Nice to see the News picking up with a second installment of stories on trucking and drivers' issues in the area.
I think it was a smart idea to set up a separate e-mail address for the series as well rather than readers with comments having to do a circular e-mail to half a dozen editors, graphic artists, etc.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Saturday, November 04, 2006
News touts Web redesign as if it’s the Second Coming
Of course, since you’ve previously waxed visionary about your move to a web-based publishing/information company, I guess you’re in whole hog now.
And, you’re in so whole hog that Bob Mong has to again hit the “fluff” button on his computer for a new site roll-out piece.
That said, let’s take a more critical, more skeptical look at the redo.
One, Mong himself admitted they had to bump the font size from the original version because too many people were complaining about having too much trouble reading it. Oops.
Two, on dial-up Internet, it’s a LOT slower to load than the old version.
Three, new sections on the home page, such as “most popular stories”? That’s old hat. It’s been a couple of years since a paper like the New York Times has been doing that.
Four, I’m not sure that I would have an “offbeat” section there. It seems to put one more nail in the coffin of the News’ old claims to greatness.
Five, the top center area does look “cleaner” than before, as though the Web equivalent of using white space has been better applied.
Overall, it is something decent, I think. But, no, Bob, it isn’t the Second Coming. Of anything.
And, you’re in so whole hog that Bob Mong has to again hit the “fluff” button on his computer for a new site roll-out piece.
That said, let’s take a more critical, more skeptical look at the redo.
One, Mong himself admitted they had to bump the font size from the original version because too many people were complaining about having too much trouble reading it. Oops.
Two, on dial-up Internet, it’s a LOT slower to load than the old version.
Three, new sections on the home page, such as “most popular stories”? That’s old hat. It’s been a couple of years since a paper like the New York Times has been doing that.
Four, I’m not sure that I would have an “offbeat” section there. It seems to put one more nail in the coffin of the News’ old claims to greatness.
Five, the top center area does look “cleaner” than before, as though the Web equivalent of using white space has been better applied.
Overall, it is something decent, I think. But, no, Bob, it isn’t the Second Coming. Of anything.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
News circulation cratering, despite Belo’s desperate spin
Belo reports that the circulation at the News is off about 13 percent for daily and 12 percent for Sunday, as compared to six months ago, as noted in a
company press release.
Of course, the News’ own reporting on this, as part of circ numbers at major newspapers around the country, “massages” the message.
OK, let’s take Belo’s estimates at face value. That still leaves a 6 percent drop on daily and 4 percent on Sunday circ numbers.
Yes, other major dailies continue to drop, but not at that rate. The Los Angeles Times, which is cratering in part due to corporate-imposed staff-whacking as serious as anything Belo has done here, is the only big-sized daily to have a greater rate of circulation decline.
The story then goes on to spin towards Bob Mong and Bob Dechard’s Net-oriented vision for the future:
Strange, though. Belo doesn’t release numbers for those sites, or say how much it has grown over the survey time period. Maybe there’s nothing to massage there.
company press release.
Of course, the News’ own reporting on this, as part of circ numbers at major newspapers around the country, “massages” the message.
The company attributed the steep drop in part to two deliberate policy changes, which account for about seven points of the daily decline and eight points on Sunday. On April 1, it ceased including third-party barter circulation in reported figures. It also ceased distributing to areas approximately 200 miles or more outside the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
OK, let’s take Belo’s estimates at face value. That still leaves a 6 percent drop on daily and 4 percent on Sunday circ numbers.
Yes, other major dailies continue to drop, but not at that rate. The Los Angeles Times, which is cratering in part due to corporate-imposed staff-whacking as serious as anything Belo has done here, is the only big-sized daily to have a greater rate of circulation decline.
The story then goes on to spin towards Bob Mong and Bob Dechard’s Net-oriented vision for the future:
Newspaper owners have bolstered their Web sites to attract online readers and advertisers, helping to make up for the loss of readers, the association said. It said newspaper Web sites serving the 100 largest markets reported an average 8 percent growth in their online audiences.
Strange, though. Belo doesn’t release numbers for those sites, or say how much it has grown over the survey time period. Maybe there’s nothing to massage there.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Oops, Kathy Goolsby; let’s get the right year
The Dallas Morning News reporter claims the Lancaster School District has added 1,132 students since August 2005.
Wrong.
That would be August 2004.
Wonder if she misread her notes, wrote something down wrong (assuming she did not have a tape recorder), or if she was given the wrong information.
Wrong.
That would be August 2004.
Wonder if she misread her notes, wrote something down wrong (assuming she did not have a tape recorder), or if she was given the wrong information.
Belo’s butt is in a sling now!
Read the age-discrimination and pension-mismanagement lawsuit against the News; a number of former employees are alleging age discrimination and connecting it to a post-2000 split in pension offerings.
That said, I know age-discrimination lawsuits aren’t easy to prove. But the pension mismanagement issues, including ERISA issues, stand independent of the age of any employees.
That said, I know age-discrimination lawsuits aren’t easy to prove. But the pension mismanagement issues, including ERISA issues, stand independent of the age of any employees.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
The online-focused Snooze still isn't so online user-friendly
I was recently looking for the online version of the Oct. 19 Business section story about D.R. Horton pulling out of its agreement to buy Hank Haney’s McKinney golf ranch.
It’s said when I can’t find this story on the Morning News website after doing not one but two keyword searches and Google News spits it up immediately. The firsr search was “Hank Haney” + “Horton” the second was “Haney” + “Horton.” Zero matches both times. Score another for the Snooze, even with its vaunted move to a more online-based newspaper.
It’s said when I can’t find this story on the Morning News website after doing not one but two keyword searches and Google News spits it up immediately. The firsr search was “Hank Haney” + “Horton” the second was “Haney” + “Horton.” Zero matches both times. Score another for the Snooze, even with its vaunted move to a more online-based newspaper.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Another News editorial reflecting on its poor environmental record
The Snooze chastises, even castigates Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell for calling for “conservation not construction,” i.e., that Texas needs to stop building so many damned damns.
Here’s the tsk-tsk:
Meanwhile, the Snooze can’t write editorials to mention how we can conserve more water than we do now, and do that on a more regular basis. It can’t talk about how much we could eliminate the need for more damned dams, in terms of acre-feet to not be built, if we implement specific water conservation strategies. And it can’t at all talk about the question of whether we need to manage population growth here.
Just one more proof that the same paper that fired Jim Frisinger and Timothy O’Leary at the beck and call of Smokey Joe Barton doesn’t “get” environmentalism.
(You haven’t seen anything much above the wishy-washy level on TXU’s coal-fired power plant proposal, have you?)
Here’s the tsk-tsk:
How disappointing. Conservation is important, but it alone can't supply booming population centers like Dallas/Fort Worth enough water.
Meanwhile, the Snooze can’t write editorials to mention how we can conserve more water than we do now, and do that on a more regular basis. It can’t talk about how much we could eliminate the need for more damned dams, in terms of acre-feet to not be built, if we implement specific water conservation strategies. And it can’t at all talk about the question of whether we need to manage population growth here.
Just one more proof that the same paper that fired Jim Frisinger and Timothy O’Leary at the beck and call of Smokey Joe Barton doesn’t “get” environmentalism.
(You haven’t seen anything much above the wishy-washy level on TXU’s coal-fired power plant proposal, have you?)
Friday, October 06, 2006
Will the News’ shinola hit the fan over this???
Found in Friday’s News: “Be Who You Are,” a gay lifestyles special section. Wow, I can’t wait to see the Neanderthal letters to the editor over this baby.
Good electric deregulation story, could have had an addition
The News had a very good article on the looming Jan. 1 deadline for full electric utility deregulation. But, it could have gone one better.
As I e-mailed writer Elizabeth Souder:
As I e-mailed writer Elizabeth Souder:
Given that the News is regularly doing candidate sidebars about the four gubernatorial candidates' POV on various issues, dropping one in beside your story about their stances on going through w/full dereg or not would have been great.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Ed Bark is mad as hell and he’s not going to take it any more
The former Dallas Morning News TV critic spills the beans on News and A.H. Belo brass on his new blog.
Go read Uncle Barky rip Publisher Bob Dechard a new one, and explain the six-year gag order about him critique Belo-owned ABC affiliate WFAA-Channel 8, in this post.
Cross posted at my Socratic Gadfly blog.
Go read Uncle Barky rip Publisher Bob Dechard a new one, and explain the six-year gag order about him critique Belo-owned ABC affiliate WFAA-Channel 8, in this post.
Cross posted at my Socratic Gadfly blog.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Couldn’t the News have forced a few people to take the buyout?
Like drippy Metro columnist Sherry Jacobson?
C’mon, if this were sports, you’d have to trade six Sherry Jacobsons for one Ed Bark or Gerry Fraley. So, does she have compromising pics of Bob Mong in her purse, or what?
C’mon, if this were sports, you’d have to trade six Sherry Jacobsons for one Ed Bark or Gerry Fraley. So, does she have compromising pics of Bob Mong in her purse, or what?
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Snooze buyout fallout becomes visible
People following the Snooze buyout know that it took one of its biggest hits in the arts and entertainment section.
And the fruits, or fallout, of that are very visible in Tuesday’s “Guide Live” section.
Not one local byline on the section’s front page. Not one.
And the fruits, or fallout, of that are very visible in Tuesday’s “Guide Live” section.
Not one local byline on the section’s front page. Not one.
Pulitzer Prize-winning photography background wasted
Did any of you see that photo page of the High Five intersection about 7-10 days ago? If you were going to take multiple pics of something that mundane, shots near sunset on a day with some cloud patterns would have been a Photography 101 way of giving the pictures much more color.
Using an ultra-wide lens to bend lines on ramps would have been Lesson No. 2 from Photography 101.
Using an ultra-wide lens to bend lines on ramps would have been Lesson No. 2 from Photography 101.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Yes, another blog
As if five were not enough. However, I probably won’t post here too frequently.
Consider this a localized version of the Columbia Journalism Review or AJR Yes, the Dallas Observer does some of that, on some news coverage and some op-ed stuff, but the city that’s one of the largest markets with only a single daily could use more, and from a different angle.
And, since the News is short 100 people now, they need the outside help anyway (as if the News’ news or op-ed management is going to listen to me any more than in the past).
Consider this a localized version of the Columbia Journalism Review or AJR Yes, the Dallas Observer does some of that, on some news coverage and some op-ed stuff, but the city that’s one of the largest markets with only a single daily could use more, and from a different angle.
And, since the News is short 100 people now, they need the outside help anyway (as if the News’ news or op-ed management is going to listen to me any more than in the past).
Snooze dictionary: “Rescale” = “downsize”
That’s just one of the tidbits in Dallas Morning News editor Bob Mong’s
column (no, Snooze web staff, it’s not an editorial — it’s bylined) about the downsized Dallas Morning News.
Can the Snooze still do good stuff? Sure, it had a great multistory special on bad truck drivers, and a bad trucking company compliance system, in the area. But those efforts may be fewer and further between in the future.
But some of Spanky Mong’s claims are plain bullshit.
He says the Snooze will be good in:
1. Local entertainment. How? Most your critics took the buyout.
2. Editorial page opinion and community leadership. Sure. Want me to call Jim Frisinger in Fort Worth or Timothy O’Leary in Geneva to ask them about that? Maybe I should be calling Smokey Joe Barton instead, anyway.
3. Local lifestyles trends. Again, you lost several critics, and your tab-sized daily rotation lifestyle sections have been 50 percent canned copy since you went to that format.
4. Visual journalism? If your “A Day in the Life of the High Five Interchange” is an example of “getting better” with visual journalism, I’d hate to see you getting worse.
5. Jean-Jacques Taylor fully filling Kevin Blackistone’s sports commentary shoes? Please. Notice that he didn’t even try to pretend anybody would fill Gerry Fraley’s shoes.
column (no, Snooze web staff, it’s not an editorial — it’s bylined) about the downsized Dallas Morning News.
Can the Snooze still do good stuff? Sure, it had a great multistory special on bad truck drivers, and a bad trucking company compliance system, in the area. But those efforts may be fewer and further between in the future.
But some of Spanky Mong’s claims are plain bullshit.
He says the Snooze will be good in:
1. Local entertainment. How? Most your critics took the buyout.
2. Editorial page opinion and community leadership. Sure. Want me to call Jim Frisinger in Fort Worth or Timothy O’Leary in Geneva to ask them about that? Maybe I should be calling Smokey Joe Barton instead, anyway.
3. Local lifestyles trends. Again, you lost several critics, and your tab-sized daily rotation lifestyle sections have been 50 percent canned copy since you went to that format.
4. Visual journalism? If your “A Day in the Life of the High Five Interchange” is an example of “getting better” with visual journalism, I’d hate to see you getting worse.
5. Jean-Jacques Taylor fully filling Kevin Blackistone’s sports commentary shoes? Please. Notice that he didn’t even try to pretend anybody would fill Gerry Fraley’s shoes.
Example A of why Belo sucks at times
The world’s first female space tourist is from Dallas and The Dallas Morning News has no story that I’ve seen, and WFAA Channel 8 had a 15-second clip, not produced by them, last night.
Nope, Belo couldn’t report on this:
Nope, Belo couldn’t report that.
To my friend Chuck Bloom: The Morning News that you’re waxing nostalgic about died years ago. It died not recently, with the struggles of seven-day dailies. It died years ago, its face stuffed by the arrogance it got from the luck of the better local paper, the Times Herald, being an afternoon paper and eventually folding, followed by the luck of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram deciding to stop circulating in west Texas. Chuck, mi amigo, that was a full decade ago.
Nope, Belo couldn’t report on this:
"We have a lot of white male astronauts," said George Whitesides of the National Space Society, a nonprofit group that advocates space travel. "To have someone different is great. It enables girls and women to identify more with space and talk about being a space explorer someday.”
Nope, Belo couldn’t report that.
To my friend Chuck Bloom: The Morning News that you’re waxing nostalgic about died years ago. It died not recently, with the struggles of seven-day dailies. It died years ago, its face stuffed by the arrogance it got from the luck of the better local paper, the Times Herald, being an afternoon paper and eventually folding, followed by the luck of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram deciding to stop circulating in west Texas. Chuck, mi amigo, that was a full decade ago.
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