How far apart were the Beacon Journal and Terry Pluto?
Probably not much, especially after you read the memo from Terry to staff (posted here on the ABJ retiree blog, thanks to John Booth at Crain's Cleveland Business for the link) where some of the angst he feels is pretty obvious. I'm told the ABJ matched dollar-for-dollar the offer from the Superior Lords at the PD but it was about reach -- and keeping those faith columns. It's the latter that might have been the biggest issue at the richer Plain Dealer, not exactly known for opening up to all things God; some of the editors in Cleveland had to overcome objections to all those greater numbers of readers actually wanting a word or two on faith.There's been some murmuring the PD has other columnists in their crosshairs, too; the fact new editor Susan Goldberg comes from a Knight-Ridder background is important. Interestingly enough, the PD isn't insulated from the same pressures squeezing newspapers but the fact they do have greater reach means they have more physical dollars to play with. One longstanding ABJ scribe says they (note I'm not ID'ing gender here) would entertain the call if it came.
The ABJ putting Doug Oplinger in the ME's post is a smart move; Doug is very well-respected and a more than solid journalist (yes, I'm a big fan of his work even though lots of broadcasters complain those stories have too many words...) and should send a message that Bruce Winges is serious about rebuilding to former glory what conventional wisdom would say is on the ropes. That's why tweaking conventional wisdom is so much fun; because it is so often wrong. Pat McManamon is also a good choice to replace Terry on the sports page.
Contrary to what the "convention wisdom" exhibits we wish the Beacon the best in restoring the paper; Akron's identity is defined by what's local, and having a strong local media is key to making sure we don't become just another Cleveland neighborhood swallowed up in Cleveland Plus-ville.
Finally the bulls battle: Coughlin's challenge to Arshinkoff for the soul of the Summit County GOP (discussed at length tonight on
NewsNight Akron, PBS 45/49 and broken here on AkronNewsNow) may wind up being a brutal and very personal battle. This isn't just about turf, it's also about the up-and-coming generation of new politicians starting to flex their muscles more and more. The elder guard still has plenty of fire left in their bellies but this is the way of democracy (even among Republicans) and assuming power. Look for this to be VERY personal and potentially VERY open; it is the ultimate test of Alex's power and organizational skills versus Kevin's ability to be the next generation leader and builder. (photo: elephantvoices.com)
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