More bad news from the Spokesman-Review. It’s a Spokane issue, to be sure, but it has impact here locally.
October 1, 2008
The Captain Bails the Sinking Ship
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Reduce the width of the SR by another couple of inches, roll it onto a cardboard tube and then it might be useful. 🙂
Comment by Wallypog — October 2, 2008 @ 4:54 am
they have no news sense. ssmith going away ought to be front page banner headline news. ding-dong the witch is dead, the wicked witch…..
Comment by TheWiz — October 2, 2008 @ 4:59 am
We cancelled our subscription to the Spokesman Review about a year ago after noticing for several months prior to that the deterioration of quality in north Idaho news reporting. As its news reporting became less detailed and far less relevant to people who live here, the Spokesman-Review became a cheerleader for rather than a watchdog against the dishonesty of some officials in Coeur d’Alene City government.
I assume that reporter retention will be based primarily on longevity, so many of the dinosaurs that survived the last cuts and failed to reinvigorate the newspaper will survive this cut — and fail again. Dinosaurs, no matter how innovative and imaginative, still have dinosaur brains.
I suspect part of Cowles’ problem is that unlike decades past, the public has begun to hold Cowles Publishing accountable as if it was a public agency. Like the folks at City Hell in Corrupt d’Alene, the Cowles gang has been able to survive by resorting to intimidation. Threaten critics, try to ruin their lives if necessary, then return to business as usual with the people suitably cowed. That worked when people were born, lived their lives, and died in Spokane (or Corrupt d’Alene) and rarely left for more than a few years, if ever.
But communities have changed. People who lived elsewhere and saw the damage that bad private businesses and public agencies could do moved in and began to speak up and speak out. They brought irreversible change with them, for good and for bad, but change nonetheless. The community’s dinosaurs can not change. It isn’t in their makeup. So they are becoming extinct.
Dan, I think a more appropriate graphic to lead your post would have been the image of the S-R dinosaur sinking into the tar pits.
Comment by Bill — October 2, 2008 @ 7:08 am
Comment by Dan — October 2, 2008 @ 7:32 am
The CdA Press reduced its page size a while ago, and I remember the bloggers on the SR site making fun of that change.
Comment by mary — October 2, 2008 @ 7:56 am
Bill,
Not to split hairs but that is a giant sloth in the tar pit, not anywhere near a dinosaur. They think that the giant sloth actually made it through the last ice age as vestiges of carcasses with fur on them have been found in caves in South America. Maybe in 16,000 years they’ll find a vestige of Steve Smith with fur still on it, in a cave, somewhere in South America?
Comment by Wallypog — October 2, 2008 @ 7:57 am
In Smith’s own words…, “I simply wasn’t willing to stand up and tell people things would be better or even OK. And our publisher needs someone who can do that.”
Comment by Bill — October 2, 2008 @ 1:25 pm
I have dealt with Smith more than once. He had to be a plant. No one could have crafted the kind of insane strategy he did unless they wanted destruction to occur.
Comment by Pariah — October 2, 2008 @ 3:37 pm
It’s a classic case of someone losing their audience. Happens all the time. The “elite” are especially afflicted with the disconnect between their job and the customers they serve. It’s easy to blame the economy or that “all newspapers are suffering.” But not all are suffering. Some are doing very well. Smith was the problem. He’s gone. The system works.
Comment by Dan — October 2, 2008 @ 3:42 pm
I discontinued my subscription, probably 2 years ago, for many reasons…not the least the truly foul atmosphere allowed on the Chuckleberries blog. Some of his pet posters went way beyond obnoxious nasty. More like mentally ill and truth was a seriously foreign word. So, anyone taking any bets that the seriously afflicted Chuckleberriveria will get the gate?
Comment by Diogenes — October 2, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
I’m glad that Smith is gone. I would be sad if anyone lost their job due to his mishandling the helm.
Comment by Dan — October 2, 2008 @ 4:47 pm
Diogenes,
Oliveria’s gossip column is a bit like the exhaust pipe on a car. People may see it and say, “What an outstanding exhaust pipe,” but in the end, it’s only a tailpipe, not the entire car. It’s the part where the waste products and hot air come out. The rest of the Spokesman-Review car is falling apart, but the exhaust is intact.
Comment by Bill — October 2, 2008 @ 4:53 pm
Advice given to Smith last August. He ignored it, of course:
1 – Care about your readers.
2 – Demonstrate that care.
3 – Make subscribing easy and pleasant.
4 – Keep your promises (a particular broken promise of a Bulldogs branded newspaper receptacle still is a bone of contention in my family).
5 – Respect your readers – don’t publish salacious content for shock value sake.
6 – Respect your readers – when you decide on a vendetta (Jim West) be upfront about it. You are allowed political opinions, but be honest.
7 – Respect your readers – cut back on the left wing bias in your stories. Read last weeks story about the Dr. Wolfe and Commissioner Richards vote regards Planned Parenthood. If you cannot see the overt bias of the reporter, hire a consultant to help you. It was clear.
8 – Respect your readers – rein in the deliberate bashing of those who DFO disagrees with (just about everyone right of center in Idaho) on your HBO blog.
9 – Respect your readers – explain to your editors that calling politicians names (Rep. Sali was regularly called a TURD by one of your editors) is bad manners and offensive.
10 – Respect your writers – treat your staff with more respect. Ask them what I mean and they’ll tell you. If they don’t – hire a consultant and get the truth, then act on it.
Comment by Pariah — October 4, 2008 @ 4:16 pm
Interesting. How was that communicated to Smith?
Comment by Dan — October 4, 2008 @ 5:33 pm
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/conversation/archive.asp?postID=16714
Comment by Pariah — October 4, 2008 @ 5:53 pm
Does anyone think the S-R is salvageable?
Comment by Dan — October 4, 2008 @ 9:16 pm
Maybe as a local Spokane newspaper, but not as a regional paper. Maybe Hagadone could buy it and turn it into The Spokane Press. No, The Spokane Press would not be any better than the Coeur d’Alene Press, but then, neither has the failing Spokesman-Review. The Spokesman-Review has some good elements: several outstanding photojournalists, two good reporters (Bill Morlin and Karen Dorn Steele), nice obituary columns, really snazzy page margins, colors, and easily disposable advertising inserts. Those probably aren’t enough to sustain it in its present form, though.
Comment by Bill — October 5, 2008 @ 6:51 am
Of course it can be salvaged, after the union is whacked. At least that seems to be the objective of current ownership.
Comment by Pariah — October 5, 2008 @ 9:58 am
What makes you say that? How does Steve Smith’s departure relate to the union?
Comment by Dan — October 5, 2008 @ 10:00 am
The union is about as demoralized as it will ever be. Smith has done his job. Soon management will roll out proposals that will either eliminate or emasculate the remnant.
Comment by Pariah — October 5, 2008 @ 10:04 am
Good golly Miss Molly! I agree with Pariah…”Respect your Readers” post.
There were many things Steve Smith was responsible for. But the worst (while I was a reader) was the crucifixion of Jim West. And then the totally unproven, yet published, accusations against..can’t remember his name..accused of liasons in a gay park. Horrific character assasination. Came to the point where I didn’t even want to use it in my dogs potty palace.
Comment by Diogenes — October 5, 2008 @ 11:06 am
You refer I believe to the lynching of Spokane Deputy Mayor Jack Lynch, no?
Comment by Pariah — October 5, 2008 @ 11:30 am
Jack Lynch…that’s who it was. Is he still DM? They never printed any retraction after he proved the allegations totally erroneous. While cleaning and storing my outside furniture (yep, it’s that time again) I was thinking about Steve Smiths “resignation”. I think it possible that he was going to be let go and they allowed him to resign. I have absolutely nothing to back that up, just a thought. In this economy, who gives up a good paying job, at his (or any) age?
Comment by Diogenes — October 5, 2008 @ 3:19 pm
When I’d heard that Smith resigned I too thought of Jim West. I recall when West had suffered his defeat the S-R gloatfest gathering shown on the Frontline program. How Smith reveled in Wests demise and his underhanded victory. Now it is Smith’s turn to tail under and leave. But Smith earned this failure for himself and he will ultimately have brought similar miseries to many underlings less deserving or totally innocent. Talk about a loser.
What is even more pathetic is that West was suffering from the final throws of colon cancer as Smith twisted his lies and stabbed the man. Dying that way is so unfun and these so-called professionals laughed as they dishonestly smeared the truth and ruined Wests reputation. I wished that Jim had lived. After the lawsuits he would have owned the S-R and maybe the good people who work there would not have to lose their employment.
Comment by Wallypog — October 6, 2008 @ 7:50 am
I was fairly new here at the time of the West crucifixion. I remember being beyond appalled at the SR. Prior to coming here, my newspapers were the LA Times, London Times and the Boston Globe. All with their own political agendas, but still journalistically ethical. I remember an incident with the Boston Globe. There had been an horrendous murder at Dartmouth. A couple, both professors at the University. The Globe, knowing that sex sells, printed a totally salacious unfounded story that they were involved in some aberrant sexual activity. In actuality their murders turned out to be thril kills by two teenaged boys. They are spending the remainder of their lives in jail. And back there, life means life. Their reputations were beyond reproach and the outcry against the Globe was huge. The editor printed an apology and a retraction on the front page. While the story showed an appalling lack of ethics, the apology demonstrated ethical standards. And the editor ultimately lost his job. I used to refer to Smith as tabloid Steve. By the way, I love Bills analogy of the nasty tail pipe. So so true. But I question deciding which employees remain using only longevity as criteria. That makes no business sense at all. Often longevity equates to deadwood.
Comment by Diogenes — October 6, 2008 @ 9:24 am
Diogenes says “But I question deciding which employees remain using only longevity as criteria. That makes no business sense at all.”.
Union rules Diogenes need not make business sense.
Incredibly, deep new cutbacks at L.A. Times
Comment by Pariah — October 6, 2008 @ 6:02 pm
Well, clearly I’m non union. And I agree about union rules not making sense. It would then follow that it is no wonder that so many business fail. What jumps to mind is the American steel industry which was obliterated by “union rules”.
That is interesting about the LA Times. That was my life long newspaper and I even worked for them at one time. They took great pride in remaining non union. Don’t know if they still are. The LA Times Corp. is huge in its ownership of multi-varied businesses. ie: they own their own paper mills and processing units. One must assume that fewer and fewer people are reading newspapers and, on a personal level, I find that sad. Times change…and not always for the better.
Back to the SR, I find it ridiculous that they would lose a Carla Savali for instance, and keep the pointless Oliveria. If they are trying to keep the paper afloat, that certainly is not the way to accomplish it.
Comment by Diogenes — October 7, 2008 @ 10:42 am
LOL, the SR has chosen the new Captain. A more worthy man to fill S Smiths smelly shoes couldn;’t have been chosen.
His demonstrated inability to lead, to think or to act makes him the perfect sockpocket for the further destruction of the union at the SR. What fun this will be to watch.
Comment by Pariah — October 7, 2008 @ 8:02 pm
Who is Gary Graham?
Comment by mary — October 7, 2008 @ 8:07 pm
Any thought about whether they’ll keep a presence in CDA?
Comment by Dan — October 7, 2008 @ 8:11 pm
Gary is a yes man, a non-entity. I expect the CDA presence to continue to shrink as they find tenants for the space they own. That is harder today as there is now a glut of commercial real estate on Northwest Blvd. I expect more and more ‘part time’ and ‘stringer’ hires and further layoffs. The once “good paper” is now the shrinking paper. Bye-bye!
Comment by Pariah — October 7, 2008 @ 8:32 pm
If the goal is truly to destroy the union, then how would someone on the outside be aware that such a thing has happened? I wouldn’t know, having only barely been in a union once and not having had anyone destroy it.
Comment by Dan — October 7, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
Shadows. Watch the shadows.
Comment by Pariah — October 7, 2008 @ 9:31 pm
I heard the Spokesman might not keep the Associated Press feed. Is that a surprise?
Comment by mary — October 7, 2008 @ 9:36 pm
Nope. The AP requires a two year notice. The SR (and many regional tertiary papers) gave notice as a power play. They will use the expense of renegotiating the AP contract as part of their union arbitrations.
Comment by Pariah — October 7, 2008 @ 9:45 pm
the s-r now says “But the paper will continue to use writers who may not be journalists to cover local areas.”. thanks smith you did it. bye bye union, bye bye.
Comment by TheWiz — October 12, 2008 @ 6:46 pm
“writers who may not be journalists.” Oh yeah, that does a lot for the quality. How about “writers who may not be writers?”
Any news about that brilliant S-R radio?
Comment by Dan — October 12, 2008 @ 9:38 pm