, or background information or clarifying a writer's reporting for a few months now. Hip, hip, hooray.)