Gannett, Gatehouse talking merger

Excellent point. Suddenly a student newspaper in a college town is WAY more equipped for good coverage than the local paper. You are right. Scary.

 

Wow, I remember taking obits by dictation at my first job in 1994 (some funeral homes faxed them, which wasn't much better).

I still remember calling one place and the secretary saying she'll get the director on the phone, "he's in the back." Uhhh, enough said.

 

Student newspapers need students. The problem is universities are closed.

 

Almost all newspapers will give a free obit that has just the bare facts. The more elaborate ones are pretty much written by the family and they can go on and on as long as they want -- for about $700 at our shop. We have a funeral home chain that takes care of it and folds it into the total cost.

 

Our local college combined the print and broadcast majors into one journalism department/major. You would think strength in numbers would lead to an improved print product, but really all it has done is shown how many college kids want to to be the next sports talk yakker or on air talent.
The only kids really interested in print want to use it towards marketing, PR or SID work.

 

Not any more. The Alligator in Gainesville, for instance, has gone seriously downhill, even before the virus hit the fan.

 

Not at the Denver Post. I wrote a very brief summary of my Dad's life with a little color. I added a couple lines about he loved to be on his pontoon boat fishing with his grandchildren and his dog. I remember that version would have cost $500 to we cut the obit to name, education and family members and that cost something $200.

 

If your local college had students interested in print journalism given even the recent economic woes of the industry it would be an embarrassment to the academic reputation of the institution.

 

Any college student who thinks SID work is more glamorous or better paying than newspaper work is a moron.

 

We had the obits faxed. Which just meant more typesetting, more chance for error. A lot of busy work on a Sunday night when you're running the show.

I remember feeling very put upon as a young man when asked to pay for a parent's obit.
Years later I have come to understand it was our bread and butter, sadly enough.
A recession-proof industry colliding with one that was not recession-proof.

 

I would think SID work is much more secure and the benefits would probably be better.

 

I remember editing one obit that read "Hans Jones was born in Germany. He servedin the Army during World War II. He came to the United States on 1950 and became a US citizen in 1958." So I said to another dealer 'Did you read this one? He was on the other side!"

Another stop, was reading an obit or a news obit by a reporter prone to odd typos. Had one line "Arraignments are being handled by Jones and Sons." I fixed it, but not before telling a photographer "If there's gonna be arraignments at the funeral, I want you to take photos."

Damn, I miss newsroom humor.