Something's Missing...

BIG CHANGES AT THE DAILY PILOT
This week marks a new era in local news.  As announced earlier by editor John Canalis, beginning today, Monday, November 12, 2012, The Daily Pilot - our newspaper of record for more than a century - has taken another significant step backward as it wrestles with the requirements of producing the best local news while trying to remain fiscally sound and support its parent company's attempts to emerge from bankruptcy.


DOWN TO 5 DAYS PER WEEK
This week The Daily Pilot, which has not been "daily" for some time when it dropped Mondays, becomes even less so as they transition to producing a print product only 5 days per week - Wednesday through Sunday - dropping Tuesdays beginning tomorrow.


COLUMNISTS DROPPED, REDUCED OR SHIFTED
Coincident with this change, we will also no longer see some familiar bylines.  Weekly columns produced by Greer Wylder, Amy Senk, Chuck Cassity, Crissy Brooks and Mona Shadia have all been dropped.  Shadia moved on to the Orange County Register. 
 
Both Jack Wu and Jeffrey Harlan will be published every other week instead of weekly.  Steve Smith's column will be published on Fridays and Jim Carnett's column will be found on Wednesdays.
 
Patrice Apodaca and Bruce Cook will remain as weekly columnists. 

SERNA AND REICHER
These changes come on the heels of the departure of ace reporters Joseph Serna and Mike Reicher.  Serna moved on to the parent newspaper, The Los Angeles Times, and Reicher now covers our area for The Register.


THE REGISTER GOES THE OTHER WAY
Personally, I'm saddened that these changes have been made, but it seems to be representative of changes throughout the print media nationally.  All of them seem to be looking for the right blend of print and electronic media to provide the news promptly and still be able to make money on it.  The exception is the Orange County Register, whose new owner Aaron Kushner, is doing the exact opposite.  He's throttling back the electronic side and is pouring tons of money into revitalizing the print product.  Recently he's advertised for dozens of media types - writers, reporters, editors, etc. - as witnessed by the departure of Shadia and Reicher from The Daily Pilot.
 

BLOOM TO THE REGISTER, TOO

In a related move, veteran newsman Roger Bloom - editor of the Newport Beach Independent and a mainstay at the Feet To The Fire Forums - will also soon join the Register to help establish more local newspapers similar to The Current that it distributes in our area each Friday.  The Indy is part of Firebrand Media in Laguna Beach and is still wrestling with their business model.  Right now they publish daily online and one day per week in print.


WHO'S LEFT - OLD GRUMPY AND ME?

I'm sorry that The Daily Pilot will diminish it's presence in our communities.  I hope they will continue to ramp up their electronic product and provide us with timely, accurate local news.  If "real" news outlets continue to shrink and, in some instances, disappear, it may leave the production of "news" to local blogs like this one and others.  That would be a real tragedy.

Righeimer and Wylder Out At Daily Pilot

THE DAILY VOICE REPORTS...
Wow! Big news reported by the Newport Mesa Daily Voice this morning. In a column, HERE, they report that both Jim Righeimer and Greer Wylder are out as Daily Pilot columnists! Huge news!

CONFIRMS EARLIER RUMORS
I had heard rumors earlier that Riggy was on shaky ground with his column, but declined to print that information because it wasn't a done deal. The source at the Daily Voice seems to think it is now.

RIGGY'S CHOICE
I called the Daily Pilot, spoke with two editors, who confirmed the facts as presented in the Daily Voice column - that Riggy was given the choice of retaining his column or resigning from the Planning Commission. It doesn't surprise me that he chose to leave the newspaper. I also called Riggy, who acknowledged the circumstances of this story.

UNFAIR ADVANTAGE
From my personal point of view, permitting a sitting city official to have a regular column in the Daily Pilot has always been a little curious. In my view, it was made worse because Riggy obviously had aspirations for higher office and the column gave him a platform to express his views not available to other potential opponents.

LAST COLUMN?
No word yet when the Daily Pilot will publish his final column... it may already have done so with his presentation last week.

WYLDER DEPARTURE LEAVES HUGE HOLE...
The departure of Greer Wylder is also a shocker. Her column in the Daily Pilot has a HUGE following but, according to sources at the Daily Pilot, they were unable to reach agreement on a contract. This will leave another big hole in the Daily Pilot's presentation of important information to its readers. I have no idea whether or not the fact that Wylder is married to former Daily Pilot editor, Los Angeles Times reporter and co-publisher of the Newport Mesa Daily Voice had anything to do with her departure from the Daily Pilot.

DRAMA CONTINUES
Lately it seems that there is no lack of drama over on Sunflower Street... this is just the most recent event. Ever since Sam Zell bought the Los Angeles Times parent company, The Tribune Companies, and systematically dismantled that once-proud news organization speculation has existed about the future of the Times Community News family of local news outlets, including the Daily Pilot. I've written many times that I do not want the Daily Pilot to go away... our communities need this newspaper of record for more than a century. I hope the folks managing that group find ways to adapt to the changing world of journalism and remain an important, essential part of our communities.