Four Top California Editors Out -- More to Come?
Posted: 1/28/2008 | By: Joe Strupp
If you are a California newspaper editor, you may be shaking a bit more than usual this week. The past few months, and last week in particular, have been rough times for Golden State newsroom leaders. No fewer than four top editors of the state?s major newspapers have departed their jobs, three of them reportedly against their will.
Rick Rodriguez began the exodus a couple of months ago when he was pushed out of The Sacramento Bee after a long and distinguished reign, supposedly for a disagreement over Web site use. His replacement, veteran Melanie Sill of Raleigh?s News & Observer, took over with a recent history of making Web sites sing.
Just a few weeks ago, Carole Leigh Hutton was booted a mere seven months after taking charge of the San Jose Mercury News when former editor Susan Goldberg smartly left for the apparent safer confines of Advance?s Plain Dealer in Cleveland. Hutton had wanted to shake things up at a time when most dailies are making radical changes, even proposing fewer daily sections. That did not sit well with MediaNews honcho Dean Singleton, who brought in one of his company men, David J. Butler, to take over.
Then last week, the Los Angeles Times appeared to once again push the revolving door to the editor?s office on West First Street. Tribune Company stalwart Jim O?Shea, who had held the top spot for only 14 months, became the third head editor to depart that paper in less than three years, fired over another dispute about budget cuts and resource needs. His replacement is still unknown, but with this rudderless ship continuing its cruise to unknown waters, the paper?s days of laying claim as the best daily west of The New York Times are dwindling unless some stability can come.
Finally, there is the San Francisco Chronicle, where Phil Bronstein, who has managed to mix a colorful personal life with some strong news production (see BALCO and a former secretary of state?s resignation), is becoming something called editor-at-large. His decades-long standing within Hearst appears to have allowed him to remain on the payroll in a less-stressful, likely more-creative role.
So is this a one-time shake-up at four big west coast papers or signs of a trend? In at least three of the cases, it appears top management wanted someone to either shake things up or do it their way. All four editors are veterans with solid credentials and backgrounds in news. But apparently that is not enough. The fact that O?Shea and Hutton were ousted after so little time on the job should be worrisome. Today?s balance sheets appear to demand quick results and a willingness to follow orders from the business side.
In Rodriguez?s case, McClatchy?s ongoing money problems might have made the need there for better online revenue a greater priority. Bronstein?s change, which ended Friday with the naming of Arizona Republic editor Ward Bushee as the new man in charge, appears less like a money-driven switch. But it cannot be discounted that the Chronicle is losing an estimated $1 million a week by one account. That was obvious with last year?s circulation drops and nearly 25% news staff cut.
Bushee, a Gannett product, is known for tackling the Web with vigor, according to friends and colleagues. And in Gannett, which is clearly a more revenue-driven outfit, the ability to move fast with resource changes plays as a plus.
The question now, of course, is where do other top papers go from here? In California alone, one can find a handful of other daily editors who might have reason to be concerned. The San Diego Union-Tribune is buyout-friendly victim of late, the Oakland Tribune has seen cost-cutting and consolidation hit home and force a Newspaper Guild battle. The Orange County Register has already seen its top-rated publisher go down with recent cutbacks in a free daily product.
And, for that matter, what does the future hold for other major dailies nationwide? The Philadelphia Inquirer faces further cuts and changes under new owner Brian Tierney, and the Twin Cities dailies undergo the ups and downs of ownership changes and management shuffles.
In the shadow of last week's Chronicle shake-up, word came that the smaller Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville was waving goodbye to both its top edior and managing editor, with little specific cause revealed.
So will the continued financial problems of the industry eventually strike such kingdoms of daily news as The New York Times -- now in news because of a hedge fund move against it -- and The Washington Post? Is any top editor really secure these days?
Today?s newsrooms no longer have just one daily report to worry about. In effect, staffers are working for two newspapers ? the print and the online. That's like an auto worker manning two assembly lines, one on either side, or a teacher teaching two classrooms simultaneously. Maybe a different editor is needed, one who can juggle both and, sadly, not seek perfection in either.
As for the Wall Street Journal, Murdoch?s continued changes on the business side may well reach Marcus Brauchli, the managing editor who replaced Paul Steiger less than a year ago. Brauchli, well-liked and respected around the paper, appears no safer than anyone as the News Corp. regime takes hold and has already made major top business-side changes.
And as McClatchy weathers its money storm in 2008 and Tribune moves fully into the Sam Zell regime, their combined 42 dailies must be bracing for some possible editor shifts. At a time when newspapers are needing to change more than ever with the rising Web opportunities, and competitors, change is perhaps inevitable and a good thing.
But, if one takes a glance at the recent shakeups in California, it is clear each of them will have at least a short-term negative impact on staff. Eventually, improvements and a better approach to the future will likely follow, but only if those who run the business side allow the news side to adjust and still cover the news. Given the recent track record of many such papers, the outlook is indeed grim.
Rick Rodriguez began the exodus a couple of months ago when he was pushed out of The Sacramento Bee after a long and distinguished reign, supposedly for a disagreement over Web site use. His replacement, veteran Melanie Sill of Raleigh?s News & Observer, took over with a recent history of making Web sites sing.
Just a few weeks ago, Carole Leigh Hutton was booted a mere seven months after taking charge of the San Jose Mercury News when former editor Susan Goldberg smartly left for the apparent safer confines of Advance?s Plain Dealer in Cleveland. Hutton had wanted to shake things up at a time when most dailies are making radical changes, even proposing fewer daily sections. That did not sit well with MediaNews honcho Dean Singleton, who brought in one of his company men, David J. Butler, to take over.
Then last week, the Los Angeles Times appeared to once again push the revolving door to the editor?s office on West First Street. Tribune Company stalwart Jim O?Shea, who had held the top spot for only 14 months, became the third head editor to depart that paper in less than three years, fired over another dispute about budget cuts and resource needs. His replacement is still unknown, but with this rudderless ship continuing its cruise to unknown waters, the paper?s days of laying claim as the best daily west of The New York Times are dwindling unless some stability can come.
Finally, there is the San Francisco Chronicle, where Phil Bronstein, who has managed to mix a colorful personal life with some strong news production (see BALCO and a former secretary of state?s resignation), is becoming something called editor-at-large. His decades-long standing within Hearst appears to have allowed him to remain on the payroll in a less-stressful, likely more-creative role.
So is this a one-time shake-up at four big west coast papers or signs of a trend? In at least three of the cases, it appears top management wanted someone to either shake things up or do it their way. All four editors are veterans with solid credentials and backgrounds in news. But apparently that is not enough. The fact that O?Shea and Hutton were ousted after so little time on the job should be worrisome. Today?s balance sheets appear to demand quick results and a willingness to follow orders from the business side.
In Rodriguez?s case, McClatchy?s ongoing money problems might have made the need there for better online revenue a greater priority. Bronstein?s change, which ended Friday with the naming of Arizona Republic editor Ward Bushee as the new man in charge, appears less like a money-driven switch. But it cannot be discounted that the Chronicle is losing an estimated $1 million a week by one account. That was obvious with last year?s circulation drops and nearly 25% news staff cut.
Bushee, a Gannett product, is known for tackling the Web with vigor, according to friends and colleagues. And in Gannett, which is clearly a more revenue-driven outfit, the ability to move fast with resource changes plays as a plus.
The question now, of course, is where do other top papers go from here? In California alone, one can find a handful of other daily editors who might have reason to be concerned. The San Diego Union-Tribune is buyout-friendly victim of late, the Oakland Tribune has seen cost-cutting and consolidation hit home and force a Newspaper Guild battle. The Orange County Register has already seen its top-rated publisher go down with recent cutbacks in a free daily product.
And, for that matter, what does the future hold for other major dailies nationwide? The Philadelphia Inquirer faces further cuts and changes under new owner Brian Tierney, and the Twin Cities dailies undergo the ups and downs of ownership changes and management shuffles.
In the shadow of last week's Chronicle shake-up, word came that the smaller Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville was waving goodbye to both its top edior and managing editor, with little specific cause revealed.
So will the continued financial problems of the industry eventually strike such kingdoms of daily news as The New York Times -- now in news because of a hedge fund move against it -- and The Washington Post? Is any top editor really secure these days?
Today?s newsrooms no longer have just one daily report to worry about. In effect, staffers are working for two newspapers ? the print and the online. That's like an auto worker manning two assembly lines, one on either side, or a teacher teaching two classrooms simultaneously. Maybe a different editor is needed, one who can juggle both and, sadly, not seek perfection in either.
As for the Wall Street Journal, Murdoch?s continued changes on the business side may well reach Marcus Brauchli, the managing editor who replaced Paul Steiger less than a year ago. Brauchli, well-liked and respected around the paper, appears no safer than anyone as the News Corp. regime takes hold and has already made major top business-side changes.
And as McClatchy weathers its money storm in 2008 and Tribune moves fully into the Sam Zell regime, their combined 42 dailies must be bracing for some possible editor shifts. At a time when newspapers are needing to change more than ever with the rising Web opportunities, and competitors, change is perhaps inevitable and a good thing.
But, if one takes a glance at the recent shakeups in California, it is clear each of them will have at least a short-term negative impact on staff. Eventually, improvements and a better approach to the future will likely follow, but only if those who run the business side allow the news side to adjust and still cover the news. Given the recent track record of many such papers, the outlook is indeed grim.