Have you heard about this story?
Cathy Gilbert, the managing editor of a small newspaper in South Carolina . . . not only quit, she also took her entire staff of employees with her to start a competing paper in Manning, S.C., according to a WLTX, a TV station in Columbia.
Just imagine if all the Journal Star employees — those still working as well as those who have been let go over the past several years — all banded together and started their own cooperative newspaper to compete with the Journal Star. It’s so crazy it just might work. Who wouldn’t abandon the GateHouse-Media-ravaged Journal Star for a superior new paper with all the knowledge, experience, and contacts of established beat reporters, editors, printers, sales agents and webmasters? Who wouldn’t want to pick up a paper that is locally-owned and customer-focused? Who wouldn’t want a paper with enough reporters to adequately cover the tri-county region and beyond? I think the community would flock to it.
A revolt would be good. GateHouse can’t compete against you. Start having some secret meetings, put a business plan together, and set a date for the big departure. Peoria deserves a better newspaper than GateHouse is providing. The men and women at the Journal Star deserve a better employer than GateHouse. Don’t say it can’t be done. You can do it!
I have often wondered why someone wouldn’t just start up another paper if so many felt mistreated… although I’m sure a printing press may tend to be on the pricey side.
Years ago there were plenty of places to have a paper printed. I’m sure many of them still exist.
The Chillicothe Independent was born several years ago when the Times Newspapers (pre-GateHouse) moved all operations (including the Chillicothe Bulletin) to Peoria, and the citizens were not pleased to have their paper leaving town. Last I knew, the Independent was still around.
starting a newspaper business right now is about as smart as starting a company that makes vinyl records or manual typewriters.
A newspaper that reported the stories behind the news, a newspaper that followed up on all news printed and then what happened later would sell in this community.
Especially local news stories.
C.J., I’m in and I’ll write free. Plus I’ll raise money to get it started.
I worked as a news editor in a previous life and was darn good. I’d sign on again. Long live the revolution!
I’d very much enjoy doing some freelancing for a local pub again!
I have some 8 track tapes for sale if anyone is interested. I wonder if her competing paper is turning a profit or facing the same problems that are sinking print based news publications all over the country?
Peoria’s local bloggers probably surpassed the Journal Star in “weekly minutes per eyeballs”….a couple of years ago. By WMPE, I mean the average number of minutes that a reader of Peoria’s blogs would spend reading CJ, Merle, Bill, Hopkins and other blogs compared to the number of minutes they would spend in a week reading the articles in the Journal Star or on the Journal Star website and comments.
Frankly, there is just more reporting going on by the bloggers in addition to the comments on blogs like Peoria Chronicle, being superior in amount of information to the comments section on the Journal Star.
All you need for this project is a central syndicate website to which each blogger licenses and feeds content in exchange for advertising revenue that is proportioned among the contributing bloggers, based upon the volume and quality of the traffic to their articles.
I for one, would appreciate a site that aggregated your content.
I agree. Let the revolution continue in Peoria and start with deposing with Gatehouse’s top high-bonus managers who are do-nothings and no-nothings. It should spread to the rest of their properties, then move on to Gannett, Singleton, NY Times and Newhouse — all where leaders are well schooled in raping and pillaging newspapers.
Newspaper is dead….even a corporate blowhole like Gatehouse can only do so much with an industry that is dying. If you want to encourage it, go online only and build it off an advertising model, because:
a) people are really reluctant to PAY for online news
b) print is dead, it’s pointless
c) see above.
amen cameron
“Newspaper is dead”…. not so. Newspapers are doing just fine (fiscally) in Europe, Japan and other parts of the developed world. What is happening to print media in the U.S. is somewhat unique to the U.S..
The central reason print media is dead in the U.S. is that most of the content of ‘local’ papers are just reprints or redundant information that can all be found elsewhere. It isn’t simply that you can get the Journal Star’s news on their website for free, it is that much of the content of the Journal Star on or offline, can be found elsewhere. There is little reason to even visit the Journal Star website. This is true of so many ‘local’ papers in the U.S..
Years ago, even before the internet was a problem, they sought to cut costs by shrinking newsrooms, replacing home grown content with AP and other syndicated content. The Internet has only worsened the problem, because all that syndicated content is now available widely.
What the European papers have stuck to, is developing their own content for their own papers. No sharing or syndication. So when you pick up the Frankfurter Allgemaine, what you read in their paper or on their website, is UNIQUE. Same with Le Monde, same with the London Times, same with Der Speigel, including all the lesser known local papers. Because these companies have retained their newsrooms, there is a market for their content. Now… to be sure print media is declining in use in Europe too BUT… they are not becoming insolvent for it.
All the bloggers in Peoria cannot match the comprehensive content of the PJS, even in its diminished state. And it still has over 100,000 readers daily, a total the bloggers cannot possibly match. And I believe it is still profitable — look at the ads and inserts in every paper. Here’s the problem: the GateHouse corporation is deeply in debt, and is looting the local paper(s) it owns to pay its debts and enrich its CEO and others. So workers are laid off and the content is greatly diminished. I don’t know the answer to this, as it involves a fatal flaw in capitalism itself, where private ownership of essential services — journalism, medical care, education, you name it — meets the greed of the ownership/management. High upper income tax rates, to take the profits out of greed, may be the only answer. It once worked in the USA until Reagan.
So Socialism must be the answer. good one, Elaine.
Anon: Not everyone who criticizes capitalism is advocating some other economic system. This country’s political and economic system started as a grand experiment. There is no reason to believe that it can’t withstand a bit of criticism–in hopes of making it more than an experiment. There is no question there is always a chance of the failure of any economic or political system–failure is guaranteed if criticism isn’t allowed. Isn’t that freedom one of the most important underpinnings of our system?
Mahno: I do agree with your comment that much in the PJS is info that can be found in any other paper and on line. If they are to survive, newspapers need to include far more local news rather than info that is readily available from other sources.
Sharon,
Elaine Hopkins is a socialist. When she peddles nonsense like her last two sentences, there should be no doubt.
David, do you know what a Socialist is, or like Rush, Sean and Glenn do you just know that you can get a visceral reaction by calling someone that?
It would be easy for me to say that you are a fascist, considering many of your past posts, but since I don’t think you know what that means either, I won’t. Instead, let’s use a smaller, easier word: Horse’s ass.
David, greed is a sin no matter what economic system you choose to follow and there is no reason that people who love this country can’t speak out against greed.
Charlie & David, could you make your comments a bit more constructive? In varying degrees, you’re both name-calling, which isn’t particularly helpful to the conversation.
“I won’t. Instead, let’s use a smaller, easier word: Horse’s ass.”
Kcdad maybe you should read the terms of use a few more times? CJ maybe you could refresh him on them?
99% of the PJStar is local information. The front page is usually local news. How much more local news do they need to put in the paper?
Elaine, I’ve been reading the Journal Star for quite a while. C.J.’s postings on local issues are light years ahead of anything I’ve ever read in the Journal Star.
I just wish he’d run for mayor or councilman.
“99% of the PJStar is local information. The front page is usually local news. How much more local news do they need to put in the paper?”
Stephen,
Yes the JStar does print a great deal of local news. I have heard and read a number of complaints based on the level of reporting certain news items in Peoria receive vs. others. I don’t want to sound cliche, but what ever happened to ‘hard-hitting’ reporting?
It almost appears that the reporters of the Star are afraid to really dig into a story. It seems that the local media has become a tool; used to promote the agendas of city/county govt. and big business [the museum is just one example].
What ever the issue, most of the bloggers [at least on C.J.’s site], pose some interesting and thought provoking questions…none of which are EVER addressed in the papers.
Maybe if the Star would stop kissing up to local govt. and big-business…………..?
New Voice: I certainly agree. I am amazed at how little digging the PJS does concerning city and District 150 issues. Now that FOIAs can produce so much information, I expect more investigative journalism. It does leave the impression that the PJS is a partner instead of a watchdog of government.
Maybe the Journal Star is afraid D150 will drop it’s subscription (Newspapers in Education) if they right “bad things” about them…..one can only wonder?
Right my complaint is that I dont need to get the PJStar because they have little to no coverage of anything other then local news. The front page of the newspaper shouldnt be some pointless event in Washington IL. We quit getting the paper because anything relevent in the local area I can get online in about two seconds, but for the most part we’re more interested in the global news which I can get from better sources then the PJStar. The PJStar is just a po dunk paper that is passable bathroom reading at best and thats only if I dont have a current issue of This Old House.
CJ Wrote: Charlie & David, could you make your comments a bit more constructive? In varying degrees, you’re both name-calling, which isn’t particularly helpful to the conversation.
You equate my comments with Charlie’s! What the…?
Sharon, not sure of your point, but since CJ’s post isn’t about socialism, I’ll say no more about it.
Charlie, what an interesting fellow you are 🙂
David… being compared to the south end of a north bound horse is extraordinarily kinder and more civil than red baiting and calling someone’s comments “nonsense”.
5.Be kind and respectful of others. Your argument is more persuasive when you debate the issue instead of engaging in personal attacks. The goal here is civil discourse.
I really hope you take the time to watch Capitalism, A Love Story.
As for greed, Sharon, it can appear in any system, but only in Capitalism is it the goal and guiding principle.
David, just trying to be even-handed. You didn’t call Elaine a “socialist” as an insult? You were merely being descriptive? If so, fine. I won’t equate your comment with Charlie’s. No offense intended.
Charlie, this really should be obvious, but for the record, it’s not kind nor respectful nor debating an issue to call someone a horse’s behind. It is, however, a personal attack. Thanks for posting rule #5 here. 🙂
C.J.,
What if I were to refer to MYSELF as a horses ass…..??
Am I to be chastised for insulting myself?
I will be happy to donate [for pay] my time, etc. to starting up an area newspaper. Maybe something with a bit of a ….REGIONAL flair?
CJ,
Elaine Hopkins is a socialist. Not meant as an insult, but a fact. Her above comment contains some rather blatant socialist viewpoints. Anon called it first, Sharon Crews had her doubts, and I seconded Anon’s motion 🙂
And to get back to the topic of the blog post, a better idea would be to start a competitor to the Journal Star. If nothing else, a weekly (ala Peoria Times-Observer) to test the waters would be a start, which if successful, could lead to an increase in publication frequency. Better reporting and investigative work than existing competition would go a long way in establishing a growing subscriber base.
OK ok … sorry… no more animals parts…
Could we please have “anon” or David P Jordan school us on Socialism?
“I don’t know the answer to this, as it involves a fatal flaw in capitalism itself, where private ownership of essential services — journalism, medical care, education, you name it — meets the greed of the ownership/management. High upper income tax rates, to take the profits out of greed, may be the only answer. It once worked in the USA until Reagan.”
What exactly is Socialist about this statement? DID YOU CATCH THE LAST LINE????
It’s unfortunate that someone with her talent all to frequently knee-jerks back to socialist rhetoric. Further, people who came up through the ranks as part of CORPORATE MEDIA, seem unable to be objective even about something as measurable as the amount of content in the Journal Star vs. the amount of content on Blogs. For her to think otherwise would be an “…on the road to Damascus event…”
Just aggregate the content so that readers can go to one site, and come up with a formula to share the revenue from the traffic.
David, what were my doubts? I rarely express doubts. I’m usually quite opinionated. 🙂
I’m a little late to this. I’ll reply to Elaine:
There is no inherent property in newsprint that MAKES it more comprehensive than any one, two, or three average blogs. Most blogs are one-person operations. Most of them has day jobs. We don’t have time to provide comprehensive coverage. Most of us have our favorite “beats” — topics we tend to focus on.
There are for-profit online ventures that are able to cover their communities. The Batavian is one. http://batavian.com
As more and more newspapers fire reporters and more and more people take up blogging out of a sense of civic duty, we’ll see a tipping point where advertising and, yes, paid content will make online more viable financially.
It would be great to have a second paper, but economics work against it. The print media faces enormous challenges from the electronic media.
It is too bad. Our cities need good newspapers to inform people.
http://cityofpeoria.blogspot.com/
http://craighullinger.blogspot.com/
Nothing like a little selfless self promotion eh Hullinger? Why didn’t you talk about how great the Chronicle was when you were working working for the city and getting ripped a new one on a regular basis?
Blogging is fine, but will never be a substitute for ANY sort of comprehensive news gathering operation simply because most bloggers are not editted correctly if at all, most inject tons of person opinion into their blogs, so much so that most people have no idea what a non-opinionated blog constitutes.
You can hail the demise of newspapers all you want, but when they are gone you will miss likley the only independent voice around (If you think they aren’t, just check the letters to the editor, you’ll see both “YOU’RE LEFT-LEANING” and “YOU’RE RIGHT-LEANING” screeds. That, to me, indicates the paper IS doing its job)
It also does me glad to see such passion, in my birthplace, about newspapers and newsgathering. Does my heart good. I can imagine the late PJS newspaperman Bill Conver (An old family friend who once babysat me when my dad died in the 60s) would also be glad to see the passion.