A friend sent this to me (after someone sent it to him) with the comment: “As the person who sent this to me remarked: that picture is a perfect metaphor for the crippled newspaper business.”

This article appears in Sep 18-24, 2008.

6 replies on “The State of the Newspaper Biz”

  2. I have a friend who works for Gannett in another state. He said in May they laid off 46 people. At the end of August they laid off a few more including the head of the IT department.

    He said:

    “It was really a shame. The guy probably worked here for 30 years or more. He started out in the back shop and worked his way up to a management position.

    Who knows what will happen down the road? You wonder how many cuts they can make and keep putting out products, but it’s all dollars and cents.”

    My cousin worked for another newspaper chain in another state. Last year she accepted a “golden handshake” which in her words is really a “brown handshake.” She was in the process of changing careers so the timing worked out well for her. Now they are just ushering people out the door.

  3. The Star thinks it can boost it’s circulation by running stupid contests — get a makeover, get your dog a makeover, get a backyard makeover.
    And they raffle off all the freebies they get sent to them. Heaven forbid someone takes some of the junk home, it might violate their “ethics” policy.

  4. What the hell is a shower chair for? People who can’t stand up in the shower? Or people who want to take a bath without getting their assholes wet?

    Funny, I thought the Southwest was experiencing a water shortage. Apparently it’s cool to sit in your shower letting the water rain down upon you while you massage your nipples.

    Maybe it’s a golden-shower chair.

  5. Michael,
    A shower chair is for people with limited mobility. They also probably need a handrail in the shower.

  6. So, wait….the AZ Star is offering a contest to its disabled readers only? That sounds like discrimination.

    I still don’t understand the shower chair. Seems like a waste. At our house, we just roll grandma out in the backyard naked and hose her off.

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