Quebecor's lack of interest in providing daily news in its "newspapers" has become crystal clear at the Toronto Sun.
In Wednesday's Sun, only 22 of the 108 pages were news pages, and two of those pages contained only news flashes.
Eliminating Page 2 as a key news page in favour of thewebpage this week is another blow for Sun reporters and editors wanting adequate news space to get the job done.
Devoting two back pages for The Daily Dish (Hollywood wire copy fluff) also lowered the news page count.
Toronto's Other Voice is rapidly losing its voice.
It is clear the once proud tabloid newspaper is being morphed into a sports and entertainment newspaper. We can hear PKP saying 'if you want adequate news coverage, go buy the Star, Globe or Post.' Many Sun readers have switched newspaper allegiance.
Quebecor's tunnel vision doesn't bode well for remaining newsroom staffers who are fast approaching contract renewal negotiations.
It has been relatively quiet for survivors of the spring round of layoffs, firings and buyouts, but it is just the calm before another storm.
When the Toronto Sun and London Free Press pressrooms are silenced in the next month or two, Quebecor's new printing plant will have claimed another 125 or so jobs.
The sale of 333 King Street East will no longer be a rumour within the year.
In Wednesday's Sun, only 22 of the 108 pages were news pages, and two of those pages contained only news flashes.
Eliminating Page 2 as a key news page in favour of thewebpage this week is another blow for Sun reporters and editors wanting adequate news space to get the job done.
Devoting two back pages for The Daily Dish (Hollywood wire copy fluff) also lowered the news page count.
Toronto's Other Voice is rapidly losing its voice.
It is clear the once proud tabloid newspaper is being morphed into a sports and entertainment newspaper. We can hear PKP saying 'if you want adequate news coverage, go buy the Star, Globe or Post.' Many Sun readers have switched newspaper allegiance.
Quebecor's tunnel vision doesn't bode well for remaining newsroom staffers who are fast approaching contract renewal negotiations.
It has been relatively quiet for survivors of the spring round of layoffs, firings and buyouts, but it is just the calm before another storm.
When the Toronto Sun and London Free Press pressrooms are silenced in the next month or two, Quebecor's new printing plant will have claimed another 125 or so jobs.
The sale of 333 King Street East will no longer be a rumour within the year.
Weed out the few remaining old guard down the road and Doug, Peter and Don's Miracle on King Street will be vital signs absent. Younger staff, no memories of the good old days, lots of wire copy, Hollywood fluff, centralized copy, cookie cutter journalism. Whatever.
The Toronto Sun's only hope of resuscitation is a new owner, but TSF feedback from former and current staffers since this blog began in December has been defeatist on that front.
You can't sell a cash cow. Well, not before you milk it dry.
So for now, in this Summer of '07, we watch it being de-newsed bit by bit and yearn for a time machine to take us back to that pre-Quebecor gang of ours.
People who did not participate in the rising of the Sun say move on, what's done is done and it's time to forget North America's media miracle, circa 1971-1999.
Someday, but not today.
The Toronto Sun's only hope of resuscitation is a new owner, but TSF feedback from former and current staffers since this blog began in December has been defeatist on that front.
You can't sell a cash cow. Well, not before you milk it dry.
So for now, in this Summer of '07, we watch it being de-newsed bit by bit and yearn for a time machine to take us back to that pre-Quebecor gang of ours.
People who did not participate in the rising of the Sun say move on, what's done is done and it's time to forget North America's media miracle, circa 1971-1999.
Someday, but not today.
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