Big Island Blogger Damon Tucker called my attention to a comment by retired Advertiser reporter Hugh Clark which appeared on Tiffany Edward Hunt’s Big Island Chronicle blog:
There also are unverified reports that the Advertiser bureau here is being closed after at least 48 years of full time bureau chiefs, including a time when fewer than 60,000 residents lived in this county following 1960 tsunami that leveled much of Hilo…
It certainly sounds plausible. If Gannett’s thinking about cutting out home delivery, then things like geographically-based bureaus are likely on the hit list as well. But then the end up with things like this morning’s front page, where a story headlined, “Kauai slammed by rain, maybe tornado” is illustrated with photographs from Oahu flooding. The photo caption tries to adapt with this line: “Oahu got rained on as well.”
And according to the Advertiser, now it’s “content”, not “news”, over at KHNL/KFVE. What in the world does that mean?
Luckily, the Star-Bulletin’s Erika Engle has more information about the changes.
The job cuts were part of nationwide layoffs ordered by Alabama-based parent company Raycom Media Inc. that affected more than four dozen mainland broadcast employees, on-air and off-air.
Merry Christmas!
Engle quotes the station’s general manager, John Fink:
He also announced a consolidation of several departments resulting in the elimination of the news director position.
“We’re moving news, programming and creative services, which is commercial production, local programs and UH sports and marketing all into one department called Content,” Fink said.
“It’s all about content, whether it is online, on-air, in print, or on the radio,” Fink said.
Tune in for Content at 6. It just doesn’t have the same zing as “news”. And does this contribute further to tearing down the wall that has traditionally surrounded news reporting to keep it independent from marketing, advertising, and all the other parts of the news business?
“There is but one Belly God and you are his prophet.”
That is the hand-written message on this photo of famed Hawaii restauranteur P.Y. Chong, autographed by Chong on March 18, 1934. I found this and a couple of other photographs among my father’s collection. Just click for more.
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The comment was actually left on “The Big Island Chronicle” here:
http://www.bigislandchronicle.com/?p=172
I was just trying to follow up on what was said to see if any other reporters had heard of what Mr. Clark said in his comments.
The advertiser is suddenly harder to get thru. can’t find letters, Top menu chopped up. Can’t navigate. Blog/comments feature GONE!
The qualitative distinction between “news” and digital “content” is significant. News is something that is newsworthy – worthy of reporting to the public. Content is, well, just something, albeit high-definition-something. In fact, highly-defined news fits on paper just fine. Digital high-definition ‘content’ doesn’t. Confusing these two pursuits is perhaps something we’d do well to avoid.
By taking a job with the new Hawaii Island mayor, Billy Kenoi, Kevin Dayton either got out while the getting was good or he knew something we didn’t. Either way, good for him.
Nice photos of my Grandfather “Me PY Chong”, very interesting. Thanks!
Of all the E true hollywood stories on television I wonder why no one has ever done one on Pang Yet Chong. Truely he was a character.