Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

[buzz1941]

The Gannett Advertiser's rewritten history of the islands that appeared Sunday is pretty amusing. Gosh, there's scant mention of the paper's viciously racist, anti-labor past, nor how mismanagement almost drove it into oblivion until rescued by a Joint Operating Agreement with the Star-Bulletin (and obviously nothing about how they violated federal law by plotting to renege on the agreement).
Hmmmm. I wonder how many of the "Advertiser Archive Photos" said "copyright of the Star-Bulletin" on the back?

[Composite 2992]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

The issues concerning racism and such are buried in the past. Readers today couldn't care less about it and, even if they did, their loyalties won't keep a newspaper afloat forever.

The Star-Bulletin could be doing a lot better if it weren't trying to force a living in a withering market (afternoon home deliveries).

It could have done a lot better with its archives had it started to do everything in its power to scan and preserve its own materials in the old HNA's library, rather than wait uantil the 11th hour to save what it could.

What's nice is that it's once again starting to hold its own and prevail in the SPJ and Pa'i competitions as it used to. However, trophies and accolades won't pay the bills. The newspaper's gotta get smarter and consider growing its business in fertile fields.

[Middleman]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

I think MidWeek and the S-B are doing well enough that the excellent staff shouldn't have to put up with the "voluntary" pay cuts anymore. It's ridiculous the staff doesn't have a new contract yet. If MidWeek and S-B can afford to bring in those high-priced managers, then they should pay market-value salaries to outstanding journalists like Burl and Richard Walker. Pay Burl! Pay Walker!

[buzz1941]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

Actually, the point was that the Advertiser was busy whitewashing its past. It would not have come up if they had not done that (AGAIN!) this week.

The Star-Bulletin's circulation, since separation, has gone UP by a third, and is now limited primarily by the output capabilities of the press. But, granted, these gains are largely in the morning cycle.

As for your other points, I don't disagree. The paper's owners should have been hipper to the potentialities of the archive, but they were pretty focused on day-to-day survival at the time. But that's no excuse for running other people's copyrighted material and claiming it as your own.

[agovgal]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

I just saw this one that was posted last month. It must be in the wrong place.

http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=9170

I didn't get it until someone filled me in and told me to look here too.

http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=8941

[lavagal]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

I just saw this one that was posted last month. It must be in the wrong place.

http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=9170

I didn't get it until someone filled me in and told me to look here too.

http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=8941

yup, pretty old news.

[pzarquon]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

Speaking of "self-valentines" -- and remember, we did also discuss the Star-Bulletin's "commemorative edition" and its editorial acrobatics -- there was that whole giant cake at City Hall thing a couple of weeks back.

The Honolulu Weekly made the decent point that the cake, which filled Honolulu Hale during the city's centennial celebration, was maybe 15 percent "Happy Birthday Honolulu," and 85 percent "Happy Birthday To Us!"

Sure, the Honolulu Advertiser paid the bill, but I think its sponsorship was already made clear with the birthday message being "printed" on a giant frosting front page. I'd say it definitely qualified as a really big, really fattening "self-valentine"!

Of course, I might have been skeptical at the time, myself, had I not been blinded by the bright lights of Daryl Huff and his camera crew.

[Jeffrey Green]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

Sure, the Honolulu Advertiser paid the bill, but I think its sponsorship was already made clear with the birthday message being "printed" on a giant frosting front page. I'd say it definitely qualified as a really big, really fattening "self-valentine"!

So what's wrong with a self-valentine. We long ago gave up looking for compliments from most of you on Hawaii Threads. The point is that without our sponsorship the community day at Honolulu Hale could never have happened. A bunch of families and their kids had a great day at a free event.

[buzz1941]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

It would be remiss of me not to point out that the whole centennial thing is a result of Honolulu Star-Bulletin nagging for many many years. Actually, we were trying to get the city to commemorate the bicentennial of Honolulu -- based on Kamehameha's transfer of the kingdom's capitol a few years after 1800 -- but Harris' people decided that a specific date was better, and that was the creation of the City and County. Of course, Honolulu existed prior to 1905 ....

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

We long ago gave up looking for compliments from most of you on Hawaii Threads.

Geez - hope that wasn't what you needed to get through your day! I must have missed the part of the FAQ that said we were supposed to post ego-inflating messages to commercial businesses here; sorry to have disappointed you, Jeffrey.

Get over your self-importance, would you? It's not very attractive, and it adds to the negative image of your employer.

[Palolo Joe]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

The point is that without our sponsorship the community day at Honolulu Hale could never have happened.

The Advertiser could have sponsored the event without all the self-fellation that came with the birthday cake and its uncessary decoration.

[pzarquon]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

Exactly. That was what I was trying to say. I sure am glad there were sponsors to make that event possible -- my kids had a blast, and collected a heap of keychains and other swag sporting sponsors' logos. And kudos to The Advertiserfor having a hand in a nice celebration (late though it was!), to be sure.

But that cake wasn't a T-shirt with a logo on the back. It wasn't merely "brought to you by the generous support of The Advertiser." It was a whole lotta self-love, with a token mention or two of the city's own celebration. Heck, it was probably indoors to keep The Outdoor Circle from mounting a protest!

But, hey, free cake. Whatever, right?

[kimo55]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

But, hey, free cake. Whatever, right?

that, and it was fun/cute content for youtube. 2 thumbs up.

[Middleman]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

The way I figure it, the Advertiser uses Honolulu Hale to stage its self-valentines, the Star-Bulletin uses Hawaii Threads.
Whatever makes people feel good about themselves, I guess.
Personally, I don't think the public is in love with the papers as much as the papers' staffs/managers are in love with themselves. I don't know anybody who has "my paper is better than yours" debates.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Big fat self-valentine for the Advertiser

The way I figure it, the Advertiser uses Honolulu Hale to stage its self-valentines, the Star-Bulletin uses Hawaii Threads.

And how, pray tell, does the S-B "use" HT? Are they a sponsor of this board?

Ryan, is this true - does the S-B pay the bills for the server space? If my post count gets high enough, should I expect a check?