From a press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PEORIA MAYOR JIM ARDIS AND OTHERS TO CALL FOR FAIR NEGOTIATIONS AT THE JOURNAL STAR DURING 9 A.M. NEWS CONFERENCE MONDAY, APRIL 9, AT PEORIA CITY HALL
It’s time to save the Journal Star.
As downstate Illinois’ largest newspaper, the Journal Star continues to be highly profitable. However, New York-based owner GateHouse Media continues to push for the slashings of jobs and salaries of the people who write, create and deliver the paper.
Why? GateHouse recently lavished a $800,000 bonus on CEO Michael Reed, who makes a salary of $500,000 a year. Further plump bonuses to other executives pushed the total to far over $1 million.
While GateHouse continues to try to slash the Journal Star, readers might ask questions. How does a smaller local staff make for a better local paper? How do continued cuts at the newspaper make for a better value for readers?
We ask the same questions. We are Peoria Unit 86 of the United Media Guild, which represents those targeted employees. We want only reasonable contract negotiations and a fair settlement. We just want to do our jobs as Peoria’s public watchdog.
Please join us at 9 a.m. Monday, April 9, in front of Peoria City Hall, 419 Fulton Street. Mayor Jim Ardis will present a letter signed by the City Council urging GateHouse to reach a fair settlement with the Guild.
We also will present a similar letter from the head pastors of two of the largest churches in Peoria – who requested to meet with Journal Star publisher Ken Mauser, but were denied – urging justice and moral fairness in ongoing contract negotiations.
In other Journal Star news, Managing Editor John Plevka is leaving the paper to head up the student newspaper at ISU.
So is the council planning on selling additional bonds to buy the paper? or just fire more staff and cut Pjstar a check?
Print is dead. Get over it.
Jim Ardis has a lot of class. Mike Bailey of the Journal Star has skewered him and other beloved local leaders over the years, and despite that, Jim is still taking a stand on behalf of the newspaper. He is a much bigger person that Bailey could ever hope to be. The Journal Star should dump Bailey and the personal vindictiveness he carries with him and I’ll bet sales would pick up again. http://thecommunityword.com/online/blog/2007/07/02/blah-blah-blah/
Ardis is a nice guy, but he’s a mayor who is the tool of special interests. He is sharp enough to realize that the community needs a viable news organization like PJS, though. Some of the antics of the current City Council have deserved skewering by the PJS editorial board. I’d say not enough public scrutiny of their actions has been done.
I think there is plenty of public scrutiny – you just may not like their decisions.
Thanks, CJ! Very important info. I will make every effort to be there.
Fred: Print is not dead! I have read the daily paper since I was 5 years old – it is part of life.
Huh?
Ardis “skewered” by the pjstar?
This paper has basically been a cheerleading squad for all of the city’s pet projects. How many years did it take the editorial board to think the hotel wasn’t such a good idea? How do you think rick baker would have covered the hotel…1 tech plaza….heartland partnership employee as councilman……the museum debacle….the rampant shootings….the 150 situation…the pjstar has so much material to work with yet continues to function as a clearinghouse for positive press releases.
Ardis should thank his lucky stars for the journal star.
What museum debacle? I’m pretty dang excited about it.
“What museum debacle”…..is that kind of like “What, me worry?”. I wish I could join you in your excitement. Adding more frosting while the cake crumbles.
Actually, CJ has done a better job of providing scrutiny of Council activities than most local media. However, we need a good PJStar, so I support the mayor on this one.
As an ex-reporter, ex-editorial writer, and a reader for seventy years, I am still impressed with the product the Journal Star delivers every day with a staff that has been cut to the bone. I salute the mayor and city council for seeking to keep it in business. A daily newspaper is just as important as a bigger hotel and a bigger museum.
After reading all the comments I have a question: As a taxpayer in Peoria, how much is this going to cost me?
Garbage Fee, HRA Tax, TIFs, Newspaper delivery fee????
I agree with Mama1. Print is not dead! I know many people who love to read a REAL paper every morning.
Yes, Frederick Smith, print is dead.
Just like Matthew Woodmancy’s chance of ever holding an elected office. ZING!
Plevka’s career choice is a real head-scratcher. College papers (yes papers, there are stacks of them everywhere on campuses) would seem more doomed as students are of the demographic that have no use for holding a paper in their hands.
Doesn’t PJS employ people to bring newspapers into grade-school class rooms in order to interest a new generation to be paper-readers?
The PJS was a monopoly for too many years; would be interesting to see what 2012 would look like if Peoria had another newspaper voice way back when (70’s foreward).
Gee, Ranger…is that all you’ve got? Woodmancy garnered 1/3 of the votes in this election, even with all the negative publicity. And that will be two years farther away next time. You planning to do anything but take cheap shots? Doubt it.
Um, it’s not really a cheap shot. More of a statement of fact.
Woodmancy won 29.15% of the vote (note: 1/3 = 33.33%) in the Democratic primary in a district that has been Republican controlled since 1939. Schock and LaHood routinely trounced their Democratic rivals with double-digit spreads. Colleen Callahan was the closest Democratic contenter in recent years but even she lost by 21 percentage points to Schock. And she didn’t have to answer questions about previous felony convictions. But, sure, saying Woodmancy has a snowball’s chance in hell is a “cheap shot.”
The district leans to the right and the Democrats will likely be on the outside looking in for the foreseeable future. Especially if they field weak candidates like Woodmancy.