Grumpy Editor

Good Housekeeping needs some marketing housekeeping

With national magazines keenly eager to keep readers subscribing these days, confusion grows not only in prices, but in all sorts of wild “deals” and marketing tactics, finds Grumpy Editor. 

A good example this week is with Good Housekeeping. 

The Hearst magazine (a unit of Hearst Corp.) sends two subscription pitches, with variations, arriving at the same household on the same day. 

Pitch No. 1, labeled “rate adjustment” and “this is a non-transferable discount offer,” indicates the magazine with an annual cover price of $41.88 can be had for $7.97 --- and a Good Housekeeping tote bag will be tossed in with the offer that expires Feb. 15. 

Pitch No. 2, labeled “preferred subscriber claim form” for Good Housekeeping, also includes a one-year subscription to Redbook, another Hearst publication, at a combined price of $8. 

That form notes “combined annual cover price” of $77.76.  The $8 comes after a “credit adjustment” of $69.76.  The offer, good until Feb. 13, also cautions, “This credit is not transferable.” 

But wait. 

While the two-magazines-for-one-small-price in pitch No. 2 shows the other magazine as Redbook on the mail-in slip, the bottom part indicates the other Hearst publication in the deal is Woman’s Day, complete with reproduction of a cover photo and one paragraph description of that magazine’s highlights. 

A plus, however:  Unlike some other publishers’ pitches these days, a prepaid envelope accompanies each. 

Among Hearst’s other magazines are Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Popular Mechanics and Harper’s Bazaar.

 

Obama visits Vegas, still reeling from his 2009 comment

Most curious stop on President Barack Obama’s two days of speeches in five cities is today’s stop in Las Vegas, the place where three years ago he scolded companies that planned to hold meetings or events in the gambling mecca, which now ranks as the foreclosure capital of the U.S. as thousands of casino and allied workers were laid off, notes Grumpy Editor.

Unemployment in Las Vegas last year:  13.3 percent, among the highest in the nation.

In reporting from Sin City today, it will be interesting to observe if  national print/broadcast correspondents, some with fuzzy memories, work in the president’s February, 2009 line aimed at business gatherings, “You can’t take a trip to Las Vegas or down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers’ dime.”

Soon after that statement, Wells Fargo Bank and Goldman Sachs, among others, shifted major meetings from Las Vegas to other cities.  Tourists also shunned the famous Las Vegas Strip. 

Prior to that, Obama made 20 visits to Las Vegas during his first campaign, grabbing attention by saying he wanted to help “not just the folks who own casinos but the folks who are serving in casinos.” 

So today’s nationally-televised speech in Las Vegas will not be from the casino-lined Strip but rather at a United Parcel Service hub near McCarran International Airport. 

Soon after the mid-morning delivery, mainly to UPS workers, the president heads for Denver, then Detroit.

 

NBC seeks to stifle applause in GOP presidential debates

The day after Newt Gingrich’s Monday night participation in a Republican presidential debate on NBC, the former House speaker said he disagrees with moderator Brian Williams’ asking the Tampa audience to withhold applause until the commercial breaks, observes Grumpy Editor. 

NBC’s rules, Gingrich said in a Fox News interview, amount to stifling free speech. 

“I think (Williams) took them out of it because the media are terrified that the audience is going to side with the candidates against the media, which is what they’ve done in every debate,” Gingrich said. 

“The media don’t control free speech,” Gingrich added.  “People ought to be allowed to applaud if they want to.” 

Grumpy Editor agrees, citing ratings-conscious NBC (and its advertisers) wouldn’t like it if Burbank audiences were told to hold up on applause for Jay Leno’s banter on “The Tonight Show” until commercial breaks. 

It’s noteworthy that when NBC, along with other networks, cover --- live in most cases --- President Barack Obama making speeches today and tomorrow, facing workers and constituents in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Chandler, Ariz.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Denver and Detroit, those attending will not be asked to hold applause until the next break.

Meanwhile, Gingrich is rolling up his sleeves for another Republican presidential debate in Florida tomorrow night on CNN --- which said it will allow applause.

 

 

Geraldo Rivera, new to N.Y. radio, adds L.A. next Monday

Geraldo Rivera, who helms “Geraldo at Large” Sundays on the Fox News Channel, next Monday will expand his daily activities to include a two-hour live radio talk show beamed out of Los Angeles, added to a similar but separate program that recently debuted in New York, notes Grumpy Editor.

That means four hours of live programming daily. 

That’s a lot of chatter behind the microphone.  But Rivera is up to it. 

He started Monday-to-Friday radio on Jan. 3, 10 a.m. to noon on WABC, New York.  Next Monday he goes airborne over KABC in Los Angeles, also 10 a.m. to noon.  (Both are local times.) 

But the programs are not syndicated and Geraldo originates both from New York. 

NASDAQ-listed Cumulus Media, Inc., in broadcasting partnership with Rivera, says Rivera’s shows, simply called "Geraldo" and welcoming listener calls, “focus on the day's biggest and most talked-about topics, ranging from national politics to shocking crimes to social issues.” 

Rivera adds, "I've said it before and I'll say it again: my slogan is, 'I’m Geraldo and I’m not always right.'" 

With his WABC debut, New York-born Rivera beams, “This is a lifetime dream come true, hosting a talk radio show in (New York) where everyone has an opinion on everything.” 

On the other coast on KABC, Rivera is familiar with the City of Angels (and the thinking of its sun-drenched inhabitants) where he maintained a residence for 25 years.

 

Ladies' Home Journal cuts pro writers, greets amateurs

What could be the start of something --- frowned on by veteran professional writers --- is a major content change among women’s magazines when readers start writing most of the material, debuting with the March issue of the 129-year-old Ladies’ Home Journal, notes Grumpy Editor.

LHJ will be the first major mass-market magazine to utilize reader-generated content.

Seasoned past contributors to LHJ are wondering if the trend toward using amateur writers will spread to other Meredith Corp. magazines.

The New York Stock Exchange-listed company also produces Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Family Circle, Fitness, More, American Baby, Every Day with Rachael Ray and FamilyFun.

Veteran writers compare summoning amateurs to fill editorial pages of a well-known magazine with switching a backyard barbecuer to chef at a swank New York restaurant (with entree cost unchanged on the menu) or calling on a junior high school nurse to perform a tricky gall bladder operation.

Seasoned LHJ contributors, who have provided quality articles over the years, see editors straining to obtain publishable material.

Editors’ eyes may be strained, too, in editing copy.

Readers also may notice the difference.

Eyes also will be on LHJ’s future circulation figures --- and advertising revenue.

 

Campaign grabs more media coverage than economy

In the battle for print space/broadcast time in coverage of the economy vs. the presidential campaign, the campaign overtook the economy in November and so far this year, reports the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, notes Grumpy Editor. 

From last July to this month, “the level of attention paid to the state of the economy has dropped by 80 percent,” finds PEJ.  “And that drop mirrors the increase in political coverage.” 

Indeed, print and broadcast outlets again were top heavy with coverage this week leading up to last night’s Republican presidential debate in South Carolina on CNN --- with one less contender, as Texas Gov. Rick Perry bowed out of the running earlier in the day. 

Had enough verbal sparring? 

      MORE GOP DEBATES SPROUT BEFORE SPRING 

Two more engagements are schedule next week, both from Florida:  Monday via NBC and Thursday on CNN. 

And before spring arrives, there are four more. 

CNN tackles one from Arizona on Feb. 22, another from Georgia on March 1. 

Remaining candidates are spotlighted at the Reagan Library, Simi Valley, Calif. on March 5. 

PBS gets into the act on March 19 from Oregon. 

Stay tuned.

 

Costa Concordia disaster sparks editorial cartoonists

The captain of the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia that tumbled against rocks near the port of Giglio, an island off the Italian coast, is getting it from all sides --- and inspiring editorial cartoonists overseas and in the U.S., observes Grumpy Editor. 

In Europe, the Brussels newspaper, La Libre Belgique, in an editorial cartoon this week, links the maritime disaster with the euro. 

Belgian cartoonist Christian Louis (who signs his work simply “Clou”) sketches a large cruise ship, named Euro, on its side against rocks near a beach where two men stand.  One asks, “Is the captain on board?”  The other responds, “What captain?” 

While that might not bring a Jay Leno-type laugh, the cartoon illustrates two mighty events that happened on Friday the 13^th: 

Standard & Poor's downgraded the debt rating of several eurozone countries in the euro area and the Costa Concordia keeled over at Giglio. 

Among editorial cartoonists in the U.S., Mike Luckovich, of the Atlanta-Constitution, wasted no time in drawing a sinking ship, identified as Titanic 2012, with a message, “Attention passengers, the icebergs melted and we hit a drowning polar bear…” 

 

NOW ABOUT THE CAPTAIN IN THE LIFEBOAT

Meanwhile, much is being made of cruise ship captain Francesco Schettino’s remarks while chaos spread on the stricken vessel. 

Quotes from La Repubblica, one of Italy's two national daily newspapers, makes worldwide rounds in describing how the ship’s captain explained how he wound up in a lifeboat while passengers were struggling on decks. 

“I was trying to get people into the boats in an orderly fashion,” the newspaper quotes Schettino explaining to a judge during a hearing Tuesday. “Suddenly, since the ship was at a 60-70-degree angle, I tripped and I ended up in one of the boats. That's how I found myself in the lifeboat.”

As for crashing the 114,500-ton, 952-foot-long ship --- in service for five and a half years --- with 4,234 people on board, the captain says:

"I made a mistake on the approach.” 

 

AP opens full-service news bureau in North Korea

Look for more direct news reports out of North Korea now that Associated Press opened a news bureau this week in Pyongyang, becoming the first international news organization with a full-time presence in the communist nation, notes Grumpy Editor.

AP says the action capped nearly a year of discussions.

The move comes less than a month after the death of longtime ruler Kim Jong Il. 

The opening of AP offices in the capital mark an “important gesture, particularly because North Korea and the United States have never had formal diplomatic relations,” points out AP.

Now, AP writers and photojournalists will also be allowed to work in North Korea on a regular basis, says the news agency.  For decades, it adds, North Korea has remained largely off-limits to international journalists.

Offices are located at state-run Korean Central News Agency’s headquarters in downtown Pyongyang.

The full-service AP bureau --- with words, pictures and video output --- builds on AP video’s six-year-old office in the city.

The independent 165-year-old news cooperative maintains operations in more than 100 countries and employs nearly 2,500 journalists across the world in 300 locations.

 

Congress takes off more in 2012, finds Grumpy Editor

Wonder why there are a lower number of  Washington datelines in newspapers?  Congress has been quiet, mostly out of town.  But some action resumes today with a call of the House at 6:30 p.m., Eastern, notes Grumpy Editor.

But House members are only scheduled for six days in session this month while the Senate convenes next Monday. 

On the way to fewer sessions this year despite pressing matters, don’t look for any solid month of action in the House. February, the shortest month on the 2012 calendar (despite being Leap Year), will see the House active the most days:  14.  Among the leanest months, the House is scheduled to meet only eight days in April, three in August and five in October. 

The Senate, meanwhile, schedules a number of “state work periods” that allows members more time to spend with constituents in their home states --- and for “fact finding” trips.  For the House, time spent in home districts is called “constituent work week.” 

Despite the many days off, Washington press corps’ reports will imply that just about every day --- even during holiday periods --- carries a full slate of pursuits by lawmakers busy in the nation’s capital.

( House and Senate calendars, below.)

2012 Senate schedule, 112^th Congress, 2^nd session

Jan. 23 - Senate convenes

Non-legislative days

Feb. 20 – 24, state work period

April 2 – 13, state work period

April 30 – May 4, state work period

May 28 – June 1, state work period (Memorial Day, May 28)

July 2 – 6, state work period (Independence Day, July 4)

Aug. 6 – Sept. 7, state work period (Labor Day, Sept. 3)

Oct. 8 - Columbus Day federal holiday

Nov. 12 -  Veterans Day federal holiday

Adjournment date to be determined

 

2012 House schedule, 112^th Congress, 2^nd session 

Legislative days

Jan. 17, 18, 23-25, 31

Feb. 1-3, 6-9, 14–17, 27–29

March 1, 5-8, 19-22, 26-29

April 16-19, 24-27

May 7-10, 15-18, 30, 31

June 1, 5-8, 18-21, 26-29

July 9-12, 17-20, 23-26, 31

Aug. 1-3

Sept. 10-14, 19-21

Oct. 1-5

Nov. 13-16, 27-30

Dec. 3-6, 11-14

 

Schedules are subject to change.

 

Most media miss Carnival Corp. as Costa Concordia owner

Many print/broadcast reporters have been confused over ownership of the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia that ran aground with 4,234 people on board Friday night off Giglio island, 18 miles off Italy’s central west coast, observes Grumpy Editor.

The 114,500-ton, 952-foot-long Italian-built ship, in service five and a half years, hit an object (possibly a rock) that caused a 160-foot gash in its hull, sending water gushing into the vessel.  It rolled over in shallow water.  

Passengers described the resulting confusion as reminiscent of the Titanic. 

The ship was near capacity, with 4,234 people, including about 1,100 crew, on board. 

Death toll reached five with 29 missing. 

While most print and broadcast reports identified the ship as being Italian, run by Genoa-based Costa Cruises, actual owner is New York Stock Exchange-listed Carnival Corp. & plc, the world’s largest cruise ship operator, with dual headquarters in Miami and London. 

Along with Costa, the company owns Carnival Cruise Lines, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line among others, with a fleet of 101 ships.  Another 10 ships are scheduled for delivery by March 2016. 

Costa Cruises operates 15 ships. 

Corporate public relations people will be very busy in the days ahead. 

"This is a PR nightmare for the Costa brand," said Jaime Katz, equity analyst from investment research company Morningstar in Chicago, Reuters reported. 

The stricken vessel was one of Carnival Corp.’s key assets in the lucrative European cruise market.

 

Marines urinating on militants' bodies stirs media, D.C.

The video, making the rounds yesterday showing four combat-equipped U.S. Marines urinating on three dead Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, triggered much broadcast and print coverage along with immediate condemnations from the Obama administration and some Pentagon brass --- but “shocked” media, some military and politicians overlooked a main element, reminds Grumpy Editor. 

Unlike wars of the past, U.S. military forces in Afghanistan are in contact with terrorists who are not part of an organized army.

The deceased enemy fighters were not part of a regular army.  The hostiles did not wear uniforms, held no rank, wore no stripes or bars or stars or other military insignia, did not possess serial numbers or “dog tags,” and didn’t report to captains, majors, colonels or generals.

Some in Washington and others also have forgotten military history.  U.S. Marines during World War II on Iwo Jima, for example, used flamethrowers to flush out and kill uniformed enemy troops in a declared war.

Media and Washington did not frown on that action.

Negative reaction to the videoed Afghanistan incident illustrated “the cowardly world we live in,” stated coast-to-coast talk show host Michael Savage yesterday, in questioning why Washington was not supporting the Marines.

Some callers --- including former military personnel --- to Savage’s program said the Marines should be given medals rather than face talk of harsh legal action.

The Marine Corps issued a statement immediately after learning of the video, saying a full investigation was under way.

The New York Times reported Pentagon officials said the video was made between last March and September when a Marine battalion was deployed to Helmand Province, a strategic Taliban heartland and a center of the opium poppy trade.

Officials said the video likely was made in the northern part of the province where the battalion had operated, The Times said, adding “seven out of some 1,000 Marines in the battalion were killed during the seven-month deployment.”

 

Dutch girl,16, nears end of around-the-world solo sailing

While most newspaper editors have been cramming their editorial space this month with election year candidates/events and milestones, such as Associated Press’s lengthy Guantanamo Bay prison's 10^th anniversary story yesterday, being overlooked is an adventure-courage story of a 16-year old Dutch girl nearing the finish of her solo sailing trip around the world, points out Grumpy Editor. 

Few print readers and television news viewers are aware that Laura Dekker is on the final leg sailing from Cape Town, South Africa, to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, where she set sail on Aug. 21, 2010. 

She’s due to dock on or around Jan. 24. 

There’s even appealing material, stemming from the voyage, that’s tailored for Nancy Grace on HLN:  Seems that Dutch truancy officers have issued Dekker’s father a summons after a newspaper quoted her as saying poor weather was keeping her from her studies. 

Indeed, the Dutch sailor --- who piloted her first boat when six years old --- this week ran into squalls. 

Sailing the high seas always is an adventure. 

Yesterday, via her Website, Dekker reports:  “The gusty and heavy squall that brought 40-knot winds and pouring rain finally dissolved.” 

New Zealand-born Dekker’s adventure is similar to that of Abby Sunderland, who, at 16 in June, 2010, had to abandon her planned around-the-world solo sailing when bad weather with 30-foot waves snapped her $120,000 yacht’s mast in the Indian Ocean, 2,000 miles west of Australia.

 

Missing from the Las Vegas Strip: outcry from PETA

While casino patrons from around the world are welcomed on the famous Las Vegas Strip, pending legislation by Clark County Commissioners would ban some dogs on public and private sidewalks plus pedestrian bridges along the five-mile stretch, finds Grumpy Editor. 

Behind the anti-pooch measure, slated for further action later this month, is commissioner Chris Giunchigliani who also drafted a proposed ordinance that seeks banning pigeon feeding in Clark County. 

The dual actions --- not generating media excitement beyond Nevada --- also have not attracted the attention of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). 

Giunchigliani a few years ago pushed an ordinance that promoted the capture and spaying/neutering of feral cats. 

One resident asked in print, “After attacking hungry birds and starving canines, will she (Giunchigliani ) target the poor defenseless rodent?” 

Pigeons come up for further discussion by commissioners next Tuesday.  Rules could lead to pigeon feeders (that would include unknowing tourists) getting a stiff up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. 

While the major thrust now is on birds and dogs, commissioners for years have been unable to curb the growing number of unlicensed street vendors, panhandlers and adult news distributors that line the busy Las Vegas Strip --- cluttering up the scenery more than pigeons and dogs.

 

Globe takes on printing of competitor Herald in Boston

The Boston Herald later this month will add to long-time competitor Boston Globe’s bottom line with the latter printing and distributing a good portion of Herald copies in a deal hailed by Globe Publisher Christopher Mayer as an “advantageous business opportunity” for the New York Times Co.-owned broadsheet, notes Grumpy Editor. 

The Globe also will start delivering other publications that the Herald currently handles, including Barron's and New England editions of the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal. 

In two weeks, the Globe will deliver the Herald's city edition Sundays through Fridays and print the tabloid’s full press run on Saturdays. 

Editorial department operations at the Herald and Globe will remain separate. 

Some Herald copies will continue to be printed at a Chicopee, Mass. plant and distributed by wholesalers, including some controlled by the Globe.

But the deal means about 50 Herald truck drivers and other workers will be laid off and paid severance. 

The agreement came as the Herald prepared to move its offices to Boston’s Seaport District. 

The Boston arrangement followed a year-end announcement that The Cincinnati Enquirer, a Gannett Co., Inc. publication, will be closing its printing plant in this year’s fourth quarter with The Columbus Dispatch taking over the printing.  About 200 jobs will be affected by that move. 

“Media companies are facing numerous challenges, and a streamlined approach to operations will ensure the economic viability of both newspapers and allow each of us to serve our readers and advertisers with a distinct voice,” said Patrick J. Purcell, president and publisher of the Boston Herald.

 

Republican candidates’ 2 TV debates miss opportunities

Television viewers saw a total of three and a half hours of Republican candidates’ debates from New Hampshire over the weekend and only once was there a mention of rogue North Korea --- with zero discussion of the Communist nation pushing ahead with a nuclear weapons program under a new leader --- and no talk about global warming (rebranded climate change), the illegal immigrants situation in the U.S. and China’s military buildup while the U.S. chops its defense budget, observes Grumpy Editor. 

But everyone --- questioners and other candidates --- targeted Mitt Romney. 

An inordinate portion of Saturday night’s two-hour debate on ABC was consumed with commentator George Stephanopoulos asking Romney, “Do you believe states have the right to ban contraception, or is that trumped by a constitutional right to privacy?” 

That discussion spread to other candidates. 

Ten hours later, NBC expanded its normal one hour “Meet the Press” to 90 minutes to bounce questions off the same six GOP candidates.  David Gregory helmed that debate --- seen “live” in the east but on tape in the West. 

A tape delay for the West also came with the Dec. 10 debate on ABC. 

The problem with delayed viewing in the West is that alert debate followers already have heard sound bites on radio and TV news before viewing the replay.  In addition, Web sites already had covered details and sparring among quizzers and candidates. 

Fifteen minutes before the end of yesterday’s NBC debate, a quickie mention was made about North Korea --- but no questions or discussion followed. 

One plus for the NBC taped-for-the-West version vs. ABC’s delayed release on Dec. 10:  Unlike ABC’s misleading white-on-red LIVE “bug” above its logo in the bottom corner of the screen, NBC did not have that.

 

‘Amazing’ and 'blowback’ among year's banished words

Leading Michigan’s Lake Superior State University’s banished words/phrases list for 2012 are “amazing” and “blowback,” notes Grumpy Editor. 

Amazing received the most nominations.  In keeping with the word’s definition ---  overwhelming with surprise or sudden wonder --- LSSU wordsmiths said they were “surprised at the number of nominations” for the word and “surprised to find that it hadn’t been included on the list in the past.” 

Blowback was cited as a growing term used by corporate folks in place of “reaction.”

Also getting a big play:  Ginormous, meaning huge or extremely large, emerged via a combination of gigantic and enormous.  (The new word has already made it into some dictionaries.) 

Others on the banished list: 

Baby bump

Shared sacrifice

Occupy

Man cave

The new normal

Pet parent

Win the future

Trickeration

Thank you in advance

For details and comments on the words/phrases, go to www.lssu.edu/banished

 

San Diego Union-Tribune name change triggers confusion

With the San Diego Union-Tribune changing its name to U-T San Diego this week, some confusion has popped up, especially outside of Southern California, finds Grumpy Editor.

Seems that the abbreviated title --- UT --- has a collegiate flavor since it also stands for:

University of Texas

University of Toledo

University of Tennessee

University of Tampa 

Hotel owner Doug Manchester, who acquired the newspaper late last year, declares, “This change marks a new era in our company’s history.”

The change also affects everything from the newspaper’s business cards to its website. 

Manchester purchased the Union-Tribune from Platinum Equity, an investment firm, which acquired it in May, 2009 from long-time owner Copley Press Inc. 

(During the acquisition process, Manchester said, “Taking ownership of a 143-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning news organization comes with great responsibility. We believe San Diego is the finest city in America and pledge to be strong advocates for the city’s interests and conscientious caretakers of the Union-Tribune and its legacy.”)

The name change is being accompanied by a requested new look of staffers.

In an area noted for casual California lifestyle and far from New York’s Madison Ave., management is asking employees to dress in “sharp business attire.”

Of course, the new “dapper look” will cause problems when reporters cover such events as sooty brush fires, high surf action at beaches and aftereffects of downpours.

But they will be among the best dressed at ribbon-cuttings. 

 

Fed workers' pay beats private wages, Chinese clone WSJ page, Sin City targets pigeons, among year-end items

Grumpy Editor today concludes a list of news items that some folks (and editors) may have missed during the busy year-end period ---

FED WORKERS’ PAY TOPS PRIVATE WAGES

Job hunting?  Head for a federal position.

A year-end USA Today analysis found federal employees received an average $75,296 in pay during the past year --- about 60 percent above the average private sector wage.

What’s more, federal workers also scored an average $28,323 in medical, pension and other benefits, noted the Gannett publication which added, “Federal compensation has soared in the past decade, especially in the past five years, at a time when private wages and employment have sputtered.”

All this followed President Barack Obama 13 months ago declaring a pay freeze for federal employees in 2011 and 2012.  Despite the so-called “freeze,” 1.1 million fed workers will receive more than $2.5 billion in raises during the two-year span, calculated Federal Times. 

PEJ RANKS  ECONOMY AS TOP STORY IN 2011

The big story in 2011 was the economy, according to the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism’s annual “Year in News” tally. 

PEJ said 20 percent of news time and space was dedicated to the topic via print, online, TV news and radio, up from 14 percent from 2010. 

The other major trend was "a jump of more than a third in coverage of international news,” added PEJ, with half of the year's 10 most-covered stories occurring overseas.  Combined, 28 percent of all coverage last year was about international events.

  

PROMOTING JADE, CHINA CLONES WSJ PAGE

Drawing attention to the green gem prized for jewelry, The Wall Street Journal last week ran a full page report with three color photos under a bold across-the-page headline:  Jade craze takes hold. 

Unless readers noted the two “paid advertisement” placements in fine print --- slightly larger than the page number --- atop the A section page, they were unaware that the text, art (complete with credit lines), bold-faced boxes and subheads were for China Watch, prepared by China Daily.  It was close to WSJ format. 

LAS VEGAS AREA EYES PIGEON FEEDING BAN

Despite the Las Vegas area ranking high in unemployment, home foreclosures and sinking property values, at the top of the list for action at the first 2012 meeting of the Clark County Board of Supervisors: pigeons. 

As a reader wrote in a Jan. 1 letter to the editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal under a "Pigeon-feeding ordinance is for the birds" headline:  “With all the rampant economic and social woes facing Clark County, it is amazing that the Clark County Commission will be holding a public hearing Tuesday on an ordinance that would ban the feeding of pigeons in unincorporated areas of the county.”

Following yesterday's meeting on the subject, commissioners again will peck away at proposed enforcement and other issues on Jan. 17.  Rules could lead to pigeon feeders getting up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Along with causing problems for residents who have bird feeders, commissioners will have to distinguish the many varieties of pigeons, some raised for food or sport.

Aside from the common (or rock) pigeon, others include band tailed pigeon, red billed pigeon, white crowned pigeon, white king pigeon and racing pigeon. 

But commissioners always welcome feeding slot machines in Clark County --- and the rest of Nevada.

PETA SEEKS MEMORIALS FOR  DEAD CATTLE

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was seeking permission in Illinois to buy highway markers in memory of cattle killed when trucks hauling them, in two separate accidents, flipped. 

PETA said the signs would pay tribute to more than 20 cattle killed last year because of negligent driving. 

Doesn’t look like the PETA request will go far.  A Department of Transportation spokesman said it probably will be denied because Illinois’s Roadside Memorial Act specifies only relatives who lost loved ones in highway accidents may request memorials.

 

ENQUIRER PRINTING PLANT TO CLOSE

About 200 newspaper jobs will be axed this year when the The Cincinnati Enquirer, a Gannett Co. Inc. publication, closes its printing plant in the fall.  Plans call for The Columbus Dispatch to print The Cincinnati Enquirer and The Kentucky Enquirer.

A Gannett news release in late December made no mention on the number of jobs to be eliminated.  Closest it got:  " As part of this initiative, The Enquirer’s production facility will close fourth quarter, 2012, as printing transitions to Columbus."

 

U.S. population grows, wolf enters California, radio talk show replays, Kodak stock sinks, among year-end events

Catching up on some year-end events that Grumpy Editor feels some folks (and editors) may have missed --- 

+ The Census Bureau’s projected U.S. population going into 2012:  312,780,968.  The agency also calculated one birth is expected every eight seconds and one death every 12 seconds in the U.S. 

One would think that with more people contributing to the federal pot, taxes would be lowered much like a going-away office party in which the more participants involved mean less contributions per person toward an outlay for a gift. 

+ A dopey year-end Verizon Wireless move to yank $2 a month for online or telephone payments from each customer lasted a day before the pickpocket idea was shelved.  The “convenience fee” plan immediately triggered a lot of grumbling and complaints from users of Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodaphone Group Plc. 

It followed the bad PR Bank of America received two months earlier when it attempted to impose a $5 monthly fee for debit card use. 

+ Associated Press got excited when a lone gray wolf crossed into California from Oregon.  That warranted an eleven-paragraph report, noting the animal --- wearing a global positioning system collar since February --- had wandered more than 300 miles from its original location.  Last gray wolf spotted in California was killed in 1924. 

+ Radio listeners during the holidays heard much of “best of” (the upscale name for repeats) talk shows.  What talk show hosts and their syndicators seem to forget is that radio is hailed for immediacy.  Year-end airing of such things as preparing for Thanksgiving dinners and other “upcoming” events that have long passed is just plain stupid. 

Guest hosts should be used to keep the focus on current events in a fast-moving world.  It’s an opportunity, too, to develop fresh fill-in talent at microphones. 

+ The stock of once-booming Eastman Kodak Co. closed 2011 at 65 cents a share, compared to the year’s high of $5.85.  The struggling image and printing company’s stock sold for about $30 a share on the New York Stock Exchange as recently as mid-2007.  Its last dividend was in December, 2008. 

Three Kodak directors resigned in December as the company works on shoring up an eroding cash position.

Year-end observations conclude tomorrow.

 

Grumpy Editor, observing the holidays, returns Jan. 3

 

Grumpy Editor is taking time off to celebrate Christmas and welcome year 2012.

He --- and his grumpiness --- will return on Jan. 3.

 

AP, LA Weekly take different views of future media study

Grumpy Editor finds widely different versions of reporting by the Associated Press and LA Weekly yesterday based on the same University of Southern California study on the future of media.

AP’s Barbara Ortutay’s byliner focuses on the Internet, mentioning “most people don’t consider online content reliable” while LA Weekly’s Dennis Romero writes “the print product some of you like to pick up on your driveway every morning will go the way of the dinosaur within five years.”

Basing information on the study authored by Jeff Cole, director of USC Annenberg School’s Center for the Digital Future, AP’s version points out: 

“Last year, 15 percent of Internet users said they found only a small portion of online information reliable.”

Taking a different angle, LA Weekly summarizes the study with:

“Most print newspapers will be gone in five years.”

The Center says only four major daily newspapers would survive, naming The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, adds LA Weekly.

USC’s Cole figures “the only print newspapers that will survive will be at the extremes of the medium --- the largest and the smallest.”

The latter include local weekly newspapers.

 

Time magazine hails protesters as ‘Person of the Year’

According to Time magazine, the “Person of the Year” is not an actual, individual person at all, but groups summed up as “The Protester,” observes Grumpy Editor.

High-tech developers, scientists, politicians, sports figures, entertainers, military commanders, etc. all were shelved in favor of  a cover story spotlighting demonstrators, including the Occupy Wall Street crowd.

And some magazine editors wonder why circulation is slipping. 

Time said protesters were recognized for "redefining people power" around the world.

Sounds like turning news pages back to the 1960s.

The weekly news magazine put the focus on dissent in the Middle East and Europe that spread to the U.S.

Protesters had been the force behind the largest news stories of the year, claimed Time editor Rick Stengel.

"They dissented, they demanded, they did not despair, even when the answers came back in a cloud of tear gas or a hail of bullets," he trumpeted.  “They literally embodied the idea that individual action can bring collective, colossal change."

Grumpy Editor wonders how many protesters are scanning Time magazine to savor the “colossal change” they brought in 2011.

 

Calls from Santa Claus touted via L.A. Times Web site

In the spirit of the season, there’s more than local, national and world news plus weather and sports on the Los Angeles Times Web site: For "about the cost of a Christmas card" Santa Claus will call your children, finds Grumpy Editor. 

And no, the ho! ho! ho! doesn’t come from a deep-voiced mature editor --- doing double duty --- after deadline. 

The greetings originate from an outside service based at a location not disclosed on the Web. 

Charge associated with Santa on the line is $3.99. 

Santa's call starts with “This is Santa Claus, and I'm calling you all the way from the North Pole.” 

The pitch promises Santa will say names of youngsters and “even what they want for Christmas.” 

Santa signs off with, “Now don't forget to leave me some milk and cookies, and you have a Merry, Merry Christmas...and remember, Santa's always watching.” 

No mention is made about reminding parents to renew their Los Angeles Times subscription.

 

Overseas U.S. commissaries to end magazine sales

Magazines will be getting less from newsstand sales starting in February when U.S. commissaries overseas stop carrying magazines and most newspapers because of declining sales and rising costs to ship the publications, notes Grumpy Editor.

Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), a Defense Department unit, operates a worldwide chain of 284 commissaries that provide groceries --- and publications --- to military personnel, retirees and their families.

Sales of the Stars and Stripes newspaper in commissaries in Europe and the Pacific will not be affected.  That’s because the newspaper is published overseas and not shipped from the U.S.

Also not affected are periodical sales at Army and Air Force exchanges, military versions of department and drug stores.

The halt of magazines to commissaries is being blamed on budget cuts facing the Defense Department.

DeCA in fiscal 2011 spent about $670,000 to airlift magazines to commissaries in Europe and the Pacific.

Some customers point out that much of the reading material is available online.

Another factor:  lofty cover prices.   Some examples:

Money magazine, $3.99

Entertainment Weekly, $3.95

Cosmopolitan, $4.99

Glamour, $3.99

Popular Science, $4.99

National Geographic, $5.99

Brides, $5.99

Motor Trend, $4.99

Popular Mechanics, $4.50

Consumer Reports, $5.99

 

ABC’s GOP debate in Iowa becomes old news in West

ABC News described Saturday night’s nationally-televised debate spotlighting six Republican presidential candidates from Drake University in Des Moines, less than three weeks before the Iowa caucuses, as “high stakes” --- but West Coast viewers saw it on a three-hour tape delay, observes Grumpy Editor. 

Those in the Pacific time zone heard radio/TV news reports or read about the debate --- including via ABC News’ own Web site --- before the taped airing, thus cutting viewership and scuttling coverage of advertisers such as Hertz, Pillsbury, T. Rowe Price and UnitedHealthcare. 

In this competitive news era, it was strange for ABC News executives to decide on showing viewers in the West the “high stakes” action three hours after it happened. 

Other networks have not done that. 

Some folks in the West were unaware that the debate was on tape.  That’s because through the two-hour taped presentation, a misleading white-on-red LIVE “bug” appeared above the ABC logo at the lower right corner of the TV screen. 

[Does the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have anything to say about that?] 

Shortly after the debate ended at 11 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. in the West), ABC News’ own Web site spilled details on the event under the headline, “Republican Candidates Clash in Pivotal Iowa Debate.” 

At the same time, ABC also came up with a super-fast-developed “Fact Checking the Debate in Iowa,” listing six eyebrow-raising items, including “Newt Gingrich would build a colony on the moon.” 

Alert West Coasters, seeking to bypass the tape-delayed airing, could have visited ABC on the Web prior to the 9 p.m., Pacific, replay to see a video:  “Watch Highlights: 2012 GOP debate.”

 

Dow gets jitters around the 12000 level during 2011

Inquiring minds are wondering what’s going on with the stock market's continuous ups and downs this year when the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches the sensitive 12000 mark after 198.67 points were erased yesterday to close at 11,997.70, once again dipping below 12000 --- then today making another sharp U-turn, observes Grumpy Editor. 

Today's gain, once again putting the Dow above 12000, was helped by a strong consumer sentiment report.

The reason for yesterday's drop: Stocks declined in the final minutes of trading after Germany rejected some of the EU summit draft measures and comments that dashed hopes that the central banks would raise its bond purchases of debt-ridden European nations.

The Dow today zipped across the 12000 line again, up 186.56 points to 12184.26. 

With such a ping-pong market, some eyebrow-raising business editors wondered if other factors are at work here.

With three weeks of trading left in 2011, there’s always the chance of a year-end Santa Claus rally, with the Dow again crossing deep into 12000 territory.

It should be pointed out that the Dow rose above 12000 points for the first time on Oct. 19, 2006.  That’s when the average made it to 12012.

But in 2011 it has been a zig-zag route.

Among times the Dow crossed the 12000 line this year:

UP --- The Dow on Feb. 1 closed up 148 points to 12040, getting above 12000 for the first time since 2008.

DOWN --- Dow dipped below 12000 on June 10, at 11952, off 172.  (This was down from April 29 when the average, at 12810, was poised to crack the 13000 level.)

UP then DOWN --- After an up period, the Dow plunged 266 points on Aug. 2, closing below 12000 again, at 11867.

DOWN then UP --- The Dow on Oct. 22 soared 340 points to 12209. 

DOWN then UP --- After a period below 12000, the Dow on Nov. 30 ascended 490 points to 12045

Stay tuned. 

 

Kiplinger’s future lighting story skips toxic CFLs mention

A glowing story in the January issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine on the upcoming replacement of the long-used traditional incandescent light bulbs overlooked mention that compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, one type of substitute, contains toxic mercury that can pose problems, notes Grumpy Editor.

Under the headline, “Incandescents Take the Heat,” CFLs, Halogen bulbs and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are cited as replacements when new energy standards go into effect next month. 

But the main concern, not touched on in the article, focuses on the replacement CFLs, produced mostly in China.  They are being promoted in efforts to go more "green” and conserve energy.

A few vigilant newspaper editorial writers in recent months have alerted readers to problems with CFLs which entered the future lighting picture when Congress four years ago passed an energy bill that essentially banned the traditional incandescent light bulb that received a major thrust in 1878 from Thomas Edison’s research. 

Many officials apparently remain unaware that when a CFL bulb (a small glass tube twisted into a spiral) shatters, mercury escapes as vapor that can be inhaled, and as a fine powder it can settle into carpet and other textiles.

A Scientific American posting three years ago was among the first to point out highly toxic mercury is especially harmful to the brains of both fetuses and children. 

The director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division at that time recommended opening windows and stepping outside, then quickly ventilating the room when a CFL bulb breaks. 

"Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out,” was the warning.  

In July, U.S. House efforts to repeal use of CFLs fell short of the two-thirds majority vote needed for passage --- without a peep from the current EPA.

 

N.Y. Times focuses on Romney’s perfect black locks

Must have been a slow day at The New York Times.

Rather than a penetrating story on a Republican presidential candidate’s positions on foreign policy, climate change, illegal immigrants, health care, taxes, nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran, and (the latest irksome element for Americans) curbing overnight deliveries by the Post Office, the newspaper of record decided on a lengthy story focusing on Mitt Romney’s hair, observes Grumpy Editor.

Really. 

In doing so, it produced 35 paragraphs on the hairy subject. 

It included an interview with Romney’s hair stylist, Leon de Magistris --- which The Times described as a “barrel-chested, bald Italian immigrant.” 

Whether facing wind, rain or snow, the former Massachusetts governor’s hair always seems perfectly in place along the campaign trail. 

Among things the Gray Lady apparently figured are sure to affect Romney’s upcoming activities around the country --- and perhaps his ranking with voters:

     ·  Romney gave his Boston-area hair stylist $70 for a trim last month.

      ·  Romney does not color his black hair, said de Magistris.

      ·  Romney’s hair is gel and mousse-free, the stylist added.

What’s more, in attempts to dig deeper on the subject, The Times was left grumbling because a Romney campaign spokeswoman “declined to comment on the candidate’s hairstyle, or to make Romney available to discuss it.”

 

Kris or Kriss Kringle? AP notes proper holiday terms

Which is it --- Kris Kringle or Kriss Kringle? 

Associated Press, in a holiday guide, is reminding media, especially print news writers and editors, about proper spelling and capitalization of certain words, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Kris vs. Kriss Kringle is drawing attention. 

Seems most people in and out of journalism wrongly settle on Kris. 

From Wikipedia to notes on the 1947 classic movie, “Miracle on 34^th Street,” Kris is used.  Even most spell checks note it is Kris. 

Not correct, reminds AP (along with dictionary.com, among others). It’s Kriss, derived from the German word Christkindl. 

Focusing on some other words or capitalization in its holiday guide, AP points out: 

Christmastime is one word. 

With Champagne, the sparkling wine is capitalized when it is from the French region. 

The number in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is spelled out, not 12. 

Lower case treatment is given to yule and yuletide. 

Don’t forget the “ia” in the popular plant of the season, poinsettia. 

The big no-no is abbreviating Christmas as Xmas.

 

Postal Service seeks to end overnight mail delivery

In a bid to avoid insolvency, the Postal Service today officially proposes eliminating overnight delivery of first-class mail to many destinations --- which is nothing new considering for years it has taken a sluggish two days to get many letters from point A delivered to point B, notes Grumpy Editor. 

For example, for years mailing a letter in Los Angeles for delivery in  Las Vegas --- a distance of about 230 miles --- takes two days. 

The Postal Service wants to change what it calls “overnight standards.”  Officially, that means it would take first class mail more than one day to reach destinations. 

The agency says it needs to overhaul service standards as it closes hundreds of processing facilities. 

Delivering first class mail in two to three days instead of one to three days could save about $3 billion by 2015, claims the Postal Service. 

That comes close to Pony Express standards. 

And it gets closer to the Postal Service's unofficial label, “snail mail.” 

Lowly speed contrasts with 70 years ago when the postal operation was swift.  Two mail deliveries a day were common.  A mailing in the morning was delivered by afternoon in the same city. 

Modern mail operations struggle to offset falling mail volumes as more people and businesses communicate by email and pay bills online. 

Adding to the decline in mail activity is the periodic increase in cost of postage. 

Another boost comes on Jan. 22. 

Cost of a first-class stamp, for a one-ounce mailing, rises to 45 cents from the current 44.