The proposed FY 2010 budget in 146pp of detail. This is a narrative take on the budget, not pages and pages of income/outgo numbers.
Take a look. [PDF]
February 26, 2009
More on the Chron
Reflections of a Newsosaur: SF Chron cost-cut target equals 47% of staff
and the ever hopeful San Francisco Bay Guardian politics blog.
and Debra Saunders, who is … afraid she might lose her column?
Reading the comments following her column, I think, as ye sow. …
Saunders has a point with, When a newspaper dies, you don’t get a comprehensive periodical to fill the void. You get an informational vacant lot into which passers-by can throw their junk.
Except I don’t know that that will happen. I don’t know what will happen. The void may attract something entirely different. Someone may cobble together the best of the best coverage into an online entity. Some enterprising sort may create the San Francisco Phoenix print edition and rise from the ashes. Some new UPI/AP entity may suck up all the good print reporters and reportage and act as a clearinghouse.
All I do know is Macy’s won’t have a clue how to reach their customers with their diamond sales and shoe deals.
More importantly Where will my favorite columnists land?
February 25, 2009
You know times are bad …
You know times are bad when kink.com lays off 11% of their staff.
And don’t forget I told you so: Hearst seeks changes at Chronicle
Hearst seeks changes at Chronicle
The Hearst Corp. today announced an effort to reverse the deepening operating losses of its San Francisco Chronicle by seeking near-term cost savings that would include “significant” cuts to both union and non-union staff.
In a posted statement, Hearst said if the savings cannot be accomplished “quickly” the company will seek a buyer, and if none comes forward, it will close the Chronicle.
And don’t forget I told you so: By Christmas, the Chron will decide to exist as a Sunday-only print paper — tabloid format — with all other news content on the Web.
If that.
Maybe not at all.
The company did not specify the size of the staff reductions or the nature of the other cost-savings measures it has in mind. The company said it will immediately seek discussions with the Northern California Media Workers Guild, Local 39521, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 853, which represent the majority of workers at the Chronicle.
February 6, 2009
Bakers make cake with image of flash drive instead of image in flash drive – Boing Boing
Bakers make cake with image of flash drive instead of image in flash drive – Boing Boing
Oh, dear.
Not realizing that the flash drive had the image wanted for the cake, the bakers made the cake with an image of the flash drive.
Duh.
Pretty cute, though. Bet the cake was a hit.
[via ‘sted]
February 5, 2009
An Open Letter to Amy Dickinson by Margo Howard
An Open Letter to Amy Dickinson by Margo Howard
[...]
In short, when the Tribune hired and syndicated you, that made you their new advice columnist, period. You are no more “the new Ann Landers” than Carolyn Hax, Dan Savage or any of the dozens of advice columnists who were bought by newspapers to fill the space previously occupied by my mother.
By law, the only person who would have been able to become “the new Ann Landers” was me. And that was nothing I chose to do. You see, dear, even I knew that there could only be one Ann Landers.
Sure. Whatevs.
That’s why Dear Margo®’s column always finishes off with Dear Margo is written by Margo Howard, Ann Landers’ daughter.
Not that Margo Howard would ever even consider trying to be the new Ann Landers.
February 3, 2009
Justice Rehires Attorney Fired Amid Gay Rumor : NPR
Justice Rehires Attorney Fired Amid Gay Rumor : NPR
This should never have happened. That she’s been rehired is a good thing, but for pete’s sake, how can anyone justify this to begin with?
Off with their heads! May the people responsible be ineligible for another legal position for the rest of their lives! How dare they mess with this attorney’s life like this?
January 29, 2009
The Future of the Chron
At the beginning of the year we lost John Flinn, the Travel Editor, and Lynette Evans, the Home & Garden Editor.
Starting February 1, Home & Garden moves to Sunday from Wednesday and Saturday. Food (which was all of four pages yesterday) moves to Sunday, where it will share a section with Wine, which is moving from Friday to Sunday. Restaurant news and the Inside Scoop column will show up in the Datebook section on Thursdays.
Beginning Sunday, The Chronicle will offer its readers an enhanced newspaper that will better capture the essence of living in the Bay Area. Not only will readers notice a new look and new features in its daily sections, but there will also be new sections and features that will add to the value of the Sunday newspaper.
What does my crystal ball have to say about these moves?
People who currently subscribe because they want the Wednesday Food Section AND the Friday Wine Section AND the Sunday paper will cut their subscription to Sunday-only or drop it altogether. Why bother when the food/wine/home stuff has all moved to Sunday and the current news is on the Web? We’re reading stale news in the morning paper for the most part anyway. Sunday’s a nice day to go out for a walk, pick up a paper from the newstand and walk back home for coffee and a read.
Circulation will fall. Subscriptions will fall. Ad revenue (based on circ stats) will fall as well.
By Christmas, the Chron will decide to exist as a Sunday-only print paper — tabloid format — with all other news content on the Web.
January 28, 2009
Chocolate news :-( Scharffen Berger. Joseph Schmidt.
But not a big surprise. And here’s my big “I told you so.”
In 2005 Hershey’s bought Scharffen Berger chocolate in Berkeley and Joseph Schmidt chocolates here in the city. At the time it was all like “nothing’s going to change.” My reaction was, Hershey’s? Who do you think you’re kidding? We’ve heard it all before, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Now the news is that Hershey’s is closing down both factories and will “consolidate production at other facilities.” “The plant closures will affect a total of about 150 employees from both facilities.”
Same chocolates, Hershey’s claims. No change at all. Just no longer locally made. The quality will be maintained, they say. Heck they were already making most of the Scharffen Berger stuff in IL anyway. What’s the diff?
Nice way to buy the competition and co-opt it, Hershey’s.
Feh.