Next up - Columbia (S.C.) State

[Moderator1]

I'm told it is cut day at The State "and it's not going to be good."

Details as I have them, feel free to add your own.

 

[JJHHI]

Again? ****.

 

[PirateSports]

The State has consistently been an outstanding sports section...sucks for the staff and the readers

 

[Moderator1]

Pipeline calls it a "****ty, ****ty day."

At the minimum, that's accurate. 12 in the newsroom, three in sports. Clemson coverage will now come from Greenville News.
Two editors gone, too, though I'm not sure if that's in sports or the newsroom in general.

 

[JJHHI]

Sonuvabitch.

 

[Upstatesfinest]

Really feel for Paul Strelow, one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Since he lives in the Upstate, would they even offer him a chance to work out of Columbia, or is he on the street?

 

[BigRed]

Second on Paul Strelow. Great guy. Done at the end of the month, no option to move for another job.
I have a feeling that a good writer like him will find a chance to keep doing it somewhere, in some form. I hope.

 

[Moderator1]

McClatchy, right? Any other McClatchy houses get bad news today?

 

[Moderator1]

I'm told there was a cut in Raleigh today of a former sports writer who had been moved to another department. Not sure if current sports staff was hit.

This all sucks beyond belief.

 

[wannabeu]

Not a good way to start the new year. Sad for all involved.

 

[mb]

Know a few folks up there and can't imagine how they found 12 people to cut.

 

[JayFarrar]

Didn't McClatchy just announce that things were better and putting back in pay raises, 401k contributions and ending the hiring freeze?

And now they are laying people off?

Something doesn't make sense.

 

[wannabeu]

Didn't McClatchy just announce that things were better and putting back in pay raises, 401k contributions and ending the hiring freeze?

And now they are laying people off?

Something doesn't make sense.

Say one thing and do the opposite. That sounds about right for newspaper management.

 

[SCEditor]

Know a few folks up there and can't imagine how they found 12 people to cut.

Know a few folks up there and can't imagine how they found 12 people to cut.

That was the first thing I thought when I saw this topic.

I don't know as many folks up there now as I used to, but The State has always done outstanding work. I'm stunned -- STUNNED! -- they'd cut Clemson coverage and use another publication.

Anybody know what their sports desk is like now? I think they cut some people off the desk in the past, so I would have thought there'd be little -- if anything -- to cut now.

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

Steve Wiseman is apparently one of the other two in sports. Really feel for these guys.
And yes, the three major papers in the state -- Columbia, Greenville, Charleston -- have been building toward this during the last year. Hold your breath the other two don't find it necessary to start cutting, too.

 

[tapintoamerica]

Steve Wiseman kicked my ass on a story a decade ago. I've admired his work since.

 

[black dude with pompano]

Hate to bring this up and perhaps it's changed over the years, but historically Greenville has provided some of the WORST Clemson coverage in the state.

The State has had some great beat writers up there, so this is quite disappointing.

 

[cyclingwriter]

Hate to bring this up and perhaps it's changed over the years, but historically Greenville has provided some of the WORST Clemson coverage in the state.

The State has had some great beat writers up there, so this is quite disappointing.

The News' Ed McGranahan is a really good reporter and plugged in at Clemson. I know other papers in the state (Florence especially) has been using G-News stuff for a while ( or at least the few times a year, I travel through there).

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Hate to bring this up and perhaps it's changed over the years, but historically Greenville has provided some of the WORST Clemson coverage in the state.

The State has had some great beat writers up there, so this is quite disappointing.

The News' Ed McGranahan is a really good reporter and plugged in at Clemson. I know other papers in the state (Florence especially) has been using G-News stuff for a while ( or at least the few times a year, I travel through there).

Florence had no choice as Media General cut off their budget at the knees. Their South Carolina took a massive hit in that as well.

Now McClatchy is grasping at straws - again.

 

[alex.riley21]

Wiseman was my boss when I did high school stringing for the State (after I was done with college and still searching for a job) and Strelow was a guy I enjoyed talking with when I covered games at Clemson. Respect the hell out of both of them and never in a million years thought I would be employed and they wouldn't. Good news for Wiseman is he gets to make the move to NC to be with his family who has been gone from Columbia for a while now. If Strelow doesn't land on his feet soon, I'll be totally shocked. That guy busted ass.

Kind of ironic that a TON of smaller papers in SC were using the State for South Carolina and Clemson coverage, plus Greenville didn't rehire for its USC position after Rick Scoppe left. The only paper with both spots still left is Charleston. Damn shame.

(Funny note though: A lot of people in Columbia ***** about the State saying it leans towards Clemson more than ever. Guess they can't say that now...)