Register lays off longtime columnist

So if Web hits are that important, what is the better strategy:

-- Put my best reporter/writer on the prime beat in my paper's coverage area, which is how a lot of places have done it for a long, long time?

-- Or put my best person on a secondary beat, counting on him or her to boost the numbers on that beat while the prime beat would attract readers in our market whether it was covered by Red Smith or Joe Blow?

And if it's the latter, am I obliged to factor that into my star's review, compensation and job security?

I guess columnists are different, in terms of generating measurable readership, but for most of the writers in a newsroom, the song matters more than the singer.

 

Excellent read. Thanks for posting that!