L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez; PLUS: Phoebe Flowers

[SF_Express]

A lot of you might not know who Al Martinez is. He's a general interest columnist who has written for the L.A. Times since 1972 and been in the business many years before that. He has also written some of the best columns I have ever read.

Well, he's getting shoved out the door rather than retiring on his own timetable. His last column for the Times will be June 1. Here's the story on L.A. Observed.

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2007/05/al_martinez_pushed_out_by.php

 

[SF_Express]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

Here's a story about one of those columns, written about a Christmas at the Oakland Tribune.

Unfortunately, it's not the column, but it captures what was IN the column. A story about peaches:

http://www.edpadgett.com/blog/2007/04/marvelous-al-martinez.html

 

[MileHigh]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

Agree that Al is a top-notch columnist. A surprising move, frankly.

 

[SF_Express]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

Agree that Al is a top-notch columnist. A surprising move, frankly.

Well, I'd like to agree, but given the current climate, not so surprising anymore.

 

[DanOregon]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

When an Al Martinez can't choose to retire on his own - what does that say about the industry? The Al Martinez's of the world are why people BUY and READ newspapers and why people like me wanted to WORK in newspapers.

 

[beefncheddar]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

You know, if he'd just lop off his junk (and write all about it) I bet they'd keep him.

 

[andykent]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

mustardbased,

Come on. That was uncalled for.

 

[BigDog]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

You know, if he'd just lop off his junk (and write all about it) I bet they'd keep him.

This is wrong.
I believe the junk is not lopped off, but filleted.

 

[write then drink]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

mustardbased,

Come on. That was uncalled for.

it was actually funny as hell

 

[SF_Express]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

Yes, please, let's turn a thread about a 50-year newspaper veteran being shown the door before he wants to be into some snickering about an issue already covered on other threads -- concerning a veteran colleague, by the way -- and about something they don't remotely understand. By all means.

 

[fishwrapper]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

Yeah. That was classless.

Now, I would like, perhaps, further this discussion.
I grew up reading Al Martinez. At a time in my career, I knew him and he knew me by name.

Al, for five-or-so years, as been relegated to way inside the Features section. Some, thinking he's lost a little zip on his fastball. How long should we -- as journalists -- hold on? How long does a company hold on? Of course, each case is different. But, I think it's a interesting debate. Then again, with layoffs and buyouts and such, this discussion may be moot.

But, sooner or later -- and I'm not saying this is the case with Al Martinez -- it's like watching Willie Mays in the '73 season. I've certainly have worked with a few.

 

[SF_Express]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

But, sooner or later -- and I'm not saying this is the case with Al Martinez -- it's like watching Willie Mays in the '73 season. I've certainly have worked with a few.

I can understand that point, I suppose.

Just seems to me that there should be some room to keep a veteran guy like this, much as the "old" Times did with some of its over-70 sports writers.

Signals a sad change in the business, that's what I'm saying.

 

[fishwrapper]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

But, sooner or later -- and I'm not saying this is the case with Al Martinez -- it's like watching Willie Mays in the '73 season. I've certainly have worked with a few.

I can understand that point, I suppose.

Just seems to me that there should be some room to keep a veteran guy like this, much as the "old" Times did with some of its over-70 sports writers.

Signals a sad change in the business, that's what I'm saying.

Oh, it does. It certainly does.
But, I need a new notebook for my "Signals-a-Sad-Change-in-the-Business" List.

 

[SF_Express]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

Yeah, maybe that's now moot as a topic here. The business has changed a great deal, and the old days are permanently gone.

 

[DanOregon]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

For many people, reading the newspaper is a habit they picked up as a kid. Like cigarettes and booze, it gave us a certain kind of "buzz". Seems newspapers are taking a lot of nicotine out of their "cigs" TV listings, stocks, comics, the things that are there in the paper day after day giving a sense of stability in an everchanging world of bylines, designs and corporate owners. Al Martinez provided that connection to readers, like a Mike Royko, Herb Caen, Jim Murray...he was a familiar face that lent credibility to the rest of the paper.
Kinda like that scene in Contact when Jodie Foster visits the alien land and is greeted by her father...

 

[Editude]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

Familiar faces or no, they still need to deliver on a consistent basis, particularly if they are columnists. And Martinez has been stuck in a low-level, low-energy time warp for some time now. His situation wasn't handled that well, and he hasn't handled it especially well either.

 

[ink-stained wretch]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez

If the old days are gone — and they are, then the old-timers are going with them.

Age does slow one down. You just have to be smarter and think in a different way. Either that or be as sharp as Art Buchwald.

We all mature and change. Our style — if we have one — comes to reflect what we've learned the hard way. There are times, I admit, when I feel very out of place — a garrulous old man just flapping his gums.

I'd like to think there is a place for gum-flapping.

In the meantime, I'll simply grow longer fingernails, the better to hold on. The time will come when I am no longer needed. That's fine. I'll find something else.

There is always the chance I will simply walk away in disgust. The daughter better be out of college by then.

 

[SF_Express]

Re: L.A. Times shoves out Al Martinez AND Phoebe Flowers

Today, L.A. Observed says they got a second e-mail from Martinez saying his work e-mail is being shut off tonight, a week before his final column.

There must be some underlying infighting and grumpiness for this to be going on.

On a completely unrelated note on the other coast, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel is ending staff movie reviews and reassigning the excellent -- to me -- Phoebe Flowers.

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2007/05/critic_flowers_scattered_to_th.php

They're going to be doing all wire reviews now. So another good regional paper drops another exclusive coverage element to do it cheaper.

 

[long_snapper]

Maybe there's more than meets the eye. I'm an east coaster and don't know Martinez.

Still, it's disturbing. He's a guy with a voice and an audience and an apparently brilliant body of work. At the end of their careers, what will the bean-counting mofos who forced him out the door have to point to as their accomplishments?

"I trimmed costs 20 percent through staff reductions."

May they rot in hell.

 

[DanOregon]

And trimmed circ by 40 percent...