Their Web site doesn't mention this today, but the Tulsa World is ceasing publication of the Community World and has laid off the entire CW staff. I notice that the announcement on the front of today's Westside issue -- which was added after we'd proofed the Westside pages, and which resulted in a reporter's actual work being spiked to make room for it -- omitted that bit about the layoffs. The announcement also neglects to mention the fact that those laid off were given absolutely no warning and received eight days' pay and 26 days' benefits in exchange for their loyalty to the company. And it entirely fails to notify readers that two of the people laid off had been hired less than two weeks earlier.
One woman had signed a lease on a new apartment four days earlier. Another had put a down payment on a condo a week before the axe fell. One girl had quit a job at Urban Tulsa Weekly just three weeks ago to come to the Community World. A woman who has struggled financially for several years had just gotten back on her feet and was about to move into a house. Another has worked for the company for ... 13 years, I think? She repeatedly asked for an explanation of why we were given no warning that this was coming and no time to find other jobs or make other plans. She was given a reason for the layoffs, but she received absolutely no explanation for the callous manner in which the layoffs were handled. [B)]
Money will buy Armani suits and Ferraris and all sorts of other pretty toys. It will put a few kids through Holland Hall, and it will buy their grandma's best friend a byline on a column that someone else ghostwrites for her. But there is one thing money -- even old money -- can't buy: Class. And I've seen far more of that commodity in Oakhurst, Turley, and my beloved Red Fork than I see coming out of the mansions around Woodward Park this morning.
quote:
Originally posted by Emily
Their Web site doesn't mention this today, but the Tulsa World is ceasing publication of the Community World and has laid off the entire CW staff. I notice that the announcement on the front of today's Westside issue -- which was added after we'd proofed the Westside pages, and which resulted in a reporter's actual work being spiked to make room for it -- omitted that bit about the layoffs. The announcement also neglects to mention the fact that those laid off were given absolutely no warning and received eight days' pay and 26 days' benefits in exchange for their loyalty to the company. And it entirely fails to notify readers that two of the people laid off had been hired less than two weeks earlier.
One woman had signed a lease on a new apartment four days earlier. Another had put a down payment on a condo a week before the axe fell. One girl had quit a job at Urban Tulsa Weekly just three weeks ago to come to the Community World. A woman who has struggled financially for several years had just gotten back on her feet and was about to move into a house. Another has worked for the company for ... 13 years, I think? She repeatedly asked for an explanation of why we were given no warning that this was coming and no time to find other jobs or make other plans. She was given a reason for the layoffs, but she received absolutely no explanation for the callous manner in which the layoffs were handled. [B)]
Money will buy Armani suits and Ferraris and all sorts of other pretty toys. It will put a few kids through Holland Hall, and it will buy their grandma's best friend a byline on a column that someone else ghostwrites for her. But there is one thing money -- even old money -- can't buy: Class. And I've seen far more of that commodity in Oakhurst, Turley, and my beloved Red Fork than I see coming out of the mansions around Woodward Park this morning.
with the buzzer ads on TV and now this, I get the distinct impression TW is hurting. Although the little people suffer, it is about time TW feel some pain. Because through pain comes innovation and a renewwed sense of modesty.
I'm sorry to hear this.
I like the TulsaWorld. It is a local newspaper that has a good amount of local content (as opposed to ALL wire service). They have been doing a good job focusing on U of Tulsa sports the last couple of season and their business section is improved. Sure they have some gaffs and in politics take obvious sides... but all in all I enjoy reading it and subscribe.
BUT. BUT! Their behavior over the last few years is disturbing. Starting with the demo of the Skelly building for a handful of UNUSED parking spaces, piece meal stories that add filler later, and now following the trend of staff layoffs. The manner indicated is particularly troubling.
Thanks for letting me know.
[edit]revised from "massive" to just layoffs[/edit]
[edit2]Upon request I change the line "piece meal stories to add filler later" to "that add filler later"[/edit]
I was involved with the planning for the first "zoned" issues of the World back in the 80's and headed up its first sales staff. It slowly morphed into a good vehicle to serve neighborhood stories that may not have fit well into the regular edition and allowed advertisers an economical way to reach their target customers.
But its purpose was to respond to the growth of ad revenues in surrounding community papers at that time and allow a budget advertiser to sample the Worlds effectiveness. It never made money during the years I was there. Since its inception, the zoned sections content has improved but the small town competition has dwindled. Retherford is gone and there are no other strong contenders in the burbs. Since it is in effect a drain of full price ad revenues, it probably doesn't make sense to keep offering it.
I'm sorry for the way it was handled. World management could have done better. If I hadn't made note of where the bones were buried they would have nailed me as well. Though most employers in a corporate setting give you very little notice and often have terminated employees escorted by security to the front door regardless of the reason for termination. There is proprietary info involved and the World still competes with other print publications who would love to have you and your contacts. Probably the sales staff lost their jobs too.
Good luck to you and the staff. Having the World on your resume doesn't hurt.
quote:
COMMUNITY WORLD ENDS PUBLICATION
World Publishing Company, publishers of the Tulsa World, announced today that it is ending its publication of the Community World.
THE COMMUNITY WORLD PUBLICATIONS, which have provided local news in a weekly format for numerous metropolitan Tulsa areas, began in 1993 with production of the Central, South and Broken Arrow editions. Later, editions in East, Midtown and West were added. Today, Community World editions are published in Broken Arrow, Eastside, Westside, Southside and Midtown. The editions have been inserted every Wednesday, according to geographic location, in the daily Tulsa World.
"IN 2006 WE CHANGED THE CONTENT of the daily
Tulsa World to incorporate more local news, entertainment and information," said Publisher Robert E. Lorton III. "Our readers are telling us that they enjoy reading our intensive local coverage and they want to see local coverage of our metropolitan areas in all editions of the newspaper — not just in zoned weekly editions which only go to a geographic segment of our subscriber area."
LORTON SAID THE TULSA WORLD WILL continue to incorporate intensely local news into the daily product with additional coverage available on Tulsaworld.com. Some personnel from the Community World editions will be reallocated to provide the additional daily coverage. This will involve added positions in the Tulsa World newsroom and for Tulsaworld.com.
Here's the text of the announcement that I pulled from the PDF of the front page of the section. Nice how there's no link (that I could find) to this story on the TW site, therefore no place to make comments on the story.
From your post, you say the "entire CW staff" was laid off, but in the story they state:
" Some personnel from the Community World editions will be reallocated to provide the additional daily coverage. This will involve added positions in the Tulsa World newsroom and for Tulsaworld.com. " So that's a total lie. Jerks.
Emily, I've told you before that I admire your motivation and ability to "get things done". You'll be fine. I hope the best for your coworkers too. Good luck.
Emily, I certainly understand what a heartbreak and challenge this represents to the employees. Look at it as an opportunity to find something which will pay better and have better benefits.
Sorry to hear of the lay offs.
There have been discussions about closing down the Community World for years. It costs a lot of money to maintain all those offices. It's been a great place for starting journalists to hone their skills and move on to the daily eventually. Many chose to stay there for a career, however. It's a loss because it fills a newshole the daily has shamelessly neglected - real hometown news. The Tulsa World is becoming less relevant every day.
The insensitivity of the Lorton family is well-known. I've seen it firsthand. When you're born with a silver spoon in your mouth it's hard to relate. Yes I know they do a lot of "good" in Tulsa, but being a good employer is important.
Good Luck Emily. It's tough finding a decent job at newspapers these days but your skills will come in handy in many different fields.
Found a link: http://www.tulsaworld.com/community/article.aspx?articleID=20080305_9_ZB1_NoArt47455
So if you want to make a comment, there ya go. We'll see how long it lasts before they quash it.
The Tulsa Whirled is a second rate newspaper at best. I learn more about local news in the Dallas paper than I ever got from the local one.
I used to subscribe, but stopped years ago and I haven't missed it a bit.
I don't like the way the Tulsa Tribune was forced out, I don't like how the Whirled tore down a historic building just to build a parking lot, and the Whirled will have to pay a price for those abuses.
I heard subsciber numbers were down, advertising is down, etc., so they are going to have to look within to fix the problems. Tulsans would benefit greatly from an objective, complete, newspaper.
We don't have that now.
Edit to add: I'm sorry to hear about the layoffs. I would have hoped the ownership would value employees more than it does, but this is also a reflection on what a lousy organization the Whirled truly is.
Good luck to everyone in locating other jobs.
Based on my ex-wife's experience working for them, (she worked there same time as Waterboy), their pay scale sucked. She actually worked for what was known as NPC at the time. NPC was controlled far more by the World than the Trib.
Pay sucked especially for female ad reps. It was a fairly well-known practice that females were paid less than their male counterparts right out of college because it was thought they didn't need to earn as much.
They did have excellent insurance at the time, I'll give them credit for that much.
Maternity leave at the time? Not bad if you didn't mind arm-twisting.
quote:
Originally posted by TulsaMINI
quote:
COMMUNITY WORLD ENDS PUBLICATION
World Publishing Company, publishers of the Tulsa World, announced today that it is ending its publication of the Community World.
THE COMMUNITY WORLD PUBLICATIONS, which have provided local news in a weekly format for numerous metropolitan Tulsa areas, began in 1993 with production of the Central, South and Broken Arrow editions. Later, editions in East, Midtown and West were added. Today, Community World editions are published in Broken Arrow, Eastside, Westside, Southside and Midtown. The editions have been inserted every Wednesday, according to geographic location, in the daily Tulsa World.
"IN 2006 WE CHANGED THE CONTENT of the daily
Tulsa World to incorporate more local news, entertainment and information," said Publisher Robert E. Lorton III. "Our readers are telling us that they enjoy reading our intensive local coverage and they want to see local coverage of our metropolitan areas in all editions of the newspaper — not just in zoned weekly editions which only go to a geographic segment of our subscriber area."
LORTON SAID THE TULSA WORLD WILL continue to incorporate intensely local news into the daily product with additional coverage available on Tulsaworld.com. Some personnel from the Community World editions will be reallocated to provide the additional daily coverage. This will involve added positions in the Tulsa World newsroom and for Tulsaworld.com.
Here's the text of the announcement that I pulled from the PDF of the front page of the section. Nice how there's no link (that I could find) to this story on the TW site, therefore no place to make comments on the story.
From your post, you say the "entire CW staff" was laid off, but in the story they state: " Some personnel from the Community World editions will be reallocated to provide the additional daily coverage. This will involve added positions in the Tulsa World newsroom and for Tulsaworld.com. " So that's a total lie. Jerks.
Emily, I've told you before that I admire your motivation and ability to "get things done". You'll be fine. I hope the best for your coworkers too. Good luck.
I get better local coverage out of the GTA News rags that land on my porch for free. Too bad they don't offer a more regular publication.
quote:
Originally posted by Conan71
Based on my ex-wife's experience working for them, (she worked there same time as Waterboy), their pay scale sucked. She actually worked for what was known as NPC at the time. NPC was controlled far more by the World than the Trib.
Pay sucked especially for female ad reps. It was a fairly well-known practice that females were paid less than their male counterparts right out of college because it was thought they didn't need to earn as much.
They did have excellent insurance at the time, I'll give them credit for that much.
Maternity leave at the time? Not bad if you didn't mind arm-twisting.
That's all quite true. When I started there we had a 90% male ad staff. Then some dim bulb realized that we could get a young female college grad or a wife looking for a second income for far less than what it took to keep a male with a house payment and a family. Soon the percentage had flip flopped and the ad revenues were suffering. Men were fired for little reason and replaced with younger inexperienced workers (as long as they were white). I told them they were courting a lawsuit with that behaviour but they said it was just good business. Obviously we didn't see business management quite the same way.
quote:
Originally posted by waterboy
quote:
Originally posted by Conan71
Based on my ex-wife's experience working for them, (she worked there same time as Waterboy), their pay scale sucked. She actually worked for what was known as NPC at the time. NPC was controlled far more by the World than the Trib.
Pay sucked especially for female ad reps. It was a fairly well-known practice that females were paid less than their male counterparts right out of college because it was thought they didn't need to earn as much.
They did have excellent insurance at the time, I'll give them credit for that much.
Maternity leave at the time? Not bad if you didn't mind arm-twisting.
That's all quite true. When I started there we had a 90% male ad staff. Then some dim bulb realized that we could get a young female college grad or a wife looking for a second income for far less than what it took to keep a male with a house payment and a family. Soon the percentage had flip flopped and the ad revenues were suffering. Men were fired for little reason and replaced with younger inexperienced workers (as long as they were white). I told them they were courting a lawsuit with that behaviour but they said it was just good business. Obviously we didn't see business management quite the same way.
She ended up making less than she earned at Uptown News, but at least her paychecks from NPC would actually clear the bank and the insurance was great.
quote:
Originally posted by TulsaMINI
From your post, you say the "entire CW staff" was laid off, but in the story they state: " Some personnel from the Community World editions will be reallocated to provide the additional daily coverage. This will involve added positions in the Tulsa World newsroom and for Tulsaworld.com. " So that's a total lie. Jerks.
I was told that two new "suburban reporter" positions have been created, for which some of the already-laid-off CW staffers may choose to apply. So apparently "reallocated" means, "laid off, and maybe eventually recalled from layoff."
What I can't understand is how management justified the new hires. A coworker of mine just started there two weeks ago as a reporter for the South Tulsa edition. Even if the individual branches had no idea that the axe was about to drop, someone from the top should've put a hiring freeze in place to keep more lives from being disrupted. I know I 'm a new kid in town, but I expected more from a paper like the Tulsa World.
I've noticed the Tulsa World hurting for a while... attempting to give away free newspapers from trailers at events and ending up sitting alone and looking pretty sad. Media is changing these days, but like others said, not to downplay the pain of any of these layoffs but maybe from increased pressure will come increased innovation.
I live at 26th & Yale, and have received the Midtown edition of the Community section in my Wednesday Tulsa World. I will miss it, although most articles are mainly fluff, there are occasionally some pieces of real local interest.
On the broader issue of local newspapers in general, I find it harder and harder to continue my daily Tulsa World subscription due to rising prices. The only thing keeping me paying the $200+ annual renewal is that the daily ritual of me retrieving my paper from the driveway is so ingrained in my 50-year-old personna, I can't imagine not receiving my daily local paper. I know I can get all the news on the internet, but I still love having that paper in my hand.
quote:
Originally posted by Cirage
What I can't understand is how management justified the new hires. A coworker of mine just started there two weeks ago as a reporter for the South Tulsa edition.
I was her immediate editor.
Please know that I found out what was going on at exactly the same moment she did. Had I known this was coming, I would have called her at home and told her to turn down the offer before I would have allowed the company to treat her so shabbily.
My immediate supervisor found out about this on Monday, and I think your friend had already been on board for a couple of days before even the highest of the top-tier editors got the first inkling that something was wrong.
I have no idea why this was done so quickly, or in such a callous and IMHO cowardly manner. Your friend's hiring and subsequent firing six days later at the publisher's whim are the No. 1 reason I have been so vocal about this situation.
Laying all of us off with absolutely no warning and then giving us a handful of pocket change for severance pay is thoughtless and insensitive. But hiring two people who quit other jobs to come work for you, then firing them before they've even had time to collect their first paycheck? That's not just thoughtless and insensitive. It's morally reprehensible.
As for the misleading language in the announcement in today's paper: Consider my earlier post here my final act of editing for the Tulsa World. It's just not in me to let an inaccuracy stand unchallenged. You can take the girl out of the newsroom, but you can't take the newsroom out of the girl....
In both defense and attack of the world...
The local news is timely, relevant, and generally not available elsewhere. Tulsa Sports coverage, building, business, and so on... they do a good enough job to keep me basically informed.
But newspapers in general do poorly on wire service now. I'll read it on the wire or see it in a foreign newspaper a couple days before it makes it into print. It's old news (that of which I have already read). There's nothing a print paper can do about that...
I don't know how to change the paradigm. Cutting content (especially local) seems like a poor way to revive reader interest, but if that's what they think it takes to keep it profitable I guess I have some sympathy for them. Though I still have some angst, I'll be keeping my subscription thus far.
Thank you for the update, Emily. I really appreciate your candor on the issue and I'm sorry that your job was taken from you. Good luck with whatever you do next!
Anyone else find irony in "green" stories in the print media?
TulsaPeople just published a green issue.
Think about it, there's really not a whole lot environmentally friendly with print media. It requires cutting down trees for paper stock, many toxic chemicals to convert wood pulp to paper, fuel consumption in the boilers for the steam necessary to make paper and the CO2 that releases. Paper mills use anaerobic digesters for their waste water- that releases CO2. Fuel is burned cutting down trees. Fuel is burned taking wood or recylceables to paper mills, etc. etc. and so on. We didn't even start to get into the whole supply chain with the ink even.
Electronic media is where it's at both from timeliness and being environmentally responsible.
I wish no ill will to the World but there are a lot of dailies just like it around the country who won't be here in another 10 to 20 years.
Is it true that HR was on hand during the meetings to be sure that no inappropriate touching and hugging was going on?
Also, funny the replacement for the neighborhood angle is to send a reporter out in the field to find bake sale stories and such. But, this is not 'blogging.'
Yes, HR was there, mostly to make sure employees didn't steal anything. They may or may not have been taking notes on who not to hire in one of the couple of open positions.
The HR director himself was in our office. Whatever else I might say about the way the situation was handled, I will tell anybody who cares to listen that he was very kind about the whole situation, and he basically just smiled and told us to rave on when the language started to get outrageous. He even endured the inevitable inappropriate jokes at his expense with good humor and obvious compassion.
By way of update, I have now gotten word that one of our reporters was hired for an advertising position, which strikes me as a great fit for him. I think he will enjoy it, and I think the company will benefit greatly from his talents.
Meanwhile, I've been hired for a position with a company I've been madly in love with ever since I got to know the owners four years ago. I doubt I'd have been willing to leave my staff for this position, but it's really a grand opportunity to do some work I know I'm going to enjoy, in a location I love, for the benefit of people and causes I believe in, so I can't cry too much.
Perhaps best of all -- and Brigid will be glad to hear this -- I went out to dinner tonight with three of my bestest girlfriends (including my new boss), and one of them gave me permission to pass her phone number along to my former staffers tomorrow evening, as she has some freelancing work that pays well and would certainly be helpful in keeping some of them afloat until they find a full-time gig.
We're too good a bunch to stay down long.
On that note, I must get offline now. I've got to clean the house and assemble a pan of lasagna for the dinner party I'm throwing for my staff tomorrow night, and I'd like to get to bed before midnight so I won't be too tired to get up and drive over to Stroud at 6:30 tomorrow morning to work for my friend Dawn "Sally Carrera" Welch, who gave me a stopgap job at the Rock Cafe the minute I told her what had happened at the World.
To paraphrase Garth Brooks: I've got friends in two-lane places. :)
quote:
Originally posted by Emily
The HR director himself was in our office. Whatever else I might say about the way the situation was handled, I will tell anybody who cares to listen that he was very kind about the whole situation, and he basically just smiled and told us to rave on when the language started to get outrageous. He even endured the inevitable inappropriate jokes at his expense with good humor and obvious compassion.
He also endured the yearlong cartwheel in the office SOMEONE had been holding in. No one should be denied that right. :)
Well, it sounds as if there are some happy new beginnings coming from this abrupt ending. Thanks for sharing with the rest of us, Emily. Don't be a stranger to TN.
I had most of my crew over for dinner this evening. Future plans were uncertain, but the lasagna turned out well, we laughed almost constantly, and my collie mix had the time of his life making friends with everybody in the room. It was good to see everybody in good spirits. Several people are working on contingency plans, and I was able to supply some former staffers with leads on a good freelancing gig that will buy them a few groceries while they figure out what to do next.
Meanwhile, I had a ball with Dawn today and am looking forward to going back tomorrow. I haven't worked in a restaurant in years, and I'd forgotten how much I liked the pace. Honestly, I think today knocked about 15 years off of me.
Emily
Urban Tulsa story. (//%22http://www.urbantulsa.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A20247%22)
Good going, Emily. [8D]
I know all too well the cold, callous nature of the tulsa world. I worked for two of the Your Community World zones for over EIGHT years, just to be abruptly canned when they started combining offices. When Charles Biggs was in charge, the issues had 8-10 or more pages, readers couldn't get enough and the company made money. Everyone was happy...except downtown. They couldn't stand not having total control over everything. They ran Charley off and got Delbert Schafer to come in and systematically destroy everything. This man actually told me, "If it ain't broke, BREAK it so you can fix it." By the time I was cut, (with no severance!) the issues were down to a measly 4 pages. Some employees left when Charley did, and I wish I could have done the same, especially if I had known what was going to happen to me anyway. Now the rest of the Community World employees know what I already knew the day Charley left. The Lortons have so much money, more than most of us could even comprehend. What the Lortons don't seem to have is the sense to know that paper is highly flammable, and that is going to make it really difficult to run a newspaper where they are going... Charley, you were a terrific boss and it was an honor to work with you. Best of luck with The Beacon.
quote:
Originally posted by Emily
Their Web site doesn't mention this today, but the Tulsa World is ceasing publication of the Community World and has laid off the entire CW staff. I notice that the announcement on the front of today's Westside issue -- which was added after we'd proofed the Westside pages, and which resulted in a reporter's actual work being spiked to make room for it -- omitted that bit about the layoffs. The announcement also neglects to mention the fact that those laid off were given absolutely no warning and received eight days' pay and 26 days' benefits in exchange for their loyalty to the company. And it entirely fails to notify readers that two of the people laid off had been hired less than two weeks earlier.
One woman had signed a lease on a new apartment four days earlier. Another had put a down payment on a condo a week before the axe fell. One girl had quit a job at Urban Tulsa Weekly just three weeks ago to come to the Community World. A woman who has struggled financially for several years had just gotten back on her feet and was about to move into a house. Another has worked for the company for ... 13 years, I think? She repeatedly asked for an explanation of why we were given no warning that this was coming and no time to find other jobs or make other plans. She was given a reason for the layoffs, but she received absolutely no explanation for the callous manner in which the layoffs were handled. [B)]
Money will buy Armani suits and Ferraris and all sorts of other pretty toys. It will put a few kids through Holland Hall, and it will buy their grandma's best friend a byline on a column that someone else ghostwrites for her. But there is one thing money -- even old money -- can't buy: Class. And I've seen far more of that commodity in Oakhurst, Turley, and my beloved Red Fork than I see coming out of the mansions around Woodward Park this morning.
F*#k the Whirled. Rwarn is awfully quiet on this subject. Hmmmm.
quote:
Originally posted by Double A
F*#k the Whirled. Rwarn is awfully quiet on this subject. Hmmmm.
Rwarn still has his job, and likely wants to keep it that way.
quote:
Originally posted by GOLDIROCKS
I know all too well the cold, callous nature of the tulsa world. I worked for two of the Your Community World zones for over EIGHT years, just to be abruptly canned when they started combining offices. When Charles Biggs was in charge, the issues had 8-10 or more pages, readers couldn't get enough and the company made money. Everyone was happy...except downtown. They couldn't stand not having total control over everything. They ran Charley off and got Delbert Schafer to come in and systematically destroy everything. This man actually told me, "If it ain't broke, BREAK it so you can fix it." By the time I was cut, (with no severance!) the issues were down to a measly 4 pages. Some employees left when Charley did, and I wish I could have done the same, especially if I had known what was going to happen to me anyway. Now the rest of the Community World employees know what I already knew the day Charley left. The Lortons have so much money, more than most of us could even comprehend. What the Lortons don't seem to have is the sense to know that paper is highly flammable, and that is going to make it really difficult to run a newspaper where they are going... Charley, you were a terrific boss and it was an honor to work with you. Best of luck with The Beacon.
quote:
Originally posted by Emily
Their Web site doesn't mention this today, but the Tulsa World is ceasing publication of the Community World and has laid off the entire CW staff. I notice that the announcement on the front of today's Westside issue -- which was added after we'd proofed the Westside pages, and which resulted in a reporter's actual work being spiked to make room for it -- omitted that bit about the layoffs. The announcement also neglects to mention the fact that those laid off were given absolutely no warning and received eight days' pay and 26 days' benefits in exchange for their loyalty to the company. And it entirely fails to notify readers that two of the people laid off had been hired less than two weeks earlier.
One woman had signed a lease on a new apartment four days earlier. Another had put a down payment on a condo a week before the axe fell. One girl had quit a job at Urban Tulsa Weekly just three weeks ago to come to the Community World. A woman who has struggled financially for several years had just gotten back on her feet and was about to move into a house. Another has worked for the company for ... 13 years, I think? She repeatedly asked for an explanation of why we were given no warning that this was coming and no time to find other jobs or make other plans. She was given a reason for the layoffs, but she received absolutely no explanation for the callous manner in which the layoffs were handled. [B)]
Money will buy Armani suits and Ferraris and all sorts of other pretty toys. It will put a few kids through Holland Hall, and it will buy their grandma's best friend a byline on a column that someone else ghostwrites for her. But there is one thing money -- even old money -- can't buy: Class. And I've seen far more of that commodity in Oakhurst, Turley, and my beloved Red Fork than I see coming out of the mansions around Woodward Park this morning.
There is a bigger picture here. You saw the publications from a journalists perspective. I saw them from the sales and business end. I never saw them make money in the years I was there and because of the rate schedule and complexity its doubtful they ever would. But even if they did it was illusory. They were charging for advertising at artificially low rates.
Consider the "success" of the Ford Falcon back in the sixties. People loved it and bought lots of them. Ford surveyed the buyers and found they were former Fairlane buyers who were moving down to buy the cheaper, less profitable Falcon. In effect, they lost money on every one of those buyers. The Falcon was retooled and repackaged as the more profitable Mustang.
The World experience was the same. They were selling $20 column inch advertising to businesses that would have bought $75 column inch ads if there were no other choice. (not sure of the current rates) Once the competitors in the market were either too lame or closed up shop...there was no reason to keep bloodletting.
Biggs is a good guy, probably a good journalist too, but making writers into managers was another one of their weaker ideas.
I'm sorry, but Charley Biggs' The Beacon looks like a second grader put it together. I would hardly call him a good journalist.
I don't know who took my initial comment here and cross-posted it to the Tulsa World's Web site without my knowledge or consent, but I just found out about it and would like the record to show that I don't appreciate it.
Had I wanted that comment on the TW site, I would have put it there, and I would have attached my name to it. I did not do so for several reasons -- chief among them the fact that I think it's ubertacky when people use the TW site to take shots at the man who owns it. That's like accepting an invitation to a party for the express purpose of getting close enough to your host to punch him in the face.
Frankly, I regret the tone of my initial comment here -- not because I am particularly concerned about what Bobby Lorton thinks of me, but because I make it a point of honor never to let a comment about an issue drift into the realm of personal attacks, which that one clearly did.
I am unhappy with Mr. Lorton's behavior, but there's a difference between criticizing his behavior and attacking him, and I'm afraid I crossed the line. I stand by my assertion that he's too good to act the way he did last week, but there were kinder ways to make that point ... which goes to show that all of us are capable of doing things that are beneath us now and then.
Perhaps that's the real lesson I was supposed to learn from all this.
To GOLDIROCKS: I will stand on Charley Biggs' coffee table and tell him that Delbert Schafer is a damn good journalist who dramatically improved the quality of the Community World during his tenure there. Delbert believed in the Community World, and I've heard from many sources that he fought like a tiger to try to save us when he learned that we were in danger. He didn't have to do that. He was close enough to retirement to say, "Oh, well -- sucks to be them" and move on. But he didn't.
Delbert is not a natural rebel-rouser, but when the chips were down, he cared enough about his staff to fight for us. That speaks volumes about the kind of man he is. Delbert, if you're reading this ... thank you.
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
quote:
Originally posted by Double A
F*#k the Whirled. Rwarn is awfully quiet on this subject. Hmmmm.
Rwarn still has his job, and likely wants to keep it that way.
Don't s*#t where ya eat, eh? Even if they are feeding ya poison? Sounds to me like those workers need a Union.
As a former CW staff writer myself, I can tell you the reason the Zone coverage was "mostly fluff" (with which I do not disagree) is because (at least when I was there) we all had to turn in a list of the stories we wanted to write a week in advance, and if they sounded halfway decent, they were scooped up by the downtown newsroom and doled out to general assignment or beat reporters. It became quite an exercise to make your story sound as bland as possible to avoid it being taken away.
The Zones were always treated as the JV team when I was there and from what I've been told have been since. We were frequently passed along letters to the editor -- good and bad -- about our zone coverage but those letters never saw the light of day in the main section.
Frankly, I'm surprised the World kept them as long as they did. I figured they'd have gotten rid of them not long after they ran Charley off.
CW sucked. Most of the time the articles contained within a zone had nothing to do with that zone geographically. Wht would they include a story about something in Owasso in the westside edition?
quote:
Originally posted by breitee
CW sucked. Most of the time the articles contained within a zone had nothing to do with that zone geographically. Wht would they include a story about something in Owasso in the westside edition?
I can only speak to what I know about, but there were many occasions that the advertising (and therefore news space to fill) exceeded what we were able to get approved for our zone a week in advance.
Unless something changed along the way, there wasn't a lot of autonomy for reporters to go out and pick up stories along the way w/o going through all the bureaucracy of the Great Satan, so editors filled the extra space with news from other zones. Some of the zone stories had interest across all of them, but unfortunately, most did not.