TSF readers have been asking about this being the final year for the Toronto Sun Family blog.
In a nutshell, the 40th anniversary of the Toronto Sun and five years of TSF sound like perfect numbers to make an exit.
Truth is, while we continue to cheer for survivors still on the job and largely admire the job they do with what they have, the path PKP has taken Sun Media down has eliminated much of its heart.
Many of the talented Sun vets who gave a damn are gone and the successful tabloid formula those same vets crafted has been eviscerated.
A decade of Quebecor has killed Canada's greatest print media success story and nothing short of a change of ownership will turn the tide.
So another year of TSF is ample time to have vets from the glory years tell their stories and to allow the newer generation of staffers to speak their minds.
(Our favourite story at this time of the year? Shaking hands with Doug Creighton and Peter Worthington in the festive sixth floor executive room and being handed an envelope containing a week's pay - in cash. That was one of the many give backs in the pre-Quebecor years.)
A final year of more positive TSF postings would be preferable, but the first four years clearly indicate that scenario is highly unlikely.
PKP would have to experience a Scrooge-like epiphany, such as a vision of the ghosts of newsrooms past, to realize the damage he has done and change course.
Until then, PKP is a billionaire with lots of toys and, sadly, his least favourite toy is print media. Employees know it, readers can sense it.
A damn shame, but understandable. Thanks for the opportunity to discuss things (at the Sun and beyond). Those who are working and have worked in the Canadian newspaper industry need blogs like this. They allow us to communicate with each other, to talk shop, to bitch, and to argue - the stuff that many journalists love to do.
ReplyDeleteWell said, and a good way to go out. I get it.
ReplyDeleteI think you should reconsider your decision, particularly if you're having some fun.
ReplyDeleteIf you're not having some fun, tab it up and let's go!
Check this gem on The Standard's website today:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2898580
That's right 'Golf or bust for juniors.' They won't settle for anything less than the golf course at the World Junior Hockey Tournament! Who needs gold?
Words fail me at this point. And they apparently elude the editors.
It's a shame someone couldn't step up and take over the blog.
ReplyDeleteThe St. Catherine's boo boo is hilarious! I'm sure the readers were confused.
ReplyDeleteToday's edition of The Peterborough Examiner has the following headline for the local editorial:
ReplyDelete"OMHA hasn't fixed all it's mistakes"
Perhaps the editors should learn the difference between "its" and "it's" and fix their mistakes.
Salesmen and incompetent ass kissers make poor editors.
ReplyDeleteLove another Examiner gem today with the same PDF on two pages. Second time this month that has happened.
ReplyDelete