Layoffs at AL.com?

[Drip]

It's amazing that when the smoke has cleared, Al.com doesn't have a single African American reporter. How does something like that happen in a city such as Birmingham?

 

[Neutral Corner]

More cutbacks, fewer journalists

 

[Neutral Corner]

It's amazing that when the smoke has cleared, Al.com doesn't have a single African American reporter. How does something like that happen in a city such as Birmingham?

So far as I know Gary Estwick still has a job. He is black.

 

[Steak Snabler]

It's amazing that when the smoke has cleared, Al.com doesn't have a single African American reporter. How does something like that happen in a city such as Birmingham?

In sports or news? Natalie Pierre and Gary Estwick in sports are both black.

 

[Drip]

News. Barnett Wright, a highly-regarded veteran and senior writer, was shown the door.

 

[JCT89]

It's amazing that when the smoke has cleared, Al.com doesn't have a single African American reporter. How does something like that happen in a city such as Birmingham?

Yeah, that's not accurate.

 

[Drip]

What part in inaccurate?

 

[JCT89]

What part in inaccurate?

That AL.com doesn't employ an African-American reporter. You can't even say the Bham News doesn't employ one either because I'm pretty sure Gary at least is based out of Birmingham.

Is it still noteworthy that the newsside of the Bham News doesn't employ an African-American reporter? Sure, if that's true. But you can see that there's a pretty big difference between saying a massive statewide organization like AL.com doesn't employ an African-American reporter versus what the truth is (or might be)?

 

[Drip]

Yes, you are correct. I don't know about the situation statewide with AL.com but I am 110 percent about Advance Publications letting go its only African American news reporter in Birmingham.

 

[Alma]

What a ****show Advance is. It'll run the whole operation into the ground and walk away with it smoldering.

 

[BDC99]

What the... what are they going to do? Handle all the calls from one combined AL.com/NOLA.com site?

If it's like most places, they'll just have to stop taking the calls. No way you can put out a section and take the volume of calls most papers get during prep season. They might ask them to try, but it ain't gonna work. Trust me on this. I've been through it.

 

[Riptide]

What's strange is that AL.com is hiring while firing, too.
I know another guy who's leaving his paper to join that staff.

 

[ChristopherWalsh]

Columnist Mark McCarter was one of those let go.

I feel kind of sick about that.

 

[Tarheel316]

If it's like most places, they'll just have to stop taking the calls. No way you can put out a section and take the volume of calls most papers get during prep season. They might ask them to try, but it ain't gonna work. Trust me on this. I've been through it.

If they stop taking calls, how do they get their results, email? I actually prefer email but most people call and it's hectic while trying to write a gamer, lay out pages, post stuff in the web, tweet and Facebook.

 

[Fredrick]

Letting veterans go .... Hmmm. Still disagree with Fredrick that that one paper is doing cartwheels getting rid of the veterans? This business is a disgrace. It's getting what it deserves ... extinction!

 

[BTExpress]

Extinction is coming regardless. What these places are doing is just strategically delaying it for as long as possible. Little different than tossing ballast off a sinking ship.

 

[BDC99]

If they stop taking calls, how do they get their results, email? I actually prefer email but most people call and it's hectic while trying to write a gamer, lay out pages, post stuff in the web, tweet and Facebook.

No, you missed my point. They'll stop running the results. Or Just run scores. We tried to take calls after our clerks were let go, but it just wasn't possible to take full summaries and get the section out. So we just took a score. Coaches were pissed. And if you take them via email, someone still needs to have time to compile them.

 

[Alma]

What these places are doing is just strategically delaying it for as long as possible

That's horse****. This model is the very worst of all the models. It produces horrendous clickbait, caterwauling in the comments section, mindless blogging...it's the worst option of the bunch.

 

[spadjo martin]

I think they will mostly be compiling scores. From what I am told, they will staff a few key games in each market each Friday night. Seems like an an odd strategy for a company that touts it covers the entire state. Maybe somebody can confirm all of that.

 

[Tarheel316]

No, you missed my point. They'll stop running the results. Or Just run scores. We tried to take calls after our clerks were let go, but it just wasn't possible to take full summaries and get the section out. So we just took a score. Coaches were pissed. And if you take them via email, someone still needs to have time to compile them.

Okay, I see. That's a terrible situation. I'm sure the coaches - and parents - are pissed. You got put in an impossible situation.