Monday in Tampa (UPDATED 3/31)

New information announced 3/31:

* Tribune to close most, if not all, news bureaus. Will not renew any office leases; will sell its Brandon and Plant City bureaus for cash, according to editor Janet Coats. Displaced reporters and editors to work from downtown Tampa (or, more likely, as mo-jos because the zoned sections will remain).

* Pasco County reporters reportedly told their offices will be closing as well. If you're at all familiar with the market, this is the battleground between the Tribune and St. Pete Times.

* Sunday features section killed.

* Saturday paper to adopt one-section format used Monday through Friday.

* WFLA to end its midday newscast. (Wasn't selling many ads, news director says.)

* WFLA to end its Sunday night Sports Extra show. (Ditto.)

More depressing news as it becomes available.

 

Where is that blogger girl to tell us everything is OK?

 

I want to see them try to lure Fennelly behind the anchor desk. ;D

 

He's done a couple of stand-ups for the sportscasts already, albeit driven by an on-air personality, and they were pretty good. Funny feature pieces -- Martin being Martin, that kind of stuff.

 

He also does a weekly podcast for the website, which he drives with other writers as guests.

 

And they're pretty good, too.

 

Was he wearing shorts? ;D

 

Who is their Pasco preps writer?

 

Did they have a full-time preps writer in Pasco still? Both papers had pulled back considerably from the northern counties last I remember.

 

All I heard for years from consultants was that Sunday was the only day people had time to read features. So this makes sense.

 

Three years ago it was Joey Knight, Eddie Daniels and Cristina Ledra. Joey left for the Times and Rick Harmon stepped in as Pasco coodinator. Rick and Cristina have left and Eddie was the writer along with Bart O'Connell and Rick Harmon in correspondent mode.

I feel bad for Eddie if he has to cover Pasco from downtown. Eddie also covers boxing. Boxing is not a small-time gig there with Tarver, Winky Wright, Jeff Lacy and Nate Campbell living in the Bay Area.

All of the writers I mentioned there are good people and were fun to work with in spite of having to deal with me and my pathetic issues. ;D And Eddie, I'll be calling you in a bit.