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Sam Zell Has a Plan

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Michael_ Gee, Jun 5, 2008.

  1. jfs1000

    jfs1000 Member

    Does the guy at Tribune realize how stupid he sounds?

    They don't know what they are talking about. Productivity and worth of a journalist is not measured in output. It is in quality.

    They use these manufacturing terms like productivity and think that by increasing the output of the journalist will increase the bottom line.

    I can write 5 stories on trash a week, or 2 good stories. What is a better product.

    It is just so inherently flawed I got to wonder about the guy running the things competence. What is actually written matters.
     
  2. jfs1000

    jfs1000 Member

    Take a look at this guys resume and profile.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Michaels

    He never once worked as a journalist. He started as a radio engineer and then went into programming. No newspaper work what so ever.

    I am embarrassed for this guy. He may be wealthy, but he isn't very smart. What a stupid metric. It's almost comical.

    If you write a lot of stories to put in the paper, your job is safe? Is this guy really that dumb?
     
  3. lono

    lono Active Member

    Yes. I've been around enough bean counters to know they want things they can measure. If they can't count it, they don't understand it.

    It goes back to something I've said over and over again: Newspapers no longer are run by news people. They are run by accountants and business managers and sales people, all of whom have no freakin' clue what makes a product worth reading.

    And so they create products no one wants and make bad decisions after bad decision. Thus, the death spiral starts.
     
  4. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    And yet, he is the chief operating officer of Tribune Company.

    Scary, but true, and nothing that we say can change that.
     
  5. SixToe

    SixToe Well-Known Member

    "The Plan" has another wrinkle with the LAT killing its monthly magazine.

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/readers/2008/06/note-from-edito.html
     
  6. Pendleton

    Pendleton Member

  7. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Interesting. Good to see it from a different perspective. The fewer pages you have, the fewer options you have to place ads, and the advertisers aren't gonna be happy.
     
  8. Pendleton

    Pendleton Member

    Yeah, pretty sad that our last, best hope is the muscle, influence and wallets of big advertisers.
     
  9. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    I actually think the idea of a non-daily print edition -- say, once or twice a week -- with the Web site being the new daily edition is right on. It'll happen, probably as quickly as suggested (within five years).

    I also believe it might really help matters, especially for papers/companies that have and can sell, advertising-wise, an actual E-edition.

    There, any ads could be treated as they would be in the print newspaper -- without having to be limited by size/space issues.

    Doing this would also make it easier and more feasible and viable to actually make the paper and web site be the different things that we know they really should be.

    They could more feasibly have different stories, information, materials and focus provided to, and by, each platform, instead of just putting the stuff that's in the paper on a web page and pretty much leaving it at that every day.
     
  10. Simon_Cowbell

    Simon_Cowbell Active Member

    I hope the next 9/11 happens on the right day.
     
  11. lono

    lono Active Member

    Right. When the next 9/11 happens, no one will seek out timely information. They'll just sit around patiently, stay away from TV, stay away the from radio and stay away from the Internet. Instead, they'll just wait to read about the next morning in The Bumblefuck Gazette. Uh, huh. Yep, that'll work.
     
  12. Simon_Cowbell

    Simon_Cowbell Active Member

    I keep papers from momentous events. Nothing displays the zeitgeist of the times like a newspaper. It's like a mini-museum.
     
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