Dear Jacksonville

[HackyMcHack]

Mind-boggling to me that major daily newspapers in Jacksonville and Tampa see it no longer feasible to cover FSU; just shows how inept management is at certain papers when they can't figure out a way to sell some ads to a very passionate fan base to support the salary of a beat writer covering not just a popular state program, but still a national one as long as Bowden keeps showing up on Saturdays...

Talked to Bob for a few minutes tonight, and he's intent on making best of a bad situation...he's still in shock stage right now, then he'll go into angry stage, then perhaps a depressed stage, then a wtf-am-I'm-going-to-do-next? phase...

He did appreciate the fact SE drove over to see him; anyway, bob is good people and I just wanted to post a note of support here since so many did when I lost my gig few months back...hope many of you will give him a shout next few weeks like you did with me...believe me, it helps

The problem with both papers is that they know there is a need to staff Tallahassee and to cover FSU and for that matter, FAMU. Unfortunately, when they start trimming their budget, it is also the first place they look to phase out. Their thinking is that AP can do an adequate job and that's true to a certain extent.
No doubt had FSU been kicking ass, Bob's job would've been safer. Not saying that he wouldn't have been a casualty, just saying they might have been prone to look elsewhere.

Only problem is, AP's coverage of Florida State is very, very lacking.

 

[Thumper0]

I was at the T-U as recently as a year ago in the sports department prior to jumping ship to PR and wanted to chime in about Bob, who is one of the good people in the business. He was great to me when I first broke into the business as a snot-nosed correspondent in Tallahassee, helped me get my first job and was always fantastic.
It just boggles the mind that someone like Bob gets the axe while other people (and this meant in general terms because every paper has them) in the newsroom manage to keep their jobs when they do less work and have less passion, but are in a better position relative to cuts because they know how the "work" the system. This makes absolutely no sense.
Thanks Bob for everything. Good luck to you (and the rest of the newspaper business).

 

[Drip]

Mind-boggling to me that major daily newspapers in Jacksonville and Tampa see it no longer feasible to cover FSU; just shows how inept management is at certain papers when they can't figure out a way to sell some ads to a very passionate fan base to support the salary of a beat writer covering not just a popular state program, but still a national one as long as Bowden keeps showing up on Saturdays...

Talked to Bob for a few minutes tonight, and he's intent on making best of a bad situation...he's still in shock stage right now, then he'll go into angry stage, then perhaps a depressed stage, then a wtf-am-I'm-going-to-do-next? phase...

He did appreciate the fact SE drove over to see him; anyway, bob is good people and I just wanted to post a note of support here since so many did when I lost my gig few months back...hope many of you will give him a shout next few weeks like you did with me...believe me, it helps

The problem with both papers is that they know there is a need to staff Tallahassee and to cover FSU and for that matter, FAMU. Unfortunately, when they start trimming their budget, it is also the first place they look to phase out. Their thinking is that AP can do an adequate job and that's true to a certain extent.
No doubt had FSU been kicking ass, Bob's job would've been safer. Not saying that he wouldn't have been a casualty, just saying they might have been prone to look elsewhere.

Only problem is, AP's coverage of Florida State is very, very lacking.

It always has been.

 

[hondo]

Mind-boggling to me that major daily newspapers in Jacksonville and Tampa see it no longer feasible to cover FSU; just shows how inept management is at certain papers when they can't figure out a way to sell some ads to a very passionate fan base to support the salary of a beat writer covering not just a popular state program, but still a national one as long as Bowden keeps showing up on Saturdays...

Talked to Bob for a few minutes tonight, and he's intent on making best of a bad situation...he's still in shock stage right now, then he'll go into angry stage, then perhaps a depressed stage, then a wtf-am-I'm-going-to-do-next? phase...

He did appreciate the fact SE drove over to see him; anyway, bob is good people and I just wanted to post a note of support here since so many did when I lost my gig few months back...hope many of you will give him a shout next few weeks like you did with me...believe me, it helps

The problem with both papers is that they know there is a need to staff Tallahassee and to cover FSU and for that matter, FAMU. Unfortunately, when they start trimming their budget, it is also the first place they look to phase out. Their thinking is that AP can do an adequate job and that's true to a certain extent.
No doubt had FSU been kicking ass, Bob's job would've been safer. Not saying that he wouldn't have been a casualty, just saying they might have been prone to look elsewhere.

Only problem is, AP's coverage of Florida State is very, very lacking.

It always has been.

Wonder why AP doesn't notice the difference in what they get out of Mark Long in Gainesville (who's also covering the Jaguars for AP, and goes back and forth, doing a credible job in both instances), and what they get out of their Tallahassee bureau?
Especially since FSU, historically, makes it pretty easy on beat guys, as opposed to the hurdles you have to jump at UF and, to a certain extent, from what I hear the Jaguars can be like sometimes.
Sounds like AP Tallahassee needs some new blood ... like maybe Bob Thomas?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I just home the T-U doesn't notice the great job Mark Long does and send its UF beat guy packing as well.

 

[Mike Harris not that one]

This is damn sad to see. I just heard him on Rivals Radio last week too. Bob is a great guy and I hope he hangs in there. He won't be on the waiver wire long that's for sure.

For those who don't know and possible employers who should know, Bob is a past president of the Florida Sports Writers Association and was instrumental in setting up the College Football Media Days and making it a two-day event.

Thought I might one day work with Bob, but alas I had to interview with the now infamous Dean Rock - well I was going to but after driving up there, I interviewed with just anybody BUT him. And certainly an adventure to tell over a beer.

Hang in there Bob.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

This is damn sad to see. I just heard him on Rivals Radio last week too. Bob is a great guy and I hope he hangs in there. He won't be on the waiver wire long that's for sure.

For those who don't know and possible employers who should know, Bob is a past president of the Florida Sports Writers Association and was instrumental in setting up the College Football Media Days and making it a two-day event.

Thought I might one day work with Bob, but alas I had to interview with the now infamous Dean Rock - well I was going to but after driving up there, I interviewed with just anybody BUT him. And certainly an adventure to tell over a beer.

Hang in there Bob.

Ah Dean Rock... The guy who makes Garry Howard look like Van McKenzie...

 

[Matt_Hayes]

Many moons ago, when Bob and I had hair, we sat in a stuffy gym in St. Augustine and covered a bad girls basketball playoff game. At one point in this utter root canal of an event, Bob looked at me and said, "Could be worse. We could be selling insurance."

Bobby T. is good, good people.

 

[doctorx]

Mind-boggling to me that major daily newspapers in Jacksonville and Tampa see it no longer feasible to cover FSU; just shows how inept management is at certain papers when they can't figure out a way to sell some ads to a very passionate fan base to support the salary of a beat writer covering not just a popular state program, but still a national one as long as Bowden keeps showing up on Saturdays...

Talked to Bob for a few minutes tonight, and he's intent on making best of a bad situation...he's still in shock stage right now, then he'll go into angry stage, then perhaps a depressed stage, then a wtf-am-I'm-going-to-do-next? phase...

He did appreciate the fact SE drove over to see him; anyway, bob is good people and I just wanted to post a note of support here since so many did when I lost my gig few months back...hope many of you will give him a shout next few weeks like you did with me...believe me, it helps

The problem with both papers is that they know there is a need to staff Tallahassee and to cover FSU and for that matter, FAMU. Unfortunately, when they start trimming their budget, it is also the first place they look to phase out. Their thinking is that AP can do an adequate job and that's true to a certain extent.
No doubt had FSU been kicking ass, Bob's job would've been safer. Not saying that he wouldn't have been a casualty, just saying they might have been prone to look elsewhere.

Only problem is, AP's coverage of Florida State is very, very lacking.

It always has been.

Wonder why AP doesn't notice the difference in what they get out of Mark Long in Gainesville (who's also covering the Jaguars for AP, and goes back and forth, doing a credible job in both instances), and what they get out of their Tallahassee bureau?
Especially since FSU, historically, makes it pretty easy on beat guys, as opposed to the hurdles you have to jump at UF and, to a certain extent, from what I hear the Jaguars can be like sometimes.
Sounds like AP Tallahassee needs some new blood ... like maybe Bob Thomas?

I think Brent Kallestad also has to do capitol and other news-side stuff out of Tallahassee for the AP.

That said, the readers aren't served well by that set-up and Bob deserves a chance somewhere.

 

[Ira_Schoffel]

Bob's one of the great ones in this business. Always looking for that interesting statistic or fact that others miss on the surface. Always trying to help the readers understand why things happened, not just telling them that they happened.

And most importantly, never willing to compromise his ethics when others would. A lot of people cut corners to get the story first, but Bob doesn't. And I will always respect him for that. He's also a great friend.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let me just say that I'm getting damn tired of writing/reading these tributes to good people who have been kicked to the curb. And I think it's repulsive that the people on the front lines are getting whacked because of the incompetencies of corporate leadership. (And this isn't a knock on Morris or anyone in particular, but the industry as a whole.)

* Let's invest heavily in the Web, but give the product away for free.

* Let's pile up gobs of debt, instead of being responsible during great economic times.

* Let's hire weak and young (read: cheap) reporters and copy editors, invest little to nothing in their training, and then act alarmed when people are turned off by the shoddy work.

I could go on and on, but I won't. We all know the issues. We all know where this is heading. Just a shame to watch it unfold, when much of it could have been prevented.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I know in the past some of the papers who have had a writer in Tallahassee to cover FSU have had to do some government stuff as well. I remember seeing some bylines on the 2000 recount from Tampa's FSU writer. I'm spacing his name, Carlson, I think... I remember asking someone about that and was told that was the norm for that paper.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

If I'm the FSU writer for the Orlando Sentinel, the Miami Herald, or the St. Pete Times, I think I would be scared ****less.

 

[Ace]

I really can understand some papers cutting back on FSU coverage, but couldn't they kick someone else to the curb and at least offer to bring the guys back from Tallahassee?

 

[Mike Harris not that one]

Mizzou

It was Doug Carlson and I remember he was "thrilled" to hear from me around April and the dreaded words, "Hey Doug what are you doing the third week of April?" "Nothing why?" "Well we have state tennis going on..." Actually Doug was a good sport and did well with that.

Scott Carter, on the other hand ... Well, I won't say anything about that. Just joshin Scott - you know that. Hope your doing well.

Going back to the Dean Rock of Ages and Matt Hayes. I remember Matt coming in to talk to Dean that day and sitting their five minutes after I met with Dean. We talked Matt's impending leave to the Sporting News, Dean's flooded family room and well that was as long as I met with Dean. Now I see why Matt was leaving on the heels of Mike B. leaving for Orlando.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I really can understand some papers cutting back on FSU coverage, but couldn't they kick someone else to the curb and at least offer to bring the guys back from Tallahassee?

That would make too much sense. Plus, these places aren't targeting people, they're targeting beats and salaries. Very little thought is given like, "Is the person we're letting go, 1,000X more talented than the ones we're keeping?"

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I've only heard good things about Chet. I don't think I've ever heard a good thing about Rock.

 

[forever_town]

Actually, that is pretty good of them. He's given a lot of his time to that company and I'm sure has decent money from the profit sharing (one of the good things about Morris)... but most companies wouldn't give a **** right now about taking care of someone long term. Maybe he wasn't ready to retire, but if they were going to let him go, then this is at least a somewhat human way to do it.

It seems Jacksonville is only slightly more humane than some of the other companies out there. It just didn't strike me as being any grand gesture on their part to let him stay on until he's eligible for Social Security.

Remember, you can start drawing benefits at 62. The full bennies don't kick in until 65. And that's going to change to 67.

It still feels like a firing, period. Even though Ed Gamble gets a few months of employment longer, it's still going on the chopping block.

 

[SF_Express]

If I'm the FSU writer for the Orlando Sentinel, the Miami Herald, or the St. Pete Times, I think I would be scared ****less.

Well, fortunately for the Sentinel and Sun-Sentinel, it's a shared resource, which makes it way more justifiable.

 

[Drip]

Mind-boggling to me that major daily newspapers in Jacksonville and Tampa see it no longer feasible to cover FSU; just shows how inept management is at certain papers when they can't figure out a way to sell some ads to a very passionate fan base to support the salary of a beat writer covering not just a popular state program, but still a national one as long as Bowden keeps showing up on Saturdays...

Talked to Bob for a few minutes tonight, and he's intent on making best of a bad situation...he's still in shock stage right now, then he'll go into angry stage, then perhaps a depressed stage, then a wtf-am-I'm-going-to-do-next? phase...

He did appreciate the fact SE drove over to see him; anyway, bob is good people and I just wanted to post a note of support here since so many did when I lost my gig few months back...hope many of you will give him a shout next few weeks like you did with me...believe me, it helps

The problem with both papers is that they know there is a need to staff Tallahassee and to cover FSU and for that matter, FAMU. Unfortunately, when they start trimming their budget, it is also the first place they look to phase out. Their thinking is that AP can do an adequate job and that's true to a certain extent.
No doubt had FSU been kicking ass, Bob's job would've been safer. Not saying that he wouldn't have been a casualty, just saying they might have been prone to look elsewhere.

Only problem is, AP's coverage of Florida State is very, very lacking.

It always has been.

Wonder why AP doesn't notice the difference in what they get out of Mark Long in Gainesville (who's also covering the Jaguars for AP, and goes back and forth, doing a credible job in both instances), and what they get out of their Tallahassee bureau?
Especially since FSU, historically, makes it pretty easy on beat guys, as opposed to the hurdles you have to jump at UF and, to a certain extent, from what I hear the Jaguars can be like sometimes.
Sounds like AP Tallahassee needs some new blood ... like maybe Bob Thomas?

This has been going on LOOOOONNNNNNGGGG before this site was up and running. It's an accepted practice. Only until the subscribers scream at the coverage that something will be done.

 

[tapintoamerica]

Five years ago, Bob kicked my back side up and down the block in covering the ACC expansion derby. This is another big loss for the business.