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Albany determined not to put out paper

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by JayFarrar, Jul 8, 2009.

  1. copperpot

    copperpot Well-Known Member

    I'm thinking Houston is Hearst's flagship paper. Chronicle's daily circ is 494,000; Albany's is just shy of 100,000.
     
  2. Dan Hickling

    Dan Hickling Member

    This really stinks...Bill Callen is as fine an SE as I have ever known....
     
  3. pskrbina

    pskrbina New Member

    Terrible news. Sorry to hear this. Was in a judging group with Mr. Callen in Vegas last February. Very much enjoyed meeting him and exchanging thoughts and ideas. Here's to hoping all turns out for the best.
     
  4. Bullwinkle

    Bullwinkle Member

    Thanks for the link. Nope - wasn't the Cowboy hat, but it was this one ....

    [​IMG]

    For those with bad eyes, here’s the full text of this brilliant ad:

    HELP WANTED
    Freelance Times-Union journalists needed. Must cover Albany but can’t live in the Capital Region. Must be willing to work for $20-$50/story (also known as working dirt cheap or for peanuts). No benefits. No perks. No travel. No protections. Union membership is forbidden (we’ve already cancelled their contract for speaking up against outsourcing jobs). Need to be able to spell our unique towns -- Schenectady, Rensselaer, Schaghticoke…send your resume to George Hearst, the TU’s publisher at ghearst@timesunion.com.

    The TU wants to outsource our journalism jobs to some website.

    Familiar bylines will be a thing of the past if the Times-Union gets its way and hires freelance journalists from anywhere---as long as they don’t live in the Capital Region.

    Editors could call from Albany, GA. Writers could telecommute from Saratoga, CA. Ad salespeople could hail from Troy, TX.

    It’s hard to be “Our Source” when the people writing, editing and selling don’t know if SPAC stands for Saratoga Performing Arts Center or a special purpose acquisition company.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
  5. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Wow. And not a good wow.

    Always had pleasant experiences with Callen. Brutal blow.
     
  6. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    If Houston is the flagship then the ship be sinkin'. Not a good product.
     
  7. Johnny Dangerously

    Johnny Dangerously Well-Known Member

    The Times Union ran an ad that incorrectly referred to itself as the Times-Union, hyphenated??
     
  8. Bullwinkle

    Bullwinkle Member

    Pretty sure they hyphenate when 'Albany' is dropped from the name.

    Albany Times Union
    Times-Union

    EDIT: I completely made that up ;D
     
  9. I Should Coco

    I Should Coco Well-Known Member

    Not familiar with the Albany area, but good for the local alternative paper. There's still some awfully good ones out there who actually do a little reporting, rather than simply list bar bands and run raunchy personal ads.

    Unfortunately, none of this helps the 16 people let go. If there are other competent dailies in the area, hopefully they will land on their feet soon.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
  10. copperpot

    copperpot Well-Known Member

    I believe the newspaper guild placed the ad in the alternative paper. It ran a pretty substantial "Cancel the TU" campaign telling people that the paper was not bargaining in good faith, was going to outsource jobs, etc. There was an electronic billboard of a guy wearing a 10-gallon hat that said, "What does a guy in Texas know about Albany? Nothing! Tell the TU not to outsource jobs!"
     
  11. Johnny Dangerously

    Johnny Dangerously Well-Known Member

    Makes more sense to me. I was doing three things at once when I glanced at the ad. Should have paid more attention.
     
  12. JayFarrar

    JayFarrar Well-Known Member

    Wait, the guild ran a campaign for people not to buy the paper?
    Not being in a union myself, that doesn't make much sense.
    How many of the job losses can be attributed to the Guild's campaign?
    Did many people cancel? What about advertising?
    Does the UAW at the GM plant tell people not to buy GM cars?
     
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