Newspapers are continuing to have a hard time keeping and attracting readers, in this internet age. Preliminary figures released today by the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the industry's readership monitor, show overall U.S. newspaper circulation fell 8.7% in the past six months, compared to figures released a year ago. Sunday circulation fell 6.5%.
The good news is that both declines are less than what the industry suffered a year ago.
ABC's figures also show that 24 of the country's 25 largest newspapers lost circulation over the past six months. The one exception: The Wall St. Journal, which today launched a New York edition challenging the New York Times in its own backyard.The WSJ already has more daily readers than any other newspaper in the country, with 2,092,523.
Among the biggest losers: USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Sun-Times, Washington Post and Detroit Free Press -- all down at least 13%. The San Francisco Chronicle brought up the rear, dropping 22.68%.
The Racine Journal Times showed a small gain over the past six months. Sunday's preliminary figure reported to the Audit Bureau of Circulations shows 29,437 paid circulation on Sunday, up seven from one year ago; and 27,892 daily, up 214 from last year's 27,678.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, despite winning a Pulitzer, had a tougher year: Sunday circulation dropped to 328,247, from 361,355 last March. Daily circulation dropped to 186,433, from 203,240.
The Kenosha News gained 326 subscribers on Sunday, ending the past six months with 26,548 compared to 26,222 a year ago. Daily circulation dropped more than a thousand, to 22,917, from 23,938 a year ago.
The Madison State Journal, which last year was bolstered by the addition of the now-online-only Capital Times' roughly 12,000 subscriber base, gave up much of that gain. Sunday circulation is down to 125,039 from 133,794. Daily circulation is 91,575, down from 96,918.
Showing posts with label Journal Times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journal Times. Show all posts
April 8, 2010
Just 48 hours left to get scammed again by a JT ad...
And what this all means to a small businessman
If you saw an ad in the newspaper that said: "Just 48 hours left..." would you believe it?
Well, just such an ad is in today's Journal Times. Only problem: It also appeared in the JT on March 6, almost 800 hours ago. So was it lying then or are we just lucky to have a second chance?
Worse yet, the ad is promoting a bogus "collectible" -- genuine $2 bills with a sticker saying "Wisconsin" -- for the low, low price of about $15 apiece. I guess we should be happy there's no mention of the Brooklyn Bridge. This scam has been thoroughly debunked. Here's our story from March. Don't fall for it this time, either.
Or, send me just $5 -- you save 67% !! -- and I'll write the name of any state you want! on a $2 bill. and send it to you. No limit; buy as many as you like! A complete set for each of your grandchildren! (+Shipping and Handling) Call our toll-free number; operators are standing by...
Actually, there's a serious side to this story -- beyond the warning to simply ignore this ad from the impressively named World Reserve Monetary Exchange -- and that is the precipitous decline of newspaper advertising over the past few years, and what it means. According to figures from the Newspaper Association of America, U.S. newspapers' print and online ad revenue dropped 27.2% in 2009 -- a loss of about $10 billion overall. Total newspaper ad revenues have fallen to where they were in 1986; how'd you like to live today on the salary you earned 24 years ago?
A number of newspapers and magazines have folded; all the rest are cutting expenses and scrambling to get by one way or another. So it should come as no surprise when that leads to the acceptance of hinky advertising like the $2 bill scam that would have been rejected in more prosperous times. Or the loss of journalists everywhere, and the out-sourcing of even key services (the Kenosha News is now printed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).
Sometimes, too, the pain is shifted to local, unrelated businesses, as newspapers scramble to earn any bucks they can, even from work they once disdained ... like photo restoration? Yes, in what must be the most minor of sidelines -- and perhaps even a distraction to the paper's three remaining photo-journalists -- the Journal Times has entered the photo restoration business.
To the dismay of Douglas Wick -- the mustachioed, pony-tailed, sometimes-dressed-as-Uncle Sam proprietor of Main Street's Olde Tyme Photography store, who's been doing photo restoration for the past 26 years. Longer, actually; Doug's father, Ray, opened his first photo business in Racine in 1946, located at the Venetian Theatre, 507 Main St. Doug worked for his dad since childhood, "as a grasshopper emptying garbage cans." After Ray sold the business in 1983, Doug opened his own store in 1984 at 303-303 1/2 Main St. (in what had been a cheese and sausage store called Port Gilbert), using mostly borrowed and scrounged equipment. "I had nothing. I was making popcorn and eating popcorn. I had just the front part of the store, lots of recycled stuff. The camera was borrowed, as were the trays, the enlarger."
He did portrait photography as well as photo restoration: copying and restoring photos, air brushing out defects from customers' old pictures.
And now he feels threatened by the Journal Times, a former customer (and the medium in which he placed much of his advertising, when he could afford to.) Looking around his three-part store (He answers phones like this: 'Common Scents, Pack 'n Ship, Olde Tyme Photos.'), Wick says, "It's like a circus in here. And while I know all about taming the lions, the latest sock in the gut is a media that can't survive on its own, but wants to destroy everything in its path."
OK, that's a bit hyperbolic. Even Wick concedes the point. Still, he says, "Just because their media is dying, why take down somebody else's market? Who else will they attack next?"
Photo restoration used to be an artist's domain, done with paint and airbrush. Now, like so much else, it's gone digital; every computer comes with at least basic photo retouching software. Wick, who used to use a 4x5 sheet film camera to make a glossy, high-resolution copy of photos for retouching artists to airbrush, and then re-photograph the result on sepia-tone fiber-based paper, has been digital for nine years. "Restoration has always been a good component of my business," he says. Less so now -- and he fears even less than that in the future, now that the Journal Times has entered the business and undercut the prices he hasn't raised for more than 10 years.
"They scan negatives for 29 cents," he says. "They have the equipment to do it and make a nickel. I have to charge 60 cents to make a dime. They have all the technology. They don't have to pay for advertising. They have people there anyway; keep 'em busy."
Wick said he called someone at Walgreens, which does a lot of photo developing (for those few Luddites who still use something called film), and photo printing for many digital photography hobbyists, looking for an ally against the Journal Times. "But Walgreens doesn't care," he said. His contact there merely shrugged and said, "That's competition."
Says Wick: "That's 'big' vs. 'big.' It's different for the little guy." Which, of course, it is... as little retailers have known for decades. Wick knows the drill: "Mom and Pop opened a small grocery just to be able to feed their family. Then Kohl's and Kroger came in and all those little corner grocery stores are gone. Open Pantry is a big business; their size and power drives out all the others and takes over.
"It used to be Elmwood Shopping Center, then that was put down by Regency Mall. Then the outlet malls came along, and now the internet is eating up everyone's market share."
Wick knows there's nothing he can do. He's tried calling the powers-that-be at the Journal Times, but doesn't really expect any satisfaction. A display shows before-and-after examples photos he's restored. You'd never know the original had been torn into half-a-dozen pieces. "We do better work than everyone else. With us, it's done right," he says.
But for how long?
Is there really a villain here? Just as Wick bought the adjoining Common Scents soap and fragrance store in 1987, and later added Pack 'n Ship to his Olde Tyme Photo business -- he runs them all simultaneously, by himself -- the Journal Times is also forced to become entrepreneurial in areas far removed from its core mission (whether you see that mission as disseminating news or selling advertising).
Meanwhile, from different edges of Downtown, both continue scratching out a living. Realistically, Racine needs both to survive.
Worse yet, the ad is promoting a bogus "collectible" -- genuine $2 bills with a sticker saying "Wisconsin" -- for the low, low price of about $15 apiece. I guess we should be happy there's no mention of the Brooklyn Bridge. This scam has been thoroughly debunked. Here's our story from March. Don't fall for it this time, either.
Or, send me just $5 -- you save 67% !! -- and I'll write the name of any state you want! on a $2 bill. and send it to you. No limit; buy as many as you like! A complete set for each of your grandchildren! (+Shipping and Handling) Call our toll-free number; operators are standing by...
Actually, there's a serious side to this story -- beyond the warning to simply ignore this ad from the impressively named World Reserve Monetary Exchange -- and that is the precipitous decline of newspaper advertising over the past few years, and what it means. According to figures from the Newspaper Association of America, U.S. newspapers' print and online ad revenue dropped 27.2% in 2009 -- a loss of about $10 billion overall. Total newspaper ad revenues have fallen to where they were in 1986; how'd you like to live today on the salary you earned 24 years ago?
A number of newspapers and magazines have folded; all the rest are cutting expenses and scrambling to get by one way or another. So it should come as no surprise when that leads to the acceptance of hinky advertising like the $2 bill scam that would have been rejected in more prosperous times. Or the loss of journalists everywhere, and the out-sourcing of even key services (the Kenosha News is now printed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).
Sometimes, too, the pain is shifted to local, unrelated businesses, as newspapers scramble to earn any bucks they can, even from work they once disdained ... like photo restoration? Yes, in what must be the most minor of sidelines -- and perhaps even a distraction to the paper's three remaining photo-journalists -- the Journal Times has entered the photo restoration business.
To the dismay of Douglas Wick -- the mustachioed, pony-tailed, sometimes-dressed-as-Uncle Sam proprietor of Main Street's Olde Tyme Photography store, who's been doing photo restoration for the past 26 years. Longer, actually; Doug's father, Ray, opened his first photo business in Racine in 1946, located at the Venetian Theatre, 507 Main St. Doug worked for his dad since childhood, "as a grasshopper emptying garbage cans." After Ray sold the business in 1983, Doug opened his own store in 1984 at 303-303 1/2 Main St. (in what had been a cheese and sausage store called Port Gilbert), using mostly borrowed and scrounged equipment. "I had nothing. I was making popcorn and eating popcorn. I had just the front part of the store, lots of recycled stuff. The camera was borrowed, as were the trays, the enlarger."
Doug Wick at Olde Tyme Photography, with his trusty 4x5 camera
He did portrait photography as well as photo restoration: copying and restoring photos, air brushing out defects from customers' old pictures.
And now he feels threatened by the Journal Times, a former customer (and the medium in which he placed much of his advertising, when he could afford to.) Looking around his three-part store (He answers phones like this: 'Common Scents, Pack 'n Ship, Olde Tyme Photos.'), Wick says, "It's like a circus in here. And while I know all about taming the lions, the latest sock in the gut is a media that can't survive on its own, but wants to destroy everything in its path."
OK, that's a bit hyperbolic. Even Wick concedes the point. Still, he says, "Just because their media is dying, why take down somebody else's market? Who else will they attack next?"
Photo restoration used to be an artist's domain, done with paint and airbrush. Now, like so much else, it's gone digital; every computer comes with at least basic photo retouching software. Wick, who used to use a 4x5 sheet film camera to make a glossy, high-resolution copy of photos for retouching artists to airbrush, and then re-photograph the result on sepia-tone fiber-based paper, has been digital for nine years. "Restoration has always been a good component of my business," he says. Less so now -- and he fears even less than that in the future, now that the Journal Times has entered the business and undercut the prices he hasn't raised for more than 10 years.
"They scan negatives for 29 cents," he says. "They have the equipment to do it and make a nickel. I have to charge 60 cents to make a dime. They have all the technology. They don't have to pay for advertising. They have people there anyway; keep 'em busy."
Wick said he called someone at Walgreens, which does a lot of photo developing (for those few Luddites who still use something called film), and photo printing for many digital photography hobbyists, looking for an ally against the Journal Times. "But Walgreens doesn't care," he said. His contact there merely shrugged and said, "That's competition."
Says Wick: "That's 'big' vs. 'big.' It's different for the little guy." Which, of course, it is... as little retailers have known for decades. Wick knows the drill: "Mom and Pop opened a small grocery just to be able to feed their family. Then Kohl's and Kroger came in and all those little corner grocery stores are gone. Open Pantry is a big business; their size and power drives out all the others and takes over.
"It used to be Elmwood Shopping Center, then that was put down by Regency Mall. Then the outlet malls came along, and now the internet is eating up everyone's market share."
Wick knows there's nothing he can do. He's tried calling the powers-that-be at the Journal Times, but doesn't really expect any satisfaction. A display shows before-and-after examples photos he's restored. You'd never know the original had been torn into half-a-dozen pieces. "We do better work than everyone else. With us, it's done right," he says.
But for how long?
Is there really a villain here? Just as Wick bought the adjoining Common Scents soap and fragrance store in 1987, and later added Pack 'n Ship to his Olde Tyme Photo business -- he runs them all simultaneously, by himself -- the Journal Times is also forced to become entrepreneurial in areas far removed from its core mission (whether you see that mission as disseminating news or selling advertising).
Meanwhile, from different edges of Downtown, both continue scratching out a living. Realistically, Racine needs both to survive.
March 10, 2010
JT uncovers Caledonia police check scam
Journal Times' reporter Christine Won deserves props today for her investigative work out in Caledonia. Won spent a week uncovering a seemingly sketchy payment system designed to help a Caledonia officer avoid paying taxes.
Won reports the officer worked on Caledonia squad cars and was paid about $4,900 for his services. The checks were written out to the officer's wife and infant child, reportedly so the officer didn't have to report the checks as income.
Police Chief Jeffrey Meier is taking responsibility for the checks, and an attorney for the village said it may not be illegal to have checks issued to family members. But the system seems a little too clever for the public's good. Here's hoping Won continues to dig, and Caledonia officials take a closer look, too.
Won reports the officer worked on Caledonia squad cars and was paid about $4,900 for his services. The checks were written out to the officer's wife and infant child, reportedly so the officer didn't have to report the checks as income.
Police Chief Jeffrey Meier is taking responsibility for the checks, and an attorney for the village said it may not be illegal to have checks issued to family members. But the system seems a little too clever for the public's good. Here's hoping Won continues to dig, and Caledonia officials take a closer look, too.
February 2, 2010
Journal Times denies Racine police request for fire photos
The Racine Police Department is seeking a subpoena to obtain photos the The Journal Times took of a fire that left a mother and her child dead.
Police Chief Kurt Wahlen had asked the JT to provide all the pictures it took of the August 2006 apartment building fire on Durand Avenue, including those not published. Following JT policy, Editor Steve Lovejoy declined the request.
The exchange between Lovejoy and Wahlen raises interesting, long-standing questions about the newspaper's role in the community. Does the JT, which serves as Racine's primary source for news, exist as an integral part of the community? Or is it a dispassionate observer of events more focused on business than community?
To be fair, the answer likely lies somewhere in between. But Wahlen lays bare the JT's shortcomings in its zest to cover (and profit from) crime, while at the same time removing itself from the story with a simple recitation of journalistic principles.
Here's Wahlen's letter to Lovejoy:
And here is Lovejoy's response to Wahlen's initial request for the photos, which ostensibly would help the PD's investigation of the fatal fire:
I was working as the JT's city editor at the time of the 2006 fire, and recall the newspaper publishing a number of photos both in the newspaper and on the website of the tragic blaze. I'm pretty sure the JT's photo staff won awards for their coverage of the event.
At the time, no doubt I would have supported Lovejoy's stance. Reporters can lose the trust of the public if they are seen as agents of the law. But now, a few years removed from corporate journalism - and firmly enmeshed in community journalism - I find myself siding with Wahlen in this particular instance. Why wouldn't the newspaper help investigate this crime? What do they have to gain from not helping?
I remember former editor Randy Brandt coming up with an elegant solution to a similar situation. He had the photo staff publish all of its photos from a crime scene on the website. It met the newspaper's guidelines for only turning over published photos, and allowed police to review all of the images.
In this particular case, it's unclear what photos the JT would have left from the Durand Avenue fire. But there doesn't seem to be much upside in keeping any unpublished images hidden, simply because police asked for them.
The bigger issue for the JT is an urgent need to rethink its role in the community. The paper spends relatively little time challenging people in power - including the police department - compared to its aggressive retelling of people's crimes and shortcomings. The paper would do well to focus on helping people in need and challenging the people who aren't meeting those needs.
Police Chief Kurt Wahlen had asked the JT to provide all the pictures it took of the August 2006 apartment building fire on Durand Avenue, including those not published. Following JT policy, Editor Steve Lovejoy declined the request.
The exchange between Lovejoy and Wahlen raises interesting, long-standing questions about the newspaper's role in the community. Does the JT, which serves as Racine's primary source for news, exist as an integral part of the community? Or is it a dispassionate observer of events more focused on business than community?
To be fair, the answer likely lies somewhere in between. But Wahlen lays bare the JT's shortcomings in its zest to cover (and profit from) crime, while at the same time removing itself from the story with a simple recitation of journalistic principles.
Here's Wahlen's letter to Lovejoy:
Steve: We have come a long ways. A while back I reviewed the photos from the Tina Davidson homicide which occurred in 1973. The JT did the photography work for us. (It would have been nice if the JT would have taken a few more photos too.) Now I find that you do not wish to be considered an arm of law enforcement and will not relinquish possible evidentiary photos without a subpoena.
What happened to taking a stand for what is right and doing the right thing? It is interesting to note that the JT makes a profit off violence in our community, yet it backs away from assisting our community with addressing violence. As for fear of retaliation, I am thankful for the few brave souls in our city who have had enough and stand up to those who would keep them locked in their homes. They live in close proximity to those you fear and yet are willing to take a stand and do what is right.
The photos I requested concern the untimely death of a mother and her daughter in a fire. Should you not be on the side of justice for these victims? If you are going to make a living from reporting violence in our community, you should likewise take a stand against it.
We will seek the subpoena.
Kurt
And here is Lovejoy's response to Wahlen's initial request for the photos, which ostensibly would help the PD's investigation of the fatal fire:
Kurt,
We’re always glad to cooperate when we can but we do not release unpublished photos or videos to police agencies unless they are subpoenaed. We do not want our reporters and photographers being viewed as arms of law enforcement and possibly subjected to danger.
Give me a call if you would like to discuss it.
Steve Lovejoy
Editor
I was working as the JT's city editor at the time of the 2006 fire, and recall the newspaper publishing a number of photos both in the newspaper and on the website of the tragic blaze. I'm pretty sure the JT's photo staff won awards for their coverage of the event.
At the time, no doubt I would have supported Lovejoy's stance. Reporters can lose the trust of the public if they are seen as agents of the law. But now, a few years removed from corporate journalism - and firmly enmeshed in community journalism - I find myself siding with Wahlen in this particular instance. Why wouldn't the newspaper help investigate this crime? What do they have to gain from not helping?
I remember former editor Randy Brandt coming up with an elegant solution to a similar situation. He had the photo staff publish all of its photos from a crime scene on the website. It met the newspaper's guidelines for only turning over published photos, and allowed police to review all of the images.
In this particular case, it's unclear what photos the JT would have left from the Durand Avenue fire. But there doesn't seem to be much upside in keeping any unpublished images hidden, simply because police asked for them.
The bigger issue for the JT is an urgent need to rethink its role in the community. The paper spends relatively little time challenging people in power - including the police department - compared to its aggressive retelling of people's crimes and shortcomings. The paper would do well to focus on helping people in need and challenging the people who aren't meeting those needs.
Interestingly, one of the JT's best community-minded journalists is Mark Hertzberg, the paper's tireless photo director who has spent years working to improve the city and its image. Hertzberg's career is the JT's best response to Wahlen's accusations; it's also a model for everyone else at the newspaper to follow.
Until the paper reviews its role in the community, and makes needed changes, it's susceptible to questions about its motivation. Here's a letter to the editor I wrote to the paper on Jan. 25, but was not published:
Dear Editor,
I read with interest your coverage of SC Johnson's new Fortaleza Hall in Sunday's paper. The impressive new building on SCJ's historic campus is a remarkable architectural accomplishment and a monumental tribute to the late, great Sam Johnson. The story explained the project well and the photos were, as usual, superb.
However, I found a surprising omission in the coverage. At no point did the story report that a large portion of SC Johnson's new building is exempt from property taxes. The corporation found a loophole in state law that allowed Gov. Jim Doyle to sign an executive order exempting Fortaleza Hall from property taxes. The Journal Times itself reported this fact on May 23, 2009, noting SC Johnson was the only corporation in the state to receive such an exemption. But this detail, which will cost local taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, was left out of the celebratory story announcing the building to the public.
The Journal Times does itself no favors in securing "exclusive" tours with SC Johnson CEO Fisk Johnson, and then failing to recount its own reporting on questionable public policy that will benefit a multi-billion dollar corporation at the expense of local taxpayers. Either The Journal Times left out the information as part of a deal for the exclusive tour, or simply forgot to include critical piece of back story to Fortaleza Hall. Neither possibility speaks well for our daily paper, which once again failed to report on Racine's rich and powerful with the same vigor they relay the crimes and shortcomings of our city's downtrodden. The Journal Times can, and must, do better.
Dustin Block
Racine
December 7, 2009
City Notes: Taxi biz gets approval, but owner can't drive; Props to Shakoor
James RaglandThe Journal Times' Mike Moore picked up a good story Nov. 26 when he reported a man the city approved to run a taxi business had been charged with driving without a license.
James Ragland got the OK to run Metro Taxi of Racine on Oct. 26 despite owing a $173 fine in Caledonia.
Moore's reporting made the city look bad - they'd conducted a background check on Ragland but apparently not a check on his driving record - and the Public Safety and Licensing Committee re-took up the matter Monday night.
This time they approved a business license for Ragland, but not a license to allow him to drive a taxi. If Ragland's license gets approved by the full City Council, he could hire a driver, but he can't drive a taxi himself.
The ordeal led to some humorous, if common-sensical, quotes at the meeting.
"If you don't have a license you can't expect us to issue a license to run a cab," said Alderman Jim Kaplan.
"I'm not planning to operate against the law," Ragland said. "That would be foolish."
The committee voted 3-1 to grant Ragland his business license. Alderman Bob Mozol voted against the license, saying it didn't make sense to approve a taxi business for someone without a driver's license.
In other news ...
Sunshine
Props to Alderman Q.A. Shakoor II for holding off on last week's Corinne Reid-Owens Tribute committee meeting due to open meetings concerns. We raised questions about whether meeting was properly noticed last week. Shakoor then postponed the meeting, refusing to even discuss a date for the next meeting. That's admirable conduct from the City Council president and a good example of government acknowledging it must operate in the sunshine.
Liquor licenses
Alderman Greg Helding's proposal to end refunds for people who receive "reserve" class B liquor licenses was deferred. The city now pays back $9,500 of the $10,000 reserve license fee to new license holders. Helding wants to eliminate the refund, which would make it harder, or at least more expensive, for bars and restaurants to acquire licenses. The committee will take up the issue at its next meeting.
Zoe complaint
The Finance and Personnel Committee denied Zoe Outreach Ministries $4,800 claim against the city for a broken sewer line. Assistant City Attorney Nicole Loop said the problem couldn't be traced to the city, and was, if anything, Mount Pleasant's fault because they own the line. But a claim against the village would be difficult because work done on the line occurred two months before the break occurred. That makes it near impossible to blame any one entity for the damage.
December 2, 2009
JT lays off accounting employees
The Journal Times laid off members of its financial services department, according to sources.
Lee Enterprises, the JT's parent company, has consolidated its billing department in La Crosse. That allowed Racine's newspaper to eliminate accounting positions. It also means bills for ads in the JT will be sent from La Crosse.
The somewhat good news is Lee seems to be trying to protect newsroom jobs throughout the state by consolidating its accounting departments. The bad news is they cut a few more jobs in the heart of a tough economy.
It'll be interesting to see if the paper writes anything about the changes.
Lee Enterprises, the JT's parent company, has consolidated its billing department in La Crosse. That allowed Racine's newspaper to eliminate accounting positions. It also means bills for ads in the JT will be sent from La Crosse.
The somewhat good news is Lee seems to be trying to protect newsroom jobs throughout the state by consolidating its accounting departments. The bad news is they cut a few more jobs in the heart of a tough economy.
It'll be interesting to see if the paper writes anything about the changes.
JT's Top 10 list paints gloomy picture of 2009
It's been a year of doom, gloom and uncut lawns, according to the Journal Times.
Our daily newspaper reviewed the top stories from 2009 and came up with a list of 19 stories for readers to vote on and whittle down to a Top 10 list. Not a bad idea ... until we look at what stories are on the list.
Of the 19 stories on the list, more than half of the stories focus on crime, death, the down economy ... and the Weinermobile crash. There must be some sort of positive, uplifting story on the list, right? There must have been at least one instance in the past 11 months and three days of people coming together and helping the community, accomplishing remarkable feats and showing us Racine is a great place to live and work. Right?
Uh, no.
If the stories on the JT's list aren't negative, they're at best neutral. They're certainly not examples of what's right and great about Racine.
No doubt stories on the JT's list were newsworthy or important (though we have to wonder about putting a story about "long grass" on the same list as Russell Seager getting murdered at Fort Hood). But it's a sign of the mindset of the editors and reporters who put together this list that they couldn't include one positive story. It's not like there was a set number - unless they were somehow limited to 19 stories - and there were plenty of wonderful, successful events in our community this year.
Here's a few stories we'd add to the list of top stories of 2009 (starred stories mark our Top 10):
Downtown Racine events including: ice carving, First Fridays, Gallery Night, Summer Art Project,
UW-Parkside prof gets prestigious appointment to Stanford
OOHP's Snowdance continues to grow
SC Johnson to preserve historic fire station
Ben Johnston Krase named pastor at First Presbyterian
SCJ, Johnson Financial among best places to work | And here
Racine Arts Council gets new leader
CATI presents to patent conference in Japan
Quilts on Barns in Racine County is a big success
Artists Gallery moves to new location
Racine snow sculptor wins Chicago competition
1,500 attend Black History Youth Achievement awards
Beer club, Hop to It are a hit among microbrewers
Belle of the Ball gives out prom dresses
Empty Bowls brings in $16,000 to fight hunger
Racine costumes earn spotlight at opera, Broadway
St. Patrick's Day parade in Downtown Racine
Thoughts for Food plays on to support Food Bank | Fall event
RAM brings glass artist to students
EPA: Racine cut toxic chemicals by 53,000 pounds
Hundreds turnout for mayoral forum
* United Way aims to take 50 families out of poverty
LGBT Center opens in Racine
Open air aviary opens at Racine Zoo
Leadership Racine brings art to HALO
Tax protesters rally at City Hall
Peace rallies continue
Racine's 'biggest loser' competition changes lives
Art in an hour fundraiser
55th anniversary of Pancake Days
Leaders consider 'Racine Promise'
Farmer's Markets are a success
Eat Right Racine takes off
* Urban Gardens get a boost | And here
* RAM hosts exhibit by famed artist Viola Frey
Letter carriers collect 70,000 pounds of food for Food Bank
Racine still has the world's greatest prom
New Unified superintendent stabilizes school district | Shaw
Suzuki method gets local students playing music
Student-built gardens take shape at Walden III
North Beach again named among nation's cleanest, safest
Hot Rod Power Tour visits Racine
Treasures at Monument Square Art Fair
Relay for Life raises money, hope
Another year, another successful Lighthouse Run
Sebastian's named one of area's top restaurants
Greek Fest offers great food, fun
Mayor Dickert's neighborhood clean up
Racine's massive Fourth of July parade
Dragon Boat Festival paddles on
* Sewer plant adjustments save the city millions
Spirit on the Lake Triathlon draws top athletes
Downtown Racine bike races draw a crowd
Public devours healthy foods gathering on Monument Square
46 Norwegians descend on Racine for a birthday party
Glass artist Therman Statom unveils new work in RAM window gallery
Racine County Fair extravaganza!
Community for Change organizes health care forum
* Racine Kilties' Emil Pavlik inducted into Drum Corps International Hall of Fame
* Lockwood Park: Community rallies to build playgrounds for all
* A good ride: Volunteer keeps skateboard park flowing | 2009 Bike Jam
Elaine Kinch named 'peacemaker of the year'
Team Trivia fills local bars
Sunny and Chair Tour ends with successful auction
Mount Pleasant to host new half marathon
Great Lakes Brew Fest sells out
Racine wins 'best host city' for pro volleyball tournament
Art takes center stage at Sixth Street Art Walk
Party on the Pavement is a great time
HALO gets a new executive director
Mayor seeks millions for clean beaches center
Compassion Fest offers contemplative way to peace
Raytown Roadhouse opens on Sixth Street
* Walden III named 'exemplary' by the state
City rehabs Uptown buildings
Successful Raiders season ends in playoffs
* Sixth Street work finally pays off
Holiday season arrives in Racine | Kiwanians light up zoo | Holidays at the mansion
* Racine celebrates 175th birthday
Racine gets a voice at international climate change negotiations
Thanksgiving Eve Ceremony brings faith communities together
Walden III students donate 10,300 pounds of food to Food Bank
50,000 books await kids at annual giveaway
Our daily newspaper reviewed the top stories from 2009 and came up with a list of 19 stories for readers to vote on and whittle down to a Top 10 list. Not a bad idea ... until we look at what stories are on the list.
Of the 19 stories on the list, more than half of the stories focus on crime, death, the down economy ... and the Weinermobile crash. There must be some sort of positive, uplifting story on the list, right? There must have been at least one instance in the past 11 months and three days of people coming together and helping the community, accomplishing remarkable feats and showing us Racine is a great place to live and work. Right?
Uh, no.
If the stories on the JT's list aren't negative, they're at best neutral. They're certainly not examples of what's right and great about Racine.
No doubt stories on the JT's list were newsworthy or important (though we have to wonder about putting a story about "long grass" on the same list as Russell Seager getting murdered at Fort Hood). But it's a sign of the mindset of the editors and reporters who put together this list that they couldn't include one positive story. It's not like there was a set number - unless they were somehow limited to 19 stories - and there were plenty of wonderful, successful events in our community this year.
Here's a few stories we'd add to the list of top stories of 2009 (starred stories mark our Top 10):
Downtown Racine events including: ice carving, First Fridays, Gallery Night, Summer Art Project,
UW-Parkside prof gets prestigious appointment to Stanford
OOHP's Snowdance continues to grow
SC Johnson to preserve historic fire station
Ben Johnston Krase named pastor at First Presbyterian
SCJ, Johnson Financial among best places to work | And here
Racine Arts Council gets new leader
CATI presents to patent conference in Japan
Quilts on Barns in Racine County is a big success
Artists Gallery moves to new location
Racine snow sculptor wins Chicago competition
1,500 attend Black History Youth Achievement awards
Beer club, Hop to It are a hit among microbrewers
Belle of the Ball gives out prom dresses
Empty Bowls brings in $16,000 to fight hunger
Racine costumes earn spotlight at opera, Broadway
St. Patrick's Day parade in Downtown Racine
Thoughts for Food plays on to support Food Bank | Fall event
RAM brings glass artist to students
EPA: Racine cut toxic chemicals by 53,000 pounds
Hundreds turnout for mayoral forum
* United Way aims to take 50 families out of poverty
LGBT Center opens in Racine
Open air aviary opens at Racine Zoo
Leadership Racine brings art to HALO
Tax protesters rally at City Hall
Peace rallies continue
Racine's 'biggest loser' competition changes lives
Art in an hour fundraiser
55th anniversary of Pancake Days
Leaders consider 'Racine Promise'
Farmer's Markets are a success
Eat Right Racine takes off
* Urban Gardens get a boost | And here
* RAM hosts exhibit by famed artist Viola Frey
Letter carriers collect 70,000 pounds of food for Food Bank
Racine still has the world's greatest prom
New Unified superintendent stabilizes school district | Shaw
Suzuki method gets local students playing music
Student-built gardens take shape at Walden III
North Beach again named among nation's cleanest, safest
Hot Rod Power Tour visits Racine
Treasures at Monument Square Art Fair
Relay for Life raises money, hope
Another year, another successful Lighthouse Run
Sebastian's named one of area's top restaurants
Greek Fest offers great food, fun
Mayor Dickert's neighborhood clean up
Racine's massive Fourth of July parade
Dragon Boat Festival paddles on
* Sewer plant adjustments save the city millions
Spirit on the Lake Triathlon draws top athletes
Downtown Racine bike races draw a crowd
Public devours healthy foods gathering on Monument Square
46 Norwegians descend on Racine for a birthday party
Glass artist Therman Statom unveils new work in RAM window gallery
Racine County Fair extravaganza!
Community for Change organizes health care forum
* Racine Kilties' Emil Pavlik inducted into Drum Corps International Hall of Fame
* Lockwood Park: Community rallies to build playgrounds for all
* A good ride: Volunteer keeps skateboard park flowing | 2009 Bike Jam
Elaine Kinch named 'peacemaker of the year'
Team Trivia fills local bars
Sunny and Chair Tour ends with successful auction
Mount Pleasant to host new half marathon
Great Lakes Brew Fest sells out
Racine wins 'best host city' for pro volleyball tournament
Art takes center stage at Sixth Street Art Walk
Party on the Pavement is a great time
HALO gets a new executive director
Mayor seeks millions for clean beaches center
Compassion Fest offers contemplative way to peace
Raytown Roadhouse opens on Sixth Street
* Walden III named 'exemplary' by the state
City rehabs Uptown buildings
Successful Raiders season ends in playoffs
* Sixth Street work finally pays off
Holiday season arrives in Racine | Kiwanians light up zoo | Holidays at the mansion
* Racine celebrates 175th birthday
Racine gets a voice at international climate change negotiations
Thanksgiving Eve Ceremony brings faith communities together
Walden III students donate 10,300 pounds of food to Food Bank
50,000 books await kids at annual giveaway
October 16, 2009
JT gives Ryan last word on protest, may get protested itself
Protestors the JT covered this week may be targeting Racine's newspaper next week.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, the head of the Hispanic-advocacy group Voces de la Frontera, is attacking the paper for refusing to publish a commentary she wrote as a response to Rep. Paul Ryan's commentary published on Thursday's Opinion page.
Neumann-Ortiz is claiming Ryan's commentary contained inaccuracies that Voces de la Frontera hoped to correct.
At issue is Ryan's alleged relationship with the Federation of American Immigration Reform, an organization labeled a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Voces de la Frontera is claiming Ryan granted the organization an interview and appears on their website.
The JT previewed and covered a protest outside of Ryan's office on Tuesday. We had photos of the event, too.
Ryan responded to the protest, and the JT's coverage, in a commentary in Thursday's paper. He said the alleged interview had nothing to do with immigration reform - only health care and football - and wasn't even with someone from FAIR. Here's an exerpt:
Voces de la Frontera is now considering another protest, this time in front of the JT's offices, Neumann-Ortiz said. She said the newspaper's refusal to run their commentary amounted to censorship, and that the newspaper should allow Voces de la Frontera's commentary as a matter of fairness.
After the JT refused to publish the commentary, Neumann-Ortiz sent it to RacinePost. The commentary is published below.
For what it's worth, it appears a couple of issues fanned this fire's flame. First, if we take Ryan at his word, then it appears FAIR overstated his involvement in a recent "Hold Their Feet to the Fire" event. Ryan said he only talked about health care legislation, not immigration reform, though his name was proudly listed on FAIR's website as an example of the group's influence on immigration issues.
Second, Voces de la Frontera used the reference to point out Ryan's record on immigration, which they oppose.
Third, the initial JT story didn't include Ryan's explanation of his appearance at the FAIR event. Ryan's office was closed Monday because of Columbus Day.
Fourth, the JT gave Ryan free space to further explain his side of the story even though reporter Paul Sloth explained the issue well in a story covering the protest. This, in turn, created reasonable expectation in Voces de la Frontera that they would get unfettered access to the Opinion page to explain their concerns about Ryan's stance on immigration reform.
The JT, which has an exclusive deal to publish Ryan's commentaries, decided to give Ryan the last word on the issue. Voces de la Frontera, which is good at organizing protests, appears determined to not let that happen.
Here's the commentary the JT declined to publish:
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, the head of the Hispanic-advocacy group Voces de la Frontera, is attacking the paper for refusing to publish a commentary she wrote as a response to Rep. Paul Ryan's commentary published on Thursday's Opinion page.
Neumann-Ortiz is claiming Ryan's commentary contained inaccuracies that Voces de la Frontera hoped to correct.
At issue is Ryan's alleged relationship with the Federation of American Immigration Reform, an organization labeled a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Voces de la Frontera is claiming Ryan granted the organization an interview and appears on their website.
The JT previewed and covered a protest outside of Ryan's office on Tuesday. We had photos of the event, too.
Ryan responded to the protest, and the JT's coverage, in a commentary in Thursday's paper. He said the alleged interview had nothing to do with immigration reform - only health care and football - and wasn't even with someone from FAIR. Here's an exerpt:
We were first made aware of this confusion last week after being contacted by a representative from Voces de la Frontera. We quickly clarified the situation with Voces de la Frontera, and my name was subsequently removed from FAIR's Web site, where it had been incorrectly listed. I was surprised that Voces de la Frontera decided to go forward to protest something that I did not do, but more troubled by the coverage of the event.After reading the commentary, Neumann-Ortiz said Voces de la Frontera drafted their own commentary and asked the JT to run it. The newspaper refused.
[snip]
I understand that there are new pressures to break stories and turn things around at a moment's notice. But I'd ask that in the future, The Journal Times makes certain every effort is made to ensure accuracy prior to publication - and once the facts are made clear, that they are expressed in an even-handed manner.
Voces de la Frontera is now considering another protest, this time in front of the JT's offices, Neumann-Ortiz said. She said the newspaper's refusal to run their commentary amounted to censorship, and that the newspaper should allow Voces de la Frontera's commentary as a matter of fairness.
After the JT refused to publish the commentary, Neumann-Ortiz sent it to RacinePost. The commentary is published below.
For what it's worth, it appears a couple of issues fanned this fire's flame. First, if we take Ryan at his word, then it appears FAIR overstated his involvement in a recent "Hold Their Feet to the Fire" event. Ryan said he only talked about health care legislation, not immigration reform, though his name was proudly listed on FAIR's website as an example of the group's influence on immigration issues.
Second, Voces de la Frontera used the reference to point out Ryan's record on immigration, which they oppose.
Third, the initial JT story didn't include Ryan's explanation of his appearance at the FAIR event. Ryan's office was closed Monday because of Columbus Day.
Fourth, the JT gave Ryan free space to further explain his side of the story even though reporter Paul Sloth explained the issue well in a story covering the protest. This, in turn, created reasonable expectation in Voces de la Frontera that they would get unfettered access to the Opinion page to explain their concerns about Ryan's stance on immigration reform.
The JT, which has an exclusive deal to publish Ryan's commentaries, decided to give Ryan the last word on the issue. Voces de la Frontera, which is good at organizing protests, appears determined to not let that happen.
Here's the commentary the JT declined to publish:
Voces de la Frontera responds to Congressman Ryan’s editorial
Voces de la Frontera is pleased that Congressman Paul Ryan has disassociated himself from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a Washington DC organization widely recognized as a hate group.
Mr. Ryan’s statement on the matter, however, is inaccurate when it alleges that Voces de la Frontera was advised of this by his office prior to the rally. That is simply not true.
It is also important to recognize that the Journal Times cannot be held accountable for the fact that Congressman Ryan’s name was listed on the event website of the organizers as a participant, whose “…presence at Hold Their Feet to the Fire is also a recognition of the important role that FAIR plays in the immigration policy debate.” At this time his name still has not been removed. This raises serious questions about Congressman Ryan’s position on immigration reform and his relationship to this anti-American hate group.
Despite this confusion, it would be easier to believe Congressman Ryan’s denial if his position on immigration reform had not shifted over time. He has gone from someone who was willing to engage in an honest dialogue with the immigrant community and who supported comprehensive immigration reform to supporting repressive, anti-democratic legislation like HR 4437. If passed, 4437 would have turned labor unionists, teachers, priests and doctors into felons for not reporting undocumented immigrants to federal authorities.
Many of the students that participated in Saturday’s protest came to ask why Congressman Ryan had turned his back on them by not cosponsoring the DREAM ACT, legislation allowing earned legalization for students aspiring to purse higher education. Besides his co-sponsorship of Ag Jobs this year, which helps agricultural workers achieve legal status, he has to date refused to provide the leadership necessary to move a broader bill forward, that is essential in making Ag Jobs a reality.
Congressman Ryan’s position on immigration reform has shifted from one based on American principals of justice and equality to one that caters to the blindest prejudices.
As a grassroots community organization dedicated to protecting the rights and opportunities of all workers and families in Wisconsin, regardless of race or background, Voce de la Frontera continues to ask Congressman Ryan to sign a pledge affirming his principled stance to not affiliate with hate groups, whether it be FAIR or one of their other front groups.
Moreover, we ask Congressman Ryan to engage in a constructive dialogue aimed at passing the DREAM ACT this year. Our goal remains: We want Congressman Ryan to work with the immigrant community to secure immigration reform legislation that protects the rights of workers, keeps families united, and provides an earned path to citizenship.
In closing, we respectfully ask Congressman Ryan to sign the following pledge:As a representative of the first district of Wisconsin, I pledge to take a stand against hate. Specifically, I will not associate with nor participate in events organized by groups that have been designated as hate or white supremacy groups, which have known alliances with such groups, which accept funding from such groups or that publish materials that are hateful or racist in nature.
Furthermore, I recognize that using the rhetoric of hate in political debate stands in the way of progress on important issues like immigration reform. I will not participate in the scapegoating of immigrants. Instead I commit to working toward practical and humane long term solutions to fix our broken immigration system; solutions which will give undocumented people an earned path to citizenship, protect US and immigrant workers, keep families together and enhance our nation’s safety and security. I commit to work toward building a world that is inclusive of all people and to oppose those who would exclude others just because of their race, religion or sexual orientation.
The struggle for equality and citizenship in this country has a long and proud history beginning with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We are writing our chapter, our future, like every other generation that has come before us seeking a better life in America; Congressman Ryan which side are you on?
September 15, 2009
Journal Times names a new publisher
The Journal Times has a new publisher.
Mark Lewis, of Lihue, Hawaii, replaces Rick Parrish as head of Racine's daily paper. Parrish leaves for a new publisher's job in Longview, Wash.
Here's a story about Lewis from his former paper, The Garden Island.
And here are excerpts from a 2006 story when Lewis took the job in Kauai:
Parrish moves to a smaller paper - Longview has about 22,000 readers - but the paper is closer to his home. To his credit, Parrish strongly backed the JT newsroom as publisher and actually bolstered news staffing at a time when many papers were cutting reporters, editors and photographers.
Let's hope Lewis maintains the same commitment. (We also hope he's ready for winter. Did anybody tell him where Racine is located before he decided to leave Hawaii?)
Mark Lewis, of Lihue, Hawaii, replaces Rick Parrish as head of Racine's daily paper. Parrish leaves for a new publisher's job in Longview, Wash.
Here's a story about Lewis from his former paper, The Garden Island.
And here are excerpts from a 2006 story when Lewis took the job in Kauai:
Lewis, 38, began his newspaper career with Lee in 1988 at the Lincoln Journal Star in Lincoln, Neb. He joined the U.S. Marines in 1989, and returned to Lincoln in 1993, serving as a circulation district manager, area manager, single copy manager, state circulation manager and interim circulation director. In 1998 he left Lee to become state circulation director of the Omaha World-Herald, and in 2001 he was recruited to become circulation director of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, where he built a circulation department from scratch, hired all employees and set up packaging procedures. He returned to Lee in 2002 as circulation director of the Sioux City Journal, and in 2004 was promoted to director of operations, responsible for circulation, packaging, press and production.The JT job is a nice promotion for Lewis, who jumps from a paper with a circulation of less than 10,000, to one nearly three times the size.
Parrish moves to a smaller paper - Longview has about 22,000 readers - but the paper is closer to his home. To his credit, Parrish strongly backed the JT newsroom as publisher and actually bolstered news staffing at a time when many papers were cutting reporters, editors and photographers.
Let's hope Lewis maintains the same commitment. (We also hope he's ready for winter. Did anybody tell him where Racine is located before he decided to leave Hawaii?)
August 10, 2009
Chicago Tribune targets Racine
The JT fought off a circulation challenge by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, but now it appears the Chicago Tribune is eying Racine for new subscriptions.
The Tribune is offering cut-rate prices on its subscriptions, starting at 99 cents a week for the Sunday paper. For a penny more, $1 a week, you can get home delivery on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. A daily subscription is $2.75 a week.
The JS has abandoned its Racine County coverage and given its recent bloodbath of layoffs - 92 in one shot - it's unlikely they'll ever return to Racine for coverage. The Tribune push likely will meet a similar result, simply because the Chicago paper never writes about our community (they occasionally write about Kenosha).
The JT's prices are competitive. They're offering five weeks of daily papers for $7, or $13.75 per month of daily papers. You can get 13 weeks of Wednesday and Sunday papers for $26.
Interested in a newspaper?
Get the Chicago Tribune here.
Get The JT here.
The Tribune is offering cut-rate prices on its subscriptions, starting at 99 cents a week for the Sunday paper. For a penny more, $1 a week, you can get home delivery on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. A daily subscription is $2.75 a week.
The JS has abandoned its Racine County coverage and given its recent bloodbath of layoffs - 92 in one shot - it's unlikely they'll ever return to Racine for coverage. The Tribune push likely will meet a similar result, simply because the Chicago paper never writes about our community (they occasionally write about Kenosha).
The JT's prices are competitive. They're offering five weeks of daily papers for $7, or $13.75 per month of daily papers. You can get 13 weeks of Wednesday and Sunday papers for $26.
Interested in a newspaper?
Get the Chicago Tribune here.
Get The JT here.
June 10, 2009
A note on competition
Just a quick note on competition in reporting Racine's news. We're in a really interesting race with the JT to report on the city.
The Uptown sculpture is a good example. We reported on the sculpture June 4 and the JT came back with a story today revealing the sculpture cost $40,000 (we had incorrectly reported it was donated to the city). Now we've responded with the latest story providing some background on the Uptown artist program and reporting at least one alderman is upset at the total cost.
That's the great thing about competition in the news business. Nobody ever gets the whole story the first time around. The back-and-forth of competing stories shakes out new information. It also keeps everyone honest. It's hardly a coincidence that newsroom hiring at the JT is at record highs as RacinePost and other local websites develop into a real threat to their business.
The downside for us is we liberally link to the JT and credit them for work. On the flip side, the JT never acknowledges our work despite liberally stealing our stories. Not that we blame them, but it's an interesting wrinkle in the debate over whether newspapers are fairly compensated for their stories. Newspapers claim their value is deteriorating because outside sites are linking to them (that's why there's all this chatter about charging for online news), but it's our experience that it's newspapers that steal work without so much as a link back to the original story.
Not that any of this matters to readers. Hopefully, the competition between RacinePost and the JT results in better information, coverage and insights into our community. That's certainly our goal, and hopefully that goal rubs off on our local newspaper as well.
The Uptown sculpture is a good example. We reported on the sculpture June 4 and the JT came back with a story today revealing the sculpture cost $40,000 (we had incorrectly reported it was donated to the city). Now we've responded with the latest story providing some background on the Uptown artist program and reporting at least one alderman is upset at the total cost.
That's the great thing about competition in the news business. Nobody ever gets the whole story the first time around. The back-and-forth of competing stories shakes out new information. It also keeps everyone honest. It's hardly a coincidence that newsroom hiring at the JT is at record highs as RacinePost and other local websites develop into a real threat to their business.
The downside for us is we liberally link to the JT and credit them for work. On the flip side, the JT never acknowledges our work despite liberally stealing our stories. Not that we blame them, but it's an interesting wrinkle in the debate over whether newspapers are fairly compensated for their stories. Newspapers claim their value is deteriorating because outside sites are linking to them (that's why there's all this chatter about charging for online news), but it's our experience that it's newspapers that steal work without so much as a link back to the original story.
Not that any of this matters to readers. Hopefully, the competition between RacinePost and the JT results in better information, coverage and insights into our community. That's certainly our goal, and hopefully that goal rubs off on our local newspaper as well.
May 7, 2009
Annoying
Five different people, on separate occasions, have brought up how annoying they find the JT's "Alice in Wonderland" ad running on the front of their website. Anyone over there: The ad revenue isn't worth it.
December 1, 2008
Détente: It's time you subscribe to the JT
I'm worried about The Journal Times. Not for any coverage issues or decisions they're making. Those are just my half-baked media opinions that don't amount to much anywhere, much less 212 Fourth St.
Lee Enterprises' financial situation is dire. The JT's parent company saw its stock close at 82 cents a share on Monday and 81 cents a share on Tuesday. For perspective, I bought stock through the employee purchase program at around $40 a share a few years ago and thought it was a bargain.
Over the past year we've linked to stories reporting on Lee's demise. The stock fell to $10, then $5 and now under $1 a share, while their CEO's pay hit nearly $4 million. It was laughable. Now it's not funny.
There's a good chance the company is going to get delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, and bankruptcy may not be far behind. That puts jobs at the JT at risk, and jeopardizes our city's daily newspaper.
I have friends at The Journal Times, and save a few new people, worked for years with everyone over there. I wish no one harm to any of them, and certainly not unemployment in an industry that's shedding jobs by the day.
In all likelihood, the JT is still making money. This is a good thing, because it should keep the paper going in the face of a corporate bankruptcy. We all need the JT to survive this mess and come out the other side stronger than ever. But with the economy struggling and the print ad market dwindling, there's cause for real concern.
Wanna help? Subscribe to the JT - you'll make up the cost with the Sunday coupons. If even 50 people bought new subscriptions heading into the new year it would go a long way toward preserving Racine's historic daily newspaper.
It's time we rally together to protect a local business. Your subscription can make a difference, so set aside a few bucks and learn about what's going on in the community. Then come over to our site and learn a little more. We need to share more stories, and we need our established vehicles to share them in.
Lee Enterprises' financial situation is dire. The JT's parent company saw its stock close at 82 cents a share on Monday and 81 cents a share on Tuesday. For perspective, I bought stock through the employee purchase program at around $40 a share a few years ago and thought it was a bargain.
Over the past year we've linked to stories reporting on Lee's demise. The stock fell to $10, then $5 and now under $1 a share, while their CEO's pay hit nearly $4 million. It was laughable. Now it's not funny.
There's a good chance the company is going to get delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, and bankruptcy may not be far behind. That puts jobs at the JT at risk, and jeopardizes our city's daily newspaper.
I have friends at The Journal Times, and save a few new people, worked for years with everyone over there. I wish no one harm to any of them, and certainly not unemployment in an industry that's shedding jobs by the day.
In all likelihood, the JT is still making money. This is a good thing, because it should keep the paper going in the face of a corporate bankruptcy. We all need the JT to survive this mess and come out the other side stronger than ever. But with the economy struggling and the print ad market dwindling, there's cause for real concern.
Wanna help? Subscribe to the JT - you'll make up the cost with the Sunday coupons. If even 50 people bought new subscriptions heading into the new year it would go a long way toward preserving Racine's historic daily newspaper.
It's time we rally together to protect a local business. Your subscription can make a difference, so set aside a few bucks and learn about what's going on in the community. Then come over to our site and learn a little more. We need to share more stories, and we need our established vehicles to share them in.
November 19, 2008
Competition disappears in Racine media
A few weeks ago the J-S launched a redesigned Web site. There's nothing special about the new look - it's sleek, the colors are dulled down and blogs are featured more prominently. (The only thing I don't like is NewsWatch off to the right side. It feels dismissed there ... I liked it better front and center.)
But one significant change for Racine is Racine is no longer included on the site. On the old JSonline, Racine had its own section with a link on the front page. On the new site, Racine is no where to be found.
It's not much of a surprise given the J-S's decision to shutter its Racine bureau in Sturtevant. But the state's biggest paper - and the dominant source for news in southeastern Wisconsin - appears to have abandoned all Racine coverage.
At RacinePost, one of our daily jobs is to aggregate Racine news onto our front page. It's our effort to bring all of the stories about Racine into a single place, making it easy for readers to checkout what's going without visiting the individual sites themselves.
Lately, we've noticed fewer Racine stories online. Part of that comes from the J-S's decision to abandon our community. The loss of the weekly section has weakened news coverage in Racine, and left the JT with minimal competition. We work to offer a credible alternative to the local newspaper - given the stories they get from us, it's clear 212 Fourth St. is one of our key audiences - but we're not a full-time paid staff (at least not yet). So the loss of the J-S and its dedicated staff is an unfortunate blow to Racine. Add in the JT's shrinking space - and, one has to imagine in the current economy, it's soon-to-be shrinking staff - there is less oversight of our community and many fewer stories about the people living here.
You're reading our solution. RacinePost tries daily to offer competition to the established newspaper. It's my sincere hope others will take up the same banner and try to do the same. Maybe someone along the way can figure out how to make some money and we can return to an era when five, six, even 10 newspapers competed for readers.
If I had control over the JT, I'd split employees into competing groups and have them fight for readers. There would be 4-5 separate news sources under the JT banner, and the daily paper would be a composite sketch of everyone's work. Successful reporters would be rewarded with bonuses and more resources to report the news. Unsuccessful reporters would be shown the door. (Note to Rick Parrish: This model would work. Feel free to call me for the plan.)
The competition model works in the news business. It pushes everyone to work harder and write better stories. It's also a lot more fun. The loss of competition in Racine media is worrisome. Working in a vacuum, you believe you're doing a good job regardless of what you're actually doing.
So rise up Racine bloggers and reporters and take on the news of the day. Do it in your own voice on your own timeline. There's nothing special about being a reporter, you just have to take a few minutes to research and write. So start a blog and give it a shot. You just may be the one to save our daily newspaper.
But one significant change for Racine is Racine is no longer included on the site. On the old JSonline, Racine had its own section with a link on the front page. On the new site, Racine is no where to be found.
It's not much of a surprise given the J-S's decision to shutter its Racine bureau in Sturtevant. But the state's biggest paper - and the dominant source for news in southeastern Wisconsin - appears to have abandoned all Racine coverage.
At RacinePost, one of our daily jobs is to aggregate Racine news onto our front page. It's our effort to bring all of the stories about Racine into a single place, making it easy for readers to checkout what's going without visiting the individual sites themselves.
Lately, we've noticed fewer Racine stories online. Part of that comes from the J-S's decision to abandon our community. The loss of the weekly section has weakened news coverage in Racine, and left the JT with minimal competition. We work to offer a credible alternative to the local newspaper - given the stories they get from us, it's clear 212 Fourth St. is one of our key audiences - but we're not a full-time paid staff (at least not yet). So the loss of the J-S and its dedicated staff is an unfortunate blow to Racine. Add in the JT's shrinking space - and, one has to imagine in the current economy, it's soon-to-be shrinking staff - there is less oversight of our community and many fewer stories about the people living here.
You're reading our solution. RacinePost tries daily to offer competition to the established newspaper. It's my sincere hope others will take up the same banner and try to do the same. Maybe someone along the way can figure out how to make some money and we can return to an era when five, six, even 10 newspapers competed for readers.
If I had control over the JT, I'd split employees into competing groups and have them fight for readers. There would be 4-5 separate news sources under the JT banner, and the daily paper would be a composite sketch of everyone's work. Successful reporters would be rewarded with bonuses and more resources to report the news. Unsuccessful reporters would be shown the door. (Note to Rick Parrish: This model would work. Feel free to call me for the plan.)
The competition model works in the news business. It pushes everyone to work harder and write better stories. It's also a lot more fun. The loss of competition in Racine media is worrisome. Working in a vacuum, you believe you're doing a good job regardless of what you're actually doing.
So rise up Racine bloggers and reporters and take on the news of the day. Do it in your own voice on your own timeline. There's nothing special about being a reporter, you just have to take a few minutes to research and write. So start a blog and give it a shot. You just may be the one to save our daily newspaper.
November 10, 2008
Crime news
JT Publisher Rick Parrish writes in an editorial:
The JT could publish pornography and increase its readership. Do readers click on crime stories because it's what they want? Or because it's what they get? Too often, I suspect, it's the latter.
The simple answer is we try to write what our audience wants to read. The popularity of every story published is tracked on the Web site. So on Monday morning I can see how popular every story from Sunday’s paper was. Virtually every day the most viewed stories are crime related. The daily police report is one of the most popular. We also talk to readers and the community at large everyday and their feedback supports the statistics. Additionally, audience research tells us crime news is the No. 1 topic of interest in both print and online.
The JT could publish pornography and increase its readership. Do readers click on crime stories because it's what they want? Or because it's what they get? Too often, I suspect, it's the latter.
October 22, 2008
Burlington bypass opening Thursday
Paul Sloth from the JT reports on the new Burlington bypass opening Thursday. The $50 million project, which is the eastern portion of the bypass, was completed three weeks early. Work on the western portion of the bypass is underway, will cost $100 million and is scheduled to be complete in 2010.
As for the finished project, it's expected to make a significant change to Burlington:
As for the finished project, it's expected to make a significant change to Burlington:
Burlington officials have done what they can to prepare for the opening of the new bypass, which is intended to improve congestion in the city, said City Administrator Kevin Lahner.For local media wonks out there, Sloth is the JT's new Burlington reporter. He moves west after covering the Racine Unified School Board in recent years. New reporter John Dobberstein takes over the challenging school beat.
The impact on the city, in terms of needed changes, will be minimal, Lahner said, since the majority of the bypass lies outside of the city limits.
“Hopefully, the traffic will be less. The benefit to the city is, it is supposed to reduce traffic by 30 percent when the whole thing is done,” Lahner said. “A significant portion of it is supposed to be large trucks and large trucks have been a problem. The biggest benefit is getting the trucks off our streets downtown.”
While there might be a need for some minor changes in the future, the majority of the work the city has done has been in preparation for the bypass, including turning one-way streets into two-way streets, Lahner said.
October 10, 2008
The pictures the JT wouldn't show you
Partisans with signs chanting outside the Johnson Building ThursdayOK, we'll admit the obvious up front: We didn't go downtown while ABC-TV was broadcasting its evening news show with Charlie Gibson from Downtown Thursday night. Instead, we stayed home and watched the broadcast, hoping to see Racine get some positive national publicity. Yeah, so much for that idea.
But we knew -- from the Journal Times' story -- that election partisans crowded the street in front of the building. Reporter Stephanie Brien described how only the Obama supporters could be heard up on the balcony where the broadcast was to be made, and how police closed two blocks of Main Street because ABC producers thought car horns would disrupt the broadcast, and how Police Chief Kurt Wahlen was "amazed" when the crowd acceded to his request for quiet during the broadcast.
But despite the JT's report of a chanting crowd -- perhaps as many as 300 Obama supporters and 25 McCainiacs, is what we've heard -- the newspaper didn't run any pictures of them. The local photographer who sent us these pictures said she asked the JT's photographer on the scene what he thought of the crowd, and he replied that he thought they were "rude."
So, lesson noted: If you want your picture in the paper, don't be rude... or carry an Obama sign.
September 11, 2008
R.I.P., newspaper stock tables
The Journal Times' stock tables -- those pages of eyesight-straining agate type (actually 5 1/2 point) recounting thousands of stocks' closing price at the end of each trading day -- will soon disappear. Readers were told today to go the the paper's website, where even more information will be made available.
This should be no surprise to anyone. Most U.S. dailies used to print four pages of stock tables daily, Tuesday through Saturday and sometimes also on Sunday with a weekly wrap-up, to allow investors to keep track of the prior day's trading. They listed all issues traded on the major exchanges, as well as the burgeoning list of Mutual Funds. But in recent years, many newspapers cut back, reducing the number of stocks tracked and -- more importantly to their own bottom line -- reducing the number of pages of newsprint required.
At the Journal Times, which cut back daily from four pages to one years ago, (and three on Saturdays) even that single daily page will fade into history at the end of this week. Editor Steve Lovejoy told readers today -- correctly -- that internet stock tables are better than the newsprint version: For one thing, they're constantly updated throughout the day, not just at the end of the day's trading. (Which, when applied to news in general, is a mixed blessing for newspapers -- but that's another story.)
Still, Lovejoy's notice did leave out the one crucial argument behind the newspapers' decision to drop stock tables: cost. That single page of newsprint saved daily, and two more saved on Saturday, represents -- by my rough calculation of $120 per page for a paper with the Journal Times' circulation -- an annual saving of $43,000. And that's just the cost of newsprint, ignoring labor, printing plates, etc. A few years ago -- before the internet's ubiquitous stock sites made newspaper listings less necessary -- when the Journal Times was printing four pages of listings at least five days a week, that cost the paper $125,000 for newsprint alone. Here, as at most every daily newspaper, newsprint is the second largest cost, after salaries.
In truth, most readers -- especially those who follow the market closely -- won't miss the newspaper tables at all. And if you're wondering this instant how any local stock is doing, you can always go to RacinePost.com for our constantly updated listings. Click on any of the stock symbols for even more information.
This should be no surprise to anyone. Most U.S. dailies used to print four pages of stock tables daily, Tuesday through Saturday and sometimes also on Sunday with a weekly wrap-up, to allow investors to keep track of the prior day's trading. They listed all issues traded on the major exchanges, as well as the burgeoning list of Mutual Funds. But in recent years, many newspapers cut back, reducing the number of stocks tracked and -- more importantly to their own bottom line -- reducing the number of pages of newsprint required.
At the Journal Times, which cut back daily from four pages to one years ago, (and three on Saturdays) even that single daily page will fade into history at the end of this week. Editor Steve Lovejoy told readers today -- correctly -- that internet stock tables are better than the newsprint version: For one thing, they're constantly updated throughout the day, not just at the end of the day's trading. (Which, when applied to news in general, is a mixed blessing for newspapers -- but that's another story.)
Still, Lovejoy's notice did leave out the one crucial argument behind the newspapers' decision to drop stock tables: cost. That single page of newsprint saved daily, and two more saved on Saturday, represents -- by my rough calculation of $120 per page for a paper with the Journal Times' circulation -- an annual saving of $43,000. And that's just the cost of newsprint, ignoring labor, printing plates, etc. A few years ago -- before the internet's ubiquitous stock sites made newspaper listings less necessary -- when the Journal Times was printing four pages of listings at least five days a week, that cost the paper $125,000 for newsprint alone. Here, as at most every daily newspaper, newsprint is the second largest cost, after salaries.
In truth, most readers -- especially those who follow the market closely -- won't miss the newspaper tables at all. And if you're wondering this instant how any local stock is doing, you can always go to RacinePost.com for our constantly updated listings. Click on any of the stock symbols for even more information.
September 9, 2008
LEE dropped from S&P Midcap 400
We've given a break to Lee Enterprises, parent company of the Racine Journal Times, in recent weeks, as the stock market has pummeled its stock.
It's been up and down: In July and August, it closed below $3 a share -- bad -- only to recover to $4 -- good. The company declared its regular dividend -- good -- but various investment funds divested their shares -- bad. Various Lee papers have been shedding staff -- most notably its Montana operations these days -- and others have been cutting newshole; the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, Lee's flagship in the state, just yesterday announced it would reduce the number of sections printed daily.
More bad news came today. After the market closed, with the stock up 13 cents to $3.36 per share, Standard and Poor's dropped LEE from its S&P Midcap 400 index. Lee's market cap -- the total value of its shares -- is at $151 million, putting the company 400th in the listing. The change -- LEE will be replaced by United Therapeutics Corp. (UTHR), market cap $2.48 billion -- will take place after the close of trading Friday, and may further decrease demand for the stock, as investors and funds who buy the index divest.
Quite a comedown from Lee's $2.2 billion market cap back in 2004 before it bought Pulitzer newspapers for $1.46 billion. Ah, those were the days.
It's been up and down: In July and August, it closed below $3 a share -- bad -- only to recover to $4 -- good. The company declared its regular dividend -- good -- but various investment funds divested their shares -- bad. Various Lee papers have been shedding staff -- most notably its Montana operations these days -- and others have been cutting newshole; the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, Lee's flagship in the state, just yesterday announced it would reduce the number of sections printed daily.
More bad news came today. After the market closed, with the stock up 13 cents to $3.36 per share, Standard and Poor's dropped LEE from its S&P Midcap 400 index. Lee's market cap -- the total value of its shares -- is at $151 million, putting the company 400th in the listing. The change -- LEE will be replaced by United Therapeutics Corp. (UTHR), market cap $2.48 billion -- will take place after the close of trading Friday, and may further decrease demand for the stock, as investors and funds who buy the index divest.
Quite a comedown from Lee's $2.2 billion market cap back in 2004 before it bought Pulitzer newspapers for $1.46 billion. Ah, those were the days.
August 21, 2008
Lee president suggests end to holiday newspapers
A holiday from the Journal Times?
Hey, this wasn't our idea! Rather, it comes from the most unlikely of sources: Mary Junck, President, CEO and chairman of the board of Lee Enterprises, parent company of the Journal Times, 70 other dailies and 300 or so Pennysaver look-a-likes.
As everyone knows, newspapers are having a tough time, thanks to the desertion of both advertisers and readers, their twin raison d’être. Everyone in the industry is looking for ways to remake their newspapers and their business model. The Capital Times in Madison dropped its daily print edition entirely in April, leaving itself a web presence and two weekly tabloids. In September, the Superior Daily Telegram will go from a six-day daily to a twice-weekly. The Boston Globe has suggested that all its employees agree to a 10 percent pay cut. The Chicago Tribune and other papers in its chain have shed 500 pages weekly. Some newspapers have sold their buildings and presses, and outsourced printing; one California group cut its news staff from 48 to 10. Believe it or not, some newspapers have sent ad production, copy editing and even some reporting to India! And so it goes.
And now Mary Junck has come up with another idea. Here it is in her own words:
There was no elucidation from Junck; no information about how seriously the idea is being considered within Lee, no hint whether newsroom employees would be paid (HA!) for those unworked holidays. (They now get a day off, plus time-and-a-half for work done on the holiday.)
The article was full of more outside-the-box thinking; in many smaller communities, for example, you won't have to wait for actual holidays to break free from the daily newspaper habit -- how about newspaperless Mondays? And Tuesdays? Both are traditionally light on advertising which, as we all know by now, pays the freight. Monday publication has already been dropped by the Monmouth, IL, Daily Review Atlas and the Kewanee, IL, Star Courier.
If there are still any newspaper junkies out there, you can read E&P's entire article HERE. Oh, and don't worry about the advertising-insert-filled Thanksgiving Day newspaper; for most newspapers that's the most profitable edition of the year. Trust me; that will be the last to go.
Hey, this wasn't our idea! Rather, it comes from the most unlikely of sources: Mary Junck, President, CEO and chairman of the board of Lee Enterprises, parent company of the Journal Times, 70 other dailies and 300 or so Pennysaver look-a-likes.
As everyone knows, newspapers are having a tough time, thanks to the desertion of both advertisers and readers, their twin raison d’être. Everyone in the industry is looking for ways to remake their newspapers and their business model. The Capital Times in Madison dropped its daily print edition entirely in April, leaving itself a web presence and two weekly tabloids. In September, the Superior Daily Telegram will go from a six-day daily to a twice-weekly. The Boston Globe has suggested that all its employees agree to a 10 percent pay cut. The Chicago Tribune and other papers in its chain have shed 500 pages weekly. Some newspapers have sold their buildings and presses, and outsourced printing; one California group cut its news staff from 48 to 10. Believe it or not, some newspapers have sent ad production, copy editing and even some reporting to India! And so it goes.
And now Mary Junck has come up with another idea. Here it is in her own words:
"There was a time when no one published on holidays. Maybe we should go back to that concept. We're considering the idea now."Junck's suggestion came in an article published today in Editor and Publisher, the news industry's house organ (or at least it was years ago when it was the weekly source of happenings in the newsprint world and the best source of industry help wanted ads, yeah!; now it's on the web and published monthly, without so many help wanteds, donchaknow). The special report, Turn and Face the Change -- With Newspaper Industry in Crisis, 'Everything's on the Table,' quoted many industry leaders and their ideas for the future.
There was no elucidation from Junck; no information about how seriously the idea is being considered within Lee, no hint whether newsroom employees would be paid (HA!) for those unworked holidays. (They now get a day off, plus time-and-a-half for work done on the holiday.)
The article was full of more outside-the-box thinking; in many smaller communities, for example, you won't have to wait for actual holidays to break free from the daily newspaper habit -- how about newspaperless Mondays? And Tuesdays? Both are traditionally light on advertising which, as we all know by now, pays the freight. Monday publication has already been dropped by the Monmouth, IL, Daily Review Atlas and the Kewanee, IL, Star Courier.
If there are still any newspaper junkies out there, you can read E&P's entire article HERE. Oh, and don't worry about the advertising-insert-filled Thanksgiving Day newspaper; for most newspapers that's the most profitable edition of the year. Trust me; that will be the last to go.
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