Toronto Sun fighting for survival

JR - will never understand your outright disdain for the National Post, but whatever.

The Edmonton Sun has by far a better sports section than the Edmonton Journal, and I could be wrong on this, is actually better read. If not they have got to be fairly close. I don't read the Sun for their news, although I do like some of the columnists and editorials. Half the time when I look at the front page though it almost gives me a flash back to corny cartoons where they have the news paper spiral into fram with some over the top headline. Often it makes me a little ashamed sometimes to be part of the Quebecor/Sun Media/Bowes family. Tabs do serve a purpose, they give you the quick hit or take you to the front row of whatever the day's viloent/sex story of the day is. Politically the Sun family is more right wing, which is right up my alley, but I will still flip through whatever the Liberal brigade is throwing at us in the Journal – to get a balance. I imagine it is similar in Calgary with the Sun and the Herald, being a part of the same competing newspaper companies.

JR: is it true that the Toronto Sun experimented with dropping the Sunshine girl for a day a week or two ago? how did that go over? did you here of much backlash? I know there would be if the Edmonton Sun dropped it.

 

The Sunshine Girl was MIA for one day recently. I don't know if it was ever explained why. All I know is that I missed her. :'(

 

Talked to a Bowes group publisher (Bowes is the Canada-wide weekly chain sucked up by Quebecor a few years ago) at a conference a few weeks ago and he was saying it was intentional, just to gauge the reaction to it if they went without. My guess is that it did not go over to well, especially if she hasn't been skipped since. Another cost cutting attempt, but a stupid one. I'm going out on a limb here (not a very wobbly one though) in saying the Sun's core audience is males 16 to 35, the Sunshine Girl being a major drawing card. For me it's a bonus. I would still get the Edmonton Sun for the sports section even if they didn't have it. It's like desert when you get to the end of the meal.

(likely NSFW)
http://www.edmontonsun.com/SUNshineGirl/Sunday/home.html

Somedays are better than others, but whatcha going to do?

 

That was some funny stuff, especially the idiocy about Kim Jong Il.

They should make a cartoon about Canada. It could feature stick animation and commercials starring Morris the cat and Mr. Whipple.

 

After reading the story, I find it interesting that the Globe (I don't think I'm exaggerating by saying it's the Sun's competition in everyway from market to company) is not only fronting with this (although it was well written) but they would go so far as to ask the public what they would do to save the Sun including the voice of a former Sun Editor. I would have thought with all of the increased competition in the GTA that they would be pushing for its demise and save the front for when the Sun finally did call it quits. That being said I do appreciate that they did the story to the extent that they did, because there is no way the Sun itself would bring its own inner workings and squabbles to the forefront like this.

 

Did I miss something?

 

Um, cartoons about Canada have already been made, thanks.

 

Interesting. I was at a conference Saturday where some vets from both the Sun and Star were present. The Sun people seemed optimistic, while people at the Star were kind of anxious that there might be cutbacks afoot. I don't think anyone had read this cover yet.

Though the Globe story might have looked for ways to save the Sun, and I didn't read it, I'd presume from a business standpoint it isn't a bad thing to bring a competitor's future into doubt.

Sports-wise, I've become a bigger fan of the Post lately, particularly their presentation with big, interesting photos and the inclusion of some interesting feature stories you just wouldn't find in the other three Toronto papers. They just need to more regularly have a prominent sports section, rather than sometimes sticking it behind something else.

 

There is absolutely no reason for Sun people to be optimistic. I wish this didn't have to be a doom and gloom post but my sources inside the Sun chain tell me more layoffs are coming this month. Ottawa should expect to be hit hard. London conducted some recently, mostly secretaries and admin assistants. Word is, the Freep building is for sale.
Essentially, the plan is to turn all offices other than Toronto into satellite offices and everything not local (which will be covered minimally, aside from NHL and CFL) will be outsourced from Hogtown. That may be difficult in the two union shops, Winnipeg and most recently Ottawa, but that's the word on the Sun street.
Staffer should realize it with the heavy hand they've laid down in uniforming the layout of all Sun papers. I would guess they will even be outsourcing design from T.O. in the future.

 

Well that sucks the big one. I don't see how this is going to work.

 

Well, it's funny. They knocked all over CanWest when they were outsourcing editorials from Winnipeg (do they still?). Now they're on the verge of taking it to the extreme ... is this really the future of journalism?

 

Sirs, Madames,

The last round of layoffs in Ott hurt. It might be day-to-day ops rather than staff that hurts sports most, mind you. The Toronto Sun, for instance, sent nobody to the NHL draft. Just two Sun staff from elsewhere in attendance. Unfortunately the Sun's demise will encourage Al Strachan to claim that the newspaper couldn't survive without him (never mind that it wasn't really surviving with him).

YHS, etc