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Craig Smith's BlogCovering Santa Barbara Law and MediaLike A Wet Blanket
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But Will The Bouncers Be There to Enforce the Dress Code? Friday, Dec. 15, 2006. Tonight is the News-Press holiday party at the El Paseo. And darn, I guess my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail because it hasn't arrived yet. Oh well, I've got other plans anyway and the party doesn't sound like its going to be a whole lot of fun. Yesterday News-Press staffers received an e-mail from Human Resources Director and grim reaper Yolanda Apodaca, asking those attending to "refrain from wearing attire designed to misuse this friendly social gathering for a purpose for which it was not intended." I'll leave it to your own imaginations as to what purposes those might be.
Get ready for your close-up. The Santa Barbara Film Festival gets a very prominent mention in today's New York Times.
Gone Fishin'! This will likely be my last post for a couple of weeks. Don't worry, I haven't been slapped with a restraining order, bullied or scared off. I'm simply going on vacation. This trip should be a bit of an adventure. Unlike my last trip, I'm not taking my laptop with me. Where I'm going, they only draw suspicion and unwanted attention. So no blogging on this trip. Anyway, I hope to have some good stories to tell when I return. I will actually be back just before Christmas, but depending on what's been happening while I was away, I might take an extra week off from blogging. In the meantime, here's where you might look for the latest.
Finally, click here to view my holiday greeting card. Only the half-dozen or so of you who were reading this blog a year ago will recognize it. To everybody else, its brand new! Happy Holidays to all.
The Reviews Are In! Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006. On Monday, I gave you my take on attorney Barry Cappello's letter to members of the Lawyers Alliance trying to dissuade them from their efforts to assist the former journalists of the News-Press. Now for some of my colleagues reactions. One local lawyer whom I spoke to but wanted to remain anonymous, made the point that the Cappello letter is astounding in that it comes from a guy that likes to brag that he has championed the rights of the consumer. Cappello pioneered the area of lender liability law (and I would add made a small fortune doing so). Now he's going to take the side of a large company (the News-Press) and tell us we shouldn't represent the little guy? All we're trying to do is make sure that there's a level playing field for the employees. He's trying to make sure that the odds stay stacked in favor of his client. Since when does one lawyer say to another, "hey back off so my client can pummel your client?"Longtime local lawyer Jamie Nichols e-mailed me to say the following: "I too initially felt like responding to Cappello's pathetic attempt to bully those of us who oppose the nasty doings of the Wicked Witch of Hope Ranch and her bought-and-paid-for minions. Cappello must be suffering from delusions of grandeur if he thinks he and/or his law firm can intimidate members of the local bar in this matter. In any event, your comments of December 11 have expressed my own feelings far more eloquently than anything I could have written. So I'll just keep my big yap shut for now."
On Tuesday, the News-Press trumpeted the fact that the Teamsters had voluntarily withdrawn three of the unfair labor practice allegations they had made against the paper while the NLRB had dismissed a fourth charge over the Teamster's objection. In looking at the comments on other blogs where the News-Press melt down is also a topic of discussion, I'm getting the feeling that many people are under the impression that the Teamsters' case against the News-Press has been completely dismissed. Not so. Here is a run down of the Teamsters' charges that are still pending against the paper:
The NLRB has scheduled a hearing on the News-Press' objections to the election which resulted in a 33 to 6 vote in favor of unionization. The hearing will begin January 9th in Santa Barbara. The exact location will be announced later. The paper's grounds for objecting mirror its unfair labor practice charges that were dismissed one week ago by the NLRB.
Barney Brantingham spoke with Randy Alcorn, the recently fired CFO of the News-Press and reports on the conversation at the Indy Media Blog. If you're not inclined to click over there to see the full story here's the Reader's Digest version; sensing that Alcorn was about to jump ship anyway (he had been looking for another job) McCaw had him thrown overboard.
And if you're keeping score, the Daily Sound scooped the News-Press by a full day, on the City Council's approval of the Veronica Meadow's project.
The Holidays, Wendy Style. Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2006. No other boss in town observes the holidays quite the way that News-Press owner Wendy McCaw does. While most other employers are handing out Christmas bonuses, she's handing out pink slips. While department stores are promoting their Christmas lay-away plans, Wendy's implementing her Christmas lay-off plan. While most of us are firing up the holiday hearth, she's firing the hired help. Forget the holiday cheer, time to start spreading the holiday fear. If you see any mistletoe hanging in hallways of the News-Press building it probably means you should kiss your job goodbye.The News-Press holiday party doesn't have a buffet table, it has a bread line. The employees asked for a Dickens-like Christmas and Wendy gave them "Bleak House." As I reported yesterday, long-time Chief Financial Officer, Randy Alcorn was fired on Monday. December firings are not a new tradition at the News-Press, last December it was John Leonard, the longtime sales manager who got the axe. I tried several times on Tuesday to reach Alcorn on a number I had been provided but with no luck. Word is though that his role at the paper had been marginalized due to the constant presence and influence of lawyer David Millstein. As one long-time observer of the Asylum on Anacapa wrote to me yesterday, "that's a lot of institutional memory being packed up in that little cardboard box and escorted to the parking lot by (human resources director) Yolanda Apodaca."
Tuesday's News-Press article on the Teamsters dismissing some of their unfair labor practice charges against the News-Press has the organized newsroom employees voting to join a "Local 406." Local 406 is in Long Island, New York and represents the staff at Tribune owned Newsday. In fact the News-Press journalists haven't yet joined any local chapter and expect to start their own.
And did Wendy McCaw really go to Stanford? You sure wouldn't know it from the composition and grammar used in that memo to her employees that bears her signature. If I were the Leland Stanford Junior University, I'd be having my lawyers write her a letter telling her to cease and desist from holding herself out as being a Cardinal alum. She's giving them a bad name.
Alcorn Out At News-Press. Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2006. In writing about the struggle that is taking place between owner Wendy McCaw and her newsroom staff he said; "This has become a battle of wills with no winners, but with plenty of collateral damage." Well, if what I'm hearing is true, the author of those words is now part of that collateral damage. I have received a reliable report that Randy Alcorn, the paper's Chief Financial Officer, was let go yesterday afternoon. Recently described by the Independent's Matt Kettmann as "the most clear-headed person in the paper's top brass," Alcorn had worked for the paper over 23 years having worked under three owners, 11 publishers, and eight executive editors. He also, until very recently, wrote a regular column. At this point I don't know the specific reasons given, if any, for firing him. Although with McCaw you often don't get a specific reason or, in some cases, any reason at all.Back on September 17th of this year, Alcorn wrote a column that ran under the headline "Looney leaders can have devastating effect." Although ostensibly about George W. Bush, many thought that his choice of Bush for a subject was really a proxy for his boss, McCaw. Around Thanksgiving, Alcorn's column disappeared from the paper without explanation. Alcorn was reportedly a Libertarian like McCaw. The dismissal appears to come at a time when McCaw is on a "loyalty" kick. On Thursday and Friday of last week she circulated a memo to employees, signed by her, warning them that incidents of "disloyalty" to the company would subject transgressors to discipline.
The Teamsters, who represent the organized employees of the newsroom at the News-Press, have agreed to withdraw three of the unfair labor practice allegations they had brought against the paper. The dismissed charges relate to the termination of reporter Colby Frazier, the motivation for reassignment of beats and an "investigatory interview" by management of reporter Dawn Hobbs that didn't result in any actual discipline. The NLRB, on its own initiative, also dismissed a surveillance charge, in which Wendy McCaw personally took photos of employee vehicles in the News-Press parking lot. The Teamsters believe that charge should not have been dismissed and will be appealing that dismissal. Yesterday evening, the News-Press gave this story the "breaking news" treatment on their website, publishing verbatim the press release issued by their PR maven, Agnes Huff. Of course, the news that came at the end of last week about the NLRB denying the News-Press' appeal of the dismissal of their unfair labor practice charges against the union got absolutely no coverage in the paper.
We Will Not Be Bullied. Monday, Dec. 11, 2006. For a business that owes its vitality to the concepts of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, rights guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the Santa Barbara News-Press sure spends a lot of time and money trying to chill the exercise of First Amendment rights by others. The latest example is a letter that went out on December 5th to members of the Lawyer's Alliance for Free Speech, a group of local attorneys formed to provide legal assistance and support for journalists past and present of the News-Press.This is the second time that News-Press owner Wendy McCaw has caused such a letter to go out. Back in September McCaw attorney David Millstein tried to convince the members of the Alliance not to assist former News-Press employees. Millstein's efforts were a complete failure because as far as I know, not a single lawyer was dissuaded. This time McCaw has enlisted high roller local attorney Barry Cappello to write the letter. McCaw had recently hired Cappello to try and scare Teamster Union attorney Ira Gottlieb. Early on in his letter Cappello makes the laughable assertion that; "We believe that once the News-Press' side of the story is presented in both the courtroom and the mass media, the diatribe attacks against it will end." Wait a minute! Wendy McCaw is one of those rare individuals who buys printer's ink by the barrel, so just what is keeping her from presenting "the News-Press' side of the story?" And if Vanity Fair, the L.A. Times and the New York Times (outlets that have all covered this story) aren't "mass media" what is? Perhaps the most laughable line in the whole letter is Cappello's assertion that the purpose of the Lawyer's Alliance for Free Speech Rights is to "support litigation against the News-Press" for reasons that are "pecuniary and personal." I'll bet if you asked most lawyers in this town they would tell you that Barry Cappello seldom if ever takes cases for reasons other than those that are pecuniary or personal, and mostly the former as opposed to the latter. I have some unsolicited advice for Mr. Cappello. Don't question or express your disapproval of anyone's involvement in the Lawyer's Alliance and I and the other lawyers in this town won't question or criticize your representation of Wendy McCaw. Those of us who have chosen to stand in support of the News-Press journalists in their struggle, whether or not we are members of the Alliance, have our reasons for doing so. They may not be as pecuniarily rewarding as your reasons for representing Ms. McCaw, but they stem from our sincerely held beliefs, and no high priced bully is going to scare us off.
And on the labor front McCaw continues to rack up the defeats. Last Thursday the NLRB denied the News-Press' appeal of the dismissal of its charges claiming the Teamsters union used the News-Press name and trademark in campaign materials to falsely create the impression that management endorsed organizing activities. The dismissal clears the way for a hearing on the paper's objections to the election which resulted in a 33 to 6 vote by employees in favor of unionization. If McCaw's strategy is to drag out the proceedings before the NLRB as long as possible so as to postpone collective bargaining with the News-Press reporters, maybe she ought to rethink that plan. If she's doing so poorly in front of an NLRB that is the product of a Republican administration and therefore considered employer friendly, think how she'll do when the Democrats move into the White House in two years and produce an employee friendly NLRB. If McCaw continues to drag her high heels and stall, the Democrats will be in the White House before all of this is over.
There was a huge turnout at Saturday night's reception to benefit the Journalists Loan Fund. A crowd of well over 100 who paid $50 each packed Arnoldi's Cafe. The group was addressed by former News-Press journalists, Melinda Burns, Scott Hadly, and Starshine Roshell as well as present News-Press reporter Dawn Hobbs. Also addressing the crowd was former NBC and ABC news correspondent, Sander Vanocur, who in one of the funniest, and cutest, moments of the evening referred to Roshell, who preceded him in the program, as "Sunshine." After the reception most in attendance adjourned to the Marjorie Luke Theatre for a special screening of the movie "All The President's Men
A growing number of businesses around town are showing their support for the organized newsroom employees of the News-Press by displaying "Banish the Bias" or "McCaw Obey the Law" signs on their premises. They include, the Italian Greek Market, Ruby's Cafe, Java Station, Pizza Guru, Fancy Nails, Highlights Hair Salon and Las Positas Liquor. Las Positas Liquor! I know where I'm going to buy my next bottle of 18 year old single malt Scotch.
They Partied Like It Was 1999. Friday, Dec. 8, 2006. The best place in town to find News-Press journalists both past and present was at the Santa Barbara Independent's Holiday party at the El Paseo last night. Attending the party were Melinda Burns, Scott Hadly, Dawn Hobbs, Barney MacManigal, Starshine Roshell, Andrea Huebner and Ann Peyrat. (And I hope to God I didn't leave anybody out.) I'm betting that more newsroom personnel were in the room last night than will show up there a week from tonight when the News-Press takes over the restaurant for its holiday "party." (And I use that term loosely.)And do those Indy guys know how to party? Rumor is two of Santa Barbara's finest showed up shortly before 11 p.m. to shut down the live music that could be heard all the way out to State Street. Of course the News-Press will bring its own security force to its party to insure that no "lawyers seeking attention and free advertising" try to crash through the velvet rope.
Congratulations to fellow member of the committee of columnists, J'Amy Brown, who was honored this past Tuesday by the County Board of Supervisors for (among other things) her volunteerism and philanthropy. You can read all about it at the Indy's web site. And will someone please tell Travis Armstrong to remove J'Amy's name from his list of usual suspects when he wants to point fingers over whatever might be amiss in Montecito. J'Amy's been gone from the Montecito Association for nearly a year now.
And you may have noticed that I have a new photo that graces the top of this blog. Its the one that accompanied the article on me that is in the current edition of Coastal Woman. I figured I have enough of a following now that I don't have to rely on screen captures of me on TV practicing tabloid journalism to convince you to read what I have to say. Thanks to both Andrea Russell, who came up with the idea and took the photo, and Barbara Lanz-Mateo, Publisher and Editor of Coastal Woman Magazine, for allowing me to use it.
Hedges at the Beach and Rows in the Newsroom. Thursday, December 7, 2006. A small but enthusiastic and vocal crowd showed up at De la Guerra Plaza at noon yesterday to support nearly two dozen of the organized newsroom employees of the News-Press as they marched around the block to protest the intransigence of the paper's owner, Wendy McCaw. I was among those in attendance. Other media were out in force to cover this event. KSBY ran the story on their evening newscast as did KEYT. If you missed it, you can view John Palminteri's video report here. There is also a photo gallery on Edhat. Also, Editor & Publisher has an update on the five month anniversary of the implosion.How badly does McCaw want to silence her reporters and writers? The day before the march newsroom employees received a memo from the paper's human resources director, Yolanda Apodaca, warning them that anyone making disparaging statements about the paper "will be subject to disciplinary action." I don't know about the employees but she's got me scared. "Hey, that's a nice thin paper you have there, it looks like its lost a lot of bulk!" See, I can be non-disparaging.
Rob Lowe's dispute with his Padaro Lane neighbor over a hedge was in court yesterday. As described in the October Vanity Fair article on the News-Press, the hedge dispute started when the Lowe's, desiring visual privacy, put a ficus hedge on their eastern property line. The hedge impaired the view of the their immediate neighbors to the east. In July, the neighbor, James Neuman, took it upon himself to trim the hedge. The Lowe's thereupon took Neuman to court and sued for trespass. Yesterday, the Lowe's motion for a preliminary injunction, which would be a court order issued against the neighbor ordering him not to make further cuts to the hedge, was heard. The matter was determined on written declarations, no live testimony was presented. Neuman freely admitted that he had cut the hedge but claimed he thought he had permission to do so. In any event, he promised not to do it again. Unconvinced that any harm to the hedge is likely to occur while the case proceeds through the court system, Judge James Brown denied the Lowe's motion for an injunction. Still to be determined in a trial, which will come at a later date, is whether the neighbors owe the Lowe's for any monetary damage that resulted from cutting the hedge. The Lowe's entitlement to an injunction can also be reconsidered at the trial. "Can't we all get along here?" The Independent's still photographer was in the courtroom to cover the case. Consistent with Wendy McCaw's policy of not covering litigation involving her celebrity friends, no one from the News-Press was present.
Another reminder that if you'd like to support the News-Press journalists you can attend Saturday's benefit reception from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. at Arnoldi's Cafe, 600 Olive St. Admission will be $50 per person. Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served. All proceeds will go to the Journalists Loan Fund. The reception precedes a free screening of the movie "All the President's Men." To make a reservation for the reception or to send a donation to the Journalists Loan Fund, please contact Sue Broidy, the treasurer, at (805) 640-7340 or sbroidy@ojai.net.
A Leaner, Meaner News-Press. Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006. "Meaner," when used in conjunction with "leaner," more often than not, has a positive connotation, usually indicating that the trimming of excess fat or baggage is also accompanied by renewed focus, resolve or determination. That's not true of the very lean News-Press these days where meaner literally means, well meaner, as in mean-spirited, bullying and vengeful. But let's get back to the leaner part.Its been five months since the top editors of the News-Press resigned on July 6th. Those five months have probably told us what we can expect from the paper in the year that lies ahead. First of all, the paper is definitely not going away. If anything the paper has a lower overhead and probably costs owner Wendy McCaw less to put out than prior to the implosion. So how does the News-Press of today, compare to the News-Press of one year ago? Lying around the house I have the "A" section from the News-Press of November 30, 2005. And why do I happen to have it you ask? Barney actually mentioned an item that appeared in my blog in his column that ran that day. Anyway, at the bottom of page two there is a listing of the editors with responsibility for news. Back then there was an Editor & Vice President of News, a Managing Editor, a Deputy Managing Editor, a Metro Editor, a Photo Editor, a Presentation Editor/News and a Presentation Editor/Features. Those positions were held by Jerry Roberts, George Foulsham, Don Murphy, Jane Hulse, Len Wood, Colin Powers and Andrea Huebner respectively. Today, in their place, its pretty much a one-man operation editing the paper, Associate Editor Scott Steepleton. There's an Assistant City Editor and Mindy Spar was recently appointed Features Editor, and that's about it. Sounds like a huge salary savings on editors alone. On the front page of that paper the local stories carry the by-lines of Melinda Burns, Hildy Medina and Chuck Schultz, all since departed. Inside the local stories carry the by-lines of Morgan Green, Camilla Cohee, Scott Hadly, also all departed, although Green's departure is not attributable to the implosion.. There is a story with a tag-line from Dawn Hobbs, who has remained with the paper. Of course, page two has a column from Barney. His replacement, Dr. Laura, who's not a columnist but plays one in the paper, only writes twice a week as opposed to Barney who cranked out five columns a week. Yesterday's edition of the paper has a single local story on the front page carrying the by-line of Tom Schultz. There is a huge photo and caption of the UCSB's soccer team's bus returning to campus after winning the NCAA championship. (Have you ever noticed how frequently the paper relies on an oversize front page photo to hide the lack of editorial content?) Inside section A, the local stories carry the by-lines of Schultz, Hobbs, Barney McManigal, Anna Davison, Leanna Orsua, and Nora Wallace. The News-Press regularly gets scooped on stories by the Santa Barbara Daily Sound. Last week the Daily Sound beat it by a day on the stories of the Levy bankruptcy filing and Marshall Rose's retirement as head of the Downtown Organization. There are typically more wire stories than local stories in the paper. There is absolutely no enterprise reporting as in where the paper takes the initiative to investigate a topic or do a multi-part series. The paper's lack of staff and resources will really be exposed when we have a major news event in town such as a Painted Cave fire, a Mission Creek flood, or, heaven forbid, another post office shooting. I dare say that most people don't notice the difference. The depleted newsroom staff along with their counterparts in production, still produce a physical product day in and day out. It carries advertising which covers the costs of production with enough left over for a profit and its still quite suitable for lining the bottom of your bird cage.
In case you're wondering why there haven't been any mean spirited editorials or childish op-ed opinion pieces in the News-Press this week its because Editorial Page Editor and editorial writer Travis Armstrong is on vacation. The paper won't tell you that but I just did.
On his blog Monday, George at I'm Not One to Blog But . . . reported spotting McCaw and her royal consort, Baron von Cheeseburger, shopping at Lazy Acres on the Mesa. I live within walking distance of Lazy Acres but seldom set foot inside the store. I usually send one of my minions over to pick up the groceries.
Today (Wednesday) at noon, join the News-Press journalists, present and departed, as they march around the News-Press block. The march will start in De la Guerra Plaza in front of the Santa Barbara News-Press building. After the circuit around the block is completed there will be speakers to update everyone on the situation at the paper including McCaw's failure to commence negotiations with the union on an employment contract.
The Velvet Rope. Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006. At this time of year one of the nice perks of working for one of the larger outfits in town is the company holiday party. Employees who aren't married can usually bring a date, right? Not so with the News-Press. The invitation to this year's annual holiday party stipulates that admission "is limited to . . . full time employees and their spouse (or live-in partner). Please note that photo ID's will be checked at the door." So its official, the News-Press' has more names on its "no fly" list than the TSA.
Wendy McCaw isn't the only one who's trying to limit admission to one of her events. Her Thanksgiving day hosts, Rob and Sheryl Lowe, are seeking to keep cameras out of the courtroom when their motion for a preliminary injunction goes to hearing Wednesday morning in Santa Barbara Superior Court before Judge James Brown. The case is believed to involve a dispute the Lowes have with one of their Padaro Lane neighbors.
Enough news about those who want to keep you on the outside looking in, how about some news about our friends who actually want you to join their party, the organized newsroom employees of the News-Press. At noon on Wednesday, join the journalists as they march around the News-Press block. The march will start in De la Guerra Plaza in front of the Santa Barbara News-Press building and then proceed up De la Guerra Street to State Street to Ortega Street to Anacapa Street back to De la Guerra back to the Plaza where there will be speakers to update everyone on the issues including McCaw's failure to commence negotiations with the union on an employment contract.
On Saturday, December 9th, The first-ever journalism film series in Santa Barbara will open with a free screening of "All the President's Men." The movie will screen at 6:30 p.m. in the Marjorie Luke Theatre at Santa Barbara Junior High School, 721 E. Cota St. Admission is free. Coffee and treats will be served after the screening. Before the movie, from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., the public is invited to attend a reception at Arnoldi's Cafe, 600 Olive St., to meet the News-Press journalists. Admission will be $50 per person. Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served. All proceeds will go to the Journalists Loan Fund, offering no-interest loans to News-Press reporters and editors who have been forced out or fired by McCaw. The events are hosted by the organizers of the Journalists Loan Fund and sponsored by Sara Miller McCune, Dave Peri, Arnoldi's Cafe, and The Fund for Santa Barbara. To make a reservation for the reception or to send a donation to the Journalists Loan Fund, please contact Sue Broidy, the treasurer, at (805) 640-7340 or sbroidy@ojai.net.
I'm Not A Columnist But I Play One On the Internet. Monday, Dec. 4, 2006. A few weeks ago I had lunch with Barney Brantingham who writes for the Santa Barbara Independent. The former News-Press columnist and I were waiting for his wife to join us and we were talking about (surprise!) newspaper columns and blogs. In Barney's opinion, my blog is more like a newspaper column. From what I've gathered through e-mails and talking to people, many of you agree.Among those who knew me before I started this blog and have only now discovered it, everyone almost invariably says to me, "I didn't know you could write so well!" My response, which I usually keep to myself is; "Are you saying I didn't look like I had it in me?" I guess I'm one of those guys who looks better on paper, or, more precisely, on your computer screen. Mr. Pixel Perfect. Now, whether this blog is a "success" is not for me to say. I'll leave that for others to judge. I do know that its readership continues to grow and people constantly tell me how much they enjoy it. Now, I'm not naive. I learned long ago that, unless they're stinking drunk, people will never tell you to your face that "you stink" even if you do stink, so I take it all with a grain of margarita salt. (And if the margarita happens to follow the salt down the hatch, so be it.) But I can say with some confidence that the lack of a decent columnist at the News-Press has sent people looking for alternatives. The two best columns the News-Press currently has are written by John Zant and Mark Patton, both sports guys. That's fine for sports fans, but even a die-hard one such as myself knows there's more to life. The columnists I grew up reading were Jack Smith in the L.A. Times and Herb Caen in the San Francisco Chronicle. Those were guys who knew how to turn a phrase and how to find out what was going on around town. Certainly there's no one at the News-Press who can write like that or is even attempting to fill that type of role. And yes, I'm asking the same question that you are, "how the hell did the News-Press end up with Dr. Laura?" Beats the heck out of me. Between doing her radio show, hanging out at the Yacht Club and shilling for Tracfone and LaserShield, you would think she has her hands full. The way she writes sure indicates that's the case. I don't know if she approached the paper or the paper approached her about doing the column but I do know this, Wendy McCaw fails to understand that name recognition doesn't equate with an ability to write. If it did, Paris Hilton would be the next Dorothy Parker. And let's all hope and pray that Paris doesn't get a notion to write for Wendy. McCaw has certainly chased off or fired from the paper most of the columnists who could write. Besides Barney, recent escapees from the asylum on Anacapa include, Martha Smilgis, Starshine Roshell and all of the community columnists. Now, I'm not a Jack Smith, a Herb Caen or a Barney Brantingham. But I think the daily newspaper columnist void in this town can be filled by committee. Listed in order of the day of the week you can find them, here are my suggestions: Monday, Leslie Westbrook in the Daily Sound; Tuesday, Barney in the Independent, (on-line only), Wednesday, J'Amy Brown covers Montecito in the Independent; Thursday, Barney, in print and on-line in the Independent and Starshine Roshell (love those pole-dancing columns); Friday, Leslie Dinaberg in the Daily Sound. Looking for faith on Sundays? Try Bob Cornwall in the Lompoc Record and on his blog. I believe Starshine can also be found on Sundays in the Santa Maria Times and the Lompoc Record. Any day of the week, Doc Searls for the future of media and Web 2.0; Roger Durling, for film buffs, Michael Seabaugh, for thoughts on well-being, and George at "I'm Not One to Blog, But . . . " for his take on just about anything. I'm sure I missed somebody and I'm sure I'll hear about it.
Hey, did you get a load of John Palminteri in his red suit and matching shirt, tie and hat on the KEYT Christmas Unity Telethon yesterday? I haven't seen a get-up like that since Richard Pryor in the "The Mack."
On KFI's 1 p.m. newscast yesterday, Courtney Kramer, reporting on some of the out of control celebrations by UCLA fans following their victory over USC, stated; "The LAPD was placed on tactile alert." Must be a new touchy feely approach to policing.
Saturday Fence Watch. Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006. Independent eyewitnesses are reporting that as of about 9 a.m. this morning, all fences are down at the News-Press parking lots.
Legends and Heroes. Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006. He doesn't stand quite as straight nor are the shoulders quite as broad as I remember them when I first met him about 20 years or so ago, but Larry Crandell looked great at the official launch of his son's book on Friday morning. I've always known Larry as one who favored early morning breakfast meetings so the fact that the event started at 8 a.m. was really no surprise. I must say the venue was a little unusual, the Paseo Nuevo Theatres. I doubt that anyone else could have packed the house at that early hour as Larry did, but a crowd of about 150 was in attendance to get their hands on some of the first copies of Steven Crandell's loving tribute to his dad titled Silver Tongue: Secrets of Mr. Santa Barbara and to hear Larry speak and his son read from the book.Among those present at the event were, Santa Barbara City Council member, Helene Schneider, newly elected Goleta City Council member, Michael Bennett, local attorneys, Joe Howell, Brian Gough, Marv Bauer and retired SBCC President Peter MacDougall, whom I sat next to during the program. Peter found himself being singled out by Larry as the target of some of his jokes. When he wasn't entertaining the audience, Larry was busy signing books and posing for photos. There are three more book signings coming up; Sunday Dec. 3rd @ 3 p.m. at Tecolote Books in Montecito, Wednesday, Dec. 6th @ 7 p.m. at Borders in Goleta and Wednesday, Dec. 13th @ 7 p.m. at Borders in downtown Santa Barbara. More info about the book can be found at www.larrycrandell.com.
On Thursday, the Santa Barbara Independent held its luncheon honoring those it selected as this year's Local Heroes. Among those being honored are the departed as well as the remaining staff of the News-Press newsroom. The News-Press journalists were the only recipients who received a standing ovation from the audience. Some of the other honorees remarked that they couldn't believe they were part of a group that included the News-Press employees. Included among those present to receive the award were Don Murphy (in place of the ailing Jerry Roberts), Scott Hadly, Barney Brantingham and Dawn Hobbs. Melinda Burns made an eloquent speech about the dire situation at the paper. Jerry Roberts is out of the hospital and recuperating at home in San Francisco. He is said to be in very good spirits.
Fence update. I may have "yumped the gun" in reporting that the fence is down. Only the fence on the east side of Anacapa which borders the auxiliary News-Press parking lot was taken down on Friday. As of 5:30 p.m. yesterday evening when I checked it out for myself, the fence bordering the parking lot adjacent to the News-Press building was still in place. Maybe Wendy & Co. want to make sure that I have to spring for two Irish Coffees.
Finally, on more than one occasion, Dr. Laura has used her column to imply that bloggers are nothing more than egotistical, self-centered, shameless self-promoters. I just want to go on record as saying that's absolutely untrue. BTW, I want to thank Coastal Woman Magazine for the very nice profile on me, written by Nancy Shobe, that appears in their Winter issue. You can pick a copy up around town or you can download a PDF of the magazine. (I'm on page 46.)
BREAKING NEWS! The Fence Is Coming Down! Friday, Dec. 1, 2006. Reliable sources on the scene are informing me that as of 2:40 p.m. Friday, the fences bordering the News-Press parking lots on Anacapa Street are being removed by work crews.No one who entered the "fence pool" selected December 1st as the date. However, Ty, who is the only person to pick December 2nd is the winner of the Irish Coffee on me.
Hot or Not? Two Different Opinions. Friday, Dec. 1, 2006. (Note, the first item from today's post is a repeat. It originally ran back on May 16th of this year, but since no one was reading this blog back then you probably missed it. With not much "news" today, I thought I would lead with this. ) So my 10 year old daughter and I are walking past the window of our local video store when she spots a poster for the movie Shopgirl in the window. She asks me "what is Shopgirl about?" Having seen the movie in the theatre I answer: "Its about a young women who works in a fancy department store and has two men who are pursuing her. One is an older wealthy guy and the other is a young guy who doesn't have any money." Then my daughter says, "but the younger guy is a lot better looking." "What?" I blurt out. But I'm thinking to myself that she's looking at the same poster I am. Whatever she sees in Jason Schwartzman, I sure don't see it. To me he looks like a dweeb and in the movie he dresses like a clown. But to my 10 year old daughter he's easily beating out Steve Martin whose only six years older than I am. How old am I? Let's just say this, on my next birthday you'll probably find me at Denny's ordering the Senior Slam for breakfast.Anyway its probably further proof of my long held theory; a woman can always tell when another women is beautiful, but a man can't tell when another man is handsome. In my opinion, a handsome man is Steve McQueen in Bullet, Richard Roundtree in Shaft or Billy Dee Williams in anything. Of course, I'm showing my age. After all, McQueen has been dead for over 25 years, Roundtree hasn't had a significant movie role since his cameo in the remake of Shaft and I've appeared more recently on a screen, big or small, than Williams. What women see in Brad Pitt or Colin Farrell sure beats the hell out of me. And then, there's the biggest mystery of all. What does Chris Noth, "Big" on Sex and the City have going for him? Well, at least my daughter and I can agree on one thing, Claire Danes is sure good looking.
Marshall Rose, head of the Downtown Organization for the past 10 years or so, resigned on Tuesday. Long time Santa Barbaran's will remember the Lou Rose store on State Street near the Arlington. That store, started by his father, closed several years ago. The family retail tradition will be continued though. Marshall is stepping down so that he may go into business with his son. They are opening up a new microbrewery - Hollister Brewing Company, which will be located in Goleta in the space now occupied by the Camino Real Grill which will be closing its doors on December 8th. Rose "The Protector of State Street" was recently named by the Santa Barbara Independent as one of its Local Heroes for 2006. State Street's loss will be Goleta's gain. The Hollister Brewing Company will be located across the street from where I work at UCSB Extension. Hopefully they will have a bartender who knows how to make a proper Irish Coffee. For the full news report on this story check out today's Santa Barbara Daily Sound.
Former, News-Press Executive Editor Jerry Roberts was moved out of the ICU yesterday and may be headed home soon. Doctors still don't really know what triggered the enlarged spleen. He is said to be thankful for all the support and prayers. A crowd of 65 or so showed up to hear his stand-in, former News-Press reporter Scott Hadly talk about the future of daily newspapers at the Unitarian Society on Wednesday night.
So far a dozen readers have e-mailed me with their predictions of when the News-Press fence will come down. The date range is from as early as Saturday, December 2nd to January 26th. Its not too late to enter the contest with your prediction.
With Experienced Journalists Having Been Shown the Door, They'll Accept a Young Trainee. Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006. Last night I was tipped off to the following want ad posted on the Internet at Journalismjobs.com:
The Santa Barbara News-Press is looking for a reporter who is fearless when it comes to covering city hall, someone ready to turn up the heat and watch 'em squirm. Don't bother responding unless you're ready to dig in, dig up and dig around this town's ivory tower. An investigative bent would be nice, and you better be ready to produce: The last person to hold this position could turn out five bylined stories a week. If hard work and a front page begging for unbiased, hard-hitting journalism - the way it's meant to be - suits you, send a resume and three clips to yapodaca@newspress.com. Of course if you look up the term "ivory tower" in the dictionary, you'll find that it's described as "a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world." Sounds more descriptive of the current occupants of the publisher's suite at the News-Press than the tower-less City Hall. I agree, the front page of the News-Press is "begging for unbiased, hard-hitting journalism." The problem is, the owner has chased off or fired every editor or journalist who dared to try to achieve that goal. And please, before you start "digging up" anything around De la Guerra Plaza, make sure that you have the proper permit. If you missed KSBY's story on the fence Tuesday night, you can view it on Google Video. And I'm taking your best guesses on when the fence will come down. E-mail me with the date you think the fence will be dismantled and hauled away. Winner gets an Irish Coffee, on me! (News-Press management personnel are not eligible to win.)
Has The News-Press Holiday Fund Gone To The Dogs? Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006. The News-Press Holiday Fund was originally established by Thomas Storke, the paper's long-time publisher, to benefit what eventually became the Visiting Nurse's Association. However this year, for the third year in a row, the Visiting Nurses will not receive anything from the Fund. In 2004 they were removed from the list of charities on the orders of News-Press owner Wendy McCaw. Taking their place that year was the K-9 Placement and Assistance League (K-9 PALS) a group "dedicated to seeing that abandoned and stray dogs brought to the county animal shelter receive care above what the government can provide."McCaw is a person who often treats people like dogs and dogs like people. After all, the article that announced the K-9 group's participation in the fund bubbled that "Thanks to the group, dogs get medical treatment, daily outdoor exercise, special foods, grooming, one-on-one attention and soft beds. Dogs are matched with new owners, and lost dogs are reunited with their families." (If we only treated our foster children so well.) In 2003, the last year the Visiting Nurses participated in the Fund, a total of $92,557 was raised. Groups also designated as beneficiaries that year were the Rehabilitation Institute, Foodbank and Animal Shelter Assistance Program. The following year when the K-9 PALS took the Visiting Nurses' place only $71,833 was raised which was shared equally between K-9 PALS and Peoples' Self-Help Housing Corp. Those numbers look pretty anemic when compared to the $120,797 that was raised in 2002 when the recipients were the Rehabilitation Institute, Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care and the Foodbank. The year before that, the total raised was $86,456. Two weeks ago the paper announced that this year's Fund beneficiaries are the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). So once again, animals share the bill with people in the Holiday Fund. But then what did you expect from a woman who gave $2 million to "Free Willy," from captivity? Like it or not the fact of the matter is that people just don't dig as deep into their pockets to give to animal causes as opposed to helping their fellow human beings. The Holiday Fund has suffered because of Wendy's insistence that it benefit her "pet" projects.
If the News-Press put up that unpermitted fence to conceal their employees' signs protesting McCaw's policies, the plan has backfired. One observer tells me that the employees have indeed parked their cars on the streets with their "McCaw Obey the Law" signs in the windows. "Now drivers on Anacapa Street who never saw the signs in the parking lot before can see them on the street plain as day!" Also, a high ranking City Hall official told my source that the fence isn't down....but "it's coming down!" The flap over the fence got covered on KSBY's 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts last night. The News-Press finally breaks its silence on the fence in an opinion piece today. The tenor of the piece is, "Gee whiz, what's all the fuss about?" The paper is claiming that the fence is "only meant to be up for a short time while the News-Press does some work sprucing the parking lots." "Spruce up" the parking lot? The opinion piece goes on to complain about the number of "city employees who trespass through our lots." As if city employees are the only people who use the News-Press lot for a shortcut. However the most petty statement in the piece is the claim that, "In the recent past, the newspaper's management had to request that one member of the City Council stop using the parking lot as a site for his overly public displays of affection with his girlfriend on our private property." Given the fact that the News-Press now reports so little of what goes on in this town, I think he had a reasonable expectation of privacy. Well, at least now I know where to go to get "lucky."
The Future of the News-Press? Scott Hadly, formerly senior reporter for the News-Press who resigned in protest of the publisher's shabby ethics, will be taking the place of the recuperating Jerry Roberts and will speak on the future of the local daily press at 7:00 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, Nov. 29th, at the Unitarian Society's Jefferson Hall (1535 Santa Barbara Street). The presentation will be informal with time for queries and interaction from the audience.
Did anyone else notice that yesterday's Santa Barbara Daily Sound had the story on Bill Levy's $175 million Ritz-Carlton time-share project filing for bankruptcy protection, and that the News-Press had absolutely nothing about it? Another case of the News-Press not having enough hands on deck to cover the news.
Un-permitted and In-de-fence-ible. Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006. With the fence that went up around the News-Press parking lots over the Thanksgiving weekend, we have confirmation that "Captain Queeg is in the office, rolling marbles and talking about strawberries." Of course in this case "Captain Queeg" is News-Press owner Wendy McCaw and instead of marbles or steel balls its more likely a strand of Mikimoto pearls that she's rolling in her hands and rather than missing strawberries its signs and placards she's obsessing over. Specifically the ones that say "Banish the Bias" and "McCaw Obey the Law" that are prominently displayed in the windshields of her employees' cars that are parked in those lots while they toil away in the adjacent building. So obsessed in fact that her royal consort, Arthur von Wiesenberger ordered the fences to be erected to conceal the cars and signs from passerbys and if the rest of us have to be exposed to some hideous monstrosity better suited to Fenway Park in Boston than the El Pueblo Viejo district of downtown Santa Barbara, that's tough, after all, we're just the "little people."Yes, its time for all of us to re-read the Caine Mutiny because the similarities between the fictional Philip Francis Queeg and the all too real Wendy P. McCaw are numerous. For those of you who never read the book or just need a refresher course, Queeg was assigned as captain of the U.S.S. Caine, a minesweeper stationed in the Pacific during World War II. After a honeymoon period, it becomes apparent that Queeg was prone to eccentric behavior displaying a micro-managing command style and sometimes unprovoked angry outbursts. When a quart of strawberries go missing from the wardroom icebox Queeg orders every key on the ship collected, and a thorough search made. Queeg was ready to interrupt World War II to solve the case of the missing strawberries, McCaw is ready to start World War III over some signs in a parking lot. Don't be surprised if the fence becomes the Santa Barbara equivalent of World War III. Yesterday, the City ordered the News-Press to remove the fence. The News-Press building is in the most historic area of the city. Any fence would have to be signed off on by the Historic Landmarks Commission. The News-Press didn't even bother to apply for a permit before erecting the fence. Don't expect the fence to be quickly removed. McCaw neither asks permission nor seeks forgiveness. In the meantime, News-Press employees who desire to display their placards and signs in their windshields are parking on the street rather than on the parking lot behind the fence. Yesterday, the fence was the subject of the Santa Barbara Daily Sound's first ever editorial. According to Daily Sound Editor & Publisher Jeramy Gordon, "This is the first of what I hope will be more editorials. I wrote the editorial and plan to write at least one a week, probably on Mondays." With Queeg, I mean McCaw, in full strawberry search mode, Gordon may have to consider writing more frequently.
Former News-Press Executive Editor Jerry Roberts is hospitalized in San Francisco after undergoing emergency surgeries to remove his spleen and gall bladder. He is said to be recovering but the family asks that no phone calls be made to him this week. Prayers are welcome and encouraged. Roberts was in the Bay Area for the Thanksgiving holiday. He had been scheduled to speak on the future of the local daily press this coming Wednesday evening at the Unitarian Society here in Santa Barbara. Organizers of the event are trying to find a replacement speaker or speakers.
Thanksgiving Weekend Special. Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006. I had originally planned to take the long weekend off from blogging, but you know what they say about the best laid plans. Therefore I interrupt this holiday weekend to bring you the following:The holiday's first "turkey" was served up by Dr. Laura. She used her Thanksgiving Day column to chastise Sara Miller McCune for her acceptance speech at the News-Press Lifetime Achievement Awards where Ms. McCune took advantage of the opportunity to express her hope that she might one day own the News-Press. That was too much for the good doctor (and I use that term loosely) who was at the dinner and decided that "something had to be said." According to Dr. Laura; "I went to her, leaned over, and said, 'That was rude and graceless.' She looked up at me with obvious disdain." I would have looked disdainful too if some angry newspaper writer was standing over me sputtering into my desert while simultaneously delivering both an opinion piece and a weather report. A couple of things; Dr. Laura describes where all this took place as "the News-Press Biltmore event." Doesn't she know the proper name of the function she was at? It's the Lifetime Achievement Awards! Secondly, what's so bad about what Ms. McCune said? Give her credit for being the one person being honored who didn't ignore the 800 pound gorilla that was sitting in the room. I found it interesting that Dr. Laura acknowledged that she paraphrased Ms. McCune rather than quote her actual words from the speech. I guess what she actually said in its proper context didn't sound "mean" enough for Dr. Laura's purposes. One last thing; Dr. Laura is going off on Sara Miller McCune nearly a full two weeks after the event. Doc, its over, forget about it. Now go and face the day.
Late Friday afternoon one of my faithful tipsters alerted me to the fact that a chain link fence was being put up at the News-Press parking lot. I headed downtown to investigate and arrived just as the Fence Factory truck was pulling away. Sure enough, at both the lot adjacent to the News-Press building and the one directly across the street, fences complete with green tarps and chain link gates were in place. Why the fences? Darned if I know. I doubt its security because the fence on the west side of Anacapa only runs along the side of the lot facing the street. There is no fence on the north side of the lot where the property line between the News-Press lot and the City Hall parking lot lies. Pedestrians can still take the short cut through the parking lot to reach De la Guerra Plaza. My guess, and its only a guess, as to the reason for the fence is that its to block the view of signs or posters that News-Press employees put in the windows of their cars while parked there. At least one "McCaw Obey the Law" sign was visible in the window of a car parked in the lot on Friday. Its safe to say the News-Press won't be winning any "Santa Barbara Beautiful" Awards for this latest shenanigan.
This morning, (Sat. 11/25) starting at 9 a.m. a film crew will be interviewing shoppers at the Farmer's Market on Cota Street about the News-Press situation. Anyone with a comment pro or con is welcome to participate. The "man on the street" material is being gathered for "The News-Press Story" a documentary being produced by Sam Tyler for public television release next fall. The program will look into the many aspects of the story and its impact on the community. Wonder if the filmmakers know that one of the few public places where Wendy and Arthur are regularly seen is the Saturday Farmer's Market?
Finally, while I've been deflecting all inquiries about my "luck" it sure sounds to me like someone over at Starshine Roshell's house is about to find his.
The Intimidator. Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006. By now, you've probably forgotten my column of last week, describing how Ira Gottlieb, attorney for the unionized newsroom employees of the News-Press, was barred from attending the paper's Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner. However, one person who hasn't forgotten the incident, or gotten over it, is News-Press owner Wendy McCaw. She's hired high-priced and high-powered Santa Barbara attorney Barry Cappello, who on Monday sent Gottlieb a letter warning him to stay away from Wendy.The letter accuses Gottlieb of "lurking in the lobby of the Biltmore and peering into the reception room in hopes of finding Ms. McCaw." (I guess Barry must have been among those who cancelled his subscription because if he read the paper he'd know that Wendy insists on always being referred to as Mrs. McCaw.) "Lurking" in the lobby? Hardly. Gottlieb was a registered guest at the Biltmore that night with every right to be there. Besides, what was he supposed to do, hide in his room and watch one of those "adult channels" on the hotel TV while Wendy took her sweet time finishing her leisurely dinner? I was with Gottlieb for part of that evening and I can attest that most of our time at the Biltmore was spent in the bar, and we have the tab to prove it. Apparently one of the biggest and swankiest hotels in town isn't big enough for Wendy and anyone who may differ with her on the subjects of unions or journalistic ethics. If Wendy thinks she bought the whole hotel for the evening with the right to keep the public out of the lobby and bar and off the walkways, maybe she ought to complain to the management at the Biltmore. And since when did the Lifetime Achievement Awards become an invitation only event? Never mind, I know the answer; as soon as someone who actually represented the majority of those who report and write for the paper showed up at the door holding a ticket to get in. When will Wendy learn that bullying and intimidation will get her nowhere in this community? Probably when all of the people left who still read the paper can squeeze into the banquet room at the Biltmore, which I predict will be the case by next November. Cappello's letter concludes: "If there is anything you would like to informally communicate to Ms. McCaw you may do so through our firm." Hey Barry, I have something I'd like to "informally communicate" to your client. "Get over it!"
Last Thursday, the News-Press ran an editorial arguing that given the large margin of victory Measure P had in the recent election, city officials should not stand in the way of implementing it. In response, Gottlieb submitted the following letter to the editor to the paper: Dear Editor: Needless to say, the News-Press has yet to publish the letter.
And finally, in his Op-Ed piece last Friday, Travis Armstrong took the following swipe at Barney Brantingham saying that the former News-Press columnist "often seemed disturbed that I had a competing column in the paper. I tried not to pay too much attention to him because I prefer to write on the news topics of the day rather than fill this space with folksy e-mail snippets sent to me." Frankly, I'd rather read those e-mail snippets than a bunch of anti-union propaganda that someone's boss ordered them to write and stick in their column.
The He-Man Coffee Drinkers Club. Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006. I'll be the first to admit it. I spend far too much time frequenting places where coffee is the chief item of sale. As a result, I overhear a lot of "interesting" conversations. The other day I was at the Starbucks near my house when I heard one of the employees behind the counter ask a co-worker the following question: "Have you ever noticed how its always the tough looking guys who order the foo-foo drinks?" This is coming from someone whose job title is "barista?" Surely they weren't talking about me.So what qualifies as a "foo-foo" drink? Certainly anything that's served at room temperature or cooler. After all, coffee is supposed to be hot and if you can't stand the heat back away from the espresso machine. So that automatically includes all of the Frappuccinos and anything else that's served iced. In fact, let's put anything that's topped off with whipped cream on the list. Anything that's a seasonal drink also qualifies as foo-foo. Add Peppermint Mocha, Eggnog Latte, Gingerbread Latte, Toffee Nut Latte and Pumpkin Spice Latte to the list. In fact, lets just count anything that's flavored as being on the foo-foo list. I have no idea what a Macchiato is but based solely on the sound of the name, put it down on the foo-foo list. An Americano is a diluted or watered down espresso for those who can't take the real thing, so that goes on the list. Espresso? I'll bet you're thinking that's a he-man drink because its so strong, but on the other hand, its always served in such dainty little cups, therefore I say it qualifies as foo-foo. Just think how one of those cups would look in the hands of some big, burly heavy machine operator who's wearing one of those sweatshirts with the sleeves torn off. Get the picture? Not a pretty one. The only thing that would look more ridiculous is if the guy was eating a little finger sandwich for lunch dressed like that. So what's left? Latte? Kind of sounds foo-foo to me. Cappuccino? Well, that's my drink so its definitely not foo-foo. Then there's plain old coffee which I would argue is much more of a he-man drink when ordered from a 7-11 or AM-PM Mini Mart. Real men don't go to Starbucks, unless its to order a Cappuccino.
As long as the subject is coffee, its time for an Irish Coffee update. I wish I had better news to report but unfortunately I've come to the conclusion that other than the James Joyce or Dargan's, no one in this town knows how to make a proper Irish Coffee. The following establishments have all failed the Irish Coffee test; The Brewhouse, The Chase, Lucky's. the Biltmore, Pascucci's. All flunked by topping off their Irish Coffee with canned whip cream. Special dis-honors to Elements, for putting green food coloring on top of the whipped cream. Nothing worse than ordering an Irish Coffee and having a foo-foo drink placed in front of you at the bar.
Speaking of Lucky's. To all of you who have written inquiring whether my "luck" has improved, let me answer that question this way; that's for me to know and for the News-Press' new gossip columnist to figure out.
Society Page Special. Monday, Nov. 20, 2006. I rarely make it out to the "A" list social events in this town. You won't see my picture gracing the inside pages of Santa Barbara Magazine or the back pages of Sunday's News-Press Life section only to end up, in the words of fellow blogger Doc Searls, "as tomorrow's fish wrap." But I wasn't about to miss Santa Barbara's social event of the century, District Attorney (and my former boss) Tom Sneddon's retirement party. After 24 years of heading the DA's office, Tom is hanging it up. I dusted off my tux and headed down to the DoubleTree hotel for the black tie optional affair.In my opinion, this event outclassed last week's News-Press Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner. Let's face it, having more security people than attendees, as was the case at the Biltmore last week, is downright tacky. Not the case at the DoubleTree last Friday night. Not a bouncer in sight and no distinguished graduates of Columbia University were refused entry. Admittedly, many of those attending were law enforcement types who may very well have been packing "heat" but an opening line of "is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" is not a good conversation starter with this crowd. So like any good "society" columnist, time to start serving up the names. Of course the DA's office was well represented starting with Assistant DA Pat McKinley and wife Esther, as well as Chief Trial Deputy Eric Hanson and wife Mary. District Attorney Elect Christie Stanley was there of course and Deputy DA and author Joyce Dudley, was also spotted among the crowd. The dinner, attended by 450, was also something of a Michael Jackson trial reunion. The whole prosecution team was there including deputy DA's Ron Zonen, Gordon Auchincloss, Mag Nicola, investigating officer Steve Robell, and paralegal, Chris Linz. Jackson trial judge Rodney Melville attended. (BTW, have you ever noticed how much Judge Melville and CNN's Wolf Blitzer look alike?) And Sneddon certainly didn't pull a Wendy McCaw and have Jackson defense attorney Bob Sanger, who was accompanied by his wife, attorney, Catherine Swysen, ejected from the ballroom on the grounds that he and Sanger might not always see eye-to-eye on everything, or anything for that matter. Even the media corps from the Jackson trial was represented. Flying in from New York to attend the event were former Court TV reporter Diane Dimond and her husband, WCBS radio reporter Michael Schoen, seen here with former Sheriff Jim Thomas who worked at the trial as a legal analyst for NBC News. (Jim is on the left). Local dignitaries were also in abundance starting with Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum and husband Joe, former mayor, Sheila Lodge and her husband Judge Joseph Lodge, County Clerk/Assessor, Joe Holland and wife Kathy, Second District Supervisor, Susan Rose and husband Alan Ghitterman, and County Counsel Shane Stark. Among those seated at the table with me was Superior Court Executive Officer Gary Blair and wife Anna. Gary and I shared an office when we both started in the DA's office way back when. Former KEYT anchor Debby Davison MC'd the event. After the speeches and presentations the DJ set up and the dancing began lasting past midnight. On the dance floor almost continuously and shutting the place down was Sneddon surrounded by his nine kids and wife Pam. If there was a little "freakin" going on, you didn't hear it from me. And I know what your question is and the answer is no, not one Michael Jackson song was played.
In keeping with today's society page theme, News-Press owner Wendy McCaw was spotted last Thursday evening dining at Olio E Limone on Victoria Street, with an all gal-pal posse.
In her column in the Santa Barbara Daily Sound today, Leslie Westbrook wonders who might be cast in the key roles if Hollywood were ever to make a feature film out of the News-Press mess.
And finally, Travis Armstrong concluded his Friday op-ed column by describing two incidents where he called to ask harassing questions of former News-Press columnist Barney Brantingham, now at the Independent, and Barney hung up. I don't know what Travis expected but in case he still hasn't figured out why, here are my, "Top Three Reasons Why Barney Hung Up on Travis:"
3. Barney doesn't accept collect calls.
Suggested Reading Etc. for the Weekend. Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006. After last weekend's busy social schedule I'm taking this weekend off, but if you're looking for some provocative reading I suggest, Santa Barbara Smackdown; A behind-the-scenes look at the turmoil that engulfed the Santa Barbara News-Press after owner Wendy McCaw and her top lieutenants flattened the wall separating the executive suite from the newsroom.Did you miss last Saturday's candlelight vigil in front of the Biltmore? No worries, you can catch the rebroadcast on Santa Barbara Channels, Community Access Cable Channel 17 at any of the following times; Saturday, 11/18 at 6:00 pm On Sunday's edition of CBS' "60 Minutes." Joe Namath talks about his drunken incident with ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber where, while being interviewed live on camera, he asked if he could kiss her. Its a sad day when the only way a hall of fame quarterback can get on TV is to talk about a pass he didn't complete.
Special Friday All Female Meteorologist Edition. Friday, Nov. 17, 2006. It never made sense to me. If I can call current KEYT meteorologist Alan Rose a "weather dude" with impunity, why am I being scolded by everyone from my 17 year old son, to the "guest worker" lady who comes by twice a month to clean my house, over my use of the term "weather babe?" However, rather than ask, why, I have decided to abandon the term in favor of the more politically correct "female meteorologist." Am I giving in to pressure? Let's just say that rather than impose further burden upon the overworked and underpaid staff at the reader relations department of Craig Smith's Blog, I have decided to ensure that the staff's long-promised weekend off will not be disturbed. Hence, the change in terminology.Anyway, my favorite weather babe, oops, I mean, female meteorologist, and the woman I give credit to for putting this blog on the map, is leaving Santa Barbara. Kate Wentzel is moving back to Florida. The only topic on this blog that can be dependably counted on to outdraw the News-Press is Kate. Born in San Diego she grew up in the mid-west where her father was a minister. She joined KEYT about two years ago and was the chief meteorologist for Channel 3 until the end of July. A few days ago I caught up with her by phone for an exit interview. I had the questions, Kate had the answers. Q. Why did you leave KEYT so abruptly? A. Management decided not to renew my contract. Q. What have you been doing since you left KEYT? A. Freelancing in L.A. Being the fill-in weather person for KCAL 9 and KCBS 2 which are both CBS owned stations. Q. Did you continue to live up here after leaving KEYT? A. Yes. Q. Do you mind it when people refer to you as a "weather babe?" A. I would prefer to be called a meteorologist but its not upsetting to be called a "weather babe." Women in broadcasting have the problem of having to be both credible and telegenic at the same time. I have an undergrad degree in communications as well as a certificate in broadcast meterology. Q. How do you spend your free time? A. Enjoying Santa Barbara life, hiking, biking, sailing, playing tennis. Q. What were your favorite restaurants or hangouts here in Santa Barbara? A. I liked the Shoreline Cafe and The Beachside, anything with a water view. Ca Dario for Italian. My favorite place for Sushi is Arigato. My favorite place to spend the weekend would be at the beach with friends. Q. How was your social life here? A. Very active. Q. Any men in your life? A. I dated casually but never was in a significant relationship while I was here. Q. What are you going to be doing in Florida? A. I'll be doing the weather at WPBF the ABC affiliate in West Palm Beach. Q. How big a market is that? A. Its the 43rd largest TV market in the country. (Santa Barbara is the 117th largest market.) Q. So that's a good step-up in terms of market rank. What will you miss most about Santa Barbara? A. The friends I've made here. Q. Anything else you want to say? A. Only that Santa Barbara will always be a special place and I appreciate the way I was welcomed into the community and supported by the people here.
More female meteorologists on the move! Indra Petersons, who handled the weekend weather shift for KEYT in 2003 and 2004, is now the weekend fill-in weather person on KABC-TV in L.A. If you have Cox's High Definition TV service you can see her in Santa Barbara on weekend mornings on Channel 703. And yes, she's very "telegenic" in Hi Def.
Although she's not making any moves as far as I know, how about a completely gratuitous photo of current Weather Channel and former KEYT female meteorologist Hillary Andrews? After all, who knows when I'll do another Special All Female Meterologist Edition?
Now That I've Cooled Off. Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006. I must admit, my jaw dropped when I read yesterday's News-Press editorial with its completely distorted account of what went on outside and inside the Biltmore on Saturday night when the paper's Lifetime Achievement Awards dinner was being held there. Wednesday's editorial is the latest example of ownership's habit of publishing an editorial that is full of misrepresentations about the true facts, and not even assigning someone from the newsroom to cover the event in an objective fashion.The editorial's author was incensed because I, an attorney, had the nerve to show up at the hotel that night. According to the editorial my purpose there was "to seek attention and free advertising." You would have thought I was there passing out business cards and offering free initial consultations. In fact, I was there because I wanted to find out what, if anything, honoree Sara Miller McCune might have to say when she accepted her award. I was pretty sure the News-Press would not report what happened, and I proved to be right. Nor did they allow anyone else to report what might take place there having denied permission to other established media outlets to attend and cover the event. If I could have trusted the News-Press to cover the story and report it accurately, (or at least allow someone else to do so) I could have stayed at the bar around the corner on Coast Village Road and continued to try my "luck." What about the "union organizer" who tried to "crash or sneak into" the dinner? Ira Gottlieb, is not an "organizer" but rather is a union attorney. Attorney is the operative word and also apparently a sore subject for editorial writer Travis Armstrong who although he completed law school, never took the bar exam. And when someone shows up at the door having bought their $150 ticket in advance and had their name on the guest list, that's hardly "crashing" or "sneaking into" the event. Besides, they only knew he was coming because he gave them his name. And if there was language in the published advertisements for the event saying "union types will not be admitted" I don't recall seeing it. Most galling is the characterization of the candlelight vigil that took place as "picketing." I was there and no one tried to dissuade anyone from entering the event. The editorial asserts that, "Civility, reasoned discussions and good manners are the qualities that separate and distinguish our community." No argument there, but the fact is that News-Press owner Wendy McCaw has refused to sit down and engage in any kind of reasoned discussion of the situation with her employees or anyone else in the community for that matter. When employees tried to deliver a letter to her she disciplined them. When they voted 33 to 6 to have the union as their bargaining agent she chose to stall rather than sit down and negotiate in good faith. When a group of prominent citizens wrote her and asked for a meeting, she refused them. So what choice has she left us with other than to stand in the cold to call attention to the employees plight? When you consider those facts the statement about "reasoned discussion" is exposed for what it really is, bald face hypocrisy. BTW, I don't know about you but I don't appreciate being lectured about the "Santa Barbara Tradition." I've lived here for 30 years. Travis Armstrong has been here for about 30 seconds. In case you missed it, the following appeared at the end of Travis Armstrong's Op-Ed piece in Wednesday's paper: YOU'RE FIRED: Santa Barbaran Sara Miller McCune covets this newspaper and told me Saturday night that if she owned it, she'd fire me. Perhaps the politically active Ms. Miller McCune doesn't want journalists on staff with views that might be different than her own. Ms. Miller McCune needn't worry: I'd quit before working for someone like that.Hopefully that's a promise and not a threat. And another thing! We know that McCaw doesn't "want journalists on staff with views that might be different than her own." (Just ask Melinda Burns.) I'm willing to take my chances on Ms. McCune.
In Monday's post I mentioned how I suspected that the front desk staff at the Biltmore must have alerted McCaw's people to the fact that union lawyer Ira Gottlieb had checked into the hotel. Before checking out Sunday, Gottlieb complained to the Biltmore's manager. Tuesday, Gottlieb heard back from the Biltmore who informed him that the News-Press had hired their own security for the event and that it was them who spotted him as he entered the hotel and phoned McCaw's lawyers. So Wendy had a "watch list" and Gottlieb was on it. No word on whether the ghost of Jimmy Hoffa also made the list.
My fellow blogger and UCSB home boy George had my back yesterday when he jumped into the fray with this post at imnotonetoblogbut.
Breaking News! Chicken Little Is Writing for the News-Press! Wednesday, Nov. 15, 1006. What has the world come to? A guy with nothing else to do on a Saturday night can't show up at one of this town's finer hotels, have a drink at the bar and hang out in the lobby without some hack at the News-Press writing an editorial about it?One union organizer even attempted to gain entrance to the private event held on private property. A local attorney reportedly also came to the hotel. It's a sad day when any local attorneys on their own try to interject themselves into matters of a privately owned business to seek attention and free advertising."It's a sad day?" Not as sad as when two well mannered, middle aged guys can't show up at a hotel, have a drink, and then look around without having some nut from the local newspaper start yelling that the sky is falling. Give me a break. Not to mention all of the anti-union hysteria in the editorial complaining about the peaceful candlelight vigil held outside the hotel before the start of Saturday night's dinner. Will the rest of you excuse me while I send a private message to Wendy and Travis? "Wendy, Trav, You know, its a free country. Its been that way for over 200 years. You really ought to get used to it."
Dished Out! Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006. Another columnist for the Santa Barbara News-Press has left the paper. This time its Martha Smilgis, who for the past three years wrote the popular Monday Life section feature called "The Dish." The Indy's Blog has reported that the reason for the departure was "over politics." That's only half the story. I spoke with Smilgis by telephone last night. She said she received an email from associate editor and designated hatchet man Scott Steepleton (whom she's never met) telling her the column "was becoming too political" and that they wanted "more gossip, more dishy gossip." Smilgis wasn't interested in going in that direction with the column. Her objective was to write a column that had a substantial message presented in an entertaining way and therefore refused to compromise or change. "I covered many issues such as bringing back dormant local railways, widening of the 101, pollution of our glorious ocean, etc." The slender blonde added; "As for personal gossip, I tried to shy away from divorce and break ups, focusing on marriages and funerals."So how was she "too political?" According to Smilgis no one over elaborated. She did note that editors cut from her more recent columns references she made to Bianca Jagger's acceptance speech before the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation as "preaching to the choir" as well as Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau's statements about Iraq when he spoke recently at the Arlington. Smilgis had few dealings with the present regime at the News-Press and until now, had never been questioned about anything that she wrote. Her goal was to have "The Dish" be to the News-Press what "Talk of the Town" is to The New Yorker, her take on our town and the people who live here. What did the management at the News-Press want her column to be? Who knows? But when one talks about "dishy gossip" what comes to my mind is that of the vicious more pandering "Page Six" tabloid journalism practiced by the New York Post and its rival the New York Daily News. Is that something most Santa Barbarians want to see here? I doubt it. "The Dish" covered a wide variety of people, everyone from former Secretary of State George Shultz to film maker Michael Moore. One of the more memorable events Smilgis wrote about was Oprah Winfrey's fete of African-American luminaries where she got to shake hands with Senator Barack Obama and his wife. Prior to writing for the News-Press, Smilgis had a long career working for Time Magazine, People, CNN, and the TV show, Extra! There should be a full news story on Smilgis' departure in this morning's Santa Barbara Daily Sound.
The Teamsters Union has won a battle in what figures to be a hard-fought labor war with News-Press owner Wendy McCaw. Yesterday it was announced that the NLRB has completed its investigation and will file a complaint charging News-Press management with violating the National Labor Relations Act by cancelling union supporter Starshine Roshell's weekly column in the paper, and by obstructing and threatening to suspend a group of newsroom employees in retaliation for delivering a letter to McCaw. This means that the NLRB will issue a complaint which, unless settled, will result in a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, in which the News-Press would be prosecuted for the violations. Union attorney Ira Gottlieb, freshly bounced from Saturday's Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner at the Biltmore hotel told me, "No question, this is great news for the union." Still under investigation by the NLRB is the retaliatory discharge of award-winning News-Press reporter Melinda Burns. BTW, if you'd like to sign an on-line petition urging the News-Press to to reinstate Melinda, click here.
Not only were labor union lawyers considered persona non grata at Saturday's News-Press Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner, so were members of the media. Journalists from other news organizations were barred from attending and covering the event. Originally, News-Press management had granted San Luis Obispo TV station KSBY access but not Santa Barbara station KEYT. However, when the News-Press figured out that KSBY would not only cover what happened inside but also include footage and a mention of the candlelight vigil outside before the dinner, the permission to attend was cancelled. As a result, with the exception of the puff piece that ran in Sunday's News-Press, there was a total news black out of the event. Well almost total. Yours truly had the only account anywhere of what went on inside which resulted in a record number of visitors to this blog yesterday. Thank you Wendy!
Un-Invited. Monday, Nov. 13, 2006. He had his ticket and he had his tux. But when he showed up at the door of the News-Press Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner at the Biltmore Saturday night, labor lawyer Ira Gottlieb, who represents the organized newsroom employees of the paper, found himself listed on Wendy McCaw's version of the "no fly list."He had already paid, but was told he wouldn't be admitted and that his $150 would be refunded. According to Gottlieb, "I told one of the functionaries there that in a gesture of my good faith - emphasizing "my" to contrast the News-Press' - I would be happy to contribute the money for the ticket (even though he was being kicked out) to the good charitable cause that the dinner was ostensibly for. The person to whom I said that said she would talk to whoever she answered to about my attempt to contribute." Anyway, when Gottlieb didn't leave quickly enough a burly guy in a suit with an earpiece planted in his ear, showed up to "assist" him in finding his way to the door. (BTW, why is it the phrase "Can I help you?" so often really means, "You have no business here."?) All dressed up and with no place to go, Gottlieb joined the rest of us standing outside on Channel Drive holding candles. Of course, that had the nice unintended consequence of making it appear that one of those attending the dinner was also holding vigil. The ejected guest would later become my wing man for the rest of the evening. I always thought that the mark of a good hotel was that the security personnel were invisible. Not the case at the Biltmore Saturday night. I've seen less security at a hip-hop concert. I wondered to myself, "who's guarding the Spearmint Rhino?" (And no, I didn't head down there afterwards to investigate.) When Gottlieb and I returned to the hotel after getting a bite to eat we eventually found ourselves on the outdoor walkway looking over a low wall and patio into the windows of the Loggia Room where the dinner was breaking up. Mr. Earpiece showed up and I said to Gottlieb "I think they made us." Sure enough after I spoke to a couple of guests who were leaving the dinner, someone inside started closing the rows of plantation shutters on the windows. From that point on, our every move was watched. Gottlieb might have succeeded in getting in had his wife not had to bail out forcing him to go stag. The tickets were under her name but the change of plans compelled him to give his true name. By late Friday, McCaw's attorneys became aware of Gottlieb's plan to attend and his phone started ringing. Sandra McCandless, McCaw's labor lawyer was on the other end. Gottlieb assured her that he would not demonstrate, leaflet, approach Wendy, get loud, climb on stage or otherwise do anything but behave as another sedate guest. McCandless told him that Wendy's mere knowledge of his very presence would spoil her evening. (And that's a reason for him not to go?) The divorcee was acting as if Gottlieb were crashing her private birthday party as opposed to attending a public event to which the public was and always has been invited. Its the "this banquet room's not big enough for both of us" mentality. Gottlieb hadn't been checked into the Biltmore for very long on Saturday afternoon when the phone in his room rang. It was McCandless on the line again, this time asking what he was doing at the hotel. (Nice to know that for the right price the Biltmore will provide an alert service.)
And since when is it necessary to have "entertainment" at this event? I'm referring to the surprise appearance of Jay Leno who did a monologue. My guess is that it must have cost between $75,000 and $100,000 to get him to show up. I love Jay, but it would have been nice for McCaw to take that money and contribute it to the charities which are supposed to be the beneficiaries of this dinner. $75,000 just happens to approximate the total that was raised for the News-Press Holiday Fund last year. I've asked around and this kind of entertainment is unprecedented at the Lifetime Achievement Awards. My theory is that its Wendy's way of "rewarding" those who showed up in spite of the controversy and "punishing" those who stayed away because of it. So who did show up to attend the dinner? I'm no Lorraine Wilson but here are some of the notables I recognized while observing the departures; KEYT's Martha Bull; former Santa Barbara Mayor Hal Conklin; realtor Silvio DeLoreto; president and CEO of American Riviera Bank, Michael Salsbury; Michael and Anne Towbes (who did duck their heads into the Biltmore bar to check out the dancing). Saturday night marked Travis Armstrong's debut at this event. In the past, there would be a table of News-Press people (circulation, sales, finance, the editor), but Armstrong never before joined them. And if you're keeping score, Wendy herself was once a no-show since acquiring ownership of the paper.
Last Night In Montecito. Sunday, Nov. 12, 2006. Despite the fact that I only play high goal polo, and only drink single malt Scotch whiskey, I don't spend that much time hanging out in Montecito. But last night I made an exception, The Santa Barbara News-Press Lifetime Achievement Awards were handed out at the Biltmore hotel. With no hope of getting into the event itself for the purpose of covering it, I spent the evening in some of Montecito's hottest and most expensive watering holes trying to figure out who I could get to tell me what was going on over at the Biltmore.First stop, the candlelight vigil outside the Biltmore, where approximately 55 News-Press journalists and their supporters, including yours truly, stood along Channel Drive to greet those arriving to attend the dinner inside. The vigil ends at 6:30 p.m. With time to kill, its off to Coast Village Road and the Montecito Cafe. Wait time to get a table; an hour and a half. At my age, I don't have that kind of time to kill, so its next door to Lucky's where although its packed, we get a table in the bar and order something to eat still clueless as to how we're going to find out what happened at the dinner. BTW, why do they call the place "Lucky's?" I've never gotten "lucky" there, if you know what I mean, ever. After dinner and an Irish Coffee, it comes to me. We'll head back to the bar at the Biltmore and hang out there until the dinner lets out. Surely, some of the tuxedos from the dinner will wander into the bar, hopefully by then well lubricated and ready to spill the beans. So, its back to the Biltmore. Almost an hour goes by before it looks like the dinner is letting out. But no one from the dinner is heading into the bar. Everybody's heading straight to the driveway to have the valets fetch their cars. Time to go to Plan B, which is to head out to the walkway where the dinner guests who parked their own cars in the back will be leaving by. Within minutes, several people leaving the dinner indeed walk by, all in good moods and willing to talk. Here's what happened inside: The first thing out of everybody's mouth is not about Wendy but rather about Jay Leno who showed up and did a 20 minute monologue. No jokes regarding the situation at the News-Press though. Wendy did not address the audience, although her boyfriend, co-publisher Arthur von Wiesenberger (whom KEYT incorrectly identified as her "husband") and Travis Armstrong did. I was most curious to hear what honoree Sara Miller McCune had to say when she got up to receive her award. After all, she had been seriously dissed by Wendy earlier in the week when the article on her receiving the award did not receive the same prominent front page placement in the paper that the articles on the two other honorees got. Presumably all because McCune had previously expressed an interest in buying the paper from McCaw. McCune was honoree number two, after Morris Jurkowitz and before Tom Thomas. She was introduced by Baroness Leni Fe Bland, whose name was mangled by von Wiesenberger who pronounced Bland as in "hand", whereas it shoud appropriately be as in the French pronounciation. Here's how McCune's acceptance speech went. I'm humbled. Everybody told me to be brief. I have some notes here. I don't know if I can be brief. Let me say this. Next year, I hope to own the News Press. The audience gasps and then she sits down after saying, "Thank you." Then she gets back up to accept the Tiffany robins egg blue box with the award. Von Wiesenberger then gets up and says, "Sold! No just kidding, we're having too much fun." Ms. McCune then exits for the rest room and News-Press editorial page editor Travis Armstong confronts her in the hallway and says, "That was rude and inappropriate." Someone then moves Sara away and the episode is over. Tomorrow, persona non grata. The story of the guest who had a ticket to the dinner and was refused admittance.
The Exit Interview, Part 2. Friday, Nov. 10, 2006. Vladimir Kogan left town yesterday to return to San Diego where he has a job lined up with "Voice of San Diego," a web based news source. I had never met Kogan before but was impressed when he called me in response to my e-mail inquiry about why he resigned from the News-Press. He answered every question I asked and had plenty to say. So much in fact that I had to split my write-up of our conversation into two posts. Here's part two.Although he didn't have a lot to compare it to other than the newsroom at the UCSD Guardian, where he was managing editor, Kogan found the atmosphere in the News-Press newsroom to be very quiet with not a lot of talking going on. As an outsider his observation was that those in the newsroom who sided with the union tended to be paranoid about everything. Though he added, "some of it was justified." On the other hand, he was dismayed by some of the things that management had done. Kogan told me that it's hard to understand what management's master plan is. He views their decisions as being knee jerk reactions to events. "Certainly nothing that's been thought out but rather just spur of the moment decisions." Other people had told me that associate editor Scott Steepleton is in way over his head as associate editor of the News-Press and doesn't have the skills to be an editor. I asked Kogan what he thought. He replied that as the only editor at the paper Steepleton is in a very difficult position. By comparison the college paper Kogan worked on had a score of editors. "It's the situation that should be criticized and not Scott." He added that Scott "is a really nice guy" and that he really likes him. Doubts about his situation at the paper had been building for some weeks. At the beginning of September he was asked to sign a declaration regarding his conversation with Nick Welsh at the Independent regarding the Roberts arbitration story. The prospect of being further dragged into that controversy was becoming more probable. A couple of weeks ago he was at City Hall covering the hearings on whether the City Council should support a resolution to call for the impeachment of George Bush. One of the speakers there to support the resolution was an older woman whom he had met before while covering City Hall. They spoke that day and at one point she asked him if his parents "knew he was a scab?" Later in the conversation, the woman, whom he described as being Jewish, told him "you know, you're working for the Germans." The statement must have made an impression. Kogan left the hearing having made up his mind to quit. On October 26th, Kogan submitted his resignation giving two weeks notice. Later that same day, it was announced that the News-Press was suing the Independent. Like many of us, Kogan can't understand what the News-Press possibly expects to gain out of this lawsuit. Even more appalling to him was the news that earlier this week, business editor Edmond Jacoby, one of the people he admired most in the newsroom, had been fired. Near the end of our conversation I mentioned that he had received some pretty rough treatment in the local blogosphere including yours truly, and asked what he thought of that? He said he knew what he was getting into when he took the job. "The blogs have been pretty vicious but that's what blogs are for." I've been looking at the comments posted over the past 24 hours at Blogabarbara and at The Independent. Some of the posters seem to be more understanding of the dilemma Kogan found himself in, while other others refuse to cut him any slack. Admittedly I've had my fun with him as well, referring to him from time to time as the "cub reporter." In retrospect I feel a little guilty about it. My personal judgment is that he's shown a tremendous amount of courage and maturity for a 21 year old. Wherever he ends up he will certainly have a story to tell about his summer in Santa Barbara.
Traditionally the profiles of the Lifetime Achievement Award winners that run in the News-Press the week before the dinner are placed on the front page. Morris Jurkowitz's profile was on yesterday's front page. Tom Thomas' profile is on the front page today. Not the case with Sara Miller McCune's profile which ran on Wednesday. To my knowledge, it was the first profile in the history of the award to be buried on one of the inside pages. Of course McCune is known to be interested in purchasing the paper from Wendy McCaw. I'd say the odds that McCune will "hold her peace" about the turmoil at the paper when she accepts the award Saturday night, just got a lot longer. And one thing about Wendy, you can never accuse her of being subtle.
Just a reminder that a 5:15 p.m. candlelight vigil led by newsroom employees and friends "to protest the increasing attacks on journalists" under News-Press owner Wendy McCaw, will be held Saturday night in front of the Biltmore coinciding with the arrival of guests for the Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner.
The Vlad Kogan Exit Interview. Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006. He took the job fresh out of college, having graduated from UCSD in June of this year. His plan was to take a year off from school before going to the University of Chicago to get a PhD in public policy. For his sabbatical he wanted to have fun and explore his interest in journalism, which he had been pursing ever since high school. What he got wasn't exactly what he bargained for.For those who follow the trauma and the drama at the Santa Barbara News-Press, one of the most closely scruitinized figures in the saga has been 21 year old Vladimir Kogan, one of the paper's cub reporters. Bloggers and those who leave comments at blogs have been relentless in documenting every reporting error and mistake Kogan has made in his tenure of less than four months. Yesterday, was Kogan's last day with the paper making him the 31st newsroom employee to resign or be fired since July. He had submitted his resignation two weeks ago. Last night, I spoke with Kogan by telephone regarding his experience at the News-Press. Here's what he had to say. Kogan had sent out a number of resumes after grauduation. In July he got a call from the News-Press. Kogan interviewed with Charles Bucher, who for a brief period of time was the managing editor in the wake of the mass resignations. Kogan was aware of the situation at the paper where a number of top editors and reporters had recently resigned in protest. But he liked Bucher and figured it would be an interesting experience. Kogan was hired on July 17th of this year. Initially he was treated with suspicion by his newsroom colleagues. Some thought he was a "plant" or spy for management. It didn't help when the IT department mistakenly set up his computer at the business editor's desk, a seat assignment which many in the newsroom perceived as being an in your face move on the part of management. Eventually, the attitude of the newsroom staff came around and they treated him well and were helpful, including veteran reporter Dawn Hobbs. Kogan took the job because he wanted to have fun in his year off from school. But a number of events made it apparent the job at the News-Press would be anything but fun. He was troubled when longtime security guard Mike Mantino was let go by the paper at the end of August. Also of concern to him was the firing of fellow reporter Colby Frazier which occurred during the time Frazier's girlfriend was pregnant with their child. When he realized he was working for "that sort of company," Kogan started finding it hard to come to work everyday. Then there were the events surrounding the paper's arbitration with former editor Jerry Roberts. Kogan was assigned to write a story on the paper's demand for arbitration with its former executive editor and News-Press management furnished him documents concerning the matter and had offered him on the record comments. However, when the L.A. Times ran its story reporting the fact of the dispute and the arbitration, which was supposed to be confidential, the News-Press accused Roberts of being the one who leaked the story, a story the News-Press originally had intended to publish. The duplicitous behavior of management caused Kogan to have more reservations about the situation he had found himself in. The arbitration story also led to his only face-to-face meeting with co-publishers Wendy McCaw and Arthur von Wiesenberger. Kogan had alerted Steepleton to the fact that he had been contacted by L.A. Times reporter James Rainey regarding the Roberts arbitration. Shortly thereafter he was called in to meet with McCaw and von Wiesenberger. He described them as both being very nice and they wanted to know what he had been asked by the Times reporter. His only other contact with either of them was after he submitted his resignation. Von Wiesenberger called and wanted to know if he would consider staying with the paper if he were placed in a position outside the newsroom. Kogan said no. Von Wiesenberger later gave him a copy of his restaurant review book. (I guess that's the News-Press' idea of a "parting gift.") Tomorrow. His thoughts on his boss, Scott Steepleton; the atmosphere in the newsroom; the "last straw" and what did he think of his treatment in the local blogosphere?
Business Editor Given the Axe. Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006. Three days before his 90 day probationary period was up, News-Press business editor, Edmond Jacoby, was fired. His role in the fire drill story debacle had nothing to do with it. Associate Editor Scott Steepleton refused to give Jacoby a reason for the termination however it was well known that Ed was sympathetic toward the union effort and was frequently seen talking with prominent union supporters. During his brief tenure, Jacoby did not hesitate to tell Steepleton what he thought about things.
Election Night Hangover. Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006. Although local elections are fertile grounds for mischief making when you're writing a blog, I've stayed away from the topic lest I be accused of playing favorites. But now that all the votes have been cast and the results are in, the lid is off.He lost but has any local candidate ever had better TV commercials than Dan Secord did? His spots managed to look sophisticated and polished without coming off as being slick. Contrast that to the jaded commercials winner Janet Wolf ran. The shot of the city council members gathered around her presumably hanging on her every word while she runs it down to them about how its going to be, looks just like what it is, staged. And while I love all of my local Democratic elected officials, I sure get tired of seeing them in the same commercials over and over. And why do firefighters have to dress up in their full fire fighting regalia to say their unions are endorsing someone? These commercials are the last things in the county that will ever catch fire. Runner-up in my book for the best commercials were Pedro Nava's TV spots. No politicians or firefighters in sight. Instead we're just shown the good people of La Conchita talking about how much Pedro did to help them. Pedro even has me convinced he's going to buy that piece of fruit he's squeezing in that shot of him at the La Conchita fruit stand. Then there was Sheriff Jim Anderson's commercials. Love that slow motion shot of Anderson strolling with a posse of middle-aged guys in suits walking in-step behind him and backing him up. Conveys a feeling of strength. After all, no one wants their sheriff to be the Lone Ranger. I'd feel a lot safer though if some of the guys in the posse actually looked like they could run and catch a criminal if they had to. The full latin phrase that describes the sheriff's band of enforcers is posse comitatus. Anderson's commercial featured a comatose posse.
Santa Barbara's most famous blogger, Doc Searls, has an interesting comparison between two newspapers named News-Press, ours and the one in Ft. Meyers, Florida.
News-Press newsroom employees and supporters will hold a candelight vigil outside the Biltmore Hotel on Saturday evening to protest the policies and recent actions of owner Wendy McCaw. The vigil coincides with the News-Press Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner which is being held at the Biltmore that night. The vigil begins at 5:15 p.m. in front of the Biltmore Hotel on Channel Drive.
At the same time the Lifetime Achievement Awards are being held on Saturday, former Santa Barbara Mayor Harriet Miller will be honored at the Hotel Andalucia. Its a benefit for the Garden Court Endowment assisting frail and low income seniors. Info at 805.560.7993. Not to take away anything from the honorees at the News-Press event but my guess is that this party will be a lot more festive. Rumor has it that Wendy wasn't happy about the scheduling conflict between the two events and the number of people pleading "prior engagement" (Harriet Miller is a former News-Press honoree meaning at least one past honoree won't be in attendance at the Biltmore).
Wendy McCaw Goes Into A Stall. Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006. Tomorrow's hearing to consider the News-Press' objections to the election where newsroom employees voted 33 to 6 in favor of unionization has been postponed. The postponement is due to the fact that the newspaper has chosen to appeal the NLRB's dismissal of its allegations that union officials used improper coercion tactics. Those charges were dismissed back on October 20th.The regional NLRB board chose to postpone the hearing on the objections to the election pending resolution of the appeal because in the event that the appeal is successful, the regional board would hold a hearing combining the election objections with the revived charges, since they cover a lot of the same ground. In any event, the upshot of all this is that the News-Press gets to further delay the commencement of collective bargaining with its new union employees. Union attorney Ira Gottlieb told me that he has subpoenaed News-Press owner Wendy McCaw to testify at the hearing whenever it is held. McCaw's attorney is seeking to have the subpoena revoked arguing that McCaw has no knowledge of any of the matters to be presented at the hearing. While I doubt that I would say that she has certainly proven that she has no knowledge of how to run a newspaper. But if she's going to persist in calling herself the "co-publisher" she better get used to the idea of having to testify in court proceedings and labor relations hearings. Also subpoenaed to testify are co-publisher and boyfriend in chief, Arthur von Wiesenberger and the paper's head press releaser, Agnes Huff.
Many people around town are wondering whether Wendy will show up at this Saturday's News-Press Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner. Unlike previous years, the News-Press has been very quiet in promoting the event. Ads for the dinner don't even mention the location. Those interested in attending are referred to a number to call to purchase tickets. In past years the event has always been held at the Biltmore. One of this year's honorees, Sara Miller McCune, has expressed an interest in buying the paper. Maybe Ms. McCune will bring her check book to the dinner and Wendy will have consumed enough "squeezin' of the grape" to to put her in a selling mood. Oh well, one can always dream.
Friday, when I wrote about the Dr. Laura action figure I invited readers to submit their own suggestions for action figure dolls. Ramon, who works at the Santa Barbara County Law Library, suggested a Craig Smith action figure; "You wind it up and.... wait, you don't have to wind it up, it is always wound up about something already...." Time for me to end this post and start winding down.
These Characters Talk A Blue Streak (and That's Only Half of It). Monday, Nov. 6, 2006. If memory serves me, one of the first mainstream Hollywood movies in which a character utters a certain four letter Anglo-Saxonism was "MASH." I was reminded of how far we've come when on Saturday night I headed down to State Street and plunked down top dollar to check out "The Departed." The movie is very good. So good in fact it causes me to once again ask one of the great unanswered questions of the 21st century; how can it be that the rap group Three 6 Mafia has an Oscar and director Martin Scorsese doesn't?The Anglo-Saxonisms as well as some Celtic-Saxonisms (if there are such things) fly in this saga of Irish mobsters in Boston. I can usually take or leave movies with this much graphic violence but the story is so gripping with its unique plot its definitely one of the best movies I've seen in a while. It's very intense. If "MASH" broke the Anglo-Saxonism taboo "The Departed" breaks yet another one for mainstream movies. Besides the all-star cast that includes, Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg, it also features an uncredited cameo appearance by "Mr. Happy." I can only assume that Jack Nicholson had a body double for this scene. I half-expected him to shout the Al Pacino line from "Scarface;" "Say hello to my little friend!" The line would have been so right for the moment not even Wendy McCaw would have had the nerve to sue for copyright infringement. Between the language, violence and the surprise cameo, I'm thinking to myself, "my 17 year old son saw this movie?" I know for a fact he did. I just hope the kid didn't take a date with him. For me the movie had shock after shock and surprise after surprise. Not the case for my son, who told me the next day that "The Departed" is a remake of "Infernal Affairs" a movie made in the far east with English subtitles, which he rented before he went to see "The Departed" on the weekend it opened.
Former News-Press writer Starshine Roshell's column, which is totally free of Anglo-Saxonisms, debuted Sunday in the Santa Maria Times and Lompoc Record.
Further clarification from the News-Press newsroom on the fire drill story that ran as a rescue: Although Associate Editor Scott Steepleton was the one who heard the "fire" on the scanner in the first place, and instructed reporter Vladimir Kogan to follow it, the person who made the final decision to run the story unverified was Edmond Jacoby, the Business Editor who was on the City Desk for the night shift. My apologies to Steepleton for saying that he was the one who made the final decision to go with the story.
Action? Yes. Heroes? Hardly. Friday, Nov. 3, 2006. The first I heard about it was yesterday when I showed up for coffee at the Daily Grind. Artist Dan Seibert, one of the morning regulars there asked me if I had seen Dr. Laura on Fox News Channel. I replied that I hadn't. He said she was on that morning promoting her new book and her new Dr. Laura action figure. Needless to say, I was shocked to hear that Dr. Laura was giving anyone any action these days. I mean, she's so busy writing her column for Wendy McCaw's News-Press.Anyway, I couldn't wait to get back home to my computer to go on line and check it out. Sure enough, here it is. The yacht club yenta has her very own doll. "Packaged in a display box that includes her biography and photos from her personal collection" (whoa! that puppy must be X rated) you can listen to her "preach, teach and nag" all for a mere $29.95 (I can hardly wait.) The prospective buyer is assured that; "We worked with Dr. Laura herself to ensure that this action figure is as true to life as possible." And just how did they "work" with her to ensure that? Sounds to me like the "doctor" made a house call. The whole thing reminds me of the wind-up doll jokes that were popular a number of years back. As in, "wind up Dr. Laura and she'll never stop ridiculing you for disagreeing with her." Perhaps there's an Arthur von Wiesenberger action figure doll. Wind him up and he gobbles up all the caviar and swills every glass of champagne in sight, all the time pretending to be someone that he isn't. Or the Wendy McCaw action figure. Wind her up and she takes a perfectly good newspaper and runs it into the ground. And, just like the Energizer Bunny "she keeps going and going and going." Her doll is similar to the recently discontinued Sheriff Jim Anderson action figure. The one that if you wound up it wouldn't stop digging a hole for itself. If any of you out there have ideas for action figure dolls I'd love to hear them. Just e-mail them to me with instructions on where to send the cease and desist letters. "Now, go do the right thing."
More about the fire drill that got reported in the News-Press as a fire and a rescue. I was too quick to jump on the author, Vladimir Kogan. Word from the newsroom is that Kogan did make a number of unsuccessful attempts to verify the report with the fire department. He even went to the reported scene to check out the story. Although he was unable to confirm the story, his editor instructed him to run it anyway. The editor's name? Scott Steepleton.
More Scraps From the Cutting Room Floor Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006. Yesterday I wrote about the 500 words or so and the photograph that was dropped from the article on the Santa Barbara News-Press that appeared in October's Vanity Fair. A part of what didn't make it to the final version of the article concerned Wendy McCaw's boyfriend and co-publisher Arthur von Wiesenberger. There are only three paragraphs or so about him in the published article. The original version of the article had a couple more paragraphs which got cut. The omitted paragraphs touched on the details of his 2002 divorce from Leslie Sinclair, his wife of 14 years. Von Wiesenberger was described as a man on the make who was less affluent than he liked to appear.One of the things that survived the editor's scissors were the questions raised about von Wiesenberger's claim of title. When used as a part of a family name, "von" (as in von Wiesenberger) can indicate a member of the nobility. In the published article Arthur is said to claim that nobility was conferred on his paternal grandfather by an Austrian Emperor, but the author points out that his father, also named Arthur, appears not to have used his title (Baron von Wiesenberger). In the father's New York Times obituary, no mention was made of the noble "von." Frank Frost, a retired UCSB Professor and former county supervisor, is on an extended stay in France where he reads this blog from. In an e-mail Frank writes that he spent a morning in the Bonn University library perusing genealogical references and failed to uncover a single "von" Wiesenberger anywhere in the German speaking world. Now, I know that Frank is disillusioned, but Arthur will always be Baron von Cheeseburger to me.
Those of you who follow the News-Press debate over at Blogabarbara recognize the name "Nelville Flynn" as the nom de plume of one of the few staunch Wendy McCaw supporters that frequents the blog. Who really is "Nelville Flynn?" My guess, and its only a guess, its von Wiesenberger.
Michael Seabaugh's Healthspan column which used to appear in the News-Press, makes its debut today in the Santa Barbara Independent.
The Cutting Room Floor. Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006. They arrived at 7 a.m. on the the first day of Fiesta. Former editors and reporters for the News-Press assembled in De la Guerra Plaza to have their picture taken for the much anticipated Vanity Fair article. Waiting to meet them when they got there were the photographer, a booker and a bunch of assistants. There was even a make-up guy. Just about everyone who had left the paper at that point was there, including Michael Todd, Barney Brantingham, Gerry Spratt, Camilla Cohee, Jane Hulse, Scott Hadly and Colin Powers. They posed in the early morning light. Stacks of newspapers were set up in front of City Hall. The photographer split the group into two. He shot the first group and then the second group, all of the journalists artfully arranged near the pillars and stacks of newspapers. The idea was to stitch the photo together so the two groups appeared as one. One of the reporters who got to see the finished shot on the computer said it "looked cool." But the photo never was published.When the October issue hit the newsstands, the photos that accompanied the article were largely of the stock variety purchased from other sources. Instead of the carefully posed tableau we got an agency photo (taken ironically, by the Independent's Shannon Kelly Gould) of Wendy McCaw and Baron von Cheeseburger at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival tribute to Kirk Douglas at the Bacara and a photo of Wendy's 193 foot yacht Calixe (which is rumored to be larger than any ship in the Costa Rican navy). So what happened to the photo of those who resigned? Instead of running as a feature story, the article written by Michael Shnayerson ran as a column, "Letter from California." As a column it consists of single pages with ads running on opposing pages instead of continuous pages uninterrupted by ad pages. That limits the format of photos that can be accommodated to accompany the story. Had it run, the photo of the resigned newsroom staff surely would have opened the article and been spread over the width of two pages. But with a family album full of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes cooing over their new baby, space was tight in the issue. The photo wasn't the only thing that got cut. To the frustration of Shnayerson the article that was published was about 500 words shorter than the one that he originally wrote. This is owed to the fact that Vanity Fair's lawyers were conservative in responding to the legal full court press staged by the lawyers for Wendy McCaw and Rob Lowe.
The first floor of the News-Press building is occupied by the advertising department. Yesterday those who work there continued their Halloween tradition of dressing in costume and parading through the second floor newsroom in the afternoon, which lately has the atmosphere of a morgue, Halloween or no Halloween. Joining the revelers in the parade yesterday was co-publisher von Wiesenberger who, dressed in a red outfit adorned with red wings and flames shooting out of his head, looked rather devilish according to the account I was given. Glad to hear that someone who works in the building is having fun.
In a tribute to their departed colleague Melinda Burns, a number of reporters placed a bouquet of flowers on her vacant desk on Tuesday. A stunned Scott Steepleton witnessed this event and immediately got on the phone. Apparently no one in either the legal department or human resources could find a "dozen roses and you're out" rule on the books so no disciplinary action was taken against those responsible for the flagrant floral display.
Halloween High Jinks! Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2006. Halloween must be Wendy McCaw's favorite holiday. After all, she runs what is currently the biggest house of horrors in town, the Santa Barbara News-Press. Consistent with the season, the last few days have brought all tricks and no treats over at De La Guerra Plaza. As expected, the Teamsters Union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB against the News-Press, challenging the paper's firing of Senior Reporter Melinda Burns. In keeping with the Halloween motif, Wendy's reason for terminating the highly respected Burns undoubtedly was to spook the rest of the troops in the newsroom.More likely to be mistaken for an April Fool's Day joke than a Halloween trick is the preposterous lawsuit that Wendy the Halloween witch has laid on the Independent. I've obtained a copy of the complaint in the case. At 21 pages its anything but spellbinding reading, but if you're having trouble falling asleep at night it might do the trick and, its a lot cheaper than Ambien. Absolutely horrific to even the most wicked of witches is the fact that the total daily circulation of the News-Press has dropped by 5,000 since Wendy bought it six years ago. The percentage decreases reported for the last quarter in the News-Press' total circulation of 4.6% for daily circulation and 5.4% average decrease for Sunday exceed the national averages of 2.8 percent for daily and a 1 percent drop for Sunday. A story that appeared in Saturday's News-Press bearing Vladimir Kogan's by-line led with the following: "Firefighters battling a blaze in a four-story mixed-use structure in the 100 block of De la Guerra Street on Friday found at least one person trapped inside the burning building." Turns out the "fire" was not a fire but rather a drill by the fire department and there was no person who was trapped. Apparently, Kogan heard the drill being broadcast over the emergency scanner. Rule number one of journalism is that you never report what is heard on a police radio or scanner without confirming it. Too bad he didn't get up from his desk in the newsroom and walk the two blocks to the 100 block of De la Guerra Street to check out the fire himself. Of course maybe he didn't know if it was in the 100 block of East De la Guerra or West de la Guerra. The lack of an east/west reference on the address should have been the tip off to the editor of this story that something was amiss. And where was the editor? Sounds like the cub reporters at De la Guerra Plaza are being allowed to go trick or treating without any adult supervision.
The Top 10 Reasons Why Wendy McCaw Sued the Santa Barbara Independent! Monday, Oct. 30, 2006.10. She likes feral pigs better than Angry Poodles. 9. Was mad she never got invited to the Indy holiday party. 8. Wants to own a non-union paper. 7. Was afraid that the News-Press building would feel like a ghost town if all of her lawyers suddenly had to leave. 6. The Indy was threatening to scoop the News-Press on the next fresh basil shortage story. 5. Said to her lawyers; "Hey, break me off a piece of that copyright infringement action!" 4. Was pissed off when she found out the $150 million she paid for the paper didn't buy her the whole damn town too. 3. Wants to snatch the couch from Marianne Partridge's office. 2. Thought that having her deposition taken would actually give her a chance to get out of the office and talk to somebody. 1. Wendy would rather make the news than print it.
Seriously though, the notion of one newspaper suing another for publishing a news story is both a disgrace and an outrage. Former News-Press reporter Scott Hadly who authored the story that is the subject of the lawsuit wrote in an e-mail: "The whole thing is so depressing. This is really a constitutional issue and they're on the wrong side. Think about this for a minute. What would the News-Press do if one of their reporters got the Pentagon Papers? What would they do if a reporter got an internal memo showing that say Mentor knew their breast implants were defective and dangerous to women? We know what they would do and it's depressing."The News-Press devoted a grand total of four paragraphs in its Business section on Friday to reporting its lawsuit against the Independent. However both Editor & Publisher and the UCSB Daily Nexus ran complete articles on the lawsuit. Also not to be overlooked, the Indy's own coverage of the lawsuit against it.
Those long awaited circulation numbers for the News-Press are now in. Daily circulation at the News-Press slipped 4.6% to 39,323. Sunday lost 5.4% to 40,801 according to Editor & Publisher. That's a loss of a couple of thousand papers compared to what the News-Press had been claiming for the previous period.
News-Press Fires Veteran Reporter Melinda Burns. Friday, Oct. 27, 2006 About 4:30 Friday afternoon, News-Press Associate Editor Scott Steepleton walked over to Melinda Burns' desk in the newsroom and said "we need to talk." He took her behind closed doors and then told her to report to Human Resources Director Yolanda Apodaca. When Burns met with Apodaca she was told she was fired and was handed a two page termination letter.Melinda is a graduate of Harvard University and has been with the News-Press for over 21 years. She has won numerous awards for her reporting including her stories on immigration, environment, science and farm-worker's issues. Additionally, she has obtained over $25,000 in grants for the paper on various projects most notably, the funding for the "New Oakies" photo exhibit at the Museum of Art documenting the plight of Mixtec strawberry pickers in our county. When contacted by phone late Friday night Burns stated: I love working as a journalist in Santa Barbara County. Its a great community to be a journalist in. Wendy McCaw has no legal grounds to fire me. This is an illegal firing for my leadership of the unionization effort at the News-Press. It is retaliation and I'm going to fight it. Union leaders also believe that the firing is in retaliation for Burns being one of the organizers of the successful effort by newsroom employees to unionize. Said staff writer Dawn Hobbs who has also been a prominent leader of the union; "This in no way deters or even slightly dampens our efforts, but rather makes us more united and more determined to see our union efforts through." The union will be formally challenging the firing as retaliatory with the NLRB. My observation is that this firing, coming one day after it was announced that Wendy McCaw has sued the Independent, shows how angry and desperate she has become over the situation at the paper. However, if she thinks that she can threaten and intimidate her remaining employees and rival newspapers, she is dead wrong. Business reporter Frank Nelson recently resigned. His last day was Friday.
McCaw Declares War on The Independent. Friday, Oct. 27, 2006. Wendy McCaw must have been worried that one day after dismissing her dubious complaint against former business editor Michael Todd, her team of crack out-of-town lawyers wouldn't have enough work to do to justify the hefty retainer and hourly fees they undoubtedly charge her. Invoking the "No Litigator Left Behind Act" Wendy has let her pit bulls loose on the The Independent. In a press release that was e-mailed to local media outlets shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday, it was announced that McCaw's Ampersand Publishing has sued the Santa Barbara Independent for copyright infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, unfair business competition, and intentional and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage and contract. Back in July the Independent got a hold of then News-Press writer Scott Hadly's news story on what transpired in the News-Press newsroom when Executive Editor Jerry Roberts resigned and was escorted out of the building. He was soon followed by five other top editors and writers who also resigned. The story was spiked by News-Press Acting Publisher, Travis Armstrong. He either killed the story on Wendy's orders or he knew that if he allowed it to run he would be following Roberts out the door as well. The point being there was no way the News-Press was ever going to publish the story. However, the Independent posted a link to a bootleg copy of the story on its website. It was taken down shortly after they received a cease and desist letter from News-Press lawyers. That should have been the end of it.But with Wendy, nothing's over until she say's its over, and to paraphrase Yogi Berra, "it ain't over." While most people would have been satisfied with the removal of the article and gone on about their business (which in Wendy's case seems to be counting her money) she apparently continued to seethe and stew. That seething and stewing has resulted in Wendy declaring war on the Independent. And make no mistake, this will be a war. Has the woman gone around the bend? Let's try to be lawyer-like about this for a minute. Let's assume that Ampersand can prove that the Independent wrongfully posted their copyrighted work. What's the damage? How has the News-Press been harmed? How does that translate into lost income, canceled subscriptions, unrealized news-rack sales or loss of future income? The typical copyright case involves the infringer selling or even giving away someone else's work thereby encroaching on or even usurping the copyright owner's profits. However, if the copyright holder has suppressed the work and does not intend to release or distribute it, where is the economic injury that gives rise to an actual loss of dollars? Had the News-Press intended to run Hadly's account as the "exclusive, behind the scenes, inside story" with the expectation of boosting newspaper sales they might have a case. But rather than promote the story they embargoed it. Sure, the News-Press may be technically correct but at the end of the day their "victory" could be exemplified by a verdict in an amount as small as one dollar. Don't think it can happen? Just ask the old United States Football League. That's what they got for their victory in their "successful" anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL. What's McCaw's motive for pursuing this? Greed? Doesn't she already have enough money? Vengeance? More likely. Instead of being a responsible business owner she continues to prove herself to be the schoolyard bully; the obnoxious neighbor who can neither be approached nor reasoned with. She has demonstrated an uncanny knack for taking anyone who may be sitting on the fence and pushing them into the opposition's camp. She will win no friends with this silly lawsuit and only alienate those who were up to this point willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Independent owner Randy Campbell learned of the lawsuit by reading it on the Indy's Media Blog. At first he thought it was a practical joke. But when he figured out it was the real deal he knew the gauntlet had been thrown down. At least that's what I figure based on reading his post. He even goes so far as to tell Wendy's process server where to find him. Bring it on!
Their Batting Average Is Strictly Bush League. Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006. They dragged it out for as long as they could. Milked it for all it was worth. But when it was time to put up or shut up, they picked up their marbles and went home. On Wednesday, the News-Press dismissed their petition for a workplace violence injunction against former business editor, Michael Todd. As the News-Press itself acknowledged in one of its by now all too familiar self-serving press releases, "Ms. Fuentes has resigned. Since Ms. Fuentes is not currently employed at the paper, pursuit of a workplace violence injunction prohibiting future wrongful conduct against Ms. Fuentes at the work site would serve no purpose." Why did it take the News-Press so long to figure that one out? Todd left the paper on July 6th. Fuentes has been constructively gone since September 9th when miffed that she couldn't get into the building on a Saturday, she headed back to her car in the parking lot and hasn't been seen on the premises since.In truth, the News-Press had no choice but to dismiss their petition. The Workplace Violence Act is an exception to the usual rule that if someone wants to obtain a restraining order against someone else because they feel threatened by that person, the person who feels threatened is the only person with standing to ask a court for such an order. However, if the threat is somehow associated with the workplace, then the employer has standing to request the petition as well. However, if there's no employer/employee relationship, the employer's entitlement to seek the restraining order vanishes. According to my scorecard, the News-Press is hitless in every at bat its had either in court or before the NLRB. Last Friday, its charges of unfair labor practices on the part of the union were dismissed. Back on August 31, an earlier set of unfair labor charges made by the News-Press were withdrawn. Now their Superior Court petition against Todd has been dismissed. The News-Press' next trip to the plate will be on November 8th, when they're scheduled to have a hearing before the NLRB on their objections to the September 27th election, where newsroom employees voted overwhelmingly to unionize. Baseball season will officially end this weekend. But for Wendy McCaw's team, the bats have long been silent.
The Daily Sound Gets Its Close Up! Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006. The Santa Barbara Daily Sound was the subject of a front page article in the San Francisco Chronicle's Business section yesterday. Unlike most other articles on the state of print journalism in Santa Barbara these days, this story didn't so much focus on Wendy McCaw's inability to right the News-Press ship as it did on the Daily Sound being a benefactor of the disarray at De La Guerra Plaza.The article mentions a couple of things that I reported here first back in August; the News-Press' snatching of the Daily Sounds' domain name and the ridiculous claim of the News-Press that the Daily Sound is unfairly copying the "look and feel" of the News-Press. Although the Chronicle article attributes the quote to News-Press lawyer David Millstein, Jeramy Gordon, Editor and Publisher of the Daily Sound told me that it was actually News-Press co publisher Arthur von Wiesenberger who "jokingly" said "you wouldn't consider changing the name to the Los Angeles Daily Sound? Would you?" According to Gordon, although it was obvious that von Wiesenberger was joking, the meeting and the whole notion of possibly being sued was dead serious. To avoid any trouble with the News-Press the Daily Sound is redesigning its mast head. You can get a look at the new mast head on their web page. BTW, the Chronicle article describes the Daily Sound as being a paper that is "widely available at coffee shops and strip malls." Strip malls! I thought those only existed in Santa Maria.
I never know what to expect in the way of reader reaction when I interrupt my wall-to-wall coverage of the News-Press and write about something else. I got a number of suggestions of places I overlooked during my search for the perfect Irish Coffee. Among the establishments I should have checked out; Bogart's, The Chase, and the original Chuck's Steak House on upper State Street. Thanks to all who wrote. I can assure you that the investigation will be reopened.
Correction. I misspelled former News-Press publisher Allen Parsons' first name in my post last Friday.
Required reading for Wendy McCaw and her pit bull, Travis Armstrong; Monday's L.A. Times Opinion page, where there's a great explanation of the function of an Op-Ed page. For anyone who doesn't have the time to read it here's the "Reader's Digest" version: the key is diversity of viewpoints. BTW, the Times just underwent another format and style change. What's up with all of the different type fonts on the front page? It looks like a ransom note.
For those of you who missed former President Clinton's recent appearance at the Arlington, or if you simply what another opportunity to swoon over him, you can catch a replay on The Santa Barbara Channels, Channel 21 this week as follows: -Thursday, October 26th at 9 PM
Your Man Was On A Mission. Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006. It started when I took my daughter out to dinner for her 11th birthday. We went to Palazzio which is her favorite special occasion restaurant. Time came for dessert and the birthday girl ordered chocolate cake. I wasn't in the mood for anything sweet but suddenly the idea popped into my head and the words popped out; "I'll have an Irish Coffee." Mistake. What the waitress brought me from the bar was nothing like what I had become accustomed to from three years of living in San Francisco. Up there every bartender in town knows how to make a real Irish Coffee. Heck, they have to. The Buena Vista Cafe which is credited with perfecting the American version of the drink is a civic institution. The thing the waitress at Palazzio brought me looked more like a chocolate sundae than an Irish Coffee. Topped off with whipped cream out of a pressurized can with a nozzle, all that was missing was the cherry. It got me to thinking, how hard can it be to get a decent Irish Coffee in this town? Always willing to take on the toughest assignments for my readers I set out to investigate. It proved to be harder than I thought.Over the course of three weekends I doggedly investigated. The ground rules were; walk into the bar, sit down and order an Irish Coffee. No telling the bartender how to make it, no coaching if asked and no complaining when they inevitably got it wrong. Now, this is how it should be made; coffee, Irish Whiskey, a little bit of sugar on the bottom and topped off with cream that's carefully floated on the top to form a head. Properly prepared, it should like like a Guinness when poured into a glass. Chuck's Waterfront Grill's version of the drink was no better than Palazzio's. Coffee and whiskey topped off with whipped cream out of a can. Disappointed I forged on. I got my hopes up when I went to Rocks on State Street. I love the small European feel of their downstairs bar. Plus, they had a great looking bartender. (I know, I'll get e-mails.) But as good as she looked, she couldn't make an Irish Coffee. First, she pulled out a wine goblet. Poured some whiskey into it then filled the rest of the glass nearly to the top with coffee. Then she asked me "would you like cream?" All I could say is "yeah," what the hell, why not? No whipped cream here though. Just half and half in a little container. And its up to me to pour it into the coffee. This investigative reporting was starting to get expensive. I decided to cut to the chase and go to an Irish bar. Late on a Sunday afternoon I stumble into The James Joyce on lower State. There's hardly anyone else in there and the bartender looks bored as hell. But she has a lovely Irish brogue. I order the Irish Coffee. Without hesitation she turns around and goes into the refrigerator and pulls out what looks like a milk shake container. She sticks the metal cup into the automatic drink stirrer and then pours the whiskey and coffee. She tops it off with the freshly stirred cream out of the metal container. It floats perfectly on top of the coffee and is cool to the lips when I take my first sip. Only one thing is missing. The sugar. Still, considering what I've been putting up with lately this is pretty damn good. So good in fact, that I order a second. Weekend number three and I'm not yet ready to call a halt to the investigation. I decided I should try the other Irish bar in town, Dargan's. The place looks more Irish than a pub in Dublin. I sit down and place my order. Within a few minutes the bartender sets it down if front of me. Its all there, the whiskey, the sugar, the coffee and the piece de resistance, the freshly stirred cream floating on top. I'm on a roll! Two decent Irish Coffees in a row. So, which one was the best? Well, even though the sugar was left out at the James Joyce the Irish Coffee there was only five bucks compared to $6.50 at Dargan's. It may be Irish Coffee but the Scotch in me says that the James Joyce is the winner.
Don't Try To Fool Your Readers. Monday, Oct. 23, 2006. I don't know what's worse. Either he truly doesn't get it or he thinks that the readers of the Santa Barbara News-Press are too dense to be able to discern the differences between the two situations. In his op-ed piece yesterday, News-Press editorial page editor Travis Armstrong extolls the virtues of individual as opposed to corporate newspaper ownership. He goes on to note that the individual owner (meaning, Wendy McCaw) is disadvantaged in some respects and claims "this may be one reason the Society of Professional Journalists entered the fray regarding this newspaper but, oddly, is silent on recent flare-ups involving other papers, such as the newsroom unrest at Tribune Co.-owned Los Angeles Times." Excuse me, but I've been following the situation at the Times and its quite different than what's going on at the News-Press.At the Times, the publisher was fired because he refused to make further cuts among the newspaper's staff as demanded by his corporate bosses at Tribune Co. in Chicago. His response in standing his ground was that "newspapers can't slash their way into the future." So at the Times, it was solely about the money. Shareholders were demanding a better rate of return on their investment. The suits in Chicago thought they could mollify investors who were up in arms by slashing costs at the company's largest paper. Contrast that to the News-Press where its not about the money. In fact, the editors and reporters who have resigned have been leaving money on the table which is not an easy thing to do in the current soft job market for print journalism. Instead its about ethics, in particular, about maintaining a separation between editorial writing and news coverage. Its about keeping political ideologies and the owner's influence out of news stories. No one quit because they wanted to be paid more, no one resigned because they weren't being given the resources to do their job. People quit because they were being disciplined for violating non-existent rules that were only implemented after the fact to appease the publisher's friends. People resigned because the person who was the beneficiary of the publisher's decision to override the editor's judgment of what was newsworthy was being put in charge of that very newsroom. There are undoubtedly some towns where you won't go broke underestimating the intelligence of your readers. Santa Barbara is not one of them. Just what turnip truck does he think we fell off of? Armstrong must surely know better than to think that he can get away with trying to make a comparison based upon the disparate situations at the Times and the News-Press. Not only is there no comparison between the two situations, there is no comparison between the ways that each paper has chosen to respond to its respective crisis. The Times has risen to the task by including reporters and newsroom staff in the effort to find a solution. Dubbed the "Manhattan Project" the paper is dedicating three investigative reporters and half a dozen editors to the endeavor to examine the issues and make recommendations about the paper's future direction. By contrast at the News-Press the staff has been stonewalled in their efforts to reason with ownership over their differences about the policies and direction of the paper. The Times has a reader's representative who investigates comments and questions from readers about the papers journalistic standards and practices. The position predates the current controversy. Other papers, such as the New York Times and USA Today have similar positions. The News-Press doesn't have an ombudsman or a reader's representative. Appointing one would go a long way to show that the paper respects its readers. And believe me, after Armstrong's piece Sunday, the paper desperately needs to show us some respect.
When the News-Press was under the ownership of the New York Times Company it had a policy of maintaining editorial pages that were open to widely diverse voices, so that all responsible viewpoints might be heard. Since McCaw took over the reins, many have complained that the old policy no longer exists. Further evidence of that was evident a week ago when Armstrong used his weekly Sunday op-ed piece to claim that the Santa Maria Times was "ethically challenged." The Times executive editor, Tom Bolton, sent Armstrong a response, which the News-Press predictably refused to run except for quoting a few sentences out of context. For those of you who are interested, Bolton's full response is posted here.
Dismissed! Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006. The NLRB has dismissed the News-Press' charges of unfair labor practices directed against the Teamsters union. News-Press ownership had claimed that the Union violated the law by setting up a "savethenewspress.com" website, and that the organized newsroom employees had used intimidation tactics in trying to collectively deliver a workplace demand letter to owner Wendy McCaw. In dismissing the charges the NLRB wrote that there was insufficient evidence to support them. Still pending are the News-Press' objections to the Teamsters' recent 33-6 election victory which are virtually identical to the charges the NLRB dismissed Friday. BTW, there appears to be absolutely no mention of this story in this morning's News-Press. Check that. A reader has pointed out that there is a wire service story buried on page B7. (I guess the News-Press doesn't consider this to be "local" news.)
The other day I wrote that one of the ways a newspaper might inflate its paid circulation numbers is through the Newspapers in Education (NIE) program. Tom Bolton, Executive Editor of the Santa Maria Times, wrote to give the full picture of the NIE. (The NIE) has its faults, but it also has real value. A lot of newspapers are read by students and used by teachers as a result of NIE. In a day and age when too many people get their "news" from talk radio and blogs (no offense), encouraging young people to use newspapers is a good thing.Bolton is a former Executive Editor of the News-Press. Like so many top editors at that paper, he was abruptly let go under Wendy McCaw's ownership. As for me, I'm contemplating starting a "Blogs In Education" program.
Old Media vs. New Media. What brings in more money, a media company that puts out a physical product such as newspapers or a media company that puts out a product that only exists in cyberspace? Tribune Co. which owns the L.A. Times, the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers, broadcast stations including KTLA-TV Channel 5 and the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise reported net income for the quarter just ended on Sept. 30th of $164.3 million. For that same quarter Google reported net income of $733.4 million. Note to Travis Armstrong; the L.A. Times charges for its papers. Last time I checked, Google was still a "freebie."
Its An Anniversary! How Happy Is It? Well, That's Another Matter. Friday, Oct. 20, 2006. It was six years ago today that Wendy McCaw officially assumed ownership of the Santa Barbara News-Press. She outbid Copley Press Inc., Howard Publications and Media News Group for the paper. The purchase price was rumored to be slightly north of $100 million. So, in the words of Ronald Reagan; "are you better off now than you were then?" Each of us will have to answer that for ourselves. Perhaps easier to answer is whether Wendy is better off now.When the sale transaction closed, the circulation of the paper was reported to be 45,300 and it had a total work force of 220. In January of 2005 the paper reported a daily circulation of about 43,600 from Monday through Saturday, and 45,700 on Sunday. Today most sources give the circulation of the paper as being 41,000 and a workforce of 206. Personally, I suspect the circulation is well below 41,000 at this point. In the summer of 2000, Forbes magazine listed McCaw's worth as $2 billion, placing her at number 295 on its list of the world's 400 richest people. Today, she no longer makes the list as one of the 400 richest people in America, let alone the world, meaning that she is no longer a billionaire, which is the minimum required to be on the list these days. Back in June of 2000 when the New York Times Company announced that the paper was up for sale and McCaw emerged as one of the interested suitors, Barney Brantingham asked in his column: "[D]oes McCaw want the News-Press as an investment, a hobby, hands-on career, bully pulpit for her causes -- or all of the above?" I think we have the answer, all of the above. At the time though, News-Press employees appeared to be grateful to be delivered from the throes of continued corporate ownership. When it was announced in July of 2000 that McCaw was indeed the successful bidder Barney wrote: "It's a marriage made in heaven. She's local, she loves us, loves the town and all the creatures of the Earth. We're cautiously optimistic that the honeymoon will last for many, many Fiesta editions." By my count it lasted no more than five Fiestas. And I'll bet the house that Barney wishes he had those words back. While still under the New York Times' ownership, then Publisher Alan Parsons pointed out that the paper prided itself on "maintaining editorial pages that were open to widely diverse voices, so that all responsible viewpoints may be heard." Most observers would argue that's not the case anymore. Although Parsons was effusive about the paper's future prospects under McCaw's ownership, he was let go as Publisher the same day that McCaw took possession of the paper. Joe Cole, became interim publisher. The publisher's suite has had a revolving door installed ever since then. Will Fleet was first hired as general manager and then promoted to permanent publisher. In May of 2002 Jerry Roberts joined the paper as executive editor. In September 2003, on the day he returned from his honeymoon, Fleet was fired as publisher (no word as to whether Wendy attended the wedding). Roberts replaced Fleet and became editor and publisher. In January of 2005 Roberts became editor and vice president of news, and it was announced that Cole, who and that time was president of the News-Press and its top executive, resumed the duties of publisher as well. Cole finally left the publisher's position and the employ of Wendy in May of this year. And by now, we all know about the circumstances under which Roberts and other top editors left in July of this year. On New Year's Day 2003, McCaw wrote: "Our goal remains to publish a newspaper every day that is as intelligent, sophisticated and vital as the readers we serve. As always, we welcome your thoughts." I will leave it to the reader to decide whether that goal has been realized. I was tempted to call this post "What A Long Strange Trip Its Been," but then it occurred to me that the Grateful Dead might not appreciate having their lyrics associated with Wendy McCaw.
Correction. In yesterday's post I should have said that its the News-Press' charges of unfair labor practices against the union, and not its objections to the election, that are expected to be decided by the NLRB by the end of today.
Actor Will Smith (no relation) will be honored with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's highest honor, the designation of "Modern Master." The 22nd annual film festival runs January 25 through February 4, 2007.
Talk About Your "Freebie" Papers! Thursday, Oct. 18, 2006. As my fellow blogger, George at "I'm Not One to Blog, But . . ." pointed out the other day, News-Press editorial page director, Travis Armstrong, rather than refer to competitor The Independent by name, continually refers to it as a "freebie paper" as if its worth nothing by virtue of being free. However, confirmation that perhaps the biggest "freebie paper" in town is the News-Press came in two e-mails responding to my post on Tuesday describing how ABC audit rules permit newspapers to make their paid circulation numbers appear more robust than they really are.Jesse Chavarria, former Managing Editor at the News-Press, writes to point out that another circulation inflation tactic is the Newspapers in Education initiatives that newspapers run. Here's how it works: "Local businesses pony up big bucks as annual "sponsors" of this program. The newspaper, in return, delivers stacks of free papers daily to local school sites. The papers are supposed to be used in the classrooms. The business sponsors are prominently listed and thanked in a series of ads that appear periodically in the newspaper. However, the schools usually don't make use of the daily papers and in fact school personnel constantly complain of the deluge of junk. Most often a few papers may wind up in the teachers lounge and the rest are dumped in the trash unopened. So the sponsors aren't really doing much good in producing a new generation of readers. However, this doesn't stop the newspapers from claiming the stacks of newspapers as part of their daily paid circulation numbers." In addition to Chavarria's e-mail I got another e-mail from a teacher at a local high school who says: "Every weekday we receive a couple dozen copies of the News-Press, bundled on our doorstep, free of charge. Great educational service. Otherwise I wouldn't get to read Dr. Laura. These papers are not for classroom use, they just get delivered." Many newspapers including the News-Press, the Santa Maria Times and the L.A. Times either currently run or have run in the past the Newspapers in Education promotion. Based on these comments its debatable as to who gets the bigger dividend, the schools or the newspapers. And those papers continuing to show up in the driveway after you've canceled? Two people posting comments on the Edhat link to my post on Tuesday report still receiving the paper even though they've canceled their subscriptions.
We haven't heard much since the News-Press filed its objections to the unionization election. So what's going on? Union attorney, Ira Gottlieb, in town yesterday to update his troops, expects to have a ruling from the NLRB on the objections by the end of this week. According to Gottlieb the NLRB has three options; they can decide to issue charges, ask the objecting party to withdraw the charges because the NLRB feels the objection has no merit, or they can dismiss the objections out of hand, in which case the party filing the objection has the right to appeal. If charges are filed they will be heard by an administrative law judge. Sometimes even dubious accusations will result in charges being filed because the NLRB wants the objecting party to feel they had a full opportunity to be heard. Any hearing will be held in Santa Barbara, within the next few weeks.
I was disappointed to see that the News-Press has endorsed Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor. Why does a Libertarian, vegetarian, feral pig loving woman like Wendy throw the support of her paper to a Republican, cigar chomping, swaggering carnivore like Arnold? I guess you can chalk it up as another victory for the cult of celebrity. And we all know how much Wendy loves celebrities.
While doing some research on-line I came across a James Brady commentary on the News-Press that was from July 27 of this year. In describing his affinity for Santa Barbara he says: "There's even Fred C. Dobbs, one of my favorite watering places (I hope it's still there)." Sorry Jim, its not still here. Wasn't it located in the Montecito Von's shopping center? And didn't it close at least 20 years ago? Guess its been awhile since Brady visited here. At least he didn't mention Josie's El Cielito, which used to be where the Acapulco is, or was. The Acapulco just closed, after 25 years in La Arcada Court. And if its story telling time, I've got a good one about "Fred C. Dobbs." Back in the late '70s, Judge Bruce Wm. Dodds, since retired, had recently been elected to the Superior Court. One morning, in calling court to order, his bailiff says: "All rise, this court is now in session, the Honorable Fred C. Dobbs, judge presiding." Most of us in the courtroom cracked up, but Judge Dodds never broke his stride as he stepped up to take his seat on the bench.
A Fitting Farewell. Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006. This past week the annual student awards dinners were held at Santa Barbara/Ventura Colleges of Law where I teach. Last night was the Santa Barbara banquet The Ventura campus had its dinner last Wednesday. At each event there was a remembrance of our Dean, Richard Goldman, who recently passed away. Today, I simply wanted to share with you the nice article about Dean Goldman that ran in last Friday's Ventura County Star.
If I Cancelled My Subscription Why Does the Paper Keep Showing Up in My Driveway? Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006. I've been getting scattered reports of people who have cancelled their News-Press subscriptions but continue to receive the paper anyway. So what's going on? Newspapers in general, and not specifically the News-Press, are notorious for inflating their circulation numbers. Why? A possible explanation from an article that appeared a couple of years ago on Slate:
Newspapers lie about their circulation numbers for two simple reasons: 1) because increased circulation allows increased advertising rates, and that means more revenue; and 2) because industry auditing standards make it easy to do. The agency that's supposed to keep the newspapers honest is the Audit Bureau of Circulations, a nonprofit outfit that validates circulation for nearly every newspaper and magazine of note in the United States, and many abroad. But the ABC is captive of the very industry it monitors, which means that its numbers are only as honest as the newspapers producing them.The News-Press' circulation numbers for the quarter ending September 30th were due to be reported yesterday, although the paper has the option of reporting late. This is significant because this is the first quarter that would include the paper's "period of transition" as Travis Armstrong likes to call it. Surprisingly, the News-Press wouldn't even have to cook the books to make the circulation numbers look more robust then they actually are. ABC rules are quite liberal when it comes to what can be counted as "paid circulation." For example, according to the Slate article cited above, newspapers distributed to employees count toward paid ABC circulation, as does giving people copies of the paper they did not request and spreading the cost through full-paying purchases. I'm sure that many people who have cancelled, are in fact no longer receiving the paper, but if your are among those who have cancelled and are still getting the paper, that could be why. As soon as the latest circulation numbers become available I'll let you know. How reliable they are is open to question.
Question of the Day. What does it say when the city council spends $440,000 for public restrooms on the 900 block of State Street? When it comes to number two, Santa Barbara is number one!
Wendy, Take Note! Monday, Oct. 16, 2006. Required reading for News-Press owner Wendy McCaw is yesterday's L.A. Times "Currents" section which has two articles that are very instructive on how she ought to be running her newspaper operation. The first article is by Lloyd Grove who describes his recent tenure as the gossip columnist for the New York Daily News. Aware that the owner of the Daily News, Morton Zuckerman, enjoyed a reputation for involving himself in his editors' journalistic judgments - Grove asked him how he saw his role in Grove's prospective column. "My role," Zuckerman told him, "will be to open my newspaper and read it." According to Grove, Zuckerman "was as good as his word," even though he would occasionally hear that Zuckerman was "peeved about this or that item concerning this or that pal." Grove had previously been the gossip columnist at the Washington Post where he worked for the legendary publisher Katherine Graham. By Grove's account, Graham occasionally called to feed him items for the column.Once she phoned with a juicy story about her daughter Lally Weymouth's private audience with Pope John Paul II, only to call back 10 minutes later. "You know, I shouldn't have given that to you," she said sheepishly. "If you run it, Lally will kill me. Do you mind very much?" It was the only time she ever asked me to deep-six an item for personal reasons.Are you taking notes Wendy? Let's review. As publisher your job is to open the paper and read it. Only once in a blue moon do you have the privilege of asking your editors to deep six a news item. The other article, by Alicia C. Shepard, describes the awkward position reporters for the L.A. Times find themselves in trying to cover the Times' conflicts with its parent, Tribune Company. Among other things, she points out that "A newspaper needs to be accountable and transparent, but even more so when it is the story." Like the Times vs. Tribune conflict, the News-Press vs. newsroom staff saga is a juicy human interest story. Wendy, you can't continue to ignore it. Take Shepard's suggestion to the Times and apply it to the News-Press, "find a credible outsider - a "journalistic rabbi" - with whom editors could consult on how best to handle things when your paper is the story . . . Tell us about it. Let's not pretend that 'Mom and Dad's marriage' isn't experiencing a rough period when everyone knows it is." Wendy, this community needs a strong and credible News-Press. I said as much on my appearance Saturday on Paul Berenson's radio show. Its not in the readers' interest and its certainly not in your interest to continue to run the paper into the ground. For your own sake, wake up and smell the coffee.
Saturday's L.A. Times has an article about "Men of Mortuaries," a full-color 2007 photo calendar featuring "hunky, shirtless morticians." Finally, a calendar where all of the models are truly drop-dead gorgeous.
Nearly two weeks after the fact, baseball experts are still talking about the play in which two Dodgers were tagged out at home plate. What's the big deal? I guess these guys have never seen the Santa Barbara District Attorney's softball team play.
I received the following e-mail in response to my posts about Bill Clinton's appearance at the Arlington. I really do like reading your BLOG which I have been reading obsessively since the News-Press disaster. I also attended the Bill Clinton event and was really looking forward to your article. Your comments about attractive women, girlfriends and wives were obnoxious, rude and stupid.My humble response: Bill Clinton's appreciation for a well-turned ankle is widely known. In fact, it continues to be current and not past history. So I think its fair game for humor. Besides, if nothing else, this blog is an outlet for my alter ego; a wise-cracking, smart-ass, sometimes politically incorrect observer of events. So if you like what I have to say, be prepared to put up with some occasional boorishness. Having said all that, there are a few of my ex-wives who would probably agree with you.
Start Him Up and He'll Never Stop. Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006. It was a packed house to see former President Bill Clinton when he appeared at the Arlington Theatre yesterday. The word is that no attractive women were denied entry at the door. Originally advertised as a one hour appearance it easily went twice as long. Back when Stevie Wonder was at the height of his popularity in the 70's and still toured regularly he had a reputation for never wanting to leave the stage once he started singing. Apparently Bill Clinton is the same way. Once he gets going you can't get him off the stage. He went on and on, and on. At one point the moderator said, "I'm sorry Mr. President, but we seem to only have time for one question from the students." Clinton says, "That's okay, we don't have anywhere to go just now." He then spent another 30 minutes taking four more questions.There is a terrific article about Clinton in the September 18, 2006 issue of the New Yorker that I read on the plane while returning from the east coast last month. Among the many Clinton stories related in the article is about how on a plane ride from the World Cup Soccer matches in Germany to Africa someone casually asks Clinton about the book he is reading. Clinton's response is to sit down on the arm of the seat and ease his way into a near-soliloquy that lasts two hours. Weary heads were drooping all around but Clinton keeps talking. Finally, at about 4:30 in the morning and high above the Sahara desert Clinton finally gets the hint to call it a night.
They won't have any trouble getting me out of the studio when my hour's up. Today, Saturday, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. I'm a guest on the Paul Berenson Show, NewsRadio 990 KTMS.
Absolutely Nothing in This Post About The News-Press! Friday, Oct. 13, 2006. (How often do I get to say that?) Nope, I'm leading with the story of our local boy and KTYD DJ Matt McAllister hitting the big time with his appearance last night on The Late Show with David Letterman where Matt with the help of his Early Show crew attempted to break his own Guinness Book world record for most t-shirts worn at the same time. By 11:44 p.m. we got our first glimpse of Matt standing in the lobby of the Ed Sullivan Theatre ready to start his attempt and answering Letterman's questions. By 12:05 a.m. Matt had donned 107 t-shirts, well on his way to the record of 121. By 12:17 a.m. he donned the 121st t-shirt and was proclaimed the new world record holder by the Guinness official who had been monitoring the feat with his counter. Looking very Humpty Dumptyish, Matt was invited into the studio where he waddled down the aisle and up to the stage low fiving members of the audience all the way in. His reward? A "Late Show" t-shirt. Letterman: "And they say there's no more good news."
Wives and girlfriends can listen and watch former President Bill Clinton's Santa Barbara appearance from the safety of their home or office. KCSB 91.9 FM will be simulcasting and webcasting Clinton's speech at the Arlington today, Friday, from 1:15-2:15 p.m. Listeners can tune in to 91.9 FM or log on to www.kcsb.org. Why is it that when Clinton makes an appearance before a large audience I'm always reminded of a Tom Jones concert?
I will be a guest tomorrow, Saturday, October 14th on the Paul Berenson Show from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. NewsRadio 990 KTMS. You can call in at (805) 879-KTMS if you want to ask questions or if you just want to harass me.
The Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost. Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006. Back on September 29th, I mentioned that among other things, Wendy McCaw did away with paying overtime to her employees when she assumed ownership of the News-Press. Yesterday, a class action lawsuit was filed in Santa Barbara Superior Court on behalf of 200 present and former News-Press employees alleging that the paper wrongfully failed to pay overtime compensation. Former reporter Hildy Medina is the plaintiff's class representative. Her lawyer is long-time Santa Barbara employment law attorney Bruce Anticouni.
If you looked at the News-Press website yesterday they were promoting a story that was to run in today's paper about the arrest of an alleged embezzler. It ran under the heading "Tomorrow's News Today." Of course if you read Wednesday's Santa Barbara Daily Sound, they already had the full story, while it was still news. Perhaps the News-Press should change that promo to "Yesterday's News Tomorrow." BTW, there were only two non-local stories in Wednesday's Daily Sound. Of course, no sooner than I bemoan the fact that the Daily Sound still only has one full-time reporter they hire a second. Yesterday, they announced the hiring of former News-Press general assignment reporter Colby Frazier. Daily Sound Editor and Publisher Jeramy Gordon is very excited to have Colby on board, "He's a quality reporter."
The hearing on the News-Press' request for a restraining order against former business editor Michael Todd will be heard no earlier than next Tuesday, October 17th. I wonder if Todd's attorney Bob Sanger has given any thought to calling Wendy McCaw as a witness?
Al Bonowitz who resigned last week as the News-Press travel editor will be joining the features copy desk at the San Luis Obispo Tribune next month. Latest to leave the News-Press: Melissa Olson, who was in the advertising sales department, and Dianne Elliott who worked on the newspress.com website.
KTYD Early Show host Matt McAllister, who recently set the Guinness World Record for most T-Shirts worn at one time, is scheduled to appear on Letterman tonight. Matt's been talking on the air about the possibility of being invited on the show since late last week but only got confirmation on Tuesday. Letterman himself even promo'd Matt's appearance as he signed off Wednesday night. I'll bet that both Matt and program director Keith Royer are glad that they kissed and made up after their one day fallout. A glimpse of Matt's video that is linked to above appeared on the Today show Tuesday morning as part of their story on Google's purchase of YouTube.
A Tale of Two Papers. Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006. As much as I'm pulling for it to succeed, I have to admit that even on its best day, the Santa Barbara Daily Sound is still not the paper the Santa Barbara News-Press is. With only a single full-time reporter, the Daily Sound simply doesn't have the resources to match those of the News-Press. But every once in a while we get a glimpse of how good the Daily Sound can become and how mediocre the News-Press is destined to be. Yesterday was such a day.The example I have in mind is the story on supervisorial candidate Janet Wolf getting the endorsement of each and every one of her opponent Dan Secord's former colleagues on the Santa Barbara City Council. The Daily Sound covered this announcement with a front-page, top of the fold, headline story. The News-Press had no story on this development. Instead they only had a photo and a caption that ran on page six of the "A" section. That was it. Without a doubt the story deserves better coverage than that. If you're Wolf you're deserving of some exploration of the reasons being given for this support. If you're Secord there ought to be some exploration of whether this is partisan politics in a non-partisan race (Secord was the lone Republican on the council, Wolf is a Democrat) or if the lack of support from his former colleagues goes beyond that. It certainly can't be scarce resources that accounts for the skimpy coverage. The News-Press has given every indication that it intends to endorse Secord and not Wolf and my guess is that it doesn't want to focus any attention on or engage in any analysis of this latest development which can only be regarded as painfully bad news for Secord. Wendy McCaw's battle cry of late has been to "banish the bias" from reporting. The bias has never been in the reporting but rather has been found in management's decisions of what to cover and not to cover. This is just the latest example.
Sunday's L.A. Times reports that talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres is in escrow on a Montecito home. I wonder if Dr. Laura will be greeting her with a welcome basket?
Scenes From A Meltdown. Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2006. It may have been the most influential audience that News-Press owner Wendy McCaw has yet faced since she formally took over as co-publisher of her paper. Yet, looking noticeably heavier and older, she sat there stiffly and let her boyfriend do all of the talking. For the past 17 years, the paper has sponsored and presented their annual "Lifetime Achievement Awards." Each year's honorees are selected by past recipients of the award who annually meet to nominate candidates and later select the winners in a secret vote.This year's nomination meeting took place on Friday, September 29th and was attended by 11 of the 50 living past recipients. The gathering was chaired by McCaw and the boyfriend, Arthur von Wiesenberger. Wiesenberger opened the meeting by diving into an explanation of ownership's version of the circumstances currently surrounding the paper's turmoil (or as Travis Armstrong would put it, "the transitional period.") The predictable recitation of slanted reporting and other sins by ex-employees was interrupted by one of the attendees who reminded von Wiesnbeger that the purpose of the meeting was to come up with a list of nominees. Another of the attendees seized this opportunity to voice his concerns about the paper's past editorials, then stormed out. When attention finally turned to the true purpose of the meeting the two co-publishers were poorly prepared. They had not even brought with them the list of past nominees who were not chosen, which is the usual starting point for the nomination meeting. Despite these obstacles a list of nominees was assembled. What is unknown is whether the prestige of the awards or attendance at the annual banquet in November to honor those selected will be diminished as a result of McCaw's bad behavior with respect to the paper.
Is it just me, or is Travis Armstrong re-writing the same op-ed piece over and over? On Friday, for the umpteenth time, he whined about KEYT's John Palminteri and Michelle Cole refusing to talk to him about the sudden departure of weather babe Kate Wentzel. Asking either of them about personnel changes on TV Hill is like asking the jungle river boat pilot in Adventureland why Michael Eisner got forced out at Disney. Travis, for the last time, they just work there! They don't speak for management.
The Week In Review. Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006. From high atop the Mesa (that's a geographical location and not a reference to my state of sobriety) here's some recent headlines and my take on them.Supreme Court refuses to consider whether a Texas law making it a crime to sell sex toys is unconstitutional. Meaning its still easier to buy a handgun in Texas than it is to buy a vibrator.
Bob Woodward's new book State of Denial Tribune Co. forces out LA Times publisher. If we passed the hat do you think we could get Tribune to come to Santa Barbara and do the same thing at the News-Press? Court of Appeal kicks two Santa Barbara prosecutors off of cases they were in charge of. Well if we can't get the Tribune Company up here maybe we can get the Court of Appeal to take care of Wendy. Protest over potty breaks mars world chess championship. Hey, they're lucky that I'm not playing. Paid Bloggers Stoke Senate Battle in Virginia. Wait! There are bloggers who get paid?
No joke. There's a nice article in the Pacific Coast Business Times where local retired journalists Lou Cannon and Sander Vanocur talk about the importance of a local newspaper and why they're backing the newsroom staff at the News-Press.
Zonen's Ticket to Hollywood Cancelled, While Court Throws Book at Dudley. Friday, Oct. 6, 2006. Yesterday was decision day at the Court of Appeal and after the opinions were filed, two Santa Barbara Deputy DA's had their caseloads lightened. Veteran prosecutor Ron Zonen has been barred from handling the prosecution of Jesse James Hollywood. The Court of Appeal decided that his cooperation with the makers of the yet to be released film "Alpha Dog", gave an appearance of impropriety that could not be tolerated in a death penalty case. Zonen had acted as an unpaid consultant to the film's maker Nick Cassavetes, handing over police and probation reports as well as his entire trial notebook. Although the justices who decided the case gave Zonen high marks for his zeal as a prosecutor they felt he went too far in his efforts to bring the fugitive Hollywood to justice. After reviewing the facts the court came to the conclusion that Zonen's participation in the making of the film resulted in assisting the media in the public vilification of a defendant whose case had yet to be tried. Although Hollywood's attorney, James Blatt, has succeeded in ousting the prosecutor who has the most institutional knowledge of the case (Zonen successfully prosecuted the other four defendants charged in the murder of Nicholas Markowitz) the court refused to bar the entire Santa Barbara District Attorney's office from prosecuting the case. The case will be reassigned within the office.
Although the court kicked Zonen off the Hollywood case they didn't come down nearly as hard on him as they did on his colleague Joyce Dudley. In a decision that was also filed yesterday, the court has barred Dudley from prosecuting a rape by intoxication case because she has authored and is promoting a self-published crime novel "Intoxicating Agent The decision in the Haraguchi case is a victory for Santa Barbara defense attorney Bob Sanger who argued the case for the defendant in the court of appeal. Sanger of course was part of the team that successfully defended Michael Jackson in his child molestation trial. Sanger also represents former News-Press business editor Michael Todd against whom the paper is trying to obtain a restraining order. With Zonen barred from handling Hollwyood and Dudley barred from the Haraguchi case, why don't the two prosecutors swap cases? Zonen takes the rape case, Dudley takes the Hollywood murder. Just a thought. "Alpha Dog's" only public screening was at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The movie now has a January 2007 release date, although Hollywood's lawyer Blatt has vowed to try to stop it. Good luck with that, getting a prior restraint on exhibiting a movie is next to impossible.
They Charge You for the News, But the Propaganda is Free. Thursday, Oct. 5, 2006. The News-Press web site finally wised up to the fact that I no longer subscribe to the paper. My e-mail address and password no longer allow me to log into the paper's web site to read the stories. In an effort to squeeze every last nickel out of the community it claims to serve, the paper persists in being one of the few dailies in the entire country that charges to view its content on the web. However, there is one part of the paper's website where articles (and I use that term loosely) can be viewed for free. That's the new "commentaries" section, where every News-Press editorial churning up fear about the evils of unions and every Wendy or Travis missive whining about non-existent bias is posted for the reader's amusement. Of course even they know that no one would ever pay to read this blatant propaganda, so at least they haven't completely underestimated our intelligence.
As I reported here Tuesday, Starshine Roshell and Al Bonowitz have become the latest to leave the News-Press. Both had decided to stick it out at the paper so that they would be able to vote in favor of unionization. With that behind them it was time to move on. Starshine described her decision to leave as being "brutal." One that involved shedding many tears, including some as she walked out the News-Press door on Tuesday. She will be writing a monthly column for the Independent and will also be featured on their website. In the meantime, you can keep up with her at www.roshell.com. Also joining the Independent is former News-Press columnist Michael Seabaugh. Michael will be writing Healthspan for the Indy starting in November and will continue to blog at www.HealthspanWeb.com. Although he doesn't have another journalism gig lined up, former News-Press travel editor Al Bonowitz will be heading to New Orleans at the end of the month to donate an RV along with clothing and musical instruments. Al, who is a drummer himself, is looking for good professional quality instruments that a professional gigging musician can use. A recipient has already been found for his spare drum set, and according to Al the lucky guy was very happy to be getting it. Funding to buy gas for the trip is also needed. You can e-mail Al at al_9000@hotmail.com.
Wendy McCaw announced Tuesday that the News-Press will be challenging the outcome of the election where newsroom employees voted 33 to 6 in fovor of unionization. I know McCaw is a vegetarian, but really, she needs to give up this steady diet of sour grapes and whine.
The press release announcing that the ownership of the News-Press was contesting the outcome of the union election, included the following quotation from Associate Editor Scott Steepleton; "While most of the former newsroom employees who resigned acted professionally, I was taken aback by Ms. Roshell's use of profanity as she turned in her resignation letter." I'll bet he wasn't as taken aback as I was when management pulled her column for applauding the courage of the journalists who had previously resigned. Maybe I've watched "All the President's Men" too many times but, I didn't know that newspaper editors had such delicate sensibilities when it came to crude language. Most newsrooms are buzzing and sometimes even chaotic places, although I'm told that the atmosphere inside the newsroom at De la Guerra Plaza is more like a library lately. Anyway, here's what happened. Starshine handed her resignation to Steepleton. He said "thank you." She said "f___k you." That was it. I guess the teacher wasn't around for Scott to tattle to so they stuck it in a press release.
Finally, I thought I'd get a jump on some information before I read it in the Independent's Media Blog. Hide your wives and your girlfriends, Bill Clinton is coming to the Arlington! Sponsored by the Orfalea Foundation, the former President will speak on Friday, October 13, from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m., with doors opening at 12:15 p.m. General admission tickets for the event go on sale at the Arlington Theatre today, October 5th. For information and availability, call the ticket office after 10 a.m. this morning at (805) 963-4408.
Newsroom Exodus Resumes. Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2006. This morning two more key members of the newsroom staff resigned from the News-Press. Life section reporter (and until recently) columnist Starshine Roshell and column illustrator and travel editor, Al Bonowitz. These are the first resignations since last Wednesday's vote by newsroom employees to unionize. Not that its hard to guess why they left, but below is the full text of Starshine's resignation letter giving her reasons.TO: Yolanda Apodaca No need for me to follow-up with any comment, the letter says it all.
Hearing Date Is A Moving Target. Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2006. For the second time in a row, a hearing on the Santa Barbara News-Press' request for a workplace violence restraining order against former business editor Michael Todd has been continued, once again at the request of the News-Press. Originally set to be heard on August 16th of this year the case was put over to yesterday's date because Ana Fuentes, the employee on whose behalf they are seeking the injunction, was in Europe at the time of the original court date. Fuentes was present in court on Monday but in the meantime David Millstein, who represents the paper, decided he wanted the case heard by a "real judge" and not by Superior Court Commissioner Colleen Sterne. The case will go to Judge Thomas Anderle who will select a new hearing date on October 10th. In court yesterday, Millstein expressed concern that the hearing not be set too far into the future because Fuentes is again planning on being out of the country. Well, if she was gone last time and may be gone next time why not have the case heard yesterday? And if you had a problem with Commissioner Sterne hearing the case, why not make your problem known then so the case could be heard by a real judge yesterday? I don't know what Millstein's strategy is beyond being one to ensure that the case is not heard.
After a one day suspension, KTYD morning show host Matt McAllister and his crew were back on the air Monday morning. I was lucky to have gotten a comment out of the station's program director Keith Royer for my breaking news post on Friday, because when the News-Press and the Independent caught up with him later in the day, his response to their inquiries about the McAllister situation was strictly "no comment." Presumably by that time Royer and McAllister had decided that rather than talk to anyone on the outside they would talk with each other. If that is in fact the case I'm glad because those talks were obviously productive. Now maybe they can box up that peace pipe they smoked and send it over to News-Press owner Wendy McCaw.
Stockholders? No. Stakeholders? Yes. Monday, Oct. 2, 2006. "[N]o one should argue that a newspaper's proprietor has no obligation except to make as much money as it can." Amen. That statement was not made with regard to the Santa Barbara News-Press but rather was made about the Los Angeles Times, by Tim Rutten who writes for the Times. The Times parent company, Chicago based Tribune, Co. has been debating whether to unload the Times. In an article that raises a number of themes that are pertinent to the situation at the News-Press, Rutten argues that although stockholders certainly are stakeholders in this process, so are a paper's readers. A paper's monetary value to investors needs to be balanced against a paper's social, intellectual and political value to readers. Of course, here in little ol' Santa Barbara, owner Wendy McCaw has no stockholders to answer to. If she did they'd be jumping up and down like Tom Cruise on Oprah's couch. Because of McCaw's stubbornness, the paper is losing value faster than the contestants on "The Biggest Loser" are shedding pounds. So, to anyone who says "its her paper and she can do whatever she wants with it" Rutten reminds us that such a philosophy is a strategy for continued decline and ultimate failure.
Last night, current and former News-Press employees got together for a going away party for former photographer, Len Wood and former feature page editor, Andrea Huebner. The evening was marked by lots of speeches and lots of tears. Among those in attendance was former editor Jerry Roberts. Look for at least two more News-Press employees to resign by the end of this week and at least one more will leave before the end of the month.
So where was McCaw on election night? According to the Dallas Morning News she may very well have been partying on her yacht in St. Tropez. Morning News columnist Alan Peppard reports that the peripatetic publisher pulled her 193-foot helicopter-equipped yacht, Calixe, into the harbor of the city located in the south of France to attend the wedding of a couple of Dallas socialites who are apparently friends of her fiance Nipper Baron von Cheeseburger.
KEYT unveils its new weather center, news set and new anchor/reporter today starting with its 5 p.m. newscast. The new anchor, Joe Gehl, will start Monday and Tuesday as a reporter and then anchor the 5 p.m. newscast on Wednesday becoming an anchor/reporter from then on. Until last December the Sioux City, Iowa native was a weekend weather guy in Milwaukee when he left the station under circumstances reminiscent of those surrounding the departure of weather babe Kate Wentzel. In other words, suddenly off the air with no reasons being given. Prior to working in Wisconsin, Gehl was on the air in Billings, Montana and Tuscon, Arizona. I'm told he has since made a brief stop in San Diego before landing at KEYT.
Funeral services for Richard Goldman, Dean of the Santa Barbara/Ventura Colleges of Law, who died last Thursday morning will be held tomorrow, Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Goleta Cemetery, 44 S. San Antonio Road, Goleta.
What Happened to Matt at the KTYD Morning Show? Friday, Sept. 29, 2006. Listeners who tuned into the KTYD Morning Show this morning found that popular host Matt McAllister was off the air. According to the station's program director Keith Royer, Matt has long wanted to do a radio talk show. KTYD, with its 33 year tradition of being a classic rock station, feels strongly that music must remain a part of all KTYD entertainment programing. Yesterday, things came to a head when Matt told his listeners that management wanted him to cut the number of listener calls into the program and the other comedy bits and focus more on music. Management felt he wasn't being candid about the fact that it was Matt who wants to make the show all talk and was pushing for the elimination of music. Following yesterday's show Matt was suspended by the station. Will he be back? Royer says at this point the ball is in Matt's court. Royer noted that Matt has been a great employee and a great radio talent for the eight years he has been with the station and regrets that things have come to this.After yesterday's show and before I learned of the suspension, I e-mailed Matt and his KTYD address to find out more. I never heard back, although he may have been cut off from station e-mail at that point. I don't know how to get a hold of him, but if he would like to respond I invite him to contact me.
This is Debby Davison's last day on the air at KEYT. Look for an on air tribute between 6:45 and 7 pm tonight.
How Not To Bust A Union. Friday, Sept. 29, 2006. You have to hand it to News-Press owner Wendy McCaw. She succeeded where most other employers involved in unionization struggles have failed. She increased the number of employees who favored unionization by the time the vote rolled around. Among union organizers, the conventional wisdom is that if you have 100 employees who indicate they want to unionize, you will lose a good number of them by the time to vote rolls around. When employees first indicate an interest in unionizing, the number who wish to do so is at its peak. As time goes on the employer is able to convince at least some of the employees that a union is maybe not the best idea after all. The employer indoctrinates and propagandizes and typically sends a signal that working conditions and wages will improve if unionization is rejected. Not with Wendy.When News-Press newsroom employees first indicated their interest in unionizing, 83 percent of the staff signed union cards. When the votes were counted at 5 p.m. Wednesday, 85 percent of those casting ballots favored the union. This was in spite of the fact that a good number of the employees who had signed union cards resigned or had been fired by the time of the election. When the New York Times Company bought the paper in the late 1980's they inherited the Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America. To get rid of that union the Times company offered non-union employees a profit sharing plan, 401k contributions and pay raises. It worked. In the decertification election that followed soon after the Time's acquisition of the paper, 64 percent of the newsroom staff voted to drop their union affiliation. When Wendy McCaw bought the paper from the New York Times Company she did away with pensions, profit sharing and matching contributions to 401k's. She has also done away with overtime. If extra work needs to be done, freelancers, who don't have to be paid overtime or benefits, are called in to do the work. Anyone who thinks the newsroom employees don't need a union never had Wendy for a boss. If there were any employees who were sitting on the fence in the weeks leading up to the union vote, Wendy pushed them over to the union side. For example, staffers who worked in the feature page section were probably among the least impacted by the failure to observe the ethical wall between the publisher's suite and news reporting. Yet when Starshine Roshell's column was yanked from her for acknowledging the courage of those who resigned and feature page editor Andrea Huebner's head rolled in response to Dr. Laura's demand for blood as retribution for a perceived slight by fellow columnist Michael Seabaugh, many staffers then saw the union light. You can always count on Wendy to be her own worst enemy.
Among those eligible to vote in the union election but failing to do so was Ana Fuentes. As I mentioned yesterday, even though no one has seen her at the paper for several weeks, she is still on the payroll to bolster the paper's case against former business editor, Michael Todd.
Finally, there will be no "Week In Review" from me over the weekend. Sadly, I'm not in a joke cracking mood. My friend and boss Richard Goldman passed away Thursday morning at Cottage Hospital after a year long battle with cancer. For the last five years Rich has been the Dean of Santa Barbara/Ventura Colleges of Law. Before that, he had been a Deputy Public Defender in Santa Barbara. He was everything a lawyer should be as well as being everything an educator should be. He will be missed.
A Resounding Victory. Thursday, Sept. 28, 2006. Most of the newsroom employees had voted early in the afternoon. About 15 of them returned to the third floor conference room in the News-Press building at 5 p.m. on Wednesday to witness the votes being counted. The first seven votes tallied were all for the union. Three more votes were counted and it was nine to one for the union. At that point it was obvious it was going to be a landslide. When it was over it was 33 to 6 in favor of unionization. Rather than display their elation inside the building, the pro union employees saved it until they filed outside to face the waiting media in De la Guerra Plaza. 41 employees were eligible to vote. However, management challenged the vote of Colby Frazier whom they had earlier fired. If the NLRB ultimately determines that firing him was an unfair labor practice, his vote will count. Choosing not to participate in the voting was cub reporter Vladimir Kogan.16 of those eligible to cast ballots were hired after the July 6th implosion at De la Guerra Plaza. That would mean that both new and veteran journalists were solidly in favor of the union. The vote should be certified as official within a day or two by the NLRB. Once certified, News-Press management has seven days within which to file objections to the election. They have indicated that they may. Should they object they will have an additional seven days to file evidence which supports their objections. The union is expected to very quickly make their written demand to initiate good faith bargaining. Although such bargaining is limited to issues of wages, hours and working conditions, the union intends to argue for an expansive definition of working conditions to include demands that involve restoring the ethical wall between the publisher's suite and the newsroom. Teamster organizer Marty Keegan, in speaking at the press conference where the election results were announced promised, "there will be a contract." Neither co-publishers Wendy McCaw, Arthur von Wiesenberger or editorial page editor Travis Armstrong chose to observe any part of the election. Management's designated representative throughout the balloting was Naomi de la Mora. The paper's labor attorney, Sandra McCandless and human resources director Yolanda Apodaca were present when the votes were counted. McCandless signed the NLRB paperwork on behalf of the paper.
Today's edition of the News-Press has a four sentence story on the election outcome. Its located in the business section. (You need all the help you can get to find it.)
On Tuesday I mentioned that former photographer Ana Fuentes had not been seen at the paper since September 9th. I have learned that although she has not reported for work she is still on the payroll so that the News-Press may maintain its standing to pursue a workplace violence injunction against former business editor Michael Todd. The case is set to be heard on October 2nd.
Yesterday's opening quote came from the 1978 movie "Big Wednesday." Although a surfer like Wendy should have known about this surf classic, she was not among the many readers who e-mailed me with the correct answer. In fact, Wendy didn't e-mail me at all. Hmmm. I wonder why that was?
UNION VICTORY! Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2006. 5:45 p.m. By an overwhelming vote of 33 to 6, newsroom journalists at the Santa Barbara News-Press have voted to affiliate with the Graphics Communication Conference of the Teamsters, giving them the right to collectively bargain with the paper's owner Wendy McCaw. That means 85% of the eligible employees favored joining the union and having it as their representative. A substantial number of the newly hired employees joined long-time newsroom employees in voting in favor of unionizing. More details later.
Big Wednesday Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2006. "A day will come that is like no other...and nothing that happens after will ever be the same." Overstatement? Perhaps. But then again, perhaps not so far off the mark for the 40 or so newsroom employees of the Santa Barbara News-Press who will cast their vote this afternoon to determine whether or not they will unionize by affiliating with the Graphics Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. If the vote goes in favor of the union, indeed nothing will ever be the same for the paper's owner Wendy McCaw. For starters, her paper won't be worth as much tomorrow as it today, because a paper with a union isn't as attractive to investors or potential buyers as one without a union. Not that she wants to sell or is seeking partners. Probably most distasteful to McCaw is the notion that she will be required to sit down across the table from the union and for the first time in her ownership have to negotiate with and perhaps even listen to her newsroom employees. For McCaw, its all about control and any erosion of her control is bound to make Wendy an unhappy camper.Voting takes place between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the third floor conference room of the News-Press building. The election will be conducted by agents of the NLRB. Both management and labor are entitled to have observers at the election. All newsroom employees who were employed by the paper on the last pay day and continue to work there are eligible to vote. Results should be announced no later than 5:30 p.m. I will try to post an update as soon as the vote is announced. There was a 1 p.m. cut-off Tuesday for efforts by management to campaign against unionization. Employees had been required to attend "information sessions" on company time where they listened to presentations on the drawbacks of unionization. On Monday, Associate Editor Scott Steepleton, made one of the last pitches on behalf of management in which he reportedly conceded that the paper had made some "missteps." Anyone out there know the source of my opening quote today? Send me your answer. And no fair Googling it! You're on the honor system on this one. Hint; I'll bet Wendy knows where the quote is from.
Former News-Press reporter Josh Molina has taken a job at the San Jose Mercury News. J'Amy Brown is reporting in her Montecito Montage column on-line at the Independent.com, that Camilla Cohee, who wrote the Rob Lowe story in the News-Press, has taken a public relations job with the Chumash Casino. Hmmm, wonder if Travis Armstrong had anything to do with that one?
A Coincidence Is Not Evidence. Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2006. My laptop crashed on Friday. I spent a good part of the weekend trying to figure out how to fix it without taking the dreaded inevitable step, which I dreadfully and inevitably had to take anyway, of erasing the hard drive and reinstalling the system software and all of my applications. That task alone took the better part of Monday. I suspect that the News-Press is behind the crash. Admittedly I have no evidence of that, but what the heck, lack of evidence didn't stop the News-Press from accusing the Teamsters Union of being behind some random, anonymous, short-lived posting on the Internet that it claims threatened criminal acts against the paper. If Wendy McCaw can act on coincidence then so can I. Have I reported this to the police? No, but then again neither has the News-Press. But I have issued the following statement: "I take these crashes of my hard drive very seriously and intend to investigate their origin, even if the trail leads back to myself for failing to download and install the latest security updates and patches" Now that I have your attention, I hope to get your sympathy, just like Wendy McCaw.Has anyone else noticed that News-Press management likes to use the name "Teamsters" as though its a dirty word? We're all aware that their past reputation was at one time, shall we say, unsavory, but as of late their graphics conference represents journalists at The New York Times (editorially the most liberal of leading U.S. newspapers) and the San Diego Union (editorially the most conservative). This according to Lou Cannon, retired Washington Post journalist and Summerland resident, who also points out that there has never been any charge of corruption against the locals at either of these newspapers. Lou should know as he follows these issues. Following Sunday's rally I had a chance to chat with union attorney Ira Gottlieb, who is representing the organized newsroom employees. He looks so much the part of the union attorney my guess is that it was central casting and not the lawyer referral service that sent him over. Sunday he was wearing a stylish red beret (or was that a newsboy hat turned backwards?) white suspenders and a pink shirt. A native New Yorker who graduated from Columbia and went to law school at Rutgers, he says unions are in his blood citing his family's long history of union membership. More on my conversation with him after Wednesday's election.
The building permit dispute that spawned the story that revealed the address of Rob Lowe's vacant lot, got quietly settled recently. Lowe had won approval from the Montecito Planning Commission to build his dream home. The plans, which were approved, included growing a 24-foot-high hedge that would screen his and his wife's property from that of neighbors. Fred and Linda Gluck, claimed the hedge would partially block their ocean views. After losing at the planning commission, the Glucks filed an appeal which would have been heard by the full County Board of Supervisors. On September 11th of this year the Lowes and the Glucks settled the case. In exchange for the Gluck's promise to drop the appeal, Lowe promised to observe specific vegetation and height limitations. Glad to hear there won't be any vegetation of a high nature growing on the Lowe's property.
Missing in action at the News-Press is Ana Fuentes. She was the part-time photographer who resigned, then was lured back by management with the offer of a reporter's position. Seems she got frustrated when she attempted to get into the building on a Saturday and her key card wouldn't work. She hasn't been seen on the premises since. That was the day before her op-ed piece ran. Wonder if she'll show up to vote in Wednesday's election?
Can We Talk Here? Monday, Sept, 25, 2006. There is a room on the upper floors of the News-Press building that is beautifully appointed with rich dark mahogany paneling, a large impressive conference table, and big cozy executive chairs. I know, I've been in that room once or twice, but the last time was close to 10 years ago back during the days of the New-York Times ownership. My guess is that room doesn't see much use now. The News-Press has no board of directors for Wendy McCaw to be accountable to. It has no citizen's advisory board which might be convened from time to time to help ownership stay in touch with readership. In fact, its probably one of the most under utilized rooms in all of Santa Barbara right now. So I wish someone could explain to me, and I mean someone associated with the ownership of the News-Press, why Wendy McCaw or her designated representative, can't sit down with a few members of the community and have an exchange of ideas about the current situation at the paper. They already have the room so it certainly wouldn't cost anything. Heck, I'd even pick up the lunch tab for everybody. Yet, every group that has asked for such a meeting has been turned down. Most businesses welcome the opportunity to better understand their customers and learn how they might better serve their needs. Make no mistake, the people who have cancelled their subscriptions and the businesses that no longer advertise in the News-Press are the paper's customers. Ownership ought to show that it values those customers by listening to them. Even if all parties walk away at the end of such a meeting agreeing to disagree, at least we can say we had the discussion.
Sunday's rally to support the newsroom employees who wish to unionize, if not the most well attended, was surely the most spirited of all the rallies thus far. Those speaking included former network news correspondent, Sander Vanocur, Mayors Marty Blum and Jonny Wallace, Teena Grant, who represented the local clergy, UCSB Professor Cedric Robinson and the star of the rally, Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers. For me, the high point was that so many of you who read this blog came over and introduced yourselves. I always enjoy meeting readers. Follwing the rally I joined the fundraising party at Ruby's. After having the opportunity to enjoy a drink and make a couple of passes by the buffet table, many of the newsroom employees took the opportunity to talk on a personal basis about how events of the last three months have affected their lives.
News-Press management can sure crank out those cease and desist letters, but they apparently have a problem obeying them. As I reported earlier, KEYT has finally moved its KEY 3 Sky Tracker Forecast to the pages of the Santa Barbara Daily Sound. However, for nearly a month preceding the move, News-Press management ignored the demands of KEYT management to remove the forecast and KEYT logo from the News-Press weather page. It finally disappeared on Saturday.
I guess the promotions department didn't get the memo. Thursday's edition of the News-Press ran a promo for Amy Orozco's column. The only problem is that she and the rest of the community columnists were fired by the News-Press last month, so her column no longer runs. You know, if the paper had more paid ads they wouldn't have this problem of filling all of that empty space.
Bully, Intimidate and Misinform. Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006. Back at the beginning of this month about 20 local religious leaders presented a letter to News-Press owner Wendy McCaw asking her to make "a clear commitment to professional ethics," and to treat the journalists who worked at the paper fairly. The authors of the letter were even willing to pay for it to run as an advertisement in the paper. Yesterday, I received a copy of co-publisher Arthur von Wiesenberger's letter responding to their requests and have posted it here. You know, if there was any doubt that "The Nipper" is incapable of writing for the paper, let alone determining what is newsworthy, he removes it with this letter. He may be able to eat his way across a continent but he couldn't argue his way out of a paper bag. He cites the quashed story of editorial editor Travis Armstrong's sentencing for drunk driving as not being newsworthy. Not newsworthy? The Nipper wouldn't know a newsworthy story if it walked up to him in the bar at Lucky's, planted a big fat wet kiss on his lips, and then shoved its phone number down the front of his trousers.This comes on the heels of the disclosure of the Millstein letter which I posted on Friday. And honestly, I still haven't cooled off from reading that. Its simply unheard of for a lawyer to attempt to dissuade other lawyers from taking someone's case. In my opinion, its unethical. As if the deck isn't already stacked enough in favor of Wendy McCaw when it comes to having money and resources to fight the battle over whether proper journalistic ethics will be observed at her paper. Bully, intimidate and misinform seems to be the order of the day at Wendy's house of horrors. Just when you think that McCaw's tactics have bottomed out, she finds a yet another way to achieve a new low.
At 3 p.m. today in De la Guerra Plaza is the rally to support the newsroom employees of the News-Press. It is followed by a fundraiser at Ruby's from 4 to 6 p.m. Hope to see many of you there.
More Shameful Conduct From the News-Press. Friday, Sept. 22, 2006. Soon after the first round of resignations at the News-Press, when ownership started threatening the departed editors, reporters and columnists with lawsuits, 20 of our town's most prominent lawyers formed a legal-defense fund to offer financial help to any former News-Press employees who might wind up needing it. The number of lawyers has since grown to 44. In what may very well be the lowest of all its moves to punish those who have followed their conscience as opposed to following Wendy McCaw's pocketbook and her eccentric notions of journalism, News-Press lawyer David Millstein has written a letter to those lawyers urging them not to do any thing to aid or assist the former News-Press employees. I've read the letter and I've posted it in PDF format, here, for your read. It leaves me close to speechless, which is a rare affliction for me these days.For starters its hypocritical. He claims the lawyers don't have enough facts to enter the fray on behalf of the departed journalists, when the News-Press has done all it can to suppress those facts. Where does this guy, who doesn't even practice law in this community, get off telling us what we are or are not in a position to have an opinion on? Wendy McCaw has plenty of money to retain a yacht-load of high-priced hired guns to do her dirty work. For one of those hired guns to discourage others from acting out of kindness, compassion and humanity, is beyond shameful.
This is a good opportunity to remind you all that this Sunday, September 24th at 3 p.m., there will be a public rally to support the News-Press employees who want to unionize. The De la Guerra Plaza rally will be followed by a 4 p.m. fundraiser at Ruby's restaurant which is adjacent to the plaza. (Ruby's has been a very big supporter of the employees at the News-Press.) Proceeds will be donated to the Journalist Loan Fund to help current and former News-Press employees who have been forced out, fired or suspended without pay.
The Week In Review. Friday, Sept. 22, 2006. After a one week hiatus, the weekly review of the past week's stories and my take on them returns.In Oklahoma, football fans are still in mid-conniption over the blown instant-replay call that cost their team victory in Oregon. In Santa Barbara, newspaper readers are still in mid-conniption over the blown sale of the News-Press by the New York Times Company to Wendy McCaw which cost them their newspaper. BTW. How many Pac 10 football referees does it take to screw in a light bulb? Answer, Pac 10 refs don't screw in light bulbs, they're too busy screwing Oklahoma. Dr. Laura challenges group that protests violence against women. Next up, she plans to challenge groups that support motherhood, apple pie and the American way. Willie Nelson Cited for Drugs. This is news? High Times Magazine Ranks UCSB as Number 2 Pot Friendly School. See comment to previous item. Female Tycoon Rockets Into Space. That's the headline we'll be reading the morning after the union vote at the News-Press. News-Press hires several more inexperienced reporters. But they did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
Congratulations to Montecito insider and faithful reader of this blog, J'Amy Brown, who has begun writing an on-line column for the Independent. For a fresh perspective on life in Montecito, check out Montecito Montage.
Mandatory weekend reading. Thursday's Slate Magazine article where they say; "Wendy McCaw has made herself a national joke with her management of the Santa Barbara News-Press." Sounds like they just finished reading the Vanity Fair piece.
What We're Missing. Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006. Yesterday I invited those of you who no longer read the News-Press to tell me what features or items you miss the most. The response was huge. Here are some of the things that were mentioned along with alternative sources (if available) where you might get your fix.Opinion pieces by local people and a real public forum for thoughtful local discussion. Let me suggest Blogabarbara. And yes, the Internet is the wild, wild west, and the discussion won't be nearly as considered or thoughtful as it is in a good newspaper, but, its still the best local alternative. Sports, particularly high school and college. If you're interested in a particular high school, see if you can get a subscription to the school paper. I'm told that the students at San Marcos High put out an excellent paper. For UCSB athletics try ucsbgauchos.com. Jumble (a puzzle). Easy, jumble.com. Articles about meerkats, feral pigs, manatees, red-legged frogs, bears in trees, bunchgrass, and other faux-environmental activism issues dear to the News-Press' owner. Well, we do have a very nice zoo for a town of our size. Starshine's column on Sunday mornings. Sorry, can't help you with that one. Op-Ed columnists Maureen Dowd and Molly Ivins. As I mentioned yesterday, you have to pay to get Dowd's column from the New York Times website, but you're in luck with Molly. You can read her for free here. Obituaries. Edhat has a good dead zone. (Sorry no photos though.)
The KEYT weather forecast makes its debut in today's Santa Barbara Daily Sound. The Daily Sound is now a solid 16 pages, double the size it was when it started and there's a possibility it will have 20 pages this Friday. The Daily Sound now prints 6,000 papers a day and 7,000 on Fridays for the weekend. That's 31,000 papers a week, just 10,000 shy of the Independent. If you only have fifty cents to drop in a newspaper machine, I suggest you buy an L.A. Times and pick up a Daily Sound for free. You'll get great national and world coverage out of the Times, and your local news from the Daily Sound. On Thursdays, pick up an Independent to see you through the weekend.
Speaking of KEYT weather, the station is building a new "weather center" in the studio on TV Hill with flat screen TV's to show animated weather maps and play endless loops of radar. Now all they need is a weather babe and a hurricane to justify it all.
Back at the News-Press, editorial page editor Travis Armstrong is back from vacation, poison pen editorials will resume momentarily. I am also told that News-Press lawyer David Millstein continues to occupy former editor Jerry Roberts' old office and is looking more and more worn out with each passing day. I never knew writing cease and desist letters could be so exhausting.
And finally, reader Margaret Staton has this to say about the News-Press: I subscribed when I moved here in '94 because I wanted to support an institution in my "new" community. Now, all I am supporting is a "pet project" of a rich, vain, "my way or the highway" socialite. I do believe a goose has more sense and could run this newspaper in a better fashion than the current owner. Damn, I wish I'd said that!
One Week Until The Union Vote. Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006. One week from today newsroom employees of the Santa Barbara News-Press will vote on whether to be represented by an affiliate of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Last week, newsroom employees were required by ownership to attend small group meetings where they were required to listen to what was described to me as "anti-union propaganda." Many of the employees took the lecturer to task on this. How do the votes line up with seven days to go? At least one newsroom employee is very optimistic that those wishing to affiliate with the union will "win hands down." Assuming that's correct, then the real battle will begin. Expect the ensuing labor negotiations to be protracted.
What do you miss most about the News-Press? For some people its the obituaries. For others its the movie listings. For me, its columnist Maureen Dowd. She writes for the New York Times but the News-Press carries her syndicated column. In order to read her on the New York Times website you have to pay as she's part of the "New York Times Select" premium content. If you're so inclined e-mail me and tell me what you miss most about the News-Press. In return, I'll try to figure out how to get you some therapy.
In case you haven't heard, former News-Press publisher under the New York Times regime, Steve Ainsley, is now the publisher of the Boston Globe. Congratulations to Steve. Don't we all wish he was back here in his old job.
And finally, we have a winner in the contest to give my blog a new subtitle. The new subtitle is; "Covering Santa Barbara Law and Media Like A Wet Blanket." And the winner is, well, err, uh, me. Yes, I in the end came up with the winning name. However, to avoid getting in trouble with the FTC, I will still award the prize of an espresso drink to the first runner-up which was, "As The Media Turns." If you submitted that entry then my question to you is, do you want the cup of coffee, or would you rather just have the cash?
The Long Range Prognosis. Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2006. An article that appeared in yesterday's L.A. Times business section, gives a glimpse into what News-Press owner Wendy McCaw most likely aspires to be, a media mogul who is in total control of her multi-media empire. The article focuses on Viacom Inc. Chairman Sumner M. Redstone and News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch. To be sure, when you talk about industry titans of that stature, McCaw is at once a wannabe, a never-was and a probably-never-will-be. And unlike Redstone and Murdoch who continue to build their empires, McCaw is tearing hers down by pursuing a course of conduct that is devaluing the prime asset she owns. What she does have in common with them is that she is an excruciatingly possessive autocrat.Although the News-Press is her best known media property, McCaw has also acquired The Goleta Valley Voice, the Spanish language paper El Mexicano de Santa Barbara as well as Blue Edge magazine, a freebie devoted to surfing culture. Her media interests are not limited to print. Although she technically doesn't own "News-Press Radio 1290' (KZSB) the News-Press has a contract to provide its programming content thus violating the spirit if not the letter of the FCC's rules prohibiting cross-ownership of different media in the same city. I don't live in Goleta, speak Spanish nor do I surf, so I have no idea as to how controlling McCaw has been of these other properties. Most of us remember how mayor Marty Blum and county supervisor Susan Rose were recently barred from appearing on News-Press radio by editorial page director Travis Armstrong. The potential for a single person to exert control over so many media outlets in a town of this size is truly frightening. Although most of us, including myself, welcomed local ownership of the paper, who (other than ex-husband Craig McCaw) could have imagined that the Wendy would have turned out to be the micro-manager and control freak that she is. Without a board of directors, stockholders or investors to answer to, her power goes truly unchecked. To make things worse her boyfriend (I refuse to use the word "fiance" unless a couple has actually set a wedding date) is her co-publisher. With a track record like hers when it comes to doing business with significant others, someone needs to tell this woman "your lover is not your business partner and your business partner is not your lover." With the boyfriend being the default choice for being least likely to tell the empress that she has no clothes, (and BTW, we already know what Dr. Laura looks like without clothes) there is no hope that the situation will improve. One of the benefits of corporate ownership is that a corporation can almost always be counted on to run their business as a business. The only thing we can count on McCaw to do is to not let the News-Press run any unflattering photos of herself or any unflattering articles or comments about her "friends" as few and far between as they may be. That was a long-winded way of saying don't get your hopes up about the future of the News-Press. But if you still think there's a possibility that Wendy is going to wake up one morning and look out the window of her bluff-top mansion which lacks a view of the beach below and come to her senses, let me repeat, don't get your hopes up.
This Class Act Will Also Be Teaching. Monday, Sept. 18, 2006. Shortly before leaving town for the New England college tour I stopped by The Daily Grind. I had only been sitting down for a few minutes when I was approached by a gentleman who asked if I was Craig. Since he appeared pleasant enough and didn't look like he was there to serve me with some type of restraining order on behalf of the News-Press, I admitted that I was. The stranger extended his hand and said "I'm Jerry Roberts." The former editor of the News-Press told me that he was a reader of my blog and appreciated what I'd been writing with regard to the the situation at the paper. I told him that it was an honor to meet him. We chatted briefly about the Vanity Fair article, Jerry commenting that it was the first time he could recall being referred to as a "modest figure." I'm happy to say he looked very relaxed in short pants and appeared to be casual about keeping regular appointments with his razor blade. Roberts will be leading a five week lecture series on the media for UCSB Extension. The class entitled "The Crisis in American Journalism" meets on Wednesday evenings starting October 18th and ending November 5th. BTW, I work for UCSB Extension but I'm sorry to say, had nothing to do with bringing Jerry on board to teach.
Latest to resign from the News-Press is reporter Leah Etling, who covered sports as well as the Santa Ynez Valley. She handed in her resignation following her last shift on Saturday. She had worked for the paper on and off for the last 10 years going back to the days when she interned as a high school student. Leah, who has a masters degree in journalism from UC Berkeley, is the daughter of former News-Press columnist William Etling who wrote the Santa Ynez Valley Notebook until he and the other community columnists were abruptly terminated. His Valley Notebook, column can now be found in the Santa Ynez Valley News. She is the 23rd newsroom employee to leave, if you're keeping score. This Sunday, September 24th at 3 p.m., there will be a public rally to support the News-Press employees who want to unionize. The De la Guerra Plaza rally will be followed by a 4 p.m. fundraiser at Ruby's restaurant which is adjacent to the plaza. (Ruby's has been a very big supporter of the employees at the News-Press.) Proceeds will be donated to the Journalist Loan Fund to help current and former News-Press employees who have been forced out, fired or suspended without pay.
I'm back! Returned to a smoky, ashy Santa Barbara late yesterday afternoon. Still on east coast time so I couldn't manage to stay up very late last night. Things I learned on my trip. Never order a burrito in New Hampshire.
The Ultimate Road Trip. Friday, Sept. 15, 2006. Written from somewhere near the Vermont and New Hampshire borders. I can't let the week pass without saying a few more words the trip that my son and I are on. Somewhere along the line my 17 year old son, who has lived in Santa Barbara all of his life, decided he wouldn't consider any colleges west of the Hudson river so it was off to New England for a nine college, eight day, six state tour. I'm not sure when the college tour got to be such a big institution, it certainly wasn't in my day, but I'm glad it is. Being a divorced father I don't get a whole lot of opportunities to see him during the week so its really nice to get a chance for just the two of us to spend this much time together. I'm happy to report that I haven't driven him crazy, yet. We're definitely working as a team. I'm doing the driving and he's doing the sleeping. He picks the restaurants, I pick up the tab. As we drive further into the green hills of Vermont and New Hampshire, I haven't seen a Starbucks since Amherst, Massachusetts, but I wish I had a dollar for every Dunkin' Donuts I've passed. I could pay his college tuition with the money. Its definitely a slower pace of life out here and Vermont looks exactly like every picture postcard you've ever seen of it. BTW, did you know that the Granada Building is taller than any building in the state of Vermont? Our trip ends Saturday in Brunswick, Maine.
Keeping up with the latest developments in the News-Press saga from 3000 miles away has been more difficult than I anticipated. My thanks to all of my tipsters and sources who have kept me in the loop. I'm happy to report that Len Wood, the newly resigned 29-year News-Press employee and most recently photo editor, becomes director of photography today at the Santa Maria Times. If she thought fellow columnist Michael Seabaugh "attacked" her, wait until she sees this. Yesterday's "New York Post Page 6" headlined "Dr. Laura's Anti-Female Rant" took on the News-Press' newest columnist, saying that her hypocrisy "knows no bounds." In the gossipy style that Page 6 is famous for, the article tries to reconcile the themes of the not so good doctor's upcoming book with some of her well documented past escapades. Maybe News-Press owner Wendy McCaw can purchase the New York Post and then fire everyone whose fingerprints are on the article. After all, it seems as though there's nothing she won't do to keep her "star columnist" Dr. Laura happy. I can assure you, this is one syndicated item, the News-Press won't be picking up and running. One of my readers informs me that the American Journalism Review is doing a story on the News-Press. Maybe they will pick up where Vanity Fair left off?
You're Fired! Thursday, Sept. 14, 2006. The latest round of departures at the News-Press marks a first. They include the first employees actually fired by the paper since the initial group of editors resigned in protest back in July. The firings include, feature page editor Andrea Huebner, who I erroneously identified yesterday as being the feature page designer, and metro reporter Kevin Colby Frazier. Frazier was a new fulltime employee, but had worked for the News-Press for a year as a stringer. Apparently he did not live up to management's expectations that he would not support the Union. The Union is filing an unfair labor practice complaint with the NLRB as a result of this action. Not fired but nonetheless giving notice that he is leaving is photo editor Len WoodAt this point anyone who is hired into the newsroom won't be eligible to vote in the September 27th union representation election. To my knowledge, all previous head-counts on where employees stand have favored the union. Assuming that eligible employees win the right to unionize, that only means that they have the right to collectively bargain with their employer. That doesn't mean that the News-Press or more specifically, Wendy McCaw, has to reach agreement with the union. So what does the future hold? Expect a strike or a lock-out. Note the difference between the two. In a strike, the employees refuse to work until their demands are met. In a lock-out, the employer prevents the employees from working. McCaw may actually do what she can to force the employees to strike, because if they do, then she can permanently replace them. On the other hand if she locks them out, then she can only hire temporary replacements.
The links to the News-Press obituaries are back at Edhat. Mr. Edhat himself tells me that he contacted News-Press lawyer David Millstein in response to his cease and desist letter. Millstein thought they were linking to a password protected part of the site, which they aren't. Unlike most of the rest of the site, no subscription is required to view the News-Press obits. You'd think a lawyer would actually check what exactly is being linked to before sending off one of those nasty letters. Sounds like a threaten first and investigate later policy to me.
Now about yesterday's "art review." Although I said "please, no e-mails calling me a philistine, because I know I am," I got a number of e-mails calling me just that, and worse. Let me just say a couple of things. First, the post was intended to be humorous. Secondly, all I was saying was that the sculpture was not not my cup of espresso. But if it happens to be your caffeinated hot beverage of choice, I have no problem with that. In my opinion, art should be pleasing to the eye, and this was not pleasing to either of mine. Not because of any "message" that may have been intended to be conveyed. I just don't like the way the thing looks. Nevertheless, I respect the fact that many of you do like it. But the fact that people like it and admire it, shouldn't make it off limits as a topic of humor.
Santa Barbara attorney Jana Zimmer, who is a regular reader of this blog (and sometime art critic) has her letter to the editor regarding the News-Press published in today's L.A. Times. My favorite line from her letter: "We have an unreliable rag whose current editors can't distinguish a legitimate news story from a condiment." Some may argue that the same would apply to me when it comes to art.
One Obituary I'd Like to Read. Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2006. Instead of going after Edhat for violating the News-Press' intellectual property rights by posting links to News-Press obituaries, perhaps lawyer David Millstein ought to hire himself out to the local McDonalds franchisee. Now there's a victim of trademark infringment. Have you seen the McDonald's sign someone left sitting at the corner of Canon Perdido and State? It looks as if it toppled off of one of our extinct pole signs, rolled down the street and came to rest near a corner where a passing group of Y Indian Guides held an impromptu archery practice. Further proof that "artist," like "consultant" is one of those things anyone can claim to be and no one can ever disprove. I readily admit that I don't know art, but I know what I like, and this, well I'm not feelin' it. And please, no e-mails telling me what a philistine I am. As far as I'm concerned, the artist ought to be paying the city to display this thing. After all, think of the money we're saving him by keeping this thing on the street and out of the mini-storage locker. The toppled arrow ridden McDonald's sign. R.I.P. Now that's one obituary I'd like to read.Speaking of obits, I was perusing the comments on Edhat regarding the News-Press threatening legal action over Edhat posting links to their obituaries. Someone commented "who cares about obituaries anyway?" I'll bet anything that person was under fifty. Long before this latest episode of the News-Press throwing its not inconsiderable weight around, two people separately told me that one of the things they missed most about not reading the paper every day was the obituaries. And yes, both people were over 50. Believe me, as you progress into your fifties, you suddenly find that you have, or soon will have, as many friends in the ground as you have still living. Keeping up with who's checking out becomes much more important as one grows older.
Latest to leave at the News-Press are feature page designer Andrea Huebner and metro beat reporter Colby Frazier.
Will Edhat Have to Stop Publishing Dead Links? Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006. Dateline: Boston. (I always wanted to get to say that!) Finally made it to the hotel after a long day that started in Providence, Rhode Island and ended just outside of Boston. Got a first hand taste of the rush hour traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike. When we finally got up to our room about 7:30 Monday evening, I checked my e-mail and found a message from Peter Sklar at Edhat telling me that the News-Press had slapped him with a cease and desist letter threatening legal action if Edhat continues to provide hyperlinks to News-Press obituaries. Once again, more heavy handed tactics from Wendy McCaw.Can she legally do this and get away with it? I doubt it. Generally speaking, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, if someone is making a website publicly available, others may freely link to it. That open linking is what makes the web a "web." Of course the News-Press' website is by paid subscription only. But as long as Edhat or anyone else is not offering a way to circumvent the subscription protection, there's no violation of anyone else's intellectual property rights. I did a very quick and dirty search on the web on the status of the law. One of the cases that kept coming up is a federal trial court decision, Ticketmaster Corp. v. Tickets.com, Inc. In that case the judge ruled that hyperlinking does not itself involve a copyright violation since no copying is involved. So long as the web user is automatically transferred to the particular genuine web page of the original author, there is no deception in what is happening. The bottom line is that simple linking to other people's web pages is not a violation of the law. A newspaper that obsesses over others linking to their obituaries, will probably soon be writing its own.
On the labor front, union officials and News-Press management agreed on Monday to hold a union election on September 27th.
Bring On The Bias! Monday, Sept. 11, 2006. I get the definite impression that Santa Barbara News-Press owner Wendy McCaw is more interested in going after her "enemies" than in producing a credible newspaper. Take yesterday's op-ed piece that was authored by Ana Fuentes. In it, Fuentes talks about the lasting effects of the joke made by former business editor Michael Todd who made a thoughtless comment about running her over with a car. I'm sure Fuentes' feelings of fear are genuine. I'm not sure that they're justified. True, talking about killing people is right at the top of my list of things one should never joke about. But if there was a problem it certainly resolved itself with Todd resigning from the paper. Unless there's something more to this that we don't know, the paper taking the step of pursuing a workplace violence injunction against Todd seems like an overreaction. So, while the case is pending in court, Fuentes op-ed piece about the incident is published in the paper. Is Todd going to be given the same opportunity to have his own op-ed piece run? I doubt it. The motivation behind all of this would appear to be to discredit the editors who resigned and to justify McCaw's taking personal control over how the newsroom is run.And BTW when was the last time someone made the leap from photographer to news reporter, as Fuentes recently did? Those two jobs involve totally different skill sets, so allowing Fuentes to make the move is, shall we say, curious at best. On Friday, co-publisher Arthur von Wiesenberger wrote a defense of the need to make changes at the paper by analogizing the paper's status under the editors who have since resigned to a sloppily run hamburger stand. The most bizarre thing is that this article did not run in the paper in an editorial or an op-ed piece but rather ran in the on-line forum of his nippers.com website. Now, it seems to me that the group that would be most interested in reading this explanation would be the readers of the paper. Then why not publish it in the place they are most likely to see it, in the paper? Better yet, why don't you assign one of your paper's reporters to actually do a news story on this topic, including actually investigating the facts and talking to people on both sides of the story. After all, that's what newspapers and news-reporters are supposed to do, in case you've forgotten.
Today I'm writing from Providence, Rhode Island. I had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours reading the New York Times on Sunday morning. I had forgotten that the Times has a public editor. The public editor plays the role of an ombudsman and serves as the readers' representative addressing complaints about inaccuracies and bias in the coverage of the news. As the public editor noted in his column on Sunday, articles on the situation in the Middle East draw the most complaints from Times readers on both sides of the issue. Why not have a similar position at the News-Press? If Dr. Laura wants to complain that Dr. Seabaugh is "attacking" her, refer it to the public editor to review and give an impartial analysis. I think it would be an excellent idea. Of course McCaw will never go for it because it means that she would have to give up her control over the news content of the paper.
The Week In Review; Out of Town But Not Out of Touch. Sunday, Sept. 10, 2006. Direct from New Haven, Connecticut, the past week's news stories and my take on them.Local McDonald's franchise owner fumes over piece in State Street public art display. If you can't stand the heat, get off the McGriddle! Vanity Fair article on News-Press mess hits local newsstands. All productivity in town stops as national reading day makes an early return to Santa Barbara. Rob Lowe sues Padaro Lane neighbor for cutting his hedge. You think Rob's mad now? Wait until he sees the bill the guy's going to send him for the trim job! News-Press columnist Michael Seabaugh criticizes Dr. Laura, newspaper issues apology. I agree, "huevos" would have been much more appropriate than "cajones" BTW, does anybody know the correct spelling of "cajones?" Paris Hilton arrested for misdemeanor drunk driving. Police also cite her for two fashion felonies and a bad taste infraction. Arthur von Wiesenberger rumored to be considering reopening his "Nippers" night club. Just what this town needs, a place to spend $500 on an evening out and have nothing to show for it. Wendy McCaw still smoldering over being compared to Leona Helmsley. If the Jimmy Choo fits, wear it.
As I mentioned at the top of this post, I am on the east coast this week with my 17 year old son who is touring colleges. But I'm keeping an eye on things back home. I've only been gone a day and already it seems there's a lot that's happened. First there was "the apology." Claiming that News-Press columnist and psychologist, Michael Seabaugh personally "attacked" Dr. Laura, the newspaper runs an apology. First of all, why didn't the newspaper apologize a few weeks ago when Dr. Laura accused anyone who didn't support the proposed parental consent law of being either a child abuser or child molester? I found that far more offensive than the observation Seabaugh made about Laura. Seabaugh said "Dr. Laura may have the cajones to preach against tolerating diversity but personally, I will not spend one more minute of this precious time I have intolerant of the wonderful diversity of my fellow humans." That she does preach against tolerating those who have different lifestyles is a well documented fact. The only thing Seabaugh violated is Wendy's cardinal rule that you don't write anything that may offend one of Wendy's friends. That is why the paper won't allow anyone to report on Travis Armstrong's drunk driving conviction, the address of Rob Lowe's vacant lot or anything that would upset Dr. Laura's delicate sensibilities. So, is it now formally a part of Wendy's News-Press manual of style that no one shall ever criticize or question anything that Dr. Laura says? Apparently so. This alone is reason to cancel your subscription to the paper. Dr. Seabaugh has posted his own response to all of this nonsense on his blog.
Hot on the heals of the Vanity Fair article, the L.A. Times has followed up with a feature story on the News-Press mess. This is the story that reporter Jim Rainey was in town working on just before Labor Day weekend. Meanwhile, the Ventura County Star's Colleen Cason wonders when the News-Press will stop making the news and return to reporting it.
Weekend News-Press photographer Ana Fuentes, who earlier this week resigned from the paper has been persuaded to stay on, as a reporter. She is one of the few newsroom employees who is expected to vote against the union. She reportedly never warmed up to her colleagues in the newsroom and apparently they never warmed up to her. Speculation is that because management couldn't afford to lose one of the few votes they could count on in the newsroom they made her an offer she couldn't refuse. (UPDATE 9:40 a.m. EDT, Ana Fuentes tells her side of the story in a Sunday Op-Ed article.) Yep, its going to be hard keeping up with what's going on back home from so far away, but at least I've got a three hour head start on you every day.
Vanity Fair Covers Wendy's Vanity Press. Friday, Sept. 8, 2006. It's here! The highly anticipated issue of Vanity Fair containing its story on the "News-Press Mess" has arrived in Santa Barbara. The six page article filed under "Letter From California" and titled "The Battle for Santa Barbara" reads more like a post card from the edge, but if I recall, Carrie Fisher beat them to that description. The article is not nearly as comprehensive as many of us expected, and there is nothing that anyone who has followed this saga closely hasn't already heard before. Nevertheless, the meanness of McCaw's spirit comes through loud and clear. Here are some of the highlights and some of the more interesting quotes from the article.The author clearly exaggerates in setting the Santa Barbara scene for the reader. "Santa Barbara is still the lovely seaside town it was a century ago, its Spanish missions nestled in the gentle foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains." How does this guy know what it was like here a century ago? I've been here 30 years and believe me its not the same town now that it was even then. And "missions," plural? Last time I counted there was still only one. Fortunately when he gets to the substance of the story there seems to be less embellishment. We are given the history of McCaw's $500 million divorce settlement from Craig McCaw. Of the settlement, McCaw is quoted as telling a dinner guest; "I earned every penny." No argument there, that's certainly what all my ex-wives say. The author also makes this observation: "A vegetarian and animal-lover, McCaw adopts not just cats but donkeys." I guess that explains why she's been acting like such a jackass when it comes to the paper. The topic that best evidences her pettiness and meanness is the description of the history of her fight with the California Coastal Commission over public access to the beach below the bluff that her Hope Ranch home is perched on. McCaw ended up paying the Coastal Commission a $460,000 fine over barring access to a beach few people bother to walk past and who can't be seen in any event from her house that is atop the 80 foot sheer bluff. Most of the principals in the story appear to have been interviewed by author Michael Shnayerson. That would include boyfriend and co-publisher Arthur von Wiesenberger and editorial page editor Travis Armstrong. The notable exception being McCaw herself. Santa Barbara's new queen of mean apparently didn't deign to be interviewed for this article. The background and the chronology of the present furor is thoroughly covered. To most of us its a familiar story. There's really nothing new. But if you are a close follower of this story, the article is still a must read.
Thursday's News-Press editorial that continues the concocted crusade against bias in the paper's news stories takes the ridiculousness of these trumped up charges to new heights. The focus of the editorial now turns to "ethics." We are told for instance; [G]ushing accounts from exotic locales typifies some travel journalism, but readers ought to know if the writers came to those opinions because they received perks from the travel industry. Former staff member Barney Brantingham wouldn't answer our questions about any use of discounted or free airplane tickets, luxury accommodations and meals as part of the columns and travel stories he authored for the News-Press.Several readers in the know have written to tell me that this is a case of the snail calling the sea slug ugly. No one has gobbled as much caviar or sipped as much champagne at someone else's expense than News-Press co-publisher and consort to queen Wendy, Arthur von Wiesenberger. And quite frankly, I'm not bothered in the least by the fact that he has. I would expect nothing less from a professional bon vivant such as von Wiesenberger. But to accuse Barney Brantingham, who was often accompanied on those travel junkets by his former best friend von Wiesenberger, as doing something unethical, just punctuates how desperate and pathetic the McCaw regime has become.
There Goes the Neighborhood! Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006. Its a bad sign when a newspaper has more lawyers on its payroll than journalists, and while things haven't quite yet gotten to that point at the News-Press it must be getting pretty close. On Wednesday, the News-Press' San Francisco based lawyer, David Millstein, moved into former editor Jerry Roberts' office which is adjacent to the newsroom. Sounds like Wendy is "going to the mattresses" in her war with the organized newsroom staff. Whether Millstein's presence as the newsroom's attorney in residence is to play the role of enforcer or merely to cut down on those long distance phone bills he must have been racking up consulting with associate editor Scott Steepleton is not known.Wednesday saw more resignations by newsroom staff. Copy desk editors George Hutti and Paula Pisani, are among the latest to leave. Both wanted to stay on at least until the union vote, but George had previously applied for a job at the San Diego Union-Tribune where there was a hiring freeze. The freeze is off now so George has to move on this opportunity. Paula, who does not yet have another job lined up, will be following him and yes, they are an entry. On Tuesday sports copy editor Kim Burnell resigned and within 12 hours she was working her new job at the Los Angeles Daily News. The most intriguing resignation of the past two days is that of News-Press photographer Ana Fuentes. You may recall that former business editor Michael Todd, who was part of the first wave of resignations, had been reprimanded by News-Press management for allegedly making inappropriate comments to her. You would have thought that Todd's resignation would have ended the necessity for any further action, but the News-Press then sought a restraining order against Todd to have him legally required to stay away from Fuentes. Now that Fuentes is no longer in the employ of the paper, the News-Press loses its standing to pursue the restraining order which they allegedly brought on behalf of Fuentes. Either Fuentes is awfully ungrateful for what the News-Press did for her or something else is going on.
A Power Outage Followed by a News Black Out. Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006. There was a power outage on the Mesa about 7:45 a.m. Sunday. That may not be big news to you, but it is to me. I live on the Mesa. Around 8:30 a.m. I headed out to look for coffee. The power is out at the Mesa Starbucks, The Good Cup and Lazy Acres. No coffee to be had at any of those places. Forced to flee the Mesa and head downtown to search for my morning cappuccino, I drive down Cliff Drive past City College. When I reached the intersection of Cliff Drive and Rancheria there it was. Fire trucks surrounded a car which had taken out a power pole. A large crowd had gathered. The next morning I run into a friend who happens to live in that neighborhood. He tells me the driver was a 14 year old girl whose 16 year old boyfriend let her drive his car. Coming down the hill on Cliff she tried to make a left turn onto Rancheria, lost control of the car and smashed into the pole knocking it over and knocking out the power on the Mesa. Power in the immediate vicinity of the accident was not restored until 4 p.m. Sunday. Now that you've heard my version of the story let me quote verbatim, the complete article that appeared in Monday's News-Press.Mesa residents lose electricity. That's it. The story as it appeared in the News-Press in its entirety. Not a word about the driver being 14 years old or any other details about how the accident occurred. Heck, the way the News-Press covered this story you would have thought Travis Armstrong was the driver.
I attended Tuesday's press conference that was called by the News-Press employees who are seeking a union election. The most surprising news to come out of the conference was that representatives of the union met with News-Press attorneys David Millstein and Sandra McCandless over the weekend in San Francisco. Not surprising was the ultimate outcome, no agreement was reached. The News-Press employees' efforts to unionize are unusual. Workers who want to unionize are usually seeking higher wages and better benefits. Not that the News-Press employees wouldn't like that but their foremost concern is with ethics and getting a guarantee that ownership will not meddle with the running of the newsroom. This is one of those rare disputes where it truly is "not about the money." That doesn't bode well for reaching an agreement. For McCaw, its all about control and she will never do anything that even suggests she is giving up control or listening to what anyone else has to say. That's why she won't sit down with employees face to face, won't meet with the Lou Cannons and Sander Vanocurs of the community and certainly won't listen to you, me, or your grandmother. McCaw refuses to accept the basic tenet of journalism that while the publisher has the editorial page and the op-ed page as her sandbox, she's to keep her hands off and her nose out of the paper's coverage of news. Its a principle that's universally followed with every other paper of the size and circulation of the News-Press. But believe me, as long as McCaw owns the paper its not going to happen here. If you don't believe that McCaw would rather burn the News-Press building before she recognizes anybody's damn union take a look at how strident and over the top the paper's editorials have become in making her opposition to unions known. Sunday's editorial was followed by another on Tuesday, which basically repeated everything that was said Sunday. Maybe she was afraid that with the long weekend too many readers might have missed the Sunday editorial. Also, even though union reps at the press conference said they expected the representation election for newsroom employees to take place on September 26th, don't count on it. Daily Webloid Santa Barbara is reporting that the NLRB is saying that the union vote is not likely to take place this month. That makes sense, McCaw is going to use every procedure and device available to her to postpone the vote for as long as possible.
If you signed one of those yellow pledge cards to cancel your subscription if News-Press management failed to honor the employee's requests by yesterday's deadline you must follow-up by calling 564-5200 to actually cancel.
One of my readers has made it possible to allow you to show your support for the newsroom employees, your displeasure with the News-Press management and make a fashion statement at the same time. If you want to check out the possibilities click here.
A Labor Day Scare from the News-Press. Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006. Having lived in Santa Barbara for the last 30 years, I've come to realize that there's really no reason to ever leave town during the summer. There's no place more beautiful and you'll never find a better summertime climate anywhere else. So this Labor Day weekend was no exception. No flying off to the Hamptons, no heading out to the desert to catch the Burning Man festival and certainly no driving down to Ontario to watch the big NASCAR race. Only one thing spoiled my Labor Day weekend. Waking up on Sunday morning and reading a blistering anti-union editorial that was reminiscent of the L.A. Times. The L.A. Times of 100 years ago that is.Attacking labor unions on Labor Day weekend is like attacking the civil rights movement on Martin Luther King Day. But a desperate News-Press ownership, fearful that the organized employees of the newsroom will win the right to unionize, is now resorting to scare tactics. Sunday's editorial was the second installment of a two-parter that began Friday. Both installments were devoid of any facts to back up the assertions that were being made. Time and time again we have been told that reporters had been "flavoring news stories with their personal opinions." However, not once have we ever been given even a single example of such an occurrence. We are told that; "An independent survey conducted by an outside agency last year for the News-Press found that 64 percent of News-Press readers believed that reporters project their views into stories and were not neutral." We are never told who conducted the survey, when it was conducted, how many people participated, or what the margin of error was. News-Press management has mastered the art of accusing and indicting but has yet to produce a bill of particulars to support their accusations. In fact, the News-Press can't even get its story straight about what the charge against the newsroom employees is. When the paper originally announced the resignations of editor Jerry Roberts and others, Armstrong attributed it to a difference of opinion, namely, that management wanted more coverage of "local" news and the editors didn't. Not a word was mentioned about "bias" in news stories and there were no allusions to the results of any polls that had been taken last year. Nor were there any issues of biased reporting raised when owner Wendy McCaw congratulated her "team" on winning seven awards for excellence from the California Newspaper Publisher's Association. With the community's sentiments clearly on the side of the employees and against News-Press management, McCaw has now settled on "biased reporting" as the charge du jour and labor unions as being the current enemy of the state. Early on in Sundays' editorial the disclaimer was made; "No one disputes that employees have a right to organize and work collectively to bargain for higher wages or benefits. That's the law." Kind of reminds me of the tobacco companies who are required in every ad to warn that smoking can kill you then quickly proceed to try to sell you their poison. News-Press management is throwing every obstacle it can in the way of the employees' legal right to organize. The worst accusation the News-Press can seem to muster against its employeees who want to unionize is that they nailed a pro-union sign to a tree. The editorial then goes on to cite reputed acts of union violence and intimidation, significantly none of which can be attributed to News-Press employees or the Teamsters, the union which seeks to represent them. And what is the source of the information cited in the article? The Center for Union Facts. A quick glance at their website unionfacts.com reveals that all the "facts" they have to offer just happen to be anti-union. If the editorial's author had turned to less biased sources he might have gotten a different picture. I happened to be watching CNN's "In The Money" program on Saturday morning where one of the topics was whether labor unions have anything to celebrate on Labor Day. One of the guests on that show, Beth Shulman, the author of, "The Betrayal of Work" gave this perspective: "You know, Americans today, if they want to organize a union, they are confronted by employers firing them, they're harassing them. A human rights watch story showed that in fact a huge percent of workers end up being fired just trying to organize a union." Harassing them? Such as suspending employees for trying to deliver a letter to McCaw that said, "please don't harass us?" Sounds like the News-Press to me. If you want to read the entire transcript of the CNN show so you can judge for yourself the context in which the quote was made, click here. At one point in the editorial it is noted that "a newspaper's standing requires credibility." I couldn't agree more. And no one has done more to damage the paper's credibility than McCaw herself. When you kill a story as she did, about a newspaper employee's sentencing for drunk driving, you lose credibility. When you censure employees for reporting the address of a vacant lot that was the subject of a planning hearing, you lose credibility. When you censor a news story about what happened in the newsroom the day that five editor's resigned, you lose credibility. When you publicly accuse a former employee of violating a confidentiality clause, when in fact it was your own attorney who furnished the confidential documents to your own reporter, you lose not only credibility but you also lose the last little bit of respect anyone might have had left for you. Scare tactics may work in another place at another time, but from what I know of the newsroom employees at the News-Press, this bunch won't be scared off. And neither should the present and former readers of the News-Press.
The Week in Review. Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006. The Labor Day weekend edition of my takes on the past week's top stories.FDA Proposes Ban on Creams to Lighten Skin. Now we know why Michael Jackson moved to Bahrain. Travis Armstrong begins two-part editorial Friday on eliminating bias in reporting at the News-Press. Promises to finish column on Sunday. Why stick around and finish an editorial when there are bars to be closed? Armstrong indicates in his Friday editorial that "except for a small group of employees, the News-Press team of 200-plus workers" are dedicated and working hard. Yes, I have no doubt that all of those new security guards, private eyes and lawyers who are now picking up News-Press paychecks are very happy. Jobless Rate Fell Slightly In August. Of course, you take away all the security guards, private eyes and lawyers that Wendy hired in August the unemployment rate actually went up. JonBenet suspect won't be charged with murder after being flown back from Thailand in first class. No word on whether he gets to keep the frequent flyer miles. No truth to rumor that opponents of Dr. Laura are demanding an investigation into to whether she really is a doctor. Good, because Dr. J., Doc Severinsen and Doc Hollywood surely would have been next. CNN anchor Kyra Phillips leaves her microphone on while she goes to the bathroom. Her chatter to a co-worker about her husband and sister-in-law are broadcast to the whole country. Having gotten so much publicity out of this, CNN execs are considering canceling Wolf Blitzer's show "The Situation Room" and replacing it with Kyra Phillips "In the Powder Room."
Suspension update: Add the names of Kim favors and Al Bonowitz to the list of newsroom employees who were notified they would have to serve two-day suspensions. Also, contrary to what I reported Friday, rather than accept his suspension, Mike Traphagen chose to make Thursday his last day at the paper.
The Labor Day Kick-Off. Friday, Sept. 1, 2006. The Labor Day weekend was kicked off early and with a bang by the management of Wendy McCaw's News-Press. The News-Press has notified a number of newsroom employees that they will be suspended for having attempted to deliver a letter to the paper's owner Ms. McCaw last week. Those receiving notices include, Dawn Hobbs, Barney McManigal, Mike Traphagen, Lara Milton and Rob Kuznia. Although Traphagen had previously given notice that he is leaving the paper he has yet to work his last day. In response to the suspensions, the Teamsters union, which represents the organized newsroom staff in their efforts to be recognized as a bargaining group, filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB.
1. Keep the news clean and fair.These rules were last seen published in the Santa Barbara News-Press as the "platform" of its long-time publisher Thomas M. Storke. For her $102 million, one would think they would have been included in Wendy McCaw's purchase of the paper. In fact, I kind of think they must have been. Somewhere along the line they got tossed in the trash can. Funny, how she was so adamant about bringing back the old line drawing masthead to replace the modernized version that the New York Times Company introduced during its ownership. If she only felt the same way about the platform. I'd trade the platform for the masthead any day. |
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," which is about the prosecution of a rape by intoxication case. Although Dudley denied it, the court noted that enough similarities existed between her book and the case of defendant Massey Haraguchi, to suggest that Dudley was relying on Haraguchi's case for plot
lines. Among the reasons for recusing her the court cited the possibility that "Dudley's desire to promote her book could motivate her to try the case even though the matter might be fairly resolved through a negotiated plea to a lesser charge." I'll tell you, after you read 