Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

[TuNnL]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

And you'd be right about that. But people should read both papers.

Adding insult to injury, last night at the Star-Bulletin my car was burgled. Sigh.

Dayyaaaam! If you can’t count on the volume of traffic in the Restaurant Row parking lot on a Friday night to keep people honest, the economy must really be in the tank! Do they make employees park off-site?

[LikaNui]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

I'm one. Not saying for any other purpose but to ask if people can keep an ear out for some kind of opportunity. I'm 27, and will use this opportunity to do things I've always wanted to do.

What kinds of things?
And I'm sure you know that Ian Lind posted this this morning:

"Soon to be “former” Star-Bulletin reporter Gene Park added a bit more information on those hit by the latest layoffs, who he describes as “the entire weekend field reporting staff, all three island bureaus, 70 percent of the copy desk, two productive biz reporters, one kickass sports reporter and forgive me if I’ve missed anyone else are let go.”

Best of luck to you, Gene!

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Dayyaaaam! If you can’t count on the volume of traffic in the Restaurant Row parking lot on a Friday night to keep people honest, the economy must really be in the tank!

The bulk of RR business is actually office space. After hours, the upper levels (where they force the monthly parkers) is pretty empty. About the only activity in the evening is the security guard cruising by in the E-Z-Go.

[buzz1941]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Dayyaaaam! If you can’t count on the volume of traffic in the Restaurant Row parking lot on a Friday night to keep people honest, the economy must really be in the tank! Do they make employees park off-site?

It was just a reach-in of my Jeep -- which I can't lock -- and they took the front of the stereo. Back to eBay to get another.

Doesn't compare to the time during broad daylight in the RR parking lot when thieves took my car battery, slashing the cables in the process.

[genepark]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

What kinds of things?

Try another career, for once. The only job I've ever held is "horticultural assistant," or groundskeeper, for the city of Fullerton's arboretum in Orange County.

Or travel. Go to China, or Europe. Or go to Korea with the rest of my family, learn more Korean and get in touch with my roots.

All great risks. I have a lot of thinking to do.

[Composite 2992]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Try another career, for once. The only job I've ever held is "horticultural assistant," or groundskeeper, for the city of Fullerton's arboretum in Orange County.

Or travel. Go to China, or Europe. Or go to Korea with the rest of my family, learn more Korean and get in touch with my roots.

All great risks. I have a lot of thinking to do.

Sometimes when one door shuts another opens.

When the company I was working for was facing a shutdown the question I faced was not so much what to do next but how to make my skills generate a living wage fast enough.

Eventually I became independently employed and made a change in careers. What helped with that decision was just driving down Beretania Street: the street is lined with small shops. All independently owned. Small business is a big deal. I felt that if so many people could be doing OK on their own, why not me?

And there were friends who successfully made major career changes. One decided to become a firefighter. Another went from being a Navy Seal to teaching math in high school then back to the Seals again. And another went from making printing plates to operating his own extermination company. He's making a killing now :-)

Good luck, Gene, with your situation. Hope you find your way ahead.

[sin]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

You know, before we moved to New Mexico we briefly considered moving back to Honolulu where I figured I could get my old job at the bulletin back.

If I had though, I would have been on the short list that were let go recently.

I miss Hawaii but I guess there's a reason for everything. God bless all my friends that were let go and others who were hired after I left that will find themselves unemployed next month.

Gene, good luck to you. I'm sorry we didn't have the chance to work together. Looks like I may never be able to go back to the SB at this rate.

[genepark]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

You know, before we moved to New Mexico we briefly considered moving back to Honolulu where I figured I could get my old job at the bulletin back.

If I had though, I would have been on the short list that were let go recently.

I miss Hawaii but I guess there's a reason for everything. God bless all my friends that were let go and others who were hired after I left that will find themselves unemployed next month.

Gene, good luck to you. I'm sorry we didn't have the chance to work together. Looks like I may never be able to go back to the SB at this rate.

What a lost opportunity. They really miss you here.

And I'll really miss it here. Just want to go on the record and say that the Star-Bulletin has been the best place I've ever worked at. They're the most wonderful group of talented and professional people I've ever had the fortune of working with. That's what makes my departure such a huge personal loss to me. I feel like I'm losing a family.

Anything you might've heard about our newsroom being one of real aloha and communal spirit is very true. Everyone looks out for each other, and we're all friends in the end. I truly hope it stays that way long after us 17 are gone.

[sin]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Just want to go on the record and say that the Star-Bulletin has been the best place I've ever worked at. They're the most wonderful group of talented and professional people I've ever had the fortune of working with. That's what makes my departure such a huge personal loss to me. I feel like I'm losing a family.

The Starbulletin 17. Sort of like the Oceanic Six.

The Bulletin is a family and will always be. I've worked in four newsrooms in Hawaii and the Bulletin was the only place where tears fell from my face when I made the decision to leave. And it's probably worse when the decision isn't your own.

Maybe one day ad revenue will flow and circulation will increase and all former Bulletin staffers will be offered their old jobs back. Sounds stupid but it's one of my fondest daydreams.

[Composite 2992]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Anything you might've heard about our newsroom being one of real aloha and communal spirit is very true. Everyone looks out for each other, and we're all friends in the end. I truly hope it stays that way long after us 17 are gone.

Yes, they do support one another as much as they can. Back in 2001, the Star-Bulletin staff offered to give up a percentage of their salaries to save several staffers from being laid off. You don't see that in many other companies.

If you'd ever been in the Advertiser newsroom, somehow it doesn't seem as friendly.

[buzz1941]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

The people leaving are all excellent, talented hard-working people. They'll find work elsewhere -- but it might not be in journalism, or they might not ever want to come back. One of the saddest aspects of this employment wreckage across the land is an evaporation of institutional talent.
It's not like journalists are highly paid in the first place -- I'm currently making about the same salary I was 15 years ago -- and there are no nest eggs or golden parachutes. We're in the game because it's a calling. We feel it makes a difference in the community.
When the journalists are driven out of their profession, where will journalism come from?

[MixedPlateBroker]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Maybe one day ad revenue will flow and circulation will increase and all former Bulletin staffers will be offered their old jobs back. Sounds stupid but it's one of my fondest daydreams.

The sad reality is that the SB's ad revenue, while currently at acceptable and sustainable levels, will never grow enough to offset the bloodletting at Black Press' other major U.S. property, the Akron Beacon Journal.

British Columbia-based Black Press -- no relation to imprisoned former Canadian newspaper mogul Conrad Black -- bought the Akron Beacon Journal in 2006 when The McClatchy Co. unloaded a dozen dailies after acquiring Knight Ridder.
Now Standard & Poor's Ratings Services is citing the debt taken on to swing that deal as part of reason it downgraded Black Press corporate credit rating to B from B+. The downgrading pushes the publisher deeper into junk territory.

source

[cynsaligia]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

yesterday was the last day of work for those "SB 17" who work monday-friday. last day for the rest would be sunday.

[Kimo]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Ian passes the word that KGMB reports the departure of Charlie Memminger - voluntary buyout to make way for another reporter to be retained. Same for Ken Kobayashi if I understood the post correctly. Check Ian's entry of 2/27.

www.ilind.net

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Ax Falling at Star-Bulletin

Is Cindy Ellen Russel still at SB?