August 20, 2008
One of the more surprising subscribers to the ProJo buyout is 41-year-old Mark Arsenault, a fine reporter who has a sideline in writing mystery novels. I profiled him in 2006.
Tim Schick, administrator of the Providence Newspaper Guild, says management has set a final buyout deadline of midnight tonight. Twenty-one people have thus far put in for it -- 11 on the news side, including Charlie Bakst, Scott MacKay, Pawtucket reporter John Castellucci, and sportswriter Steve Krasner, according to Schick and Guild president John Hill.
Arsenault, who has an appreciation for whimsy, notes that he has spent 10 and one-quarter years at the ProJo, 25 percent of his life. But considering how he has one book in the works at St. Martin's, another one completed, and an idea for yet another, the time felt right. He was out of work for a while prior to arm surgery over the summer, Arsenault says, and he enjoyed the experience of spending his days at home, tapping at the computer.
"There's never a perfect time to place a very large wager on yourself and your abilities," he says, "but if not now, when?"
Arsenault plans to focus on fiction, although he still wants to practice journalism. As someone capable of writing both serious narrative journalism and well-tuned idiosyncratic features, he will be missed.
Arsenault is married to former ProJo scribe Jennifer Levitz, now in the Boston bureau of the Wall Street Journal.
While MacKay painted a dim picture of the ProJo's direction, Arsenault sees it differently. He described how a previous buyout opened fresh paths for him, including the chance to cover the State House, and in terms of younger staffers, he sas, "Now it's going to be their opportunity."
August 20, 2008
Former Channel 10 reporter Leslie Yeransian, who parted ways with the station in July, got in touch this week.
She says she is not trying to return to WJAR and is instead looking "for a company that recognizes my value as a hardworking team player and pays me accordingly. In the meantime, I''m always utilizing my passion and drive to create my own projects."
Yeransian sent along the following note:
I want to thank the Rhode Island community for their passion, warmth and support. The last few weeks have been extremely difficult for me as I am no longer doing what I love: communicating with the public. I greatly appreciate your outpouring of kindness.
Rhode Island is like no other community. It's like what every community wants to be, a throw-back to the 1950s, when people loved their streets, cared about their schools and reached out to their neighbors.
I want to thank the police and fire departments, the elected officials, the Armenian, Portuguese and Italian communities and churches, all of the local universities, the Rhode Island Fishermen's Alliance, Rhode Island Housing, the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission and every individual who makes the Ocean State such a special oasis. Your initiative and passion for the community creates a synergy, a life force, that has the power to produce change. May you continue to serve with strength, grace and compassion.
August 20, 2008
Scott MacKay, a lyrical writer and a guy with a deep and broad knowledge of Rhode Island politics, is taking the buyout at the Providence Journal. MacKay, who would presumably be a leading contender if the ProJo were to continue the political column being vacated by the retiring Charlie Bakst, is very disenchanted with the paper, as he makes clear in the following statement.
MacKay had been with the Journal for 24 years. His last day on the job will be September 12. Most recently, the ProJo abruptly ended his temporary role as a replacement for the vacationing Bakst. But as MacKay tells it, the steady, slow decline of the Journal influenced his decision.
MacKay intends to take some time off to travel with his wife, Dr. Staci Fischer, dig in to the reproachful pile of books on his nightstand, and seek new opportunities.
"I have had a fine career at the Journal," said MacKay. "My byline has appeared in the Journal nearly 4,800 times since I arrived. More than 1,050 of those stories were featured on Page 1.
"The Journal has given me the opportunity to cover it all -- from pedophile priests to presidential elections. I've covered murders, fires, the Bristol July 4th, endless town council meetings, parades, primaries, funerals, inaugurations, hurricanes, snow storms. And I have had a front-row seat at events that have shaped Rhode Island in the past quarter-century, including the banking crisis of the 1990s, Sen. Claiborne Pell’s last U.S. Senate race, numerous gubernatorial campaigns, the exciting 2006 Senate race and, most importantly, the state’s changing social, economic and political landscape and population patterns.
"I had the grand good luck to have worked for Jim Wyman and Joel Rawson, two of the best newspaper editors New England has ever produced. Both Joel and Jim steered this newspaper with energy and integrity and the knowledge that the Journal was as much a public trust as a business.
Along the way I was blessed to have worked on the Channel 12 Newsmakers program with host Jack White, the best investigative reporter and one of the most principled human beings in this state’s history. I also taught 'Media and Politics' for three semesters at the University of Rhode Island and have lectured on politics at classes and seminars at URI, Harvard, Brown, Bryant, Rhode Island College and the political seminar program started by Darrell West at Central Congregational Church in Providence. More recently, it has been my honor to participate in the weekly 'Political Roundtable' program on WRNI, the state's National Public Radio affiliate. All Rhode Islanders who care about intelligent and interesting news should open their minds and wallets to WRNI.
"Times have changed. The newspaper industry is in decline and the present cutbacks were probably inevitable at some point," said MacKay. "As is the case with many other employees here, I do believe the situation in Providence was made worse by an incompetent management in Dallas that frittered away millions on the hapless :Cue-Cat, blew millions more on a circulation scandal and wasted more money and resources waging a foolish four-year Jihad on the Providence Newspaper Guild.
"Now the management is cutting back on journalists. At the same time, the newspaper is launching an expensive (more than $1 million, I’m told) marketing web site to appeal to women readers, the so-called In Her Shoes women’s initiative."
"The emphasis has been on the web site, which would be fine if the same standards applied to the web as those that govern the newspaper. If one sends a letter to the editor commenting on a story, that person must sign his or her name. Abusive language is not permitted."
Yet MacKay points to two "ridiculous examples of how the standards of the Providence Journal have dropped," including "a racist comment published [as a comment] on our web site after the death of Eileen Slocum." The other, also a blog comment, was made (and later deleted) about a local athlete.
"This is the kind of thing Joel Rawson used to warn about. Since his departure, the newspaper has apparently diluted its standards to the point where none should call it journalism."
That's overly harsh, IMHO. The Journal continues to perform an important journalistic function, and it will remain Rhode Island's most important news organization even after the buyout. Yet the willful departure of a reporter such as MacKay tells a lot about the direction of the once-proud daily.
August 20, 2008
With us all watching and waiting, Mark weighs in with some insights:
Getty
–No civilian could or would believe how much resources news organizations are wasting trying to break the veep stories.
–Obama and McCain understand the media well enough to know what actions would risk a leak, and their campaigns will sequence accordingly.
–The “imperative” McCain might have felt two months ago to make a “bold” pick has faded enough that he can now see the difference between “bold” and “foolishly risky.”
–Some of the finalists really want the job, and some are shockingly ambivalent, and McCain and Obama know that too.
–Ask yourself: which campaign has done more research (polling and focus groups) on possible choices?
–Ask a certain Obama campaign official how many times a day he gets phone calls and emails from a certain network correspondent, who asks the same questions over and over, as if the campaign official is going to answer them.
–News organizations with money to burn (and a passion to break the story) are following the movement of the college-age and adult children of the prospects.
–The RNC and Rush Limbaugh will attack whomever Obama picks.
–The DNC and the Huffington Post will attack whomever McCain picks.
–Reba Shimansky will find anyone Obama picks to be far inferior to Hillary Clinton.
–Although there has been a focus on the dangers for Obama of picking a women other than Hillary Clinton (because of how her supporters might react), picking a man who is seen as less qualified or electorally helpful as she is is also a risk.
–Besides the presidential candidates, no one has thought more about who should be picked than Lindsey Graham.
–Three things matter: that the chosen one be perceived as ready to be president by the press and the public; that the vetting be well done, including a plan to publicly address the blemishes; and that the first 48 hours of events and interviews be flawlessly executed.
August 20, 2008
Laurel Casey first came on my radar when she was performing some time ago in Newport. A residency at Camille's followed, along with some mentions in Mike Stanton's The Prince of Providence, and a move out of town. She is a character, an original, and a compelling performer.
She starts a new Wednesday night gig tonight (7-10) at Art Coloian's Side Bar & Grille, in an incarnation as "Mona Lott." One of her promotions for the event has yours truly blurbing her for the best impersonation of Lenny Bruce. It ain't no lie. As Public Enemy used to say, consider yourself warned.
August 20, 2008
This just in from the RI affiliate:
Last December, a major snowstorm hit the state when Governor Carcieri was out of the country. Traffic gridlock left some school children stranded on buses for hours. Upon his return, Governor Carcieri announced that Major General Robert Bray, head of the National Guard, would be in charge should similar situations occur in the future. The announcement prompted numerous concerns as to whether it was proper or constitutional for the Governor to give such authority to Bray.
In response, the ACLU filed an open records request in March, asking the Governor for copies of any documents that, among other things, set out the chain of command for state governance in his absence, described the powers given Maj. Gen. Bray in his absence, and that imposed any limits on those powers.
The Governor’s executive counsel, Kernan King, responded by turning over only one document: a news release issued by the Governor that attempted to respond to the questions raised in the media about this controversy. King alleged that the only other records responsive to the ACLU’s request were emails that were exempt from public disclosure because they were “internal documents that were created for internal purposes . . . not intended to be publically [sic] disclosed, nor have they been publically [sic] disclosed.” The ACLU filed an administrative appeal of this decision with the Governor, but he refused to turn over any additional documents.
The ACLU lawsuit seeking fines against the Governor notes that, despite the explanation given about “internal” emails, the Governor’s own news release contained a direct quote from an email his office had sent to the Providence Journal. In addition to a civil fine, the suit seeks a court order requiring release of all other responsive documents in the Governor’s possession, and an award of attorney fees. A copy of the complaint is available online at www.riaclu.org.
RI ACLU executive director Steven Brown called the blanket denial of records “the Governor’s latest lackadaisical approach to open government in his administration.” Brown noted that just last month, the Governor vetoed a bill passed overwhelmingly by the General Assembly that would have strengthened the open records law in various respects.
August 19, 2008
With a deadline of 5 pm tomorrow for accepting the latest buyout at the Providence Journal, 16 staffers have so far accepted the deal, says Tim Schick, administrator of the Providence Newspaper Guild. Schick declined to identify the individuals, although political columnist Charlie Bakst has prevously indicated that he is among those who are leaving.
In announcing the buyout, the Dallas-based Belo Corporation and ProJo publisher Howard Sutton said that Rhode Island's statewide daily was looking to cut between 35 and 54 jobs, which included some in advertising positions.
Schick says it remains unknown if the newspaper and its corporate parent would accept fewer than 35 buyouts, and whether layoffs based on a lack of seniority might follow.
Metro columnist Bob Kerr and political reporter Scott MacKay are among those who've said they're considering the buyout, which is not thought to be particularly generous. "If there's going to be a rush, tomorrow's going to be the day," says Schick. He expects ProJo managers to take a step back, look at the buyout results, and to not make a sudden determination on the next step.
Here are my thoughts on some of the top questions, in no particular order, facing the post-buyout Journal:
1. Will it maintain the political columnist and metro columnist positions? Few details have been forthcoming about this even to insiders, yet it would be a significant retreat if the ProJo were to eliminate the high-profile role most recently held by Bakst, and if Kerr were to leave, by him as well.
2. What will it cover and how is it going to cover it? The Journal's scope has diminished in recent years, so will it maintain the status quo -- covering the biggest stories and throwing resources at major stories -- or go in a different direction?
3. Is the women's initiative a waste of resources? The ProJo is sinking some big bucks, reportedly seven figures, into its forthcoming Web-heavy "In Her Shoes" feature initiative. Is this a smart way to bring readers to projo.com, or a boondoggle while the newspaper is cutting its news resources?
4. How does the balance in coverage between print and Web go forward?
5. What happens to the photographic staff, where some of the best shooters are among those with the least seniority?
6. Does the ProJo trim its resources for the State House and its investigative team? The former seems less likely; I-team member Paul Edward Parker has done a share of business stories in recent months.
7. To what extent will the buyout turn off readers? We've already seen the ProJo publish a number of letters to the editor decrying the amount of published material from the New York Times and other out-of-town sources.
8. Which stories will go uncovered in the ProJo, which once took pride in covering Rhode Island like the morning dew?
Stay tuned.
August 19, 2008
It was fine for Bill Rappleye to ask Governor Carcieri about this. And now . . .
AP via BeloBlog:
PROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island's Ethics Commission has decided to investigate a complaint that Governor Carcieri violated anti-nepotism rules by hiring his niece.
The commission unanimously voted to pursue the matter during its meeting today.
The chairman of the state Democratic Party filed the complaint in June after a TV station reported that Carcieri employs his niece, Stephanie Accaputo. Accaputo is the daughter of Carcieri's wife's brother. The Journal had reported the 2002 hiring in January 2003.
State ethics regulations in place since 1991 bar state officials from hiring their nieces, including those related by marriage. Carcieri has argued that the rules weren't clear when Accaputo was hired to work for his office.
In June, the Ethics Commission refused to give Governor Carcieri an after-the-fact legal approval of the hiring.
Carcieri's lawyers were not immediately available for comment.
August 19, 2008
Talk radio was yesterday abuzz with this story, with hosts like John DePetro supporting the view that Governor Carcieri's approach to illegal immigration in responsible for a sharp decline in the number of students in Central Falls.
Matt's theory, IMHO, strikes me as closer to the mark:
One word, people: FORECLOSURES.
“But I am surprised by this — I did not think the numbers would go down as significantly,” [superintendent Fran] Gallo said. “But all you have to do is walk around the neighborhoods around here and see all the boarded up houses. And given the tough economy, my principals have told me many families are moving away, to the south or the west or where they have relatives.”
. . . .
Rhode Island is one of 11 states — and the only New England state — officially in a recession. Unemployment hit 7.7 percent last month, the second-highest rate in the nation, and more than 1,800 homes were foreclosed on during April, May and June. Cities have been especially hard hit. Sixty-eight percent of those foreclosures are in Greater Providence, which includes Central Falls, Cranston, East Providence, Johnston, North Providence, Pawtucket, Providence and Warwick.
Here's a project for the right-wing activists out there. Why don't you do an analysis of foreclosures and then overlay data of enrollments for each school. My guess? The maps would be identical. The grim reality of Rhode Island is that with a foreclosure crisis, an employment rate second only to Michigan (did you see the feeble Help Wanted section on Sunday?!) and crime rates on the rise, people are fleeing en masse, leaving our cities in economic havoc.
August 18, 2008
After years of effort, Buff Chace's Cornish Associates has succeeding in attracting a grocery store -- one of the top-two needs regularly cited by residents -- to downtown Providence.
Plans call for Gourmet Heaven, which operates in two locations in New Haven, Connecticut, with a combination of deli, grocery, and prepared food, to occupy a vacant 2500-square-foot space at Weybosset and Union streets, opening somewhere between late November and the start of 2009. The location was formerly a clothing shop.
"We're very excited about it," says Chace, who likens the Gourmet Heaven concept to the Korean greengrocers common in New York City.
The effort was made possible through a collaboration with the Rhode Island School of Design, Chace says, that enabled Cornish to master-lease the property and then to sublease it to the Korean family that operates Gourmet Heaven. The Downcity Partnership is also contributing to the project. Efforts to improve the space have started.
Chace says the market will have some seating and extended hours, and that it might be open around the clock in the future. It will help to fill a long-sought need, he says, since a grocery and parking are the top wants regularly identified by downtown residents.
Conversations with Trader Joe's and other grocers have proved fruitless over the years, Chace says, mostly because of concerns about a lack of parking. Yet Gourmet Heaven proved a good fit, in part since a niece of the couple that operates it went to RISD and now works for Samsung in Seoul. "I think RISD is well-known in Korea," Chace says. "I think it was part of their decision."
Chace says Cornish continues to seek a neighborhood restaurant for the former Obama office on Westminster Street. The company's other retail space is otherwise utilized, he says, and its downtown residential properties are about 95 percent occupied.
In related news, Chace says he is trying to identify the potential two-to-three best locations for a downtown arthouse cinema, possibly to be operated by Sundance or another independent, near PPAC or Trinity Rep. Plans for a similar effort fell about about nine years ago.
While the concept is far from reality, Chace says, it would help fill a need for a greater number and variety of downtown activities.
August 18, 2008
As we move closer to Wednesday's deadline for subscribing to the latest buyout at the Providence Journal, projo.com has launched a new searchable calendar, called projothebeat.com. The move seems an overdue no-brainer in this day and age.
Speaking of projo.com: although the Web site has won some awards, a number of staffers at the newspaper think site remains challenging to navigate, particularly when compared with the more streamlined format of the Boston Globe's boston.com.
And btw, the ProJo's Politics blog, which featured a heightened degree of posting after my story on the RI blogosphere, has gone back to offering an underwhelming number of updates.
August 18, 2008
Television is still king amid the fast-changing media landscape, the Associated Press reports (h/t tvnewsday.com).
NEW YORK — Fewer Americans are reading newspapers and are instead getting their news online, but television remains the leading source of news in the country, according to a survey released Sunday.
Not surprisingly, younger people tend to get more of their news on the Internet, while older folks use traditional media such as television and newspapers, the Pew Research Center's biannual survey on news consumption habits said.
Closer to home, Broadcasting & Cable has an update on the Providence-New Bedford market area:
The market took in $75.5 million in 2007, per BIA, with a slight bump forecasted for '08. WJAR led with $31.2 million, trailed by LIN CBS outlet WPRI with $18.6 million, the Super Towers-owned Fox outlet WNAC with $11.5 million and Global Broadcasting's ABC affiliate WLNE ($9.3 million). Four Points Media owns CW affiliate WLWC.
Despite a fourth-place finish in primetime in May, WJAR easily won total day ratings, along with morning, evening and late news. Its 9.5 household rating/19 share at 11 p.m. beat WPRI's 6.1/12, and WJAR scored a heavy win at 6 a.m. with a 7.9/32. The station starts an interactive advertising test with Backchannel Media in September.
But WJAR's rivals have made up ground. WLNE gained a percent point in revenue share in 2007, reports BIA, while WNAC gained a point and a half. Primetime leader WPRI has a local marketing agreement with WNAC, and Howell is stoked about a morning show launching on the Fox affiliate in January. The 8 a.m. program, a mix of news, entertainment and local flavor, will start off as an hour and expand to two. Howell is employing a unique means for finding a host: an American Idol-inspired local talent search. “It'll be a very Rhode Island show,” he says.
WLNE, bought by Global in October, has a new boss in Steve Doerr, who shifts from a consulting gig with AR&D. Doerr is quarterbacking a news and sales overhaul. He brought in anchor Allison Alexander, whom he knows from his days as news director at WOIO Cleveland, and launched a 4 p.m. news in January, replacing syndicated fare. Doerr points out year-over-year ratings growth in nearly all newscasts for four straight sweeps.
That 4 p.m. slot is shaping up as a key battleground. WPRI's Judge Judy was the highest-rated syndicated show in May, barely topping WJAR's Oprah Winfrey. Doerr likes that WLNE offers the only local option at 4. “We really feel local news is the key to our future,” he says. “It's what we do best.”
August 18, 2008
It was fun while it lasted: the Sox won the first 10 games I went to this year, although the hot streak at home came to an ignoble close with Beckett getting hammered yesterday. In the mood for some levity, N4N was not disappointed to find the following subject lines in my smam filter this morning, each preceded by the phony tease MSNBC.com - BREAKING NEWS:
Bush down to 8 friends on MySpace
Teenage Girl Obviously Having Affair with Bat
John McCain Selects Laura Bush as his vice president
Bush 'troubled" by gay marriages, declares San Francisco part of 'Axis of Evil'
August 15, 2008
US Representative Jim Langevin isn't worried about the prominent role being afforded Hillary Clinton during the Democratic National Convention.
Langevin, who co-chaired Clinton's Rhode Island campaign, called her DNC role a symbolic victory that won't affect Barack Obama's primacy as the Democratic presidential candidate. He made the remark during this morning's taping of Newsmakers.
Rasmussen has these findings:
One third of voters nationwide (33%) agree with Barack Obama that allowing Senator Hillary Clinton’s name to also be placed in nomination at the Democratic National Convention will “help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong united fashion." But slightly more (40%) believe it will hurt party unity.
Among Democrats, 48% say the move will help on the unity front while 28% disagree. Among unaffiliated voters, 43% say the move will hurt while 27% hold the opposite view.
In response to questions about the seeming closeness of the presidential contest, Langevin offered what has become a standard response: that John McCain is more of a known quantity, and that voters are still getting to know Obama. "Potentially, race is a factor," he said. But he expressed confidence that Obama has what it takes to win in November.
August 15, 2008
Chris Barnett, spokesman for the secretary of state, has the details:
Volunteers from the Secretary of State’s office will spend this Sunday afternoon registering fans of four rock groups that will be performing on the Providence waterfront as part of WBRU’s Dunkin’s Donuts Summer Concert Series.
“Young people who register to vote are more likely to become active and informed citizens of this state. Some of these young people will be our leaders of tomorrow. Now is the time to engage them,” said Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis.
The Sunday's voter registration drive is part of a push by Mollis to get younger voters to the polls in 2008. The goal is to improve turnout among 18-to-24-year-olds leading up to the 2008 elections.
According to the U.S. Census, only 57 percent of eligible 18-to-24-year-olds were registered to vote on Election Day 2004. Just 47 percent actually voted in that election.
In order to register to vote, you must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen, a resident of Rhode Island and have a valid social security number or Rhode Island driver’s license. Registering to vote is free.
This is Mollis’ first event with WBRU. He hopes to roll the WBRU partnership into his plan to visit every Rhode Island high school and college leading up to the 2008 elections. His office already has registered more than 1,000 students to vote this year.
The gates at for WBRU’s Dunkin’ Donuts Summer Concert Series open at 5 p.m. Paramore is headlining the bill, accompanied by Jack’s Mannequin, Phantom Planet and Paper Route.