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Topic: Elton has left the building

Topic: Elton has left the building

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Ted Thompson
Administrator

Member Since: 11/11/2004
Location: MAC Play
Post Count: 7,581

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Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 9:12:15 AM

Not sure if his MAC coverage will be replaced.

Signing off with Kenny Loggins ... Plain Dealer career has come to a bittersweet end. Loved every minute of it, save for a few leatherheads. Thank you all!!!https://t.co/pZfPWix8IB
— elton alexander (@eaPeeDee) April 1, 2019

Follow Ohio Football recruiting on the BobcatAttack.com football recruiting database.

Recovering Journalist
General User

Member Since: 8/17/2010
Location: Cleveland, OH
Post Count: 1,839

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 9:21:25 AM

He was part of a large purge. Advance Publications is gutting journalism staff. Part of a decades-long, ongoing quiet national tragedy. Killing the fourth estate leaves no one left to speak truth to power and keep tabs on government.

Also, this sucks for conferences like the MAC that will go from poor or fair coverage to no coverage at all in most markets.

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/04/plain-dealer-lays-...

SBH
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Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 3,943

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 9:48:06 AM

I believe Elton might have been one of those who voluntarily left. He has enough years to retire. Several old-school folks stepped forward to save the jobs of younger ones. Too bad Pluto didn't do the same - his bloated salary could have paid for three reporters.

The Optimist
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Member Since: 3/16/2007
Location: CLE
Post Count: 5,561

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 10:18:12 AM

Saw someone note two decades ago there were at 450 and with these layoffs they are now at 33. Wish Mary Kay wasn�t among the 33.

I've seen crazier things happen.

brucecuth
General User

Member Since: 12/21/2004
Post Count: 1,809

Status: Offline

RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 1:25:55 PM

Recovering Journalist wrote:

I would refine RJ's comment further. AP is gutting UNIONIZED newsroom staff. Most of the reporting now is being done by the non union staff at Cleveland.com.

brucecuth
General User

Member Since: 12/21/2004
Post Count: 1,809

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 1:47:03 PM

The Optimist wrote:

Saw someone note two decades ago there were at 450 and with these layoffs they are now at 33. Wish Mary Kay wasn�t among the 33.

Mary Kay is not among the 33 guild members remaining at The Plain Dealer as she is not employed by the paper. She works for Cleveland.com, a separate non-union entity that shares content with the PD. Both are owned by Advance Publications.

Recovering Journalist
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Location: Cleveland, OH
Post Count: 1,839

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 1:51:56 PM

brucecuth wrote:

I would refine RJ's comment further. AP is gutting UNIONIZED newsroom staff. Most of the reporting now is being done by the non union staff at Cleveland.com.

Without risking sending this thread to Siberia, I'll just quote the article to show that we can both be correct. Overall numbers of professional working journalists continue to decline dramatically.

"A Pew Research Center analysis of Bureau of Labor statistics from 2008 to 2017 found overall newsroom employment dropped nationally by 23 percent and in newspaper newsrooms employment dropped by 45 percent. More than 2,400 media jobs have been eliminated so far this year, according to Business Insider."

brucecuth
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Member Since: 12/21/2004
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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 2:03:04 PM

Recovering Journalist wrote:

brucecuth wrote:

I would refine RJ's comment further. AP is gutting UNIONIZED newsroom staff. Most of the reporting now is being done by the non union staff at Cleveland.com.

Yes sir, it's ugly no matter how you look at it--paper by paper or industry wide...

.
General User

Member Since: 2/3/2005
Post Count: 2,969

Status: Offline

RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 4:01:20 PM

Recovering Journalist wrote:

Also, this sucks for conferences like the MAC that will go from poor or fair coverage to no coverage at all in most markets.

I used to lament this, but once it became clear even THE INTERNET wouldn't support discussion, analysis and reporting on the MAC, what with its writers who work for free, I realized there's just no appetite for it at all. You're going to be left with student publications and program PR releases. And I can't blame any media outlet for ignoring it.

Ohio puts up videos about the programs on YouTube and gets a few hundred views.

Our best hope is going to be some bored former reporter deciding to do it as a hobby, like Dave Kindred decided to start covering a high school girls basketball team.

FearLeon
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Member Since: 3/12/2005
Post Count: 4,320

Status: Offline

RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 5:53:23 PM

Brian Smith wrote:

Recovering Journalist wrote:

Also, this sucks for conferences like the MAC that will go from poor or fair coverage to no coverage at all in most markets.

Curious...would anyone on here pay $4.99 per month for subscription based website that has nothing but MAC content/articles throughout the year? And don't worry...I'm not considering starting it up...haha.

Last Edited: 4/2/2019 5:55:51 PM by FearLeon

#BleedGreen #TrentIsGOAT

OhioCatFan
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Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 14,169

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 5:56:31 PM

FearLeon wrote:

Brian Smith wrote:

Recovering Journalist wrote:

Also, this sucks for conferences like the MAC that will go from poor or fair coverage to no coverage at all in most markets.

Curious...would anyone on here pay $4.99 per month for MAC content throughout the year? And don't worry...I'm not considering starting it up...haha.

Yes, if it was good, well-written content and well-done videos. etc.

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

FearLeon
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Member Since: 3/12/2005
Post Count: 4,320

Status: Offline

RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 6:01:40 PM

OhioCatFan wrote:

FearLeon wrote:

Brian Smith wrote:

Recovering Journalist wrote:

Also, this sucks for conferences like the MAC that will go from poor or fair coverage to no coverage at all in most markets.

Curious...would anyone on here pay $4.99 per month for MAC content throughout the year? And don't worry...I'm not considering starting it up...haha.

Yes, if it was good, well-written content and well-done videos. etc.

I would too.

#BleedGreen #TrentIsGOAT

Jeff McKinney
Moderator

Member Since: 11/12/2004
Post Count: 6,102

Status: Offline

RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 6:39:06 PM

FearLeon wrote:

Brian Smith wrote:

Recovering Journalist wrote:

Also, this sucks for conferences like the MAC that will go from poor or fair coverage to no coverage at all in most markets.

Yes

GoCats105
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Member Since: 1/31/2006
Location: Seattle, WA
Post Count: 7,070

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 6:45:02 PM

FearLeon wrote:

Brian Smith wrote:

Recovering Journalist wrote:

Also, this sucks for conferences like the MAC that will go from poor or fair coverage to no coverage at all in most markets.

Yeah if there aren't any hashtags. ;)

OhioCatFan
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Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 14,169

Status: Offline

RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 8:08:33 PM

#ShouldBeAPoll

FearLeon
General User

Member Since: 3/12/2005
Post Count: 4,320

Status: Offline

RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 8:55:53 PM

OhioCatFan wrote:

#ShouldBeAPoll

Well played

#BleedGreen #TrentIsGOAT

UpSan Bobcat
General User

Member Since: 8/30/2005
Location: Upper Sandusky, OH
Post Count: 3,799

Status: Offline

RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 9:44:12 PM

FearLeon wrote:

Brian Smith wrote:

Recovering Journalist wrote:

Also, this sucks for conferences like the MAC that will go from poor or fair coverage to no coverage at all in most markets.

I would too but I don't think nearly enough people would.

BuddyLee
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 668

Status: Offline

RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/2/2019 10:43:44 PM

Always sad to see an alum lose a job :)

Last Edited: 4/2/2019 10:45:39 PM by BuddyLee

rpbobcat
General User

Member Since: 4/28/2006
Location: Rochelle Park, NJ
Post Count: 3,547

Status: Offline

RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/3/2019 6:53:25 AM

Seems the whole newspaper industry is dying,especially print editions.

Our "local" paper, "The Record" was bought by Gannett 2016.

Since then hey got got rid of most of their staff,including news and sports reporters,food,movie and theater critics.

The paper is more or less a pamphlet,with reprinted USA Today or AP Articles.

Problem is,they are the only game in town when it comes any local news and obits.

Oh,while the paper has shrunk,since it was purchased,the daily news stand price went from around $1.25 to,as of March,$2.50.

I used to pick up a paper on the way to work.
As of March,not anymore.

Recovering Journalist
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Member Since: 8/17/2010
Location: Cleveland, OH
Post Count: 1,839

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/3/2019 8:04:29 AM

rpbobcat wrote:

That's happening all across the country, and we're a far worse nation for it. No one is there to cover city council meetings, fact check, investigate, etc. So it's no wonder your local newspaper is a thin rag full of wire copy, spelling mistakes and stenography instead of reporting.

One of my first jobs was in the late 90s at the Chillicothe Gazette. It was the early days of what has been a decades-long decline, but looking back the resources that little paper had back then were incredible. We had about 10 editors of various stripes, a sports staff of two, two full-time photographers and no less than eight reporters. And the paper was still made on-site, which today is just about unheard of. I just looked at the Gazette's staff list and it shows ONE editor, four reporters and a photographer - and I'm sure the sharks are still circling those poor dudes.

cbus cat fan
General User

Member Since: 12/2/2011
Post Count: 1,169

Status: Offline

RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/3/2019 9:18:40 AM

Sadly it has been one thing after another for the print industry. For MAC sports fans in general and Bobcat fans in particular, I sense this could spell doom for our print coverage. The cutbacks in staff will mean papers will concentrate on high profile sports teams. It is not limited to sports as has been said, local news coverage gets cut so when a major issue, such as local elections, budget cuts, building project etc hits the TV news people often wonder how that happened.

Even the internet news world is changing. Think about it, how many of us that follow news, sports etc look at Twitter feeds instead of websites or blogs like we might have ten years ago. Time and the change it brings is a mind boggling proposition, while it makes life interesting it certainly gives us change for which we are all too often unprepared.

Andrew Ruck
General User

Member Since: 12/22/2004
Location: Columbus, OH
Post Count: 4,882

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/3/2019 10:00:11 AM

So with professional journalism jobs on a rapid decline...how is our beloved school of Journalism doing? Are there less interested recruits than before? Are Graduates struggling to find jobs in the field?

Andrew Ruck
B.B.A. 2003

Alan Swank
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Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,074

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/3/2019 10:04:20 AM

Andrew Ruck wrote:

Print journalism jobs may be in decline but the many other disciplines in the school of journalism are not necessarily in decline. PR, marketing and advertising are all alive and doing well.

Recovering Journalist
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Member Since: 8/17/2010
Location: Cleveland, OH
Post Count: 1,839

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/3/2019 10:29:59 AM

Alan Swank wrote:

Andrew Ruck wrote:

Print journalism jobs may be in decline but the many other disciplines in the school of journalism are not necessarily in decline. PR, marketing and advertising are all alive and doing well.

Agreed. I'd add that the skills one learns in J-school translate brilliantly to corporate life. All companies value the ability to work quickly and accurately, synthesize complex data, research well and communicate clearly.

.
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Post Count: 2,969

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RE: Elton has left the building

Posted: 4/3/2019 2:33:12 PM

To pay the salaries of multiple beat writers and give them benefits and travel budgets on a MAC-only website, you'd need to pay waaaaay more than $4.99 a month given the small pool of MAC fans. And the thing would last about as long as the AAF.

The Athletic is still a wait-and-see proposition covering the major teams, let alone mid-major athletics. (Who is going to read about the MAC from April to August? No one.) And no one knows if this model, which is being held up with VC money while it tries to develop its wings, is no sure bet. Like The National or Grantland, things that value quality over mass consumption rarely actually work out.

The dream is to do what Christopher Kimball did with Cook's Country/Kitchen...a standalone quality publication/website not beholden to any sponsorships or pandering. It's so damn hard to pull off, though.

I think student publications, pontificators who work for free and watch the games from their couches and SIDs that are kept afloat with student fees and the insanity that is college athletics funding will be the only games in town.

....

Most of our Scripps grads do great.

There was a time period there in the early 2000s when I was there that the industry was changing so quickly that the curriculum fell behind in trying to prepare us for the current landscape, but that's nobody's fault. The internet changed things so quickly there was no possible way to be ready for it.

I just never had any desire to work in any other wing of the profession than print. I started writing for a newspaper at age 13 and don't ever care to write online, do PR or corporate communications. My skillset and (lack of) people skills just don't translate well there (imagine that.) Plus, I kinda sucked at this whole thing beyond writing a good game story.

I'm happy to make double the salary with incredible benefits working on an assembly line now, doing sports writing and photography as a hobby on the side. And not deal with the insatiable vultures that count as the average news consumer these days. Jim Harrison wrote it better I suppose:�The world that used to nurse us now keeps shouting inane instructions. That's why I ran to the woods.�

Most Scripps grads have do really well in this new landscape, though.

I can't wait to one day tell my infant son I worked at a newspaper. It's going to sound like I'm telling him I was a bowling alley pinsetter.

Last Edited: 4/3/2019 2:58:22 PM by .

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