Albany determined not to put out paper

They have a Web site, cancelthetu.com, which says:

The Times Union has announced it intends to lay off up to a third of its staff, without any regard to seniority. It’s already cut content in the paper by 20 percent, and it’s just installed a computer system that will allow it to outsource local jobs to Houston, Texas.

And this is supposed to be our local paper?

The Newspaper Guild, representing more than 240 local people who work hard to help the paper serve the Capital Region, is taking a drastic step in an effort to convince management not to gut the paper, its loyal employees, it readers or the community it serves. We’re asking Times Union subscribers to cancel their subscription until it asserts its commitment to fairness to its workers and loyalty to the local economy.

 

It's SOP to run a subscription-cancellation campaign. Informational picketing is also usually among the tactics, short of calling a strike.

I have mixed feelings about newsroom unions and I don't think they necessarily should bend over 100 percent of the time in 2009. I think they ought to rethink this particular approach, however. It may have been OK 50 years ago. But now, aside from the obvious point that newspapers need all the subscribers possible, the union ought to consider that this strategy may have a needlessly polarizing effect on workers who envision the entire operation going kaput.

Already ducking,

Frank

 

How many sports staffers are left there now?

 

We should have seen this one coming. The first editors to be canned are the sports editors. Once news editors start running the sports department, the mass exodus will truly begin. Sports writers aren't stupid. They'll be told to go to meetings out the ass, there will be total micromanagement and it will not be worth it, the bad economy be damned. The only saving grace these days are generally sports editors have a clue and aren't bad to work for and there is pretty good camaraderie in the sports ranks. You put some clueless newsie in charge and it's over. Unless Albany is letting the assistant SE take command, this is a total disgrace.

 

Not all news folks are "clueless."

Many could run a sports section better than a lot of the sports editors I know.

 

You would be correct, sir. The Chronicle has fallen off immensely, and it's a shame what it's become.

The Express-News isn't much better either.

 

You really don't want to be starting that pissing match here.

 

The Senate is not corrupt.

Just bloody stupid.

 

I read it every day. It's one of the highlights of living up here. (The Post-Star is an even bigger highlight. Yes, I string for them on occasion, but great 30,000 daily. On par with The Day of New London).

Alan Wechsler was one of those niche writers who nailed almost anything he wrote. I looked forward to Sunday takeouts from him.

Did not know the SE at all.

Lay off the AME/ombudsman, so no one can complain.

PS: Some posted about their competition. There are good papaers, but no one really competes with them up here on the state legislature and city news.

 

I couldn't disagree more. I've worked at three shops and the sports editor was by far the sharpest tool in each of those sheds.
SE's have a passion for what they do, it's not just a paycheck, they check on their work at home, they know their staffs, their beats and can generally handle any of their staff's responsibilities in a pinch.
How many editors can you say that about in News or Features?

 

I'll add to Buckeye's post:

When city editors stay after 5 p.m. and work until deadline, it's called Election night. Pizza is ordered to celebrate how dedicated they are.

When sports editors stay late and work until/past deadline, it's called another day on the job.

This is not to say that the news department doesn't work hard -- far from it. But when it comes to getting their hands dirty and dropping everything to chase a story, there's no comparison between the city editors and the sports editors.

 

White chaulk is more colorful than Callen. No personality what-so-ever!