Home > So, what do you think? > Archives > 2009 > March > 26 > Entry
The waiting is the hardest part
Three months into this grand adventure called 2009 and I’m sitting here remembering a weekend hike I took with my old Scout troop in the 1970s. We thrashed around for hours in the mountains one Saturday with no idea where the hell we were.
No one wanted to come out and say we we were lost, but no one was picking up the trail with an “Oh, wait, here we go …” either. That episode rings familiar in these twisted modern times.
Newspaper guys have always had the luxury of sitting back and making wry comments on struggles like those. But the economic issues of these time are so big that even we’re floundering.
You’re right, I can truthfully say to everyone outside the industry who has asked. It’s not so funny when we’re in the thick of it.
In Obama-land, as in that weekend of Scouting, half of us are content to simply yell, “You’re doing it wrong!” whenever there’s an opportunity. Most of the rest of us want to believe we’re somehow stumbling in the right direction, but we keep looking to the heavens for a sign. Shouldn’t the Dow be recovering by now? How high do you think unemployment is going to get? What’s the story at your shop?
That last one is especially touchy. The story at our shop - our shop being the Rocky Mount Telegram - is we’re still up for sale. We’re still wondering who might own us in six months. We’re still trying to figure out the best way to do our job in these uncertain times.
Newspapers thrive on organized chaos. We shift gears a dozen times a day with only the vaguest sense at 9 a.m. of what tomorrow’s edition will look like at 11:30 p.m., when our last page is due to the pressroom.
That’s a crazy business model in itself, but at least it has an order to it. “Don’t ask me how long a story’s going to take to write,” former reporter John Ramsey used to say. “Just give me a deadline.”
The deadline for a sale, it seems, is pretty much whenever a buyer wants to step up and make it happen. That uncertainty, plus the godawful economy, has a pretty big effect on all of us here, just as the circumstances of your workplace and your market have an impact on you.
On a more personal level, it affects where we buy groceries, how much we want to spend for shoes, whether we take a vacation this year and a zillion other decisions we rarely thought about when times were good.
Most of the Americans who are fortunate enough to have jobs probably share a mixed prayer each week. Will today be the day we stumble back into the clearing? An economic celebration of “Oh, here we are!” On the right path again at last? Or will it be something considerably less joyous. One I’d rather not think about at the moment.
The waiting, as Tom Petty said, is the hardest part.
Comments
By Tom
March 26, 2009 10:13 PM | Link to this
Mr. Herrin,
I would like your thought as an editor as to SB 46 which would clog the courts with misdemeanors on bloggers who forget to say “in my opinion” or ” I think” or other disclaimers. Mike Colo with Poyner Spruill and ElectriCities “general counsel” has written comments to the press association’s attorney Hugh Stevens trying to work a deal. Why? Well, no idea why ElectriCities lobbyists and lawyers are spending OUR money on this exccept they do not like the blogging and Truth Telling. In my opinion, if something has been written that is not true or misconstrued, they have an obligation to correct it. Just like in every day situations. People gossip and exaggerate all the time. If something not right, say so. This bill puts the legal obligation on you. Perhaps you can call Mr. Stevens and ask why he is working with ElectriCities, if he is. Perhaps you can call Mike Colo and ask him how much he is billing for this and why ratepayers should pay for this in light of SERIOUS issues I assume demand attention. I also want to know whether the Board of ElectriCities or NCEMPA authorized this activity.
I will wait to hear, as will others.
Thank you, Tom Kinston, NC
By Cindy Matulich
March 27, 2009 8:17 AM | Link to this
If any of you at the paper understood the economy and what people are going through, you never would have wrote an editorial in favor of the annexation. Your reporting would have been fairer too. Signs were emerging that our economy was going to take a nose dive and people were being affected back then. Now that things have worsened and the economy has come to bite all of you at the paper, you are starting to cry the blues?! Give us a break and go back to living in dreamland. Maybe the city council and the chamber of commerce can help you out, considering all that you have done for them.
By ken
March 27, 2009 11:57 PM | Link to this
glad you wrote the item on the ‘Telegram’ and impact on staff. Jeff, times can be hard enough—but you and your staff are experiencing what many others are going thru—uncertainty over tomorrow— the impact on your livelihood, meeting family needs, long term planning disrupted— where will you be a year from now— not a fun place to be.
and the newspapers? no doubt the Internet has played a part in people buying fewer newspapers. Ironic part is, many non-subscribers visit websites for papers like yours, and many nonsubscribers have been very vocal with online postings— at the same time as not paying toward the newspaper costs.
i still enjoy getting our local paper in hand— and all the sale papers/coupons that come with it— saves me a bunch.
I know other staff members at the Telegram and have the deepest sympathy for all of you—wondering when the other shoe will fall— or if things will improve. with newspapers, it’s more than just the economy, it is a generation that is finding it easy to access the Internet—which does cost, but without any of that income going to the newspapers for their costs.
we might all consider this, though… when times get tough— and folks can’t afford to keep paying for the Internet access fees— and the Internet is dropped— then, where will they turn for the local news if the local print media has ceased to exist.
you are also right.. the economy, downturns in certain business also affect others—the rippling effect.
You and the other Telegram folks are certainly in my thoughts— and i’m still holding hopes that something good will come for all of you— the sooner the better.
best wishes to all of you— and your comments reflect the concerns/fears of many others in the community.
ken
By Jeff
March 30, 2009 11:28 AM | Link to this
Hi Tom,
We’re very much opposed to SB 46. One of the great (and sometimes, not-so-great) developments of the Web has been a free exchange of ideas with other people. Used responsibly, story commenting and blogs can bring new facts to light and offer readers enough insights to help them make informed decisions. What in the world is wrong with that?
Here’s hoping SB 46 dies a very quick death.
Jeff
By Jeff
March 30, 2009 11:36 AM | Link to this
Hi Ms. Matulich,
The economic challenges we’re facing across the country are hardly affected by a pending annexation in Rocky Mount. While i empathize with the additional tax burden faced by incoming residents, I believe annexation will grow the Rocky Mount area in a way that benefits you.
Commercial development almost always follows the growth of a city. While it’s a tough pill to swallow at the moment, I think the Oak Level area will benefit in the long run by more shopping opportunities, more restaurants and other amenities much closer to your own neighborhoods.
I’ve seen annexation issues turn divisive in other parts of the state — High Point, for example, in the 1980s. But the same held true there. Shopping malls, restaurants, athletic fields and other commercial ventures follow growth once a dependable infrastructure is in place.
Jeff
By Jeff
March 30, 2009 11:39 AM | Link to this
Ken,
Many thanks for your warm thoughts. It’s tough all over, and newspapers certainly aren’t the only industry that wonders what its future looks like.
We remain hopeful that the economy will turn around, that businesses will soon need more employees and that advertising will return. In the meantime, it’s good to live in a community that cares.
Jeff
By Curmilus Dancy II
March 30, 2009 11:12 PM | Link to this
Jeff I agree with you 100% about the Annexation and SB 46.
[The Political Agitator](http://www.thepoliticalagitator.com
By Tom
March 31, 2009 1:25 AM | Link to this
Thank you Jeff. I hope you will join me and others in asking why Mike Colo is lobbying this bill in favor on behalf of ElectriCities and why Estherine Davis is shopping for sponsors and a House Version. George Fisher has the details in writing. How much have they spent trying to block the sunlight from shining on them and exposing them which most has come from the blogs and while they think it is being done by one or two people I can assure you last time I was with folks we were in the hundreds and gaining more each day.
By Cindy Matulich
April 1, 2009 8:33 AM | Link to this
Mr. Herrin,
I did not say that the impending annexation was affecting the economy. You misread my comment. I stated that the economy was showing signs of a downturn and people were being affected by the economy already. Hence, the annexation was not a good idea.
There does need to be major changes made to the annexation laws. Annexation does negatively affect many North Carolinians and it is only about the money for the cities. 46 other states in this country manage to grow and prosper without forcing people into their cities. What is the problem with NC and Rocky Mount?! Mismanagement of money and corrupt government.
By MB3
April 19, 2009 2:24 PM | Link to this
Jeff,
Strib Boynton is the chair of electricities and there are issues in his city where he is the manager and issues where he is the chair. Are these two things related? I think they are in that in both cases, he is hiding public information. I see that no one gets accurate answers. Your paper got some numbers for legal fees and then someone in wilson got different numbers. WHY is this place allowed to hide public information? WHY? Can someone answer that?
You say “Used responsibly, story commenting and blogs can bring new facts to light and offer readers enough insights to help them make informed decisions. What in the world is wrong with that? Here’s hoping SB 46 dies a very quick death.”
I agree. The blogs exposed this place. Board members, NCEMPA members, cities talk and exchange data and information comes to life for us. They want it shut down. A legislator told me directly that he was lobbied on this bill by Mrs. E Davis and that Mike Colo had made calls. But they are going to lie and hide it. How can that be for a public entity? Can someone please answer how a group of citizens can ask for answers and two weeks go by and no answers.
MB3, Rocky Mount, NC