SE opening in Abilene, Texas

From what I gather, the editor that replaced Glenn Dromgoole was a huge step down (guy from Birmingham, IIRC). He then left in a hurry, only to be replaced by one much, much worse (Terri Burke, who remains there, I believe). Sports has been de-emphasised in a way that I've never seen anywhere else. Hell, a way that I couldn't even fathom.

I'm sure there are others around, though, that are closer to the situation now.

 

again, wasn't this one just open last summer? curious as to who left and why?
Not sure if it's me, but notice several of these SE openings are repeats from last year.

 

As best I could tell, the SE was Carlton Stowers, an "author/journlist" according to a quick google, and a guy who never covered anything and only wrote the occasional column/feature, as best I can tell. I don't even think he had been in journalism prior.

I thought he had been there longer than a year, though.

 

what is criminal about what's happening here?

specifics please.

 

Too bad a lot of old posts have been banished to the mists of time, because there were many megabits and gigabytes tossed about on this board about this situation a couple of years ago.

 

That referred more to how they fired Al Pickett than anything else. Though the way they've gutted the section could be considered criminal in a journalistic sense, IMO.

 

Mustard -- FYI, Stowers wrote for the Dallas Morning News for years. But he had been out of the daily paper biz for years, too. I thought it was a pretty curious hire by Abilene when that happened.

 

Tarheel, I'll have no backtalk from the choir ... oh wait, nevermind.

 

Well, that explains some things. I didn't know of Stowers history at the DMN. I'm with you, though, in that it was "curious" to say the least. Of course, I suppose it's no more curious than going to your web guy (who from my experience knew about thismuch about sports) and making him SE.

Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment or maybe I just miss Joe Allen's and Perini Ranch, but I always thought it would be fun to go back there as SE. Working for Scripps was great, the schools are pretty damn good, it doesn't cost shit to live there -- it's actually got a lot going for it.

But the mess they've made of the place is going to require something just this side of setting off a warhead to clean up. We're talking full-on demolition and reconstruction. Sad, really.

 

They have at least one very talented writer in Nathan Sanders, who came to them from the Star Telegram.

 

It would be a great opportunity to take over as an SE because there are some really good sports there -- prep and college. The only problem is, there'd be no "taking over" anything because of Mrs. Burke. Let me put it this way, believe everything you hear about her. When you don't even cover 5A programs at hometown games (no excuse for not covering away games either) and don't know when your city is hosting a regional tournament, that's bad. It all directly ties back to her.

 

Especially when you consider how well the Reporter-News used to cover the area. Spent many a night making sure we had boxes and stories on all freaking 60 games we needed. And don't even get me started on basketball (boys AND girls ... shudders).

But I've probably spent too much time already bemoaning the sad state of affairs in Abilene.