TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online
Tribune, WFLA Staffs Offered Voluntary Buyouts
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Published: April 14, 2008
TAMPA - The Florida Communications Group said today it is offering voluntary buyouts, including severance packages, to about half its 1,326 employees, including those with The Tampa Tribune and WFLA, News Channel 8.
The program is aimed at reducing staff and other costs in a difficult economic environment in the Tampa Bay area, said John Schueler, president of Florida Communications Group, which oversees the operation of The Tribune, WFLA, TBO.com and other Florida media outlets.
Schueler said the program includes severance packages depending on years of service with the company for eligible employees.
For example, some employees would be eligible for severance up to 39 weeks. Schueler said that if not enough employees accept the severance offer, layoffs are possible.
He said that FCG has not determined the amount of money the company wants to save or the number of employees it must shed but that the cost savings needed are significant.
In addition to the Tribune and News Channel 8, FCG, a subsidiary of Media General, includes TBO.com, Centro Grupo de Comunicacion, Sunbelt Newspapers, Suncoast News, Hernando Today and Highlands Today.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( DarthRandall ) on April 14, 2008 at 1:31 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Josh Poltilove - Hint hint.........
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Posted by ( Claylisa ) on April 14, 2008 at 1:33 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Sounds like the last season of "The Wire".
This economy is a killer.
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Posted by ( DennyPCrane ) on April 14, 2008 at 1:34 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Gayle Sierens don't you dare leave, it was bad enough when Bob retired.
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Posted by ( signit4bes ) on April 14, 2008 at 1:40 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Gee, ya think that'll diminish the quality of TBO?
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Posted by ( idiotwind ) on April 14, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
My heart aches for my ink-stained colleagues. But, as Hyman Roth once noted, "This is the business we have chosen."
As one who was cashiered a year ago, I can offer a bit of solace: There is life after print, and chances are it will prove less stressful in the long run.
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Posted by ( cavedog ) on April 14, 2008 at 1:55 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by ( goodhands33637 ) on April 14, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Maybe if the Trib put out a better product it wouldn't be so bad? For the last several years the paper has been getting smaller and thinner! Yes, I know there is the TV, radio and internet to compete with but nothing will replace the hometown NEWSPAPER! It's what millions of men read every day when they take their morning poop!
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Posted by ( Pepo ) on April 14, 2008 at 2:07 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Dan Ruth comes to mind
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Posted by ( motorist ) on April 14, 2008 at 2:09 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Watch news 8 on weekends with Jen Leigh.
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Posted by ( skeeter ) on April 14, 2008 at 2:14 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The reporter neglected to mention what the most recent compensation packages were, for FCG and Media General's top executives.
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Posted by ( goodhands33637 ) on April 14, 2008 at 2:26 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Oh yes, Jen leigh....hhmmmm. Yummy! The morning traffic chick with Gayle Guyardo is quite an impressive combo as well! WFLA does at least hire quality on air talent!
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Posted by ( northfla ) on April 14, 2008 at 2:40 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Man this economy sucks.
Do they have wi-fi for the homeless? I would hate to lose my ability to post.
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Posted by ( cavedog ) on April 14, 2008 at 2:46 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Ouch!
You guys are gonna get flat feet.
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Posted by ( JLJ ) on April 14, 2008 at 2:49 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I have (sadly) watched the decline of the Trib over the last few years. I know it has been hard for newspapers to compete in this age of instant gratification. This morning’s news is old hat before the sun goes down.
Very few people want the in-depth coverage only a newspaper can give. Reading all those words can be laborious. Besides, if it’s really important, Rush or Glenn will cover it on the radio.
We don’t need no stinkin’ newspaper.
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Posted by ( JamieKrueger ) on April 14, 2008 at 2:56 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
GoodHands:
Don't forget all the ladies that read it while they poo too!
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Posted by ( jackmarginfl ) on April 14, 2008 at 3:11 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Yeah, Dan Ruth would be on the "wouldn't miss him much" list.
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Posted by ( peak ) on April 14, 2008 at 3:19 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
This is the End......
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Posted by ( chuckhill ) on April 14, 2008 at 3:24 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by ( Yank ) on April 14, 2008 at 3:32 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
This economy didn't start yesterday. It's been many years in the making. For us in our area it was the imported cars and other steel imports. They just dumped cheap steel which we couldn't compete price wise. Mittel from India bought up all the bankrupt steel companies for penny's on a dollar. Then took what he needed and shut the rest down. He bought Weirton steel, ran it for a few years and shut all steel operations down except for the Tim Mill. 1965 we had nearly 15,000 employes, now it's down to 800 employees.
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Posted by ( pojamie ) on April 14, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Yes, this economy is horrible!!! My husband is in land development and was laid off 6 months! They just reduced my hours at work to 10 hours a week.
This is effecting everyone!
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Posted by ( Concerned1963 ) on April 14, 2008 at 3:55 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The economy might be in difficult times, but when the news coverage and accuracy is as bad as the Tribunes and Channel 8's are, I'd tend to blame the lower revenues on a crappy product, not a crappy economy. It's funny that people think our economy is so bad, when the unemployment numbers have been lower than the numbers we had during the Clinton Administration. Perhaps the Florida Communications Group is getting what it deserves for it's own shoddy reporting practices.
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Posted by ( goodhands33637 ) on April 14, 2008 at 4:08 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by ( Ronblue ) on April 14, 2008 at 4:15 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Yes, if radio is among the affected, I suggest getting rid of WFLA-AM entirely, as it has not served the public interest well in years (22 minutes of news/weather daily per 11 hours of right wing hate). As an alternative, I recommend putting Dan Ruth and the barbecue guy on weekdays from 9am to 10pm and relegating Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin to the (all 3) to the Saturday morning slot.
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Posted by ( Captain ) on April 14, 2008 at 4:20 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
If they would only get rid of Gayle Guyardo, replace her with Jen Leigh, put Leigh Spann on in the mornings doing weather, and you would have an all star team... worth getting out of bed for!
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Posted by ( Concerned1963 ) on April 14, 2008 at 4:27 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Ronblue seems to think that removing the highest revenue-generating shows on WFLA radio will somehow 'help' the situation. Ron, you need to understand that if the shows you seem to hate get high ratings, your opinion is in the minority, not the majority. Apparently economics isn't your strong suit.
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Posted by ( rambler ) on April 14, 2008 at 4:32 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
With the Internet, where you literally get your news up to the minute, the old newspaper is only good for three things:
-toilet reading
-fly swatting
-birdcage lining
well, 4 if you count fish wrapping
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Posted by ( Stevep ) on April 14, 2008 at 4:33 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by ( Ronblue ) on April 14, 2008 at 4:49 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Hi Concerned. I understand LCD radio. Seems someone recently said something about guns and religion that struck a nerve all over the place. I would put right wing radio among "things people cling to" when they fear. The broadcasters, to their discredit since the death of the Fairness Doctrine on August 7, 1987, don't let a salient counterpoint in edgewise. Otherwise, on a level playing field, they know they will lose the debate. They claim they want debate, but then quelch it when it accepts. Funny stuff.
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Posted by ( Melody07 ) on April 14, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I watched Channel 8 News every morning until John Winter commited suicide. It just hasn't been the same since. It's boring.
Who has time to read the Tribune every day anymore? We all use the internet & the TV news to get our info these days. However, I do subscribe to the Sunday edition for the sale papers. Still fun to browse through.
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Posted by ( jprestig ) on April 14, 2008 at 4:55 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Captain - What's wrong with Jenn Hill? You'd seriously rather see Leigh Spann do the weather in the mornings?? I think Jenn Hill does a great job. As far as the Gayle/Jen Leigh switch though, I definitely agree with that.
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Posted by ( mcc410x ) on April 14, 2008 at 5:23 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Concerned1963, I'm curious what you think is "inaccurate" on the tv or in the newspaper.
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Posted by ( BSura ) on April 14, 2008 at 5:42 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Marshall N. Morton, the CEO of Media General, which owns the Tribune and Channel 8, as well as a number of other papers around the southeast, made $3,314,284 in 2006. I wonder if he took a couple dollars less last year?
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Posted by ( DorkSpotter ) on April 14, 2008 at 6:05 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Last guy out: the guy who deletes these comments.
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Posted by ( biff_henderson ) on April 14, 2008 at 6:31 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Ronblue, Concerned1963 ... WFLA radio (970 AM) is not owned by Media General and is not affiliated with WFLA-TV. It was at one time, but not for more than 25 years.
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Posted by ( cavedog ) on April 14, 2008 at 6:37 p.m.
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Posted by ( 3xchrm ) on April 14, 2008 at 6:41 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Gayle Guyardo should come off the news until the swelling in her face goes down. NO more botox, please!!
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Posted by ( situp ) on April 14, 2008 at 6:43 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I am going hope against the odds that Daniel Ruth could be one of the cuts made at the Tribune. Please, please, please let him be gone!
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Posted by ( dkutzangel ) on April 14, 2008 at 6:50 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Unbelievable how cavalier these comments are when a lot of good people will be losing their jobs. My prayers are with all the employees that this will affect.
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Posted by ( situp ) on April 14, 2008 at 7:40 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Funny difference when the media lays people off it is not mentioned that they are trying to increase their profits. If this were a "big company" the media and the left wing would be talking about corporate greed, corrupt manager's and the plight of middle America!!
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Posted by ( alneri ) on April 14, 2008 at 8:16 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Dan Ruth - practice this line "Hi! Welcome to Wal-Mart."
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Posted by ( welshiesdad ) on April 14, 2008 at 8:29 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The Trib hasn't been the same since I left....lol
Believe me, I am a happier fellow...
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Posted by ( MadMax ) on April 14, 2008 at 9:29 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Pretty soon all newspapers and TV stations will be nothing more than a rack of file servers run by a consultant in India . . .
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Posted by ( PirateMark ) on April 14, 2008 at 9:33 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Media General is no better than any other big corporation. The executives at the top will do whatever it takes to stay overpaid at the expense of the employees that work there. And still put out a paper that sucks due to the crappy reporters coming up with less than newsworthy stories to print. Or has the other bay area newspaper reporters come up with the good stories?
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Posted by ( banded ) on April 14, 2008 at 9:46 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I spent my 20 years with the Ma Trib before leaving last year, best thing I ever did (working there, and leaving) I never met anyone who left there that was sorry about it after a short bit of time. If you want my advice. Take the money and run!!!
good luck, don't panic.
mark g.
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Posted by ( MrFancyPants ) on April 14, 2008 at 9:56 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Please, Please, Please get rid of Gayle Sierens. She is so old and haggard looking, and her voice is unbearable.
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Posted by ( hunkadore ) on April 14, 2008 at 11:08 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
[Note to you rule makers: hate is a relative term. I hate no one. But I do call a spade a spade.]
To all you who voted for George W. Bush, I have this Dr. Phil type question for you: "HOW'S THAT WORKING FOR YOU?" The very people complaining on here are probably the morons who voted FOR A MORON. What an incompetent MORON this President is. Hopefully, you mini morons will get it right this time. And just in case you need a little help, here's a clue: JOHN McCAIN, is a doppleganger of George W. Bush. K???
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Posted by ( dsjk100 ) on April 15, 2008 at 12:26 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Let’s see how the liberal employees of the trib like layoffs caused by out of control taxes. The tribs finical numbers may be bad but if their property taxes were less they would not have to cut so many jobs. Maybe now the trib will support real tax cuts. Or maybe the trib will see the light when it comes to government efficiency, now maybe they will remember when it comes to tax savings that the job they save may be their own.
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Posted by ( BSura ) on April 15, 2008 at 12:59 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I'm pretty sure these pending reductions in staff have nothing to do with "out of control taxes".
It's mismanagement at the corporate level. Media General has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last two years lobbying legislators in Washington to rescind laws limiting the number of media outlets they could own in a certain area--but they can't afford to pay their workers at their flagship paper.
It's a really sad and disgusting example of greed.
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Posted by ( fireberd ) on April 15, 2008 at 5:57 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
They could get rid of the sports reporters. The little bit they get at the end of the 6 PM news isn't worth it. But I doubt that the "Talent" gets axed at Channel 8.
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Posted by ( slappy ) on April 15, 2008 at 6:46 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Man,if this keeps up I'll be forced to live in a trailer.
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Posted by ( mcmurphy7 ) on April 15, 2008 at 7:28 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Victoria Lim can move in with me.
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Posted by ( Captain ) on April 15, 2008 at 7:30 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
jprestig - aside from her wardrobe, nothing is wrong with Jen Hill. I was just giving my "dream team," as I am a big Leigh Spann fan. Oh, and I dream of them getting rid of Gayle G.!
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Posted by ( StormVet90 ) on April 15, 2008 at 7:35 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
The economy is not that bad. It's just correcting itself from being over-inflated for the last decade. Housing is still good it's just not great. Anyone who bought 10 years ago will STILL make a profit if they sold today just not as much as if they had sold 2 years ago. Look, the only thing holding the economy back from roaring is the gas prices and that is our own fault. We could be drilling in ANWR or off the coast of Florida but we refuse to do so because it's too politically incorrect. I submit that if we stop worry about politics and start using some common sense like building some more nuke plants we could be energy independent in a decade and our economy will no longer be held hostage by our enemies. Until that happens we will be stuck in this rut and everything will get more expensive as transportation prices increase. The truckers had it right when they went on strike but nobody backed them so it went no where. Wake up people!!! Until we get to the point where we can utilize alternative energy resources OIL IS IT and we better go get it before someone else does. But if you would rather we didn't drill (for all the environmemtal wackos out there) then enjoy the rising gas prices, food prices...everything prices because it will get much worse before it gets better.
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Posted by ( Yankee ) on April 15, 2008 at 7:58 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Personally, I like the morning crew. I wake to them every morning. Gail, Bill you guys are great!
As for Alicia, she's o.k. but I like Denise a lot better and as for Jen, she's a good weather girl.
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Posted by ( Concerned1963 ) on April 15, 2008 at 8:06 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Biff, I thought that was the case.... I was simply responding to Ron's comments. As far as innaccuracy goes, well, let's see.... the House and Senate pass bills prohibiting employers from banning firearms in personal vehicles (NOT expressly stating employees can bring guns to work, but that's the way it played out in the headlines) and the next thing you know, Channel 8 is running video showing piles of rifles in the back seat of a car. I bet if they could have borrowed a grenade launcher, it would have been in the seat as well. How accurate is that? And Ron, they liberals tried Air America and nobody listened. The Fairness Doctrine did nothing except squelch free enterprise. And we gun owners do not 'cling' to our firearms, we believe in our Constitution.
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 15, 2008 at 8:56 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
To situp:
You try writing a story about a layoff which will affect half of your friends and co-workers and possibly your own job.
For those who question the importance of the press, I suggest you do a little reseach, starting here;
http://www.iadb.org/news/articledetail.cfm?artID=2099&language=EN
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Posted by ( demum ) on April 15, 2008 at 8:58 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
What's new? The Trib sucks. Yawn.
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Posted by ( altedbaseball ) on April 15, 2008 at 8:59 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
why all the hating on the "right?"
you democrats, that's right, you democrats, had this general election in the BAG. leave it to the "left" to screw up their best opportunity in winning the white house.
even when the "right" offers someone, john mccain, that is not so "right," the democrats still complain.
you screwed up your chances, and know you're whining again.
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Posted by ( Tarbucket ) on April 15, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I see that Media General representative has denied that this has anything to do with a possible takeover and sell out by the hedge fund Harbinger. Yeah...right! I gotta bridge here...LOL
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Posted by ( wrongtalker ) on April 15, 2008 at 9:07 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
A couple of talkin' heads that wouldn't be missed:
Keith Cates- overly impressed with himself; Stephanie Scheibel - a Minnesota milk-maid going menopausal.
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Posted by ( Concerned1963 ) on April 15, 2008 at 9:31 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Jill, I'm not questioning the value of the press in any way. I am, however, questioning the values OF the press these days. It certainly seems that the media is tailored to sell advertising and generate revenue, rather than inform the public in a timely, truthful, and unbiased manner.
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 15, 2008 at 9:33 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Media General CEO Earns More Than $2M
By MICHAEL FELBERBAUM 03.19.08, 5:12 PM ET
RICHMOND, Va. - The chief executive officer of struggling newspaper publisher and television station operator Media General Inc. received executive compensation valued at more than $2 million during 2007, according to a regulatory filing Wednesday...
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/03/19/ap4795554.html
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Posted by ( mikeorlando ) on April 15, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Will we even notice that they are gone ?
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Posted by ( littleman ) on April 15, 2008 at 10 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Hey Wrongtalker (idiot), it's Stacie not Stephanie. I'm thinking you're the one impressed with yourself.
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Posted by ( Ronblue ) on April 15, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Air America is still floundering on the air, just not in the Tampa market. Progressives and liberals, for the most part, make good conceivers, educators, and humorists, not fighters. Conservatives love the fight and the good ol' pig wrastle. In the realm of American political speech, the AM band remains the electronic public square as it is most freely available to the public. (It's in your car on the way to lunch if nowhere else.) Speech is now squelched post-Fairness Doctrine by a runaway Darwinian free-market model rather than fostered by healthy debate and an ability to answer which was the case prior to 8/7/87 (the public trustee model). Personal attack rules were swept out in 2000, a golden opportunity which the hard-liners seized upon with great glee. And there is your content today. Of course I admit that attack, screeching delivery, and divisiveness SELL. So does cockfighting and slasher films. There is your "free enterprise". Those who currently control the bullhorns are abusing free enterprise and taking this country down in flames sooner than we know unless reasoned people begin to speak up. The democratic candidates are falling prey to unexciting human foibles and repetitive psychological manipulation of the many by one-way speech. Sad state of affairs.
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Posted by ( Concerned1963 ) on April 15, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Jill, what exactly do you THINK his pay should be, and why?
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 15, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Who knows.
Let them eat cake.
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Posted by ( mamac ) on April 15, 2008 at 10:14 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
hey hunkadore - i voted for Bush - seems to be working out just fine for me - and i am proud to be a mccain supporter - GW Bush is HOT!!!!
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Posted by ( Busa ) on April 15, 2008 at 10:41 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Hey Mamac--Me too!! Also proud member of the vast right wing conspiracy.
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Posted by ( politicalmike ) on April 15, 2008 at 10:47 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Serves this rag of a newspaper right. 970 WFLA and the Trib. have to be two of the worst sources for news in the Tampa Bay area.
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Posted by ( politicalmike ) on April 15, 2008 at 10:51 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Is Gayle Guyardo's buyout a case of Crown Royal and two black male strippers?
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Posted by ( LutzLady ) on April 15, 2008 at 10:54 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
It's just another sign of the "times"
Many companies are doing this. Least they are offering severance and buyouts.
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Posted by ( sonofabench ) on April 15, 2008 at 11:06 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
who cares...it's not like thess puppets are going to put out any real news. Can you say "AP echoe machine". I mean do any of these companies know the meaning of investigative journalism. Compare the reports here to that of the public broadcasting journalist or say amy goodman from NPR...it almost seems as if you guys are highly frugged up or brainwashed. What scandal have these guys uncovered..none! I mean if I hear another cat stuck in a tree story..I'm going to puke. Oh..they really get me when the report celebrity news like it's real hard street journalism....Who cares about trailer trash Spears and why is she on primetime news!
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 15, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Puppets?
Let's see you write a news story sonofabench. I'm sure it would be riveting.
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Posted by ( rambler ) on April 15, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Blame it on the Times, er, I mean, times.
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Posted by ( Satchel ) on April 15, 2008 at 11:29 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Mamac is about to froth at the mouth again with her hate about the left, any one who opposes Bush and christianity.
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Posted by ( alneri ) on April 15, 2008 at 11:58 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Jill - Anyone who does not question the value of the press need only read the recent front-page article in the Trib about the thrill imparted on the area lesbian "community" by the NCAA women's basketball tournament. However, this is not about whether there will be a press or not - it is about how people choose to obtain their news. Traditional newspapers have insulted their customers with biased reporting, alarmist articles regarding the scare of the day. hidden agendas, etc. for years. No one cares anymore - we are all finding better sources of information on the internet, talk radio and cable TV channels. As much as you hate to admit it, newspapers are a business and they will fail if they do not attract customers. What they pay their CEO and who they lay-off are decisions made by the owners or shareholders and not part of a public debate.
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Posted by ( funda_mental ) on April 15, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Why not start at the top [with job cuts] and work down since it was likely their mismanagement and high salaries causing the need to eliminate 5 jobs [I'm guessing] for every 1 'office' job? The economy is bad enough, thanks for adding to the unemployment rate.
Rather than cutting all those jobs, why not cut salaries by 10% for non-salaried workers and 30% for salary jobs? I guess the Fat Cats want to make sure they can afford their next BMW or Mercedes payment.
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 15, 2008 at 1:24 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Well, judging from your comments, you obviously still read the paper.
No kidding newspapers are a business. And the reason the business is in trouble is not because of shoddy journalism but because of a downturn in the state's economy.
Newspapers make their money on advertisements, not the 50 cents a copy you pay for a subscription and advertising is down because the economy is tight and there's no point advertising things that people can't afford to buy.
Maybe you missed Jan Hollingsworth's story "A Broken Mind" or a recent editorial about Amy McGuire, the woman who was hired to manage One Bay, a regional visioning group, who also, coincidentally, had been representing 20 landowners who own 90 percent of the developable land in south Hillsborough.
Weren't you glad to hear that the person who would be determining the future of your neighborhood had a vested interest in the outcome and not just an unbiased "vision"?
In order for there to be news it has to happen so if the paper isn't filled every day with Puliter-quality investigative reporting maybe that's because it isn't happening. But the paper gets printed every day and it has have something in it.
You try covering ... Dover, let's say, and try and find a story that would be up to your own standards a couple of times a week.
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Posted by ( MrShrek ) on April 15, 2008 at 1:27 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
DON"T WORRY PEOPLE!!!!! Everyone affected by a possible will most likely end up writing for The National Inferior...After all "Inferior Minds Want To Know"
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Posted by ( MrShrek ) on April 15, 2008 at 1:31 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
layoff...(see above post)
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Posted by ( secksfenders ) on April 15, 2008 at 1:43 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
get rid of all the writers who can't write worth crap.
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Posted by ( alneri ) on April 15, 2008 at 2:21 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Jill - I do read the Trib and other papers on-line, I am glad they don't need my 50 cents. It is disingenuous to attribute declining ad revenue to economic conditions. The fact is that Craigslist has taken most of the classified ads and circulation declines have reduced other ad revenue.
Jan Hollingsworth gave us alarmist and factually incorrect stories about Benlate, Malathion and other pesticides over the course of several years. Follow-up would show 1) that the nurseries that used Benlate had been compensated for their land but wanted more money so they raised the health issue which they lost in court, 2) that the professor at USF who claimed that his research would show hundereds of people were sickened by Malathion spraying never showed any illnesses, and 3) that the whistle-blower state worker who claimed he was fired for reporting people were sickened was found by a Federal court to have been properly disciplined. These types of articles with their hidden agendas and biased reporting are exactly why I browse on the internet while waiting for beter sources of info to update.
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Posted by ( 9fingers ) on April 15, 2008 at 2:28 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I am sorry this is happening.I like the Trib-I moved away over a yr ago,but I read it online everyday.I always thought it did a way better job in op-ed,sports,funnies, and local coverage than the St.Cheatersburg Crimes.I also loved it when the op-ed pages differed,funny how many times the Trib seemed to have a better batting avg in elections and especially ballot measures.I hope all the employees find work and continue to try to smash that arrogant bird cage liner across the bay.
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 15, 2008 at 2:51 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I mentioned Jan Hollingsworth because of an award she got from the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors’ for a feature she wrote last year.
Much of the information you can find on the internet was published somewhere.
Keep limiting the sources of infomation and you aren't going to be able to find it there either.
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Posted by ( Melody07 ) on April 15, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
My problem with our local news stations & papers is that for some unknown reason they feel we only want to hear 98% bad news. Why not give us more uplifting and positive news from our own communities and in our nation? Why not be different? We can watch all our local stations & get the exact same news. If there were one with a fresh approach then I'd fight my hubby for the remote!
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Posted by ( mamac ) on April 15, 2008 at 7:23 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I love you too Satchel. I really really do. I love everyone.
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Posted by ( voxpopuli ) on April 15, 2008 at 7:33 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
One guess: they'll manage to retain all the RIGHT ONES. hmmmmmmmmmm. Funny how long time Tampa and bay area folks get the axe while those noobs from new york et. al. manage to maintain their places to plagiarize and selectively report whatever they are given permission to say.
Will all the married couples who still have a job with these agencies (LOL) please stand up?
Why isn't the Creative Loafing having any problem?
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
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Posted by ( crazymom23 ) on April 15, 2008 at 7:48 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Reading all of these comments remind me when my kids were little. Everyone complained on coaches for youth sports, scout leaders etc that they did not do a good job but the parents who complained did not want to help. Yes maybe the executives need to take a paycut and maybe they need to leave some of the jobs here and cut jobs in their other locations to even it out. I can not believe some of the things that I have read on different news cast. You people really need to grow up.
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Posted by ( Ronblue ) on April 15, 2008 at 8:19 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Well, Barack and McCain, do you see the foregoing comments? Why am I blogging here when I could be writing elitist and racist stuff on sites where correct spelling and punctuation are required? I should commandeer the golden mic from the fat uneducated guy who feared knowledge and women.
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Posted by ( mcmurphy7 ) on April 15, 2008 at 9:11 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Jill can move in with me too!
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Posted by ( biggulp ) on April 16, 2008 at 6:44 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Posted by ( Concerned1963 ): "It's funny that people think our economy is so bad, when the unemployment numbers have been lower than the numbers we had during the Clinton Administration."
Hey "Concerned 1963" you might want to check your facts before you post. . . Clinton was president from 1993 to 2001. The unemployment rate during his presidency was 6.1, 5.6, 5.4, 4.9, 4.5, 4.2, 4.0 and 4.7. Mind you the first few years he was "cleaning up."
The current unemployment rate is 5.1. So, technically, we had 5 years of Clinton Administration where the unemployment rate was LOWER THAN IT IS NOW!!!
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 16, 2008 at 7:32 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Yeah, biggulp, but all of those employment opportunities are at McDonalds and WalMart.
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 16, 2008 at 7:41 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
P.S
If the economy is in such great shape why did George Bush propose and our congress approve a 50 BILLION dollar economic stimulus package?
Economies that are in good shape don't need stimulation.
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Posted by ( Concerned1963 ) on April 16, 2008 at 9:18 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I never said the economy was in great shape, I was just pointing out that the unemployment to date is lower than people think. Also, never forget that Clinton recalculated 'full time' employment to be 30 hours or more. We may well indeed be in a recessive economy, it just isn't a disaster, like many people seem to think. Where it goes from here, we will have to see.
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 16, 2008 at 10:13 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I guess whether or not you consider it a disaster depends on your perspective. The 800 plus Media General employees who are about to loose their jobs may not be thinking that your employment figures are looking too good right now.
According to some calculations, the newspaper industry is losing an average of 20 jobs a day nationwide.
Those people are not going to be able to make up their loss of income as sales clerks at Khols or flipping burgers. Not to mention the fact that they will no longer have insurance coverage and probably all of them will still have mortgage payments to make. And good luck selling your house in this glutted market.
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Posted by ( alneri ) on April 16, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Nice try on associating the media layoffs with the economy (it is all Bush's fault - everything is) but it won't fly. Newspaper jobs in particular have been declining for years because readership is declining. Readership is declining because the newspapers, relative to the internet and radio do a poor job of attracting customers and particularly young customers. It is much like claiming the buggywhip makers went under due to a decline in the transportation industry. I could go on about newspapers/reporters all wanting to change society rather than report facts but I will stop.
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 16, 2008 at 1:25 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Glad you did. Stop, that is.
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 16, 2008 at 1:47 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Too bad young customers haven't realized that you can't find real news on Youtube.
Well, I guess you can but it's all sensational crap like teenagers beating eachother senseless....
County budget meetings just don't make for good video and snappy repartee but it's important for someone to be keeping an eye on them anyway.
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Posted by ( Countryside_Guy ) on April 16, 2008 at 5:46 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Nothing against any of the others, but if Leigh Spann leaves I'll no longer have a reason to watch channel 8. Never watched before she came, never will again if they let her go.
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 16, 2008 at 8:13 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
So do you watch Leigh Spann because of what she says or how she looks?
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Posted by ( drdneast ) on April 16, 2008 at 9:27 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Newspaper readership has declined over the year along with the intelligence of the American population. "Idiocracy" is here. It's easier for people to listen to gasbags like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh who twist issues to fit their perspective rather that to read the paper and listen to both sides of the arguement. It hursts some people to actually "think" for themselves rather than to have someone tell them how to think. Ownership hasn't helped either. I quit the newspaper business in 1989 when I saw management at the paper more concerned about improving their bottom line and printing news or stories that wouldn't hurt businesses, growth or people in power. Go ahead, hate the newspaper, but imagine what these idiots and greedheads in power would do to you if they didn't have someone looking over thier shoulder. MORONS!
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Posted by ( drdneast ) on April 16, 2008 at 9:40 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Anyone who wishes for someone to be fired from a job they are doing well and enjoy is a small minded, mean spirited jerk who probably worships people like Rush Limbaugh and Dean Hannity. Why all the hate toward Dan Ruth. Does he make you "think," to much. Would love to see that CEO who makes over $3 million take a paycut, fly business and stay at a Holiday Inn rather than the Ritz Carlton. The rich have been waging class warfare for years against the poor and the result has been the disapearance of the American middle class.
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Posted by ( mcmurphy7 ) on April 17, 2008 at 5:51 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Jill, Jill, Jill... leave Countryside Guy alone. Anyone who doesn't realize that, in broadcast media, looks DO indeed matter, is fooling themselves. In fact, like some film stars, some media "personalities" (the company's word, not mine) have weight/appearance clauses in their contracts.
On a different note, I watched Vicki Lim because she was good at her job--intelligent, well-spoken, funny, charming--and the fact I thought she is physically attractive was tertiary at best.
And it works both ways--recall the neighborhood weather commercial series with Steve Jerve and the "starry-eyed" blonde girl?
Print media is different because rarely do print journalists get "face time" unless they specify it as a contractual condition (and usually it's the columnists who get it, not the beat staff).
So, don't get on your high horse about attractiveness and the media because it was media that started that correlation and continue it to this day.
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Posted by ( Countryside_Guy ) on April 17, 2008 at 8:05 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Several reasons... she's very articulate, well spoken, always smiling and happy, and is basically a breath of fresh air. (Plus, she's very cute.) If you happen to read the "weather team profiles" on the wfla website, you'll also note that Ms. Spann graduated at the top of her class and is definitely not just another pretty face. By the way, well said Mcmurphy!
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Posted by ( alneri ) on April 17, 2008 at 8:22 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
drdneast - the intelligence of the American people, as measured by education level and other factors increased significantly over the past 60 years. Perhaps the correlation you imply between reading newspapers and intelligence is a negative correlation
If newspapers are so important to our society, why did you choose to cut and run and leave the business?
I suspect you wish for CEOs, Republican politicians and convservative radio hosts to all be fired. Does that make you a jerk.
Unless you are a shareholder in or director of a company you really have no say in how much someone makes, how they travel or where they stay. You rail against class warfare and then engage in it all in the same paragraph.
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Posted by ( Jill ) on April 17, 2008 at 8:36 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
mcmurphy7:
With convergence, the catch phrase Media General uses to describe the combined workforce of TBO, The Tribune and Channel 8, it is indeed possible for a print reporter to "present" their story as a news item on channel 8. They are required to do so as a condition of their employment.
I'm not knocking good looking anchors of either sex, just pointing out that no matter how attractive they are, it's the quality of the news they report that should be the most important criteria for evaluating their job performance.
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Posted by ( mcmurphy7 ) on April 17, 2008 at 8:17 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Jill, I concur. Quality should be the first criterion. These news conglomerates should take cuts at the CEO and Director levels before screwing the beat staff and city desks.
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