Circling the Drain: Newspaper sitcom pilot-ette...

They could write an episode about how the newsroom has a huge gaping empty space in the middle of it where they removed a bunch of cubicles after layoffs, and now the survivors use that space as a putting green. And it would be true.

 

I wonder who will play the crusty old-timer who cracks "Obits are the most read section of the paper!", "Lemme tell you about when this paper was worth a damn!" and "Who took my chair?!"

 

Not to threadjack, but I honestly thought obits were paid things now, and basically turned in by the families.

 

Godd point. That's how we roll.

 

They are, except for a few papers where they still use hot type.

 

If it has anything to do with obits, the show should be set at the Guntersville (Ala.) Advertiser-Gleam offices.

 

It may be the worst job at the paper, but I enjoy (bad word) reading a good obit. Whether I knew the person, heard of the person but especially if I didn't, a well written obit does put the period to a life well lived. How many folks here have ever done anything and soon thereafter thought, "Second graph of my obit?"

Those that decry the end of print journalism may be related to those that decried the end of a good buggy whip. but well-writen journalism should never be a fad. The medium may change but tweets, blogs and Rupert Murdoch owned businesses should not be the end of the well written story.

While I may miss sitting somewhere with my coffee and cigarettes and reading the masterfully written and little read stories from the Times foreign bureaus on paper, I look forward to reading them in whatever form they take. The words always outlive the paper, so keep writing well, and it will be read and remembered.

The obit writer may be a thankless and unwanted job, but it is still 1) a job. And 2) the last word on a life and the first word of a thoughful history. A great job if you can get it.

 

Plus, obits are probably the items in the paper most cut out and saved for years and years. You don't get that with a minor league gamer (barring a lonely psycho with a Mahoning Valley fixation).

 

Good point about the obits sometimes being a good read, abbott. Sometimes you'll read about an "ordinary" person who is remembered by his kids for some wacky invention, his bravery in the war, his years of volunteering as a coach, etc. I always like when families put some of those details in.

And they obits are much easier to lay out/assemble now, with e-mail.

I'm not as old as some folks around here (you know who you are!), but I still recall calling funeral homes and taking obits over the phone at my first full-time gig. Those were some long phone calls when they'd want to list all the survivors. That's how it worked then ... new guy did obits, the Saturday religion page briefs, etc.

 

I lot of obits I see refer to the deceased as having gone to Heaven, seen Jesus or sitting with God at his sumptuous table of bounty. That kind of detail leaves open the theological possibility that there is Foursquare in the afterlife.

 

This makes me more curious.

If you did it Grim Reaper*-style and saw how they died or how they lived in some sort of flashback, you could have a regular number of guest stars to liven up the proceedings, plus mix in some newsroom stuff and it could at least be as good as Shit my dad says or something

*I might be getting my shows confused. A show a few years back had some hook that saw the people die and it was good. Critically adored but dispatched after a couple of seasons.

 

Some people think writing obits is a great job. Of course, it's not as sophisticated as writing a baseball gamer ...