Biddy of Santa Barbara, Wendy McCaw, Strikes Again
The news that Wendy McCaw, the Dennis FitzSimons seem-alike at the Santa Barbara News-Press, is suing a reporter who dared to write adversely about her depredations at her newspaper demonstrates once again that some corporate managers and owners never learn.
Ms. McCaw might, if she showed good judgement, desist a bit, wish everyone happy holidays and put herself out to pasture by putting the newspaper up for sale. If she was appropriately ashamed of her conduct, she could give it away.
But, like FitzSimons, she tries to hold on, and in the process she is digging a deeper hole for herself and her newspaper.
McCaw has a ways to go yet to match FitzSimons. She got rid of just one editor and publisher. At the L.A. Times, FitzSimons has been responsible for the demise of two of each. Plus, of course, he has moved to do in the fortunes of the Baltimore Sun, Newsday, the Hartford Courant and lesser properties, such as the perennial losers, the Chicago Cubs, representative of a city that just can't compete qualitywise with the big boys.
Meanwhile, Dean Baquet, the latest editor pushed out at the Times, is not going away quietly. He's quoted in the New York Observer, where he was named "Mensch of the year," as saying it's important to recognize a newspaper is more than a business.
New pressure must be bought against McCaw and FitzSimons, who can't seem to realize that the more they cut back, the less readers think of their newspapers and the less they are inclined to read them. So circulation falls, advertising falls, and ultimately, there will be nothing left.
Unless, of course, they realize they have no talents to run newspapers, and get out of journalism. They should take a resolution to do so in 2007.
Ms. McCaw might, if she showed good judgement, desist a bit, wish everyone happy holidays and put herself out to pasture by putting the newspaper up for sale. If she was appropriately ashamed of her conduct, she could give it away.
But, like FitzSimons, she tries to hold on, and in the process she is digging a deeper hole for herself and her newspaper.
McCaw has a ways to go yet to match FitzSimons. She got rid of just one editor and publisher. At the L.A. Times, FitzSimons has been responsible for the demise of two of each. Plus, of course, he has moved to do in the fortunes of the Baltimore Sun, Newsday, the Hartford Courant and lesser properties, such as the perennial losers, the Chicago Cubs, representative of a city that just can't compete qualitywise with the big boys.
Meanwhile, Dean Baquet, the latest editor pushed out at the Times, is not going away quietly. He's quoted in the New York Observer, where he was named "Mensch of the year," as saying it's important to recognize a newspaper is more than a business.
New pressure must be bought against McCaw and FitzSimons, who can't seem to realize that the more they cut back, the less readers think of their newspapers and the less they are inclined to read them. So circulation falls, advertising falls, and ultimately, there will be nothing left.
Unless, of course, they realize they have no talents to run newspapers, and get out of journalism. They should take a resolution to do so in 2007.
Labels: Duplicity
posted by Ken Reich at 4:53 PM
2 Comments:
How come you backed off of calling her the "b" with an itch???
The proper word, Ken, is "Biddy" not "Bitty."
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