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STUNNER: Pluto leaving ABJ for PD

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by shallow_gal, Aug 14, 2007.

  1. DisembodiedOwlHead

    DisembodiedOwlHead Active Member

    Sam Amico is reporting that Pluto is leaving the ABJ.
     
  2. wickedwritah

    wickedwritah Guest

    David Aldridge is reporting that there is an opening at the Beacon-Journal. More as this story develops ...
     
  3. Update courtesy of the AP this morning:

    Oplinger appointed managing editor of Akron newspaper
    AKRON, Ohio (AP) ä Doug Oplinger, who has worked at the Akron Beacon Journal for 37 years, was appointed managing editor Thursday.
    He succeeds Mizell Stewart III, who became editor of the Evansville Courier & Press in Indiana.
    Oplinger, 56, started at the Beacon Journal as a stringer in 1970 and has been a reporter, business news editor, features editor, assistant metro editor and region editor.
    The newspaper also announced that Cleveland Browns beat reporter Patrick McManamon will become general sports columnist. He will succeed Terry Pluto, who is joining The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer.
    The Beacon Journal, which has an average weekday circulation of about 134,000 and 173,000 on Sunday, is owned by Sound Publishing Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Canadaás Black Press Ltd.
     
  4. Joe Williams

    Joe Williams Well-Known Member

    Think it should be "reflective of the community" too. Thanks for the help, wicked.

    Actually, though, what does that mean? We need to match demographic percentages within newsrooms with the community? Are you sure that "the community" then will embrace the paper proportionally?

    Advertisers can covet certain groups all they want -- 18-to-25 year olds, blacks, senior citizen Republicans -- but that doesn't mean members of those groups are going to adapt their lifestyles to buying and reading a newspaper if they already aren't doing so. Having a representative newsroom, with the "youth" voice, the "black" voice, the "aging" voice and so on, doesn't assure the paper of drawing in those groups. (Frankly, it also smacks of tokenism, as if a few young reporters somehow can speak to all youths or having a few black reporters covers the paper for somehow speaking to all blacks, simply by virtue of membership in that group. I'd rather take my chances with smart journalists of any age, race, gender, etc., striving hard to practice the craft in the right way.)

    Young people may never embrace the paper. They're the group most adept at surfing the Internet, and they've been getting their news for free. Good luck selling subscriptions to them, at least before they age out of the advertisers' most desired target group. By the time the 18-to-25 year olds purchase homes, care about school districts, vote in local elections and become more likely (maybe) to want a general-interest newspaper on their doorsteps, they'll be 30-to-40 years olds. Doh!

    Meanwhile, the newspaper very much risks alienating and losing the customers who have paid the bills for years or decades, if they feel that this very familiar product, coming into their homes, suddenly has changed, dismissing and abandoning them. Yet you KNEW they were customers, while you are only guessing about the groups you're chasing. Not smart business.

    Yeah, they're "dying" anyway but maybe not as fast as they're dropping their subscriptions.

    Terry Pluto is darn good at what he does. I suspect lots of sports fans across the demographic spectrum enjoy reading him. But he shouldn't have been hired because he's too old, too white, too male? That sure seems bigoted.

    I realize I've gone on a bit here to respectfully address your rather disrespectful post, Scoop returns. Because something tells me you didn't really "hate saying this."
     
  5. wickedwritah

    wickedwritah Guest

    Joe gets it. Sadly, much of the industry does not.
     
  6. 20questions

    20questions Guest

    Back on topic:
    Courtship of Reed apparently isn't over. He'll listen to what ABJ has to say. He could come back as a second columnist with Pat.

    As of now, Buckeye12 was right. Pat as columnist, Marla on Browns and George on OSU. If Reed turns down the job, they could add someone else (OSU?). There is talk of even adding two writers (one entry level, one a little higher up). But Reed is still the No. 1 target.
     
  7. Scoop returns

    Scoop returns Member

    Joe,

    The more I read from you, the more concerned I became. Your line of thinking would certainly mean an end to newspapers because once your white males who are 50 and older die in the next 20 to 30 years then so would the readership. We have to be proactive and make every attempt to pull readers in in order to stay alive. And I really hate to tell you and Wicker this, but white boys are not the only people who ready. Black people read, Asians, Native Americans and Hispanics. The problem for years has been that paper's like the Plain Dealer don't do anything to appeal to them. This latest move with Pluto is a clear example.

    As good as Pluto is, he is no replacement for Roger Brown. What the paper should do is demote either Livingston or Shaw or maybe even both. I grew up there, read them as a youngster and they are two out of touch old white men. To quote one great Brutha, "Only in America."

    By the way Wicker and Joe, thanks for the edit job. I wrote that off the top of my head sent it in without looking over it. You both sound like copy editors so I will say, good work. You might want to edit this post, as well, because it's not worth my time or energy to go read back over this to satisfy this great readership.

    P.S.

    Wicker, no need to correct the spelling of your name. I just like Wicker better...lol!
     
  8. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    Demote them because they're white. Brilliant!
     
  9. Tim Sullivan

    Tim Sullivan Member

    If you want to promote greater diversity at the Plain Dealer, fine. That's a worthy goal for every paper.
    If you want to promote individual writers you admire, fine. Good work deserves admiration and encouragement.
    But if you want to blithely dismiss accomplished pros as "out of touch old white men,'' you only undermine your case (such as it is) with illiteracy. Poor grammar and erratic punctuation suggest a careless approach to writing and act as an albatross to your argument.
    Livingston and Shaw would never write so sloppily. If they are out of touch, it is with ignorance.
     
  10. Scoop returns

    Scoop returns Member

    I hope this isn't Tim Sullivan of San Diego and formerly of the Cincy Inky? Talk about terrible over the hill white men. I need say no more. You belong alongside Livingston and Shaw. So I can see how you are offended because I'm talking about you, as well.

    SportsPredictor, no demote them because they are bad. I know this scares you, too. But deal with it.
     
  11. Tim Sullivan

    Tim Sullivan Member

    I was over the hill at 25. I'm offended, however, because you take anonymous shots at friends of mine who have done nothing to offend you except, evidently, be white.

    Regarding your first sentence, it's a declarative sentence and would call for a period or, at most, an exclamation point. The question mark is inappropriate. You're missing a comma in the second sentence. If you're going to set yourself up as some kind of writing judge, you might begin by learning how to write.
     
  12. Calvin Hobbes

    Calvin Hobbes Member

    Tim, please don't confuse Scoop by employing intelligence and wit. He is completely unarmed. It's just not a fair fight.
     
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