“The Office” but in a dying newsroom

[Baron Scicluna]

Funny coincidence, but I was watching The Office reruns tonight and they had the episode when a bat comes out of the ceiling and Dwight catches it by putting a garbage bag over Meredith’s head.

At the papers I’ve worked, we’ve had bats, birds and mice paying visits to our newsroom. So maybe a sequel at a newspaper may work?

 

[swingline]

A rat with a tail as big around as a Big Chief pencil will make a guest appearance.

 

[DanOregon]

Sounds a lot like "The Paper."

I was going to include the copy desker who needed the special chair and vowed death on anyone who used it, moved it or adjusted it - but that movie nailed so many things.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

We had a business clerk who was a total 6, looked a lot – A LOT – like Cindy Crawford.

She left the paper after a couple of years to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles.

I found her listed on IMDb in two obscure movies and a one-off appearance in a TV series, all from years ago, so she never made it bigly. But she got bigly points for following her dream. ... Major loss for us boys in the newsroom, though. We were all just crushed when she left.

The attractive-ish women were always hired in sales at the papers I worked at.

 

[User 149557]

We had a sheet of paper in our office where we wrote down who would play each person in our orbit on a TV show.

I think I was played by Jonah Hill before I lost the weight and Timothy Olyphant after.

We had an old man who wandered in daily to act creepy towards our younger female reporters who looked and sounded just like Uncle Leo from Seinfeld. He was the easiest to cast.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Who will play the gambling-addicted sportswriter who thinks his years of covering prep football means he knows more about the NFL than the rest of the public?

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

I hear the creators shadowed The Toledo Blade newsroom for a day.

 

[BTExpress]

Our newsroom was used for "Marley & Me." Pretty much the last hurrah before things started going to hell.

 

[dixiehack]

The attractive-ish women were always hired in sales at the papers I worked at.

Easily the most attractive co-worker I had was a classified rep at my first job. She also barely had the ink dry on her high school diploma so I tried not to let my mind go there. Even at 23 that felt like a bridge too far. But I guarantee you she wound up a total 6.

Also, this thread made me realize that this summer is the 25th anniversary of my start in journalism. Sheesh.

 

[Regan MacNeil]

Also, this thread made me realize that this summer was the 25th anniversary of my start in journalism. Sheesh.

Same. My 18th birthday, actually.

 

[ChrisLong]

Our hot Latina salesperson had the car accounts. I was told that because of her commissions, she was the highest paid employee at our paper, including the Editor. I made a significant achievement by getting her to join our co-ed softball team.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Our hot Latina salesperson had the car accounts. I was told that because of her commissions, she was the highest paid employee at our paper, including the Editor. I made a significant achievement by getting her to join our co-ed softball team.

This better be the start of a Penthouse letter.

 

[sgreenwell]

This better be the start of a Penthouse letter.

"Dear Penthouse, I never thought I'd be manning the very hot corner on my company softball team, but..."

 

[MisterCreosote]

Easily the most attractive co-worker I had was a classified rep at my first job. She also barely had the ink dry on her high school diploma so I tried not to let my mind go there. Even at 23 that felt like a bridge too far. But I guarantee you she wound up a total 6.

Smart move.

Signed,
Guy Who Ended Up Marrying His Newsroom’s Jailbait Spanish-Language Reporter for No Discernible Reason Other Than She Was Hot.

 

[User 149557]

Well, I can tell you she's a bad idea
For the good it would do
You got a Chevrolet as old as her
Hey, you bought it new

 

[Starman]

This summer is, or would be, the 40th anniversary of my first professional writing job.

Funny thing is, I didn't really know when my career ended; I got laid off, fully intended to look for other jobs, and I did, real hard, for 2-3 years. I knew things weren't gonna be great for someone at my age with only newspaper (and online) writing and editing experience, and it wasn't.

I still told people I was "freelancing," but that's only a "job" in a most remote sense; for a couple years I'd get a couple of one-off article assignments a week, crap like that. Finally when the magic day of SS eligibility arrived, I could admit to myself I was "retired."

Amusingly, of the nine publications I worked for in my 30-ish year career, all but one are still in existence -- but they're all just utter shells of their one-time selves. Most are now just four page reprint sheets.

 

[Lt.Drebin]

Every newsroom I've worked in (and their extended company departments) could have made a good sitcom.

Each newsroom and company was a constant, evolving, revolving door of quirky, obsessed characters at every turn.

I think a better premise would be a TV show about a college newspaper. Lots more love triangles and after-hours partying went down at the college papers, in my experience… Why would any non-journo find this Peacock Office reboot interesting?

 

[sgreenwell]

I think a better premise would be a TV show about a college newspaper. Lots more love triangles and after-hours partying went down at the college papers, in my experience… Why would any non-journo find this Peacock Office reboot interesting?

I agree that a college newspaper would be more fun, but as far as this show pitch goes - I don't know, I think it could be OK? Network sitcoms are very hit or miss to begin with right now. Weirdly, there was just one set at a failing newspaper - ABC's Not Dead Yet - although that one had the gimmick that Gina Rodriguez could see the people she was writing obits about as ghosts. (And to double down on that oddness, that gimmick is radically downplayed in the second season. But, it was a fun show!) I think this has more potential than stuff that seemed DOA, like Blended Family.

 

[spikechiquet]

I hear the creators shadowed The Toledo Blade newsroom for a day.

I was told this as well from former co-workers of mine. They were not exactly aware of the premise though.

 

[I Should Coco]

I think a better premise would be a TV show about a college newspaper. Lots more love triangles and after-hours partying went down at the college papers, in my experience… Why would any non-journo find this Peacock Office reboot interesting?

I lost track/forgot about/lost interest in the show about the Alaska newspaper. Did that bomb ratings wise?