Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

[buzz1941]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

The "Australian" press wasn't a replacement, it is a secondary press.

[Composite 2992]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

ok...Composiite,,,,,I'll bite...just WHO are these CONSULTANTS that you keep going on about???? Specifics please....oh wait, you can't....cuz there weren't any....I bet you hate having someone who actually knows FACT from FICTION....but hey...its cool. That's what these sites are about....just say something and pretend you know what you're talking about....uhhhh...NOT. PS: Inadequate "planning" for the changeover.....hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

You probably think you know fact from fiction. But were you there when this all happened?

Many of the consultants I referred to were, in fact, people from Canada who came here to help set up the new-and-improved Star-Bulletin. There were other people brought in from elsewhere. And a small local PR firm was also hired to develop a re-branding campaign that included some poorly thought-out TV commercials that were terribly silly and irrelevant.

I'm giving generalities because it's more important to understand what happened than who did it. You can believe it or you can shine it. This information is just for the sake of better understanding of how an award-winning newspaper got into the situation it is now. If you think it's a bunch of BS that's up to you. But I wasn't in the business of BS and there are members of this forum who know the inside scoop as well.

The changeover was badly handled. Reporters and editors were working off of portable picnic tables and folding chairs. Photographers had to provide much of their own equipment until 2004. Basic, sound, IT practices weren't followed and huge amounts of unrecoverable archival material were lost from hard drives for which there were no backups.

Among the worst mistakes was not getting newspapers to the doorsteps of subscribers in the early days of the new operation.

The news staff did an admirable job in jumping into an untested newsroom and turning out a newspaper without losing a single edition. However, getting the paper to the readers was an entirely different matter. Black blamed the Advertiser for failing to provide a full circulation list, but that wasn't true. The data was there. The problem was the database was being handled by people who didn't have enough experience in data management. When a copy of the data was eventually handed over to the Bulletin's assistant webmaster, who was an expert in that kind of work, he discovered that the information was, in fact, there. But by then the damage was already taking place.

More than 1,500 angry subscribers were lost when they failed to get their papers day after day. Blaine Fergerstrom, webmaster at the time, quickly put together an online complaint form when the newspaper's phone system became overloaded. Almost everyone with a newsroom listing in the phone book got called. A few reporters hand-delivered copies on their way home, doing anything they could to help keep some customers even though it wasn't their job. The problem wasn't recording complaints -- it was the Star-Bulletin's failure to solve the problem of getting newspapers to doors. When things started to go bad, the response should have been to get the papers to complaining readers first. Sort out billing and individual details along the way.

When the Bulletin moved to Restaurant Row, a system was installed -- by another Canadian consultant -- to handle photos within the page design process. It was slow. It was unreliable. And it almost caused expensive broken deadlines a number of times. A few years before, at the old Bulletin, a photographer came up with a simple procedure in which a photo could be inserted into a page, then handed off to the prepress desk within a matter of minutes. That method was virtually foolproof, and didn't cost a penny. When the consultants system had crashed for the umpteenth time, the page designers went back to the previous procedure, and it's still being used today.

There was an attempt to re-design the Star-Bulletin so that it had an all-new look when it was relaunched. All the good ideas that were developed earlier by the assistant managing editor and his team were tossed out the window and replaced by an awful-looking design that had the look of having been designed by a yearbook committee.

Over a period of months all the bad design elements were quietly removed, and a much better design began to surface. But by then the damage was already done.

In 2004 when there was a last-minute push to scan as much of the old photo library before the Advertiser cut off the Bulletin's access, the photo department came up with a procedure to archive the photos. Refusing to listen to experienced staffers, Black wasted a lot of time trying to out-think that process looking for a way to automate it. In the end, the photo department's procedure was used, and several thousand photos were carefully scanned and cataloged into the Star-Bulletin's electronic archives. To date that's probably the biggest collection of electronically catalogued news photos in Hawaii. The collection goes back to the early 20th Century and covers some of this community's most significant events in history. Even the Advertiser hasn't moved on this, and they're sitting on a huge collection of photos including all of the Star-Bulletin's photos prior to 2001.

Almost always the company's loyal veterans had some of the best ideas. The people who had spent up to half their lives with the company had the necessary experience and expertise, yet the new owners would often look outside for answers. It was their perogative, of course, but it often cost the paper in the long run.

Unless you know all of this, you don't know what went on.

ZZType was there. So was Dick, Erika and Buzz. They can all give you the straight dope. No one was more discouraged or disappointed about the many failures than those who were there and who were directly affected by all of these bad decisions. Fighting a downhill slide, they all gave up portions of their own salaries to prevent others from being laid off back in 2001. That was after taking pay cuts under the new ownership.

Many left. Some because they found greener pastures. Some just wanted to do something else. But a lot stayed. While several were lured away by the Advertiser, one middle manager turned down an attractive offer and stayed. Another middle manager turned down offers from Mainland papers. And a few went the opposite direction, from the Advertiser to the Bulletin.

I've always read the Star-Bulletin. And even to this day I read only the Bulletin's website despite the annoying pop-up ads. I would hate to see that newspaper collapse. The people who are there now are doing the best they can despite the setbacks and the diminishing resources.

But I know that in order to survive the Bulletin's top brass needs to start thinking differently. A lot of jobs are on the line and, above all, an important editorial voice with a long legacy is at risk.

[buzz1941]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Folding chairs? Who had the luxury of folding chairs? I was sitting on the floor for a week with an iMac propped up on a cardboard box!

Many of us in the newsroom personally delivered newspapers to subscribers.

As far as opportunities missed ... no transition of this magnitude is easy. I don't think that any modern metropolitan daily ever had to shift spaces and technology and staff BETWEEN EDITIONS and not lose a day. But we did it. It was a miracle.

Sure it could have been done better. It was amazing that it was done at all. There were people in charge who really weren't very good at thinking on their feet, or had very little experience in operating a "big" — ha! — newspaper. Interestingly, these people vanished pretty quickly.

BTW, the "Star-Bulletin 17" are now 19.

[808golfer]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

You probably think you know fact from fiction. But were you there when this all happened?

Many of the consultants I referred to were, in fact, people from Canada who came here to help set up the new-and-improved Star-Bulletin. There were other people brought in from elsewhere. And a small local PR firm was also hired to develop a re-branding campaign that included some poorly thought-out TV commercials that were terribly silly and irrelevant.

I'm giving generalities because it's more important to understand what happened than who did it. You can believe it or you can shine it. This information is just for the sake of better understanding of how an award-winning newspaper got into the situation it is now. If you think it's a bunch of BS that's up to you. But I wasn't in the business of BS and there are members of this forum who know the inside scoop as well.

The changeover was badly handled. Reporters and editors were working off of portable picnic tables and folding chairs. Photographers had to provide much of their own equipment until 2004. Basic, sound, IT practices weren't followed and huge amounts of unrecoverable archival material were lost from hard drives for which there were no backups.

Among the worst mistakes was not getting newspapers to the doorsteps of subscribers in the early days of the new operation.

The news staff did an admirable job in jumping into an untested newsroom and turning out a newspaper without losing a single edition. However, getting the paper to the readers was an entirely different matter. Black blamed the Advertiser for failing to provide a full circulation list, but that wasn't true. The data was there. The problem was the database was being handled by people who didn't have enough experience in data management. When a copy of the data was eventually handed over to the Bulletin's assistant webmaster, who was an expert in that kind of work, he discovered that the information was, in fact, there. But by then the damage was already taking place.

More than 1,500 angry subscribers were lost when they failed to get their papers day after day. Blaine Fergerstrom, webmaster at the time, quickly put together an online complaint form when the newspaper's phone system became overloaded. Almost everyone with a newsroom listing in the phone book got called. A few reporters hand-delivered copies on their way home, doing anything they could to help keep some customers even though it wasn't their job. The problem wasn't recording complaints -- it was the Star-Bulletin's failure to solve the problem of getting newspapers to doors. When things started to go bad, the response should have been to get the papers to complaining readers first. Sort out billing and individual details along the way.

When the Bulletin moved to Restaurant Row, a system was installed -- by another Canadian consultant -- to handle photos within the page design process. It was slow. It was unreliable. And it almost caused expensive broken deadlines a number of times. A few years before, at the old Bulletin, a photographer came up with a simple procedure in which a photo could be inserted into a page, then handed off to the prepress desk within a matter of minutes. That method was virtually foolproof, and didn't cost a penny. When the consultants system had crashed for the umpteenth time, the page designers went back to the previous procedure, and it's still being used today.

There was an attempt to re-design the Star-Bulletin so that it had an all-new look when it was relaunched. All the good ideas that were developed earlier by the assistant managing editor and his team were tossed out the window and replaced by an awful-looking design that had the look of having been designed by a yearbook committee.

Over a period of months all the bad design elements were quietly removed, and a much better design began to surface. But by then the damage was already done.

In 2004 when there was a last-minute push to scan as much of the old photo library before the Advertiser cut off the Bulletin's access, the photo department came up with a procedure to archive the photos. Refusing to listen to experienced staffers, Black wasted a lot of time trying to out-think that process looking for a way to automate it. In the end, the photo department's procedure was used, and several thousand photos were carefully scanned and cataloged into the Star-Bulletin's electronic archives. To date that's probably the biggest collection of electronically catalogued news photos in Hawaii. The collection goes back to the early 20th Century and covers some of this community's most significant events in history. Even the Advertiser hasn't moved on this, and they're sitting on a huge collection of photos including all of the Star-Bulletin's photos prior to 2001.

Almost always the company's loyal veterans had some of the best ideas. The people who had spent up to half their lives with the company had the necessary experience and expertise, yet the new owners would often look outside for answers. It was their perogative, of course, but it often cost the paper in the long run.

Unless you know all of this, you don't know what went on.

ZZType was there. So was Dick, Erika and Buzz. They can all give you the straight dope. No one was more discouraged or disappointed about the many failures than those who were there and who were directly affected by all of these bad decisions. Fighting a downhill slide, they all gave up portions of their own salaries to prevent others from being laid off back in 2001. That was after taking pay cuts under the new ownership.

Many left. Some because they found greener pastures. Some just wanted to do something else. But a lot stayed. While several were lured away by the Advertiser, one middle manager turned down an attractive offer and stayed. Another middle manager turned down offers from Mainland papers. And a few went the opposite direction, from the Advertiser to the Bulletin.

I've always read the Star-Bulletin. And even to this day I read only the Bulletin's website despite the annoying pop-up ads. I would hate to see that newspaper collapse. The people who are there now are doing the best they can despite the setbacks and the diminishing resources.

But I know that in order to survive the Bulletin's top brass needs to start thinking differently. A lot of jobs are on the line and, above all, an important editorial voice with a long legacy is at risk.

WHEW!!!! ok then!! I will comment on only one sentence: "how the award winning newspaper got itself into the situation it is in now".....what "situation" is that? Still alive and competing against the biggest and best newspaper chain in America after 9 years against all odds? Remember, the paper sold for a dollar...nobody wanted it. One guy came forward and has kept folks employed for all of those years. You cited numerous examples of early mistakes but I'm betting the hundreds of employees were very happy to have the opportunity to make them.....

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Thanks for you insight, Composite. Interesting read.


Howdy, 808golfer. In your line of work, do you do more writing or talking?

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Well damnit I want want to be able to buy the 'Bull on my isle.

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Well damnit I want want to be able to buy the 'Bull on my isle.

Heya there, PM :_)

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

*pops a curtsey*

[Composite 2992]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

WHEW!!!! ok then!! I will comment on only one sentence: "how the award winning newspaper got itself into the situation it is in now".....what "situation" is that?

The situation is one in which the paper has to go to a smaller format to cut costs. Where it has to lay off 17 good employees (maybe 19 now?) from the newsroom, in addition to other employees in other parts of the operation. A situation in which it no longer crushes the Advertiser in competitions. It used to out-perform the other paper to the point where the Advertiser thought the judging was fixed! The Bulletin has since stopped doing the tough reader-advocate stories and investigative pieces to avoid offending potential sponsors. Notice that Rob Perez and Ric Daysog are no longer there.

The Bulletin, as many newspapers across the country, is still losing money and possibly readers. A business in that condition cannot afford to make mistakes and needs to make the most of all of its available resources. That includes making use of the best and most experienced people it has on hand.

All the employees wanted to see the Bulletin succeed and thrive. Not only for the sake of keeping their jobs, but because they had a true sense of pride in the paper they worked for. The proof is in how some of these people were offered higher-paying positions in the Advertiser and turned them down. And, as mentioned before, many gave up a lot to keep the newsroom family together as long as they could.

To some of the staffers, the Bulletin was Apple and the Advertiser was Microsoft. The Advertiser was larger but the Star-Bulletin was more beloved by its readers. What's needed is someone like the Steve Jobs of 21st Century journalism. Someone who is in tune with the changing expectations of today's readers, sense what's next, and make the necessary adaptations before its competition.

[TuNnL]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

The Bulletin has since stopped doing the tough reader-advocate stories and investigative pieces to avoid offending potential sponsors. Notice that Rob Perez and Ric Daysog are no longer there.

Clearly this is one of the biggest tragedies, and I believe the death-knell to SB. The Honolulu Advertiser has been slowly crushing SB with its resources with practical results: better print quality, more grammatically correct ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language), a higher story count, and a more diverse one. But to me, SB held on to one edge, despite the lure of higher salaries at the Advertiser: investigative reporting. Sure, the Advertiser has Jim Dooley, but that was more reactionary then any indication of the direction that paper wants to go. Now, in this economy, I really hope SB can come up with a compelling reason to choose their paper. If only to preserve the two-paper town accountability Honolulu deserves.

[808golfer]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

The situation is one in which the paper has to go to a smaller format to cut costs. Where it has to lay off 17 good employees (maybe 19 now?) from the newsroom, in addition to other employees in other parts of the operation. A situation in which it no longer crushes the Advertiser in competitions. It used to out-perform the other paper to the point where the Advertiser thought the judging was fixed! The Bulletin has since stopped doing the tough reader-advocate stories and investigative pieces to avoid offending potential sponsors. Notice that Rob Perez and Ric Daysog are no longer there.

The Bulletin, as many newspapers across the country, is still losing money and possibly readers. A business in that condition cannot afford to make mistakes and needs to make the most of all of its available resources. That includes making use of the best and most experienced people it has on hand.

All the employees wanted to see the Bulletin succeed and thrive. Not only for the sake of keeping their jobs, but because they had a true sense of pride in the paper they worked for. The proof is in how some of these people were offered higher-paying positions in the Advertiser and turned them down. And, as mentioned before, many gave up a lot to keep the newsroom family together as long as they could.

To some of the staffers, the Bulletin was Apple and the Advertiser was Microsoft. The Advertiser was larger but the Star-Bulletin was more beloved by its readers. What's needed is someone like the Steve Jobs of 21st Century journalism. Someone who is in tune with the changing expectations of today's readers, sense what's next, and make the necessary adaptations before its competition.

Ok, ok, ok,...I see the glass half full, you see it half empty (by your posts I'm probably rounding up for ya) ha. I think we have pretty much used up this topic and I have grown weary of defending the SB....especially since by the posts here I am the only one (except Mr. Buzz)! I'm surprised by that actually. I would have thought SOMEONE would have agreed with at least something I said in support of the Bullie....talk about being on an island! ha! You win. I give. 808golfer is outta here and back to the golf course where I belong. One final thing and then I'm signed off to the quiet place wherever Sensei went...
Speaking of pay cuts...I am told by a staffer at the SB that their top scale is now higher then the Tizer..how ironic is that? Also, while losing 17 jobs (no matter what the profession) is never a pleasant experience what about the 150 or so jobs the Guild explained in their newsletter that the Tizer has eliminated in the past year??? Aloha! PAU!

[Media Guy]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Hit em straight! Probably a little rainy and blustery on the course today though.
I know I'm waiting until later this afternoon to see if the conditions get any better.

Actually 808Golfer, I think everyone here agrees that they want to see the Star Bulletin survive. We just disagree on how to insure it does, and what is important to the average reader, as well as the financial future of online editions of newspapers.

[cynsaligia]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

for those who are keeping track and didn't already know, the "SB 17" or "SB 19" is actually the "SB 22 or more."

[Kimo]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Ian Lind reporting that some folks have been laid off (today) at the Star Bull print plant in Kaneohe.

[LikaNui]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

KITV just reported that today's ax fell on 23 people, all in the printing and distribution departments.