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* There was some hand-wringing on Twitter yesterday from Springfield reporters about this news…
The State Journal-Register announced Monday it is considering a move to print the Springfield newspaper in Peoria.
SJ-R Publisher Walt T. Lafferty said if the change is made, the Springfield newspaper would be able to take advantage of a more modern printing plant at the Journal Star in Peoria. Both newspapers are owned by Fairport, N.Y.-based GateHouse Media Inc.
The change in print location could occur within the first quarter of 2011, but any move is subject to bargaining with certain unions, Lafferty said.
It is unclear how many jobs would be lost as part of the proposed change. There are currently 32 full-time and 32 part-time positions in the departments that would be affected.
Let me be clear up front that I feel terrible for the people who may lose their jobs. But this could be a sound business move that could keep reporters working. If there has to be a choice, I’d take reporters over printers any day.
The Daily Herald is still reeling from its decision to build a gigantic multi-million dollar printing plant just as the Internet took off big. Ever since, it’s been newsroom cutback after newsroom cutback, and it shows in the quality of some of the paper’s reporting.
Newspapers, like every other business, need to make money. But they also need to put out a quality product. That product has suffered greatly as the bean-counters dumbed down their content so they could pay off the horrific debt the companies almost universally racked up during the gigantic buying spree earlier in the decade. If this move saves reporters’ jobs, then I’m for it.
* Not every media outlet these days is a for-profit venture. The BGA recently hired several ex-reporters as investigators and is doing some quality journalism. Today, the BGA is pointing to its online cache of every city mayoral petition.
BGA honcho Andy Shaw also has a daily “What I’m Watching” post that you should check out.
* From the New York Times…
In less than four weeks, NJN, the public radio and television network owned by New Jersey, will run out of state money to operate. Without a last-minute intervention, its outlets will go off the air on Dec. 31, and NJN’s 130 employees have already received layoff notices.
With plenty of competing options being floated to reinvent NJN, no one really expects it to go dark in the long term. Last week, Gov. Chris Christie told The Star-Ledger in Newark that he expected to delay the cuts in order to give interested parties time to come up with a plan. NJN had been receiving about $11 million a year in state subsidies, including $4 million as part of its $18 million operating budget.
One advantage Gov. Christie has over Illinois is that he inherited a far more featherbedded budget than we’ve ever had here. New Jersey has fewer people than Illinois and yet has vastly more state employees, for instance. And that public broadcasting budget is way more than what Illinois spends - both in per capita and in actual dollars.
At its peak, Illinois spent about $5 milion a year on public broadcasting, with TV getting three-quarters of that. This year, it’s down to about a million dollars or so, with the same 75-25 TV to radio split.
Springfield’s WUIS is getting about $25-30K this fiscal year. But some innovative ideas from station boss Bill Wheelhouse are starting to pay off. Wheelhouse is one of the greatest Americana afficionados I’ve ever met, and his Bedrock 66 concert series is currently showing a surplus.
More like this, please.
* Several of my subscribers have asked me why they’re getting daily promo e-mails from the Chicago News Cooperative’s mayoral race newsletter. I sent CNC an e-mail weeks ago inquiring about the situation, but haven’t heard back. Rest assured, I did not sell my list. It’s not for sale to anyone at any price unless they want to buy my company, and that won’t be cheap. A few years back, however, I accidentally sent out a Capitol Fax without blind-copying the recipients. I sure hope nobody is using that list because it’s copyrighted material. I’m not saying, I’m just saying.
* Related…
* Tribune creditors to vote on 4 reorganization plans
* Tribune Co. reorg plan packet won’t include strongly worded letter: judge
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 11:27 am
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Always nice to know whose livelihood is more valuable, must be the unbiased reporter in me.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 11:36 am
Re: the Cap Fax list,
I started getting the Statehouse News e-mail alerts and thought for a half-second you sold me out. Then it occurred to me that I’m on the lobbyist list. Duh. Maybe that’s where CNC is trolling?
If anyone is using the state lobbyist list, I hope Jesse White is getting a piece of the action for the state. I hate it when I get fundraising invites from legislators and candidates who blindly mail to everyone on it, and never respond to those. But if you were starting to put together a universe of potential subscribers, that’s as good a place as any to start, assuming it’s legal to use it that way.
Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 11:42 am
===Maybe that’s where CNC is trolling?==
Could very well be, but my Texas brother is also getting the e-mails. He’s no lobster, and he’s definitely not an Illinoisan.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 11:48 am
dear CNC trolls: not only will the helm of CapFax institute legal actions, but it appears you are bothering people, class action? rich, i’m sure if you need legal help, you will let the community know.
Comment by amalia Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 11:51 am
Here Here on the Motion by Amalia.
Comment by Living in Oklahoma Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 11:59 am
Take it easy, people. Thanks.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 12:01 pm
Until recent days, I didn’t believe another state bailout was possible. Now I think it might be likely.
No one wants to see a major government like California default because it could set the dominoes falling (by the way, is America ready for the return of the once and future governor, Jerry Brown; what’s the over/under on how many months if will take for him to say he’s considering a primary challenge to Obama?).
Look at what the EU is doing to prop up its members.
Bernanke is pumping more cash into the economy and begging Congress not to raise taxes OR cut spending. Looks like Obama and the GOP House have come to an agreement on just that. Hopefully, the monetary and fiscal sides can be working together.
Wall Street and Corporate America got theirs and the sky didn’t fall. TARP is being repaid with interest, the GM IPO went gangbusters, stocks are at a two-year-high and corporate profits are on a record pace.
Who, other than the The Murdochistas, will howl about keeping schools and prisons operating? Fox and the WSJ will scream as long as Obama is president, anyway.
By the way, is there a more sinister force in the American body politic than Rupert Murdoch?
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 12:04 pm
===By the way, is there a more sinister force in the American body politic than Rupert Murdoch?===
No, but Roger Ailes has to be a close second. What a perfect henchman for Murdoch. I remember when Ailes was Lynn Martin’s media guru. He called Paul Simon a wienie. Now he’s running the top rated cable “news” program in America. He’s a political hired gun turned news director. Fair and balanced my arse.
Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 12:08 pm
heh. i worked that campaign…
Comment by bored now Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 12:11 pm
I don’t get the fax, the blog is enough for me, so I don’t know what I am missing, but the cnc thing is pretty bad. There’s no information on it I would actually pay for and when the new york times goes metered next year, the cnc will NOT be a reason I decide to pay for it if I do.
Comment by shore Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 12:15 pm
Illinois needs to default and the sooner the better. Perhaps that will wake up the voters there to finally realize that there is no free lunch in this world. It is a shame that it has come this for, but thats the cost of a very politically uneducated easily fooled voter base.
Comment by Laughing all the way Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 12:17 pm
Who spent the weekend watching mob movies on tv? Goomahs in the last post, “this thing of ours” in this one, is Emil writing the blog today?
Comment by Scooby Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 12:29 pm
==heh. i worked that campaign…==
On the wrong side, no doubt.
Comment by Bill Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 12:36 pm
It may well be a sound business venture that keeps reporters working, just not working late into the night. The SJR has some of the latest deadlines now. That would likely dramatically change as they have to hit a press run in Peoria. Keep in mind, Peoria is still going to print its own paper. Most likely SJR would be first press run to get it trucked back. Then PJS would hit the presses.
Aside from late Capitol stories, I think it’d be a nightmare for sports reporters and sports page readers. Don’t know how you’d accomodate late sports scores, other than refer readers to the free online content.
Comment by piling on Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 1:32 pm
===The SJR has some of the latest deadlines now… Aside from late Capitol stories, I think it’d be a nightmare for sports reporters and sports page readers.===
Yes, their deadline is quite late, but as you also imply, other papers are operating with earlier deadlines and they’re still operating.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 1:36 pm
Since there is almost no news on the Peoria paper they should have plenty of time to print the SJR and several others
When will the BGA or anyone else notice Meeks curculated a lot of petitions in June.
When will the BGA, Capt Fax, et al. start asking IL Corps how much the gave the RGA, GPS Crossroads, etc to fund the effort to smear Quinn?
The Washington Post did some reporting yesterday about how ‘Broads Cross’ favorite funders — the Griffins–had shelled out to other secret funding efforts.
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 1:57 pm
Right, but currently they can hold a sports page to make sure they get the final for the Illini game or the late game story for the local high school matchup or the Bear’s Monday Night Football write through.
That’s gonna be hard to impossible given the press runs in Peoria. Yes, the Peoria paper will be able to still have late updates, but given the stacking up of products being printed there, there won’t be much flexibility in late runs for anyone going before then. Keep in mind, you’ll have to get one paper through and off so the next can start going.
For example, go pick up a Lake County edition of the Daily Herald for election results and compare how many races are reported as undecided vs. the Cook County/Arlington Heights edition of the same paper. The reason is one version has to go to press wayyyy before the other.
Springfield will likely be the early version as its going to have to get trucked back to the Capitol City while the Peoria local press run starts.
Yes, reporters and readers elsewhere have learned to deal with it. But it could be quite a transition for Springfield.
Comment by piling on Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 2:11 pm
Really, piling on, its Springfield. The SJ-R is not the go-to place for the Bears’ monday night football analysis.
And, like Rich said, other places get along just fine.
Comment by George Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 3:08 pm
Sorry, was reading the “end of the world” comments over at the SJR.com
I’m sure with Rich’s long history in the print world that he knows best.
Comment by piling on Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 3:15 pm
Piling on, what are you going to do? The print business model has gone the way of the buggy whip.
Think about it. Harvest Canadian timber. Ship it and turn it into newsprint. Print, then truck and deliver.
Or, you can just take the same content and put in online, for virtually nothing.
I’m a newsprint guy, forever. I still buy two or three dailies, every day, and whatever magazines I can justify the expense, other than nostalgia (not many, anymore). I feel half-naked (not a pretty image, even for me) if I’m walking downtown without a paper under my arm. But it’s gone. It’s all over but the crying.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 3:27 pm
I second wordslinger.
The rare missed print deadline from a late high school game vs. saving tons of cash to preserve the news room staff is basically a no-brainer in the days of online journalism.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 3:36 pm
From the SJ-R’s comments…
===Ridiculous! I will also cancel my subscription. I usually read it online anyway. ===
Exactly.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 3:38 pm
Dead tree editions are quickly disappearing. How much more time will this give them?
The SJR comments on this story are hilarious…probably posted by many workers on the clock. They obviously have no idea how much papers are suffering.
Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 4:32 pm
As I’ve said before, MSM in the U.S. needs to follow the lead of its European counterparts and put their best reporters online breaking news, instead of regurgitating their hard copy online.
Basically, they all need their own Rich Miller.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 5:40 pm
Rich, thanks for posting the BGA Cloud Cache of Mayoral petitions. fascinating. The bit about the petitions for Rahm from the suburbs was sure right on. in fact, seems like quite a high percentage of the first 1000 pages I looked at for circulator info. maybe more interesting is circulators from DC, Mass, Wisconsin, even Portland Oregon. certainly legal if they put all those in, but sure seems not in the spirit of the law. Only made it through the first 500 of Chico. lots of family. and some guy from the 11th ward who was quite active in signature collection. want to look at more for Chico and then del valle. interesting scanning! thanks again for the link. so valuable.
Comment by amalia Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 6:40 pm
For me, print clearly beats a screen.
Comment by Siwash Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 9:06 pm
Amazed at the number of commenters on the SJR article who think printing the paper in Peoria means Springfield won’t have a paper. Unreal.
Comment by Cheswick Tuesday, Dec 7, 10 @ 11:14 pm