The New Media President
Change may be in the air in D.C. now that President Obama is getting a feel for the Oval Office, but it sure is in the ones and zeroes as well. The minute after Obama officially became president (noon eastern Tuesday Jan. 19, 2009), the first White House blog was launched: A short time ago, [...]
Holiday Odds and Ends (or the Just Plain Odd)
My brother informs me that Mars is in retrograde right now until Feb. 1, and this means astrological mischief is afoot. How else to explain the Miracle on the Hudson last week? In addition, our beloved and ancient cabin, which we’re rebuilding with its first foundation, tipped off its jacked-up moorings last week, and we’ve [...]
Recession-proof your job skills
Friday’s labor report (lack of labor actually) was not cheery. In addition to the 11.1 million of us out of work, there are another 8 million working part time because they can’t find work and another 2 million who’ve given up looking. Conventional wisdom says it gets worse in the coming months. Until recently (see [...]
The Way We Were
Oh man, for a look at a dying world, check out this video documentary on printing. It may be far easier to communicate today, even on a mass scale, but it doesn’t happen with the same industrial beauty that the printing press offers!Quote of the show: “And work in the printing trades is not fleeting. [...]
Happy New Year?
So the predictions I promised will have to wait a day or two. Back to business this week, and it’s crazy, eerily so, given what we’re reading and hearing every day. That said, there’s more than enough gloom to go around, especially if you’re in the B:B trade press. I chatted today with a longtime [...]
2008 predictions in review
Warming up this afternoon for a two-day New Year’s Eve celebration (Jackie Greene/Bob Weir and Phil Lesh tonight; local bands tomorrow), it’s only fitting to review my Jan. 1, 2008 predictions in this, the most tumultuous year in years. The Chinese say “May you live in interesting times,” and we’re certainly doing that, although many [...]
Detroit Papers to Cut Home Delivery
The auto capital’s newspapers are not only slashing jobs but they’re going to cut home delivery. I get the idea, but couldn’t they at least throw out an innovation bone like issue customization? Give me two extra pages of sports and less international coverage than the average reader. It can be done at the printing [...]
The Way Forward
One of the things that B:B publishers need to come to grips with is their infrastructure. As the economy unwinds around them, now is the perfect time to address it.I began thinking about this this morning when I read a couple of pieces in The Wall Street Journal. In the first piece, Cari Tuna (names [...]
The Morning Meat Grinder
It’s a low-watermark week for American media. A sampling of snippets from the crime blotter: NPR is cutting 65 people. McDonald’s heiress Joan Kroc just gave them $230 million a little while ago. Poof! I heard about the cuts on NPR on the drive in today, which was small consolation: They’re still alive. The Tribune [...]
Happy Friday; Now Get the Hell Out
Fortune and Gannett are laying off editors and reporters like there’s no tomorrow, and maybe there isn’t.Sam Whitmore reports this morning that at least six editors got pink slips yesterday: Michael Lev-Ram, Yi-Wyn Yen, Todd Woody, Katrina Booker, Marc Gunther and Anne Fisher. USA Today laid off 20. But the cuts at Gannett are far [...]
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