Stats sound empty

Do you have a pinch of salt handy? You might need it to swallow the following press release today from CCNMatthews.

While reading the press release, think about:

The 80 talented Toronto Sun newsroom staffers axed since Quebecor purchased Sun Media in 1999;

The loss of key talent in management through resignations;

The loss of numerous other jobs throughout 333 King Street East;

And think about all-time low morale and the lingering fear of more job cuts.

The press release:

Toronto Sun: Fastest Growing Newspaper in GTA

Toronto, Ontario - (CCNMatthews - March 23, 2007) - The Toronto Sun is the fastest growing newspaper in the Toronto marketplace. Data from the independent NADbank shows the Toronto Sun weekday readership was up seven per cent among adult readers 18 and older to 483,400.

"The numbers show clearly that our distribution and content strategies are paying off among discriminating readers in Toronto," said Kin-Man Lee, Publisher and CEO of the Toronto Sun. "When we combine the Toronto Sun and our sister publication, 24 hours, we have the most Toronto readers in the desired 18-49 year old category."

The data from NADbank - the research organization whose members represent daily newspapers, advertising agencies, media companies and advertisers - show that the Toronto Sun's adult weekday readership increased by seven per cent or 30,100 in 2006 compared to 2005, the fastest growth among all the dailies in the competitive Toronto marketplace.

"This research validates that the Toronto Sun is very much alive in Toronto for the long haul. In fact, we are continuing to make investments to improve the quality of the paper," said Mr. Lee. "In addition to new content, including multimedia innovations, we will soon have access to a new multi-million-dollar printing plant later this year that will improve the reproduction quality of our newspapers, as well as increase our colour capacity."

The NADbank research shows that the amount of time adults spend reading a newspaper is stabilizing and that there is incremental growth for readership of the online editions of newspapers, an area where the Sun organization is uniquely positioned to make use of its multimedia, multiplatform assets.

Our question is, does that seven per cent increase on the backs of surviving Toronto Sun employees mean the layoffs and firings are history and the re-hiring of laid off staffers will begin?

That is what was expected of management from 1971 through the early 1990s when circulation went up and Doug Creighton, founding publisher, most often delivered.

Cynics among us think not, especially when reviewing Quebecor's track record.

While Quebecor chief Pierre Karl Péladeau has told the Toronto Sun morphing the tabloid into a free Sun/24 Hours commuter paper is definitely not in the cards, the feeling is there are more cutbacks to come and morphing is inevitable.

A veteran Toronto Sun reporter who was laid off says "While (Quebecor spokesman) Luc Lavoie can deny all he wants, anyone with a pair of eyes can see 24 is morphing into the Sun and the Sun is morphing into 24 physically. The similarities are just too striking."

So take that seven per cent circulation hike with a pinch of sale and wake us when the tabloid we knew and loved is resuscitated and bursting with enthusiasm and positive vibes.

Calgary cuts update

When the dust settled in the Calgary Sun newsroom yesterday, these staffers were out of work:

Kit Poole, assistant managing editor, 23 years service;

Ian Wilson, Business editor, 11 years service;

Carlos Amat, photographer, 23 years service;

Dan Toth, Calgary Stampeders beat writer, 10-plus years service;

Brian Whipp, systems manager, 20-plus years.

Roughly 90 years of Sun experience out the door.

One former staffer says Kit Poole is "one of the most-liked editors at the Calgary Sun. She handles the Sunday entertainment pullout and TV book, as well as most of the advertising/editorial tabs."

Also announced yesterday: the vacant entertainment editor, lifestyles editor and music editor positions will not be filled.

So Quebecor's convergence plan has pretty well gutted the non-union Calgary Sun, leaving it without local business, entertainment, music, football and lifestyle content.

Add the absence of promised profit sharing (despite a "record 2006" for the Calgary Sun) and raises that were to be given in January, and you are left with zero morale.

Sun deja vu

Was it deja vu all over again at the Calgary Sun yesterday, when four senior reporters and editors were called aside one by one and fired?

The firings at the non-union tabloid came several weeks after Chris Nelson, the Calgary Sun's editor in chief, suddenly resigned.

Jim Jennings, editor in chief at the Toronto Sun, resigned in September, several weeks before the paper was hit with another round of layoffs.

Did the Toronto and Calgary editors in chief and other senior Sun people who have resigned in recent years just tire of butting heads with Quebecor and its Sun Media cutbacks?

We don't know. Nobody's talking.

It is really quite amazing how most of the Sun staffers who have resigned, or have been turfed since Quebecor bought Sun Media in 1999, have opted to remain mute about their experiences.

The rise and fall of the Toronto Sun and its sister tabloids is a major Canadian media story, but incredulously most of the people with stories to tell are failing to communicate. That is a peculiar trait to be saddled with in the communications business.

Their silence is deafening.

Calgary Sun cuts

It is the Calgary Sun's turn today to feel the wrath of Quebecor's newsroom cuts, with five veteran staffers being axed.

Carlos Amat, photographer, 23 years service, and Ian Wilson, Business editor, 11 years, were the first to be told they were no longer needed. Also cut were Kit Poole, assistant managing editor, 20 years; Dan Toth, Calgary Stampeders beat reporter, 10-plus years, and Brian Whipp, systems manager, 20-plus years.

They represent more than 80 years of Calgary Sun newsroom experience.

The latest Sun Media casualties learned their fate one by one as they were called to an office.

"The axe is falling on long-time editorial staff in Calgary today as I write this," said the first of several tipsters in an e-mail to Toronto Sun Family.

(The Calgary Sun was launched Aug. 3, 1980, during the glory days of the Sun, with Les Pyette at the helm in the former offices of the Calgary Albertan.)

Toronto Sun Family blog readers at the non-union Calgary Sun have been watching the cutbacks at sister papers in Toronto, Ottawa and Winnipeg with concern they would be next.

Carlos, Ian, Kit, Dan and Brian, welcome to the growing Sun Media casualties club. If you want to vent, TSF readers are here for you.

T.O. CFU April 4

Quebecor's demands in a compulsory freelancers' agreement will be among topics discussed at an April 4 meeting of the Canadian Freelance Union.

Former Toronto Sun reporter Ian Harvey, a CFU spokesperson, said the 7 p.m. Toronto chapter meeting will be held at the Southern Ontario Newsmedia Guild offices, 1252 Queen St. E.

One of the topics will be "why Quebecor's freelancer agreement, which they are demanding all contributing freelancers sign, is such a bad idea," says Ian.

The role of the CFU will also be discussed.

The 2007 CFU recruiting drive has the support of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), Canada's largest media union.

"(CEP) has decided to utilize its resources to create a strong collective voice for media freelancers and other independent communication professionals — to improve their income, benefits and working conditions," CEP says on its web site.

"We believe that uniting everyone who works in Canada's media — employee or independent contractor — will be good for everyone," the CEP says. "In addition, the development of an independent media sector, in which people can earn a decent living, will allow more viewpoints to be expressed, energizing our democracy."

The CFU is much needed for freelance reporters, photographers and videographers in this age of media conglomerates and multi-media demands.

This blogger's first freelance assignment for Southam in the early 1960s paid $50 for a short farming story and a photo. Payment was pre-arranged and there were no concerns about the story being used more than once.

Since the arrival of the Internet and media conglomerates, the lives of an increasing number of men and women working freelance have become a constant battle for fair play and decent wages.

Freelance stories, photographs and video footage can all be duplicated for use on the Internet, in sister newspapers and on television, creating the need for written usage agreements.

The CFU makes sense in 2007. The growing number of freelancers across Canada are being taken advantage of in this multi-media age.

CFU membership is open to service-for-fee print and broadcast reporters, writers, producers, editors, columnists, commentators, artists, designers, web designers, technicians, technical support staff, researchers, information officers and public relations practitioners.

Where was Sun?

We might have missed it, but was there a single word in the Toronto Sun about a recent newsroom visit by Quebecor chief Pierre Karl Péladeau?

Was there any mention of Peladeau's emphatic denial that Quebecor is considering turning the Sun into a free Sun/24 Hours commuter newspaper?

Quebecor spokesman Luc Lavoie is quoted in today's Globe and Mail as saying that is exactly what Peladeau told newsroom staffers during his visit.

Grant Robertson, the Globe's media reporter, quotes Lavoie as saying Peladeau told the newsroom: "Let me answer the question before it is asked: There is no plan to go free with the Sun - period."

That is positive news for Toronto Sun staffers, who have been demoralized by cutbacks, layoffs and rumours of a Sun/24 merger.

That should have been a Sun story, especially when Peladeau was being quizzed by Sun staffers about the future of the thinning tabloid.

But Peladeau's visit didn't get past Grant Robertson. In today's Globe, he writes about Peladeau's visit and Quebecor's focus on free 24 Hours commuter newspapers.

Grant caught our attention in the first four paragraphs:

"When Pierre Karl Péladeau visited the newsroom of the Toronto Sun a few weeks ago, the head of Quebecor Inc. faced several questions from his staff about the future of the paper, the flagship of Canada's largest tabloid chain since the 1970s.

In particular, they wanted to know where the Sun fits into the Montreal-based media giant's plans. It's a question that has been asked a lot lately within Quebecor and throughout the industry as the company expands its free newspaper, 24 Hours, across the country.

At a time when the Sun's readership and circulation have dipped, Quebecor has launched several editions of 24 Hours throughout Canada in recent months. And increasingly, the Sun tabloids and the free daily are looking similar.

In a departure from its original small-page format, new editions of 24 Hours in Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton have been created in the Sun's image, in a larger tabloid size. The latest move came this week when the smaller, glossy version of the freebie in Toronto was converted, and Vancouver is next on the list."

You can catch the remainder of the story here until the Globe archive service takes over.

Thank you Grant Robertson for writing about the Sun at a time when the Sun isn't writing about its own house.

ALS post e-mail

Our recent post linking Toronto Sun Family to Jerry Gladman's complete four-part series on Living and Dying With ALS prompted this e-mail from Debbie Tope, the web site host:

"Thanks for the link to TSF. I was introduced to Jerry Gladman's ALS series by an acquaintance of his who also has ALS. (I) thought that it needed to be shared with others as it could be helpful to all of us who have the disease. I am glad that it is appreciated."

Sincerely,
Debbie Tope
www.focusonals.com

Thank you for your e-mail, Debbie.

Les Pyette e-mail

Les Pyette, a key player at the Toronto Sun and the Calgary Sun for almost 30 years, sent us an e-mail and has posted a comment in The Departed posting.

The semi-retired native of Sault Ste. Marie, who started at the Toronto Sun in 1974 as city editor and retired in 2003 as publisher, writes:

"Great idea, the blog. It certainly takes us back. We were part of a terrific ride. Cheers, Les."

His comment on The Departed reads:

"No wonder the Sun was successful. Amazing talent, all Sun legends and nice folks too. Les Pyette, still kicking in the Soo. "

Thanks for the input, Les.

The Conrad Trial

After assigning no-name junior reporters to cover the sensational Robert Pickton pig farm murders trial in Vancouver, we have to say congrats to Sun Media for its Conrad Black trial team in Chicago.

It is only a two-man delegation, but that is all you need when it is veteran reporter/columnist and Toronto Sun co-founder Peter Worthington with pen in hand and Sun photographer Dave Lucas.

Sun Media fumbled the ball big time when it refused to send a high-profile Toronto Sun reporter or columnist to Vancouver in January for the start of Pickton's trial. It called for a Michelle Mandell, a Mark Bonokoski, an Al Cairns, not unknowns.

The world was watching the high-profile Pickton murder trial in the deaths of 26 Vancouver-area women between 1997 and 2001 and Sun Media played it poorly. (The online CBC coverage has been far more enlightening.)

But the Sun did it right this time around, sending Peter to Chicago early to set the stage with columns about the fallen media mogul, his wife, Barbara Amiel, a former Toronto Sun editor, the legal team etc.

Mark Bonokoski added to the coverage with an amusing column Tuesday about rubbing shoulders and kibitzing with Barbara the newspaperwoman in the Sun newsroom and in Europe during his London bureau chief days.

And there was Mark being quoted Wednesday in the Chicago Tribune by media columnist Phil Rosenthal. Mark will also be interviewed on CTV during a repeat of the Conrad Black TV movie this Monday night at 9.

Peter and the Toronto Sun also got a mention in David Frum's Diary on National Review Online in the U.S., David Frum being a big booster of his father-in-law.

At a time when most of the news coming out of 333 King Street East is negative, it is refreshing to see the Toronto Sun in a more positive spotlight.

Leave the pros to what they do best - and the resources to do it properly - and you won't have to worry about losing the interest of readers.

NNA noms? Nil

Nominations for the 2006 National Newspaper Awards have been posted and the long, embarrassing dry spell for the Toronto Sun and its Sun Media sister newspapers continues.

In all, 60 finalists from 20 news organizations have been nominated for 2006, but the Toronto Sun, Ottawa Sun, Calgary Sun and Edmonton Sun are once again non-contenders.

The coveted national awards, open to all Canadian newspapers, have not been won by Toronto Sun staffers since 1995. (See our earlier awards posting.from Dec. 28.)

There have been a few Toronto Sun nominations since 1995, including nominations in 2004 for Mark Bonokoski in the columnist category, a first for the Toronto Sun in that category, and Ernest Doroszuk for photography, but no wins.

The absence of NNA wins for the Toronto Sun since 1995 is a clear indication that Doug Creighton's ouster in November of 1992 was the day the music died for the once proud tabloid.

It also reflects the sagging morale at the shrinking Toronto Sun and Quebecor's preoccupation with the bottom line rather than producing a quality product with adequate staff.

It is difficult to still think of the Toronto Sun as a competitive major Toronto daily newspaper in viewing the full list of 2006 nominees.

The NNA web site says: "The Globe and Mail leads all newspapers in Canada with 13 finalists in the 58th National Newspaper Awards competition.

The Toronto Star and Montreal’s La Presse have seven nominations each, followed by the Ottawa Citizen with four.

The Canadian Press and Edmonton Journal have three each.

The Hamilton Spectator, National Post, Vancouver Sun, Kingston Whig-Standard, Reuters, Montreal Gazette, The Record of Waterloo Region, Winnipeg Free Press and Le Journal de Montreal have two nominations each.

Valley Today of Windsor, N.S., Guelph Mercury, The Windsor Star, Victoria Times Colonist, and Saskatoon StarPhoenix have one each.

The 60 finalists in the 20 categories were announced March 9 from the National Newspaper Awards office in Toronto. There were 1,380 entries in this year’s competition for works that appeared in the year 2006, the third highest in NNA history.

The winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony in Winnipeg on Friday, May 11. Winners will receive cheques for $1,500 and a certificate of award. Runners-up receive citations of merit and cash awards of $250 each."