Fate of Rocky Mountain News to be announced

MileHigh's post-of-the-year type writing notwithstanding, this is the perspective of this thread.

Forgive me for purposely not reading this thread until it was 23 pages in. For reasons that are my own and that I'm still trying to understand -- well, I think I understand; I just haven't wanted to go there -- I just couldn't.

MH no doubt realizes that this will be hard, for he said as much. And, he expressed accurately and beautifully the sentiments of many, many of us about what we've loved, and, in most cases, still do love, about our business, the papers we've worked at, and those with whom we've worked. And, he alluded to all the hurt and harm we've suffered, anyway.

But, his post is that of someone who has not really been hit by this process, and all the ramifications of it, yet.

It's too early, and, for all the great insight his post-of-the-year candidate has, it lacks that perspective.

Reality, unfortunately, bites when it goes on for too long.

I pray that it doesn't for him and others formerly known as RMN staff writers.

 

Reality will be a bitch, even with three to five months' severance, but being able to put things into perspective as they happen is what maturity is all about. Many of us know MileHigh, and he's been able to put a figurative face on what thousands will go through as the contraction continues.

 

I've had no job since Sept. 3, and I can say you're right. And so is WriteThinking. And so is Mizzou. So is MileHigh. I've been through all of the emotions and harsh realities -- with the exception of having a family. It's just me.

There is a lot of powerful truth on this thread, and the pieces that make up the overall picture each have their own timetables.

 

I've had some friends go through this elsewhere, and the first rule is: Cut your burn rate way down. Get used to living on half your salary, to make that severance last twice as long (or as long as you can). And file for freaking unemployment the first day you're out the door.

 

And I'll add something: Everybody in this business, save for maybe the upper 5 percent, needs to have a Plan B ready to go. Not just updating your resume -- which everyone should be doing every 6 months or so -- but you have to think about the big "what if."

If you're laid off, or whatever euphemism being used these days, what would you do? Would you stay in the business? If so, make a list of contacts for future jobs.

If you don't want to stay in the business, have a second career mapped out -- at least mentally. What would you do, who would you call, what kind of jobs would you apply for, etc.

Don't wait. Have that conversation with your significant other/family/whomever. If it happened, then what?

 

I've been thinking along these lines for a few weeks now. And the best answer I can come up with is: I don't have a fucking clue.

 

I've been told I have a face for radio and could do voiceover work, but dropping anywhere from $1-3K on a studio session, demo CD's and all the works to have nothing in return would be just like playing the slots and coming up bankrupt.

But it might be worth the shot, I guess.

 

Practice saying this...

"In a world where..."
I look forward to hearing you in the theaters.
We need a new movie trailer guy.

 

That really doesn't sound like a bad investment. If you get nothing out of it, you're only out $3K. Most of us are fretting over going back to school and falling tens of thousands of dollars into debt only to discover we either can't get a job or hate our new field.

Plus, as Fenian says, you could be in all our living rooms.

If you do make it big, do us a favor and record "In a world where we only cover you when your kids get arrested..." for us.

 

... not to mention the odd Geico commercial.

 

In the video linked a few pages back, I saw the name Phil Casaus among the list of employees. If I'm not mistaken, Phil was at the Albuquerque Tribune when that paper was closed. Imagine that, having to go through this twice.

 

I'll try really hard.