(Raleigh) N&O reduces two high-profile roles (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

WRAL-TV ^ | September 23, 2008 | Rick Smith

[abb]

The roles of Dwane Powell, an award-winning editorial cartoonist, and Ted Vaden, the public editor, have been reduced to part-time as part of continuing cutbacks at The News & Observer.

Publisher Orage Quarles III confirmed to WRAL.com in an interview Tuesday that the N&O veterans would work on a limited basis.

“You have to look at the whole picture, not just parts of it,” Quarles said when asked about why the changes were made in two of the newspapers’ most visible positions. “I had to make decisions about what our needs are not only today, but in looking forward. That’s the gist of it.”

Asked if either was offered a buyout rather than a reduction to part-time, Quarles said, “I’d rather not get into that.”

snip

[abb]

Tuesday afternoon good news.

[abb]

ping

[abb]

Also of interest to the DukeLax ping list, I think.

[Luke21]

That awful paper can’t die fast enough.

[abb]

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/starledger_union_ratifies_cont.html
Star-Ledger union ratifies contract, meeting one of three goals to prevent sale or closing

http://notthelatimes.com/classaction.html
L.A. Times writers sue readers
Recent lawsuit against newspaper’s owner is expanded to include ex-subscribers who “failed to appreciate our bodacious journalism and recklessly canceled their subscriptions.”

http://www.mediapost.com/blogs/tv_watch/?p=1035
Cable’s Big Show At ABC’s Emmys: But Where Were The Cable Viewers?

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Television_44/For_the_networks_the_hard_slog_back.asp
For the networks, the hard slog back

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/technology/news/e3i324d533915afe51b18382d80f13d424b
Mark Cuban saving ‘for the rainy day’
Calls Internet ‘matured,’ says newspapers’ end is near

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/media/e3i0e4fd2428ec797831e22a3767cc3964d
Media Execs See Tough Times Ahead
Though digital holds out some promise

http://www.foliomag.com/2008/report-just-45-news-magazines-remain
Report: Just 45 News Magazines Remain
Category experiences biggest five-year decline; regionals outnumber any other.

[maggief]

Can’t wait to see this POS dead and buried.

[abb]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003853623
Seattle Daily Paper Drivers Vote to Strike

http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/09/22/internet-news-balboni-biz-media-cx_jea_0922global.html
Future Of News
Owning The News

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/edfd4864-8954-11dd-8371-0000779fd18c.html
Channel 4 to cut 15% of workforce

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6598410.html
Netflix to Stream CBS, Disney Channel Shows
Netflix transforming from subscription-based movie-rental service to online content provider with wide array of programming.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6598387.html
Sinclair Cuts Outlook as Political Goes to National TV
Sinclair Broadcast Group sees lower-than-anticipated political ads, shift by candidates to more national TV buys.

[abb]

ping

[aberfoyle]

Positively Darwinian!

[Moose4]

Heh. I’ve searched the N&O’s website back several days, and can’t find a single article referencing the Durham County elections people wanting state officials to come in and check out the voter fraud ACORN is trying to pull over here in the Bull City. They’ve sent in 15 registrations with the same name and signature on it, used 14-year-olds’ names and forged signatures, even dredged up the names of the deceased, in time-honored Democrat tradition.

Well, I take that back, I found one article. “Republicans slam group suspected of voter fraud.” Ah, N&O, you’re so predictable.

}:-)4

[Milhous]

Dwane Powell, an award-winning editorial cartoonist ... [has] been reduced to part-time

During my childhood editorial cartoons looked like horrible art over a word salad caption. Obsessive repetitive caricaturization of Bush as a chimp eventually made editorial cartoons boring and unworthy of my time. Over time my impression of editorial cartoons reverted back to horrible art over a word salad caption.

[Locomotive Breath]

I’m reminded of the old joke.

Q: What do you call a busload of lawyers going over a cliff?
A: A good start.

This is a good start. Now if they’d just get rid of Linda Williams, Barry Saunders and Ruth Sheehan they’d have something.

[Old North State]

I still occasionally read this paper and I can attest that Powell has gone from banal and utterly predictable to childish and utterly predictable. The other guy is just kind of incoherent. The publisher, Quarles, seems like one of those clueless Southerners who has read “To Kill a Mockingbird” fifty times and is convinced he is a crusader against a racist South that ended fifty years ago.

[Milhous]

Just as everything looks like a nail to a man with a hammer, a man with sanctimony only sees racism.

[SevenofNine]

That very good newsssssss

[abb]

http://www.observer.com/2008/media/newhouse-threat-potential-star-ledger-closure-we-do-not-bluff-or-lie
Newhouse on Threat of Potential Star-Ledger Closure: ‘We Do Not Bluff or Lie’

[TASMANIANRED]

Reaping what they have sown

[TASMANIANRED]

All those journalism students working at Mc’D’s.

Shame isn’t it.

[MitchellC]

NC *Ping*

Please FRmail MitchellC if you want to be added to or removed from this North Carolina ping list.

[JoanOfArk]

They should have paid attention to what John in Carolina was telling them. He should start a psychic hotline.