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June 23, 2008
Forget the seven words you can't say on television...
I know this blog is supposed to tackle issues at the Connecticut Post and www.connpost.com, but the death of George Carlin's got me bummed out.
Yes, he's famous for that bit about the seven words you can't say on television, but he was so much more.
To those of us of a certain age, nothing was funnier than Carlin's Al Sleet, the hippy-dippy weatherman. That was back in the hazy, crazy late '60s and early '70s, man, when Sleet loved to talk about that big ole Canadian high moving in. And Carlin's Biff Barf was a microcosm of those screaming TV sportscasters of the day. Just thinking about that brings a smile to my face again.
And later in his career Carlin would ask questions like, "why do they call it a driveway if you park on it? And why do you drive on the parkway?"
One of my favorites was "legally drunk."
How could you be legally drunk, Carlin asked.
"But officer," Carlin would say after his buddy was pulled over for zig-zagging, "you can't arrest my friend, he's legally drunk."
Too much.
And I'll leave you with one of Biff Barf's favorite sports lines:
"And we've got a partial score, here, folks. Yankees 6, ...
Posted by Ted Tompkins on 3:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Who knew column on Russert would spark this?
You just don't know what's going to set off readers. Staff writer Amanda Cuda certainly could not have predicted the reaction to her Sunday column on the media coverage of NBC newsman Tim Russert's death. In fact, one Shelton reader even canceled her subscription.
While acknowledging Russert's talent, Amanda's column asked if maybe it was too much, with so many talking heads going on for days with remembrances and about how much he was loved, which I'm sure he was. He seemed like a good guy.
Amanda came to work today to be greeted by e-mails attacking her, as if she'd spoken disparagingly of Russert, which -- if you read the column -- she had not. Folks, she was questioning the coverage, not the man.
One reader even suggested Amanda had never grieved over a loved one. Maybe because TV brings so many faces into our homes, some come to feel people like Russert are part of the family. I guess I get that, but I'll bet nobody who e-mailed Amanda actually knew Russert. And to suggest Amanda was being critical of Russert couldn't be further from the truth.
If you haven't read the column, you can find it by clicking here:
http://www.connpost.com/ci_9651507?IADID=Search-www.connpost.com-www.connpost.com#
Posted by Ted Tompkins on 2:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 17, 2008
Finding space for all the high school graduations
One of the more difficult tasks here at the Post is trying to include all the high school graduations in the newspaper so that size and placement is fair to all. We really wrestle over this. This week alone, nearly two dozen graduations will take place, and we're covering them all in words and pictures.
That's the hard part.
Sending reporters and photographers to each ceremony drains much manpower and often means a split shift for staffers, but it gets done. Because we know readers expect it.
The other challenge is finding the space, especially in today's world of shrinking newspapers. Tuesday's Post, for example, included photos and stories from Barlow, Harding, Central, Stratford and Bunnell ceremonies Monday night. It would have been one more if Shelton had not postponed to Tuesday night, so Wednesday's Post will include seven graduations.
Accommodating them all means creating pages in the A section with plenty of space for photographs and text, while still leaving room for other news. We were fortunate that no major stories broke this week that would have demanded a large amount of space.
And thanks to connpost.com, we are able to offer readers many more graduation photos than we can publish in the newspaper. In fact, you can scroll through slideshows of photos and even purchase those you like.
As much work as graduations mean for many on the staff, we know that you only graduate from high school once, and we try to capture and preserve that day in words and pictures.
So if you didn't see a picture of yourself, or your son or daughter in the Post this week, check out www.connpost.com. They just might be there.
Posted by Ted Tompkins on 6:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
