An apology

I must, sadly, admit that I was wrong about the newspaper merger. I doubted the reduction in staff and consolidation of media agencies would lead to increased local coverage. Clearly, my prediction was off the mark. Anyone who saw the local story on peanut butter cookies must certainly feel more connected to the community. I mean, nothing says home like cookies, right?
And how can anyone decry the local comics. You didn't find them? No, not on the opinion page; there's nothing local there. It's near the back page.
Again, I did not realize there would be so many more local stories, and I apologize for besmirching the papers' good names. Or is that the paper's good names. Or good name. I still get confused over that.

Quick thoughts

Is it just me, or does the Daily Record's layout suddenly remind me of the Morning News? I didn't realize fonts were included in the merger agreement.

Twice the news for your money

The newspaper merger was supposed to be good for the community. By eliminating competition between reporters, it was supposed to bring more stories specialized for the reader.

So here's what more news means. Forget that the Daily Record sports page was headlined by University of Arkansas stories from the Democrat Gazette, while a Rogers story and a snoozer about a Siloam Springs junior dying were at the bottom (This proves how much news is in the paper, because normally the death of any somewhat-prominent high school junior would rate the front page and more than four paragraphs). What proves there is more news is this story about a Florida wide receiver committing to play for the Razorbacks. It was so important, it was printed, in its entirety, on pages 9 and 11. Thank you, Daily Record, for reminding us what our priorities should be.

Less than the sum of their parts

So now you know. We all know. The northwest Arkansas newspapers are all under the same "umbrella," which sounds for an inappropriate euphemism, since it is the rest of us who need shelter from the storm.

So on the front page of Monday's Morning News, you have stories by MN staffers. On the front page of the Daily Record, you have two stories by DR staff (amazingly neither was about Chrystal Bridges) and one by an MNer.

I found this curious bit of philosophy in Sunday's editorial pages of the Daily Record and Morning News:

Sometimes the members of this choir will each sing his own tune. That will make things interesting. The differences among us are as much a part of this region’s strength as the cooperation. When everybody thinks the same way, nobody’s thinking, the wise heads say. Well, that has never been a problem around here.

(for those of you bothering to subscribe: http://bcdr.nwanews.com/news/2009/nov/01/our-view-new-era-begins-readers-20091101/)

Funny to think how there will be harmony or, more importantly, disharmony among the four "newspapers" when there is only one editorial page editor and one editor overall. Those of you who enjoyed only the Morning News, congratulations. You got it. For anyone who liked both or only the Daily Record, who knows. Maybe someone will rise from the ashes to provide another voice for Benton County. Maybe not. I guess it depends if anyone cares enough to support the dissident.

So who are the survivors in this merger? By my count, only six people from the Daily Record were kept. Mike Jones is still city editor for the Daily Record, and he keeps Jeff Mores, Tracy Neal and Tabatha Hunter, who you might know if you've ever spotted Jones at lunch, as they're always with him. David Dempsy was also rehired, as was one of the sports writers. Meanwhile, I know of only two layoffs from the Morning News, so clearly the Morning News stocked the pond.

Unfortunately, the Morning News has long relied on Associated Press content, leaving its staff free to take their time in writing stories and falling fall short of churning out content. But the Democrat Gazette would never pay for the same stories twice, so the Morning News is on its own. And all the people used to fast turnover of content are now trying to find someone else who might appreciate those skills.

At this point, I can only add to the drum beats, to the war cries screaming about their lost voice. The time for action has ended. A rebirth of quality journalism may still, and it is sorely needed, but it will take men and women of means entrusting their wealth to men and women of the pen. Until such people come forward, I wish us all good luck.

Quick thoughts

The newspaper merger is clearly bad. How bad? We'll discuss that Monday.

The deciding factor

The rallying cry among merchants is that downtown Rogers will be saved by service. If that is true, salvation is on its way.

Take the latest example. We'll compare Friday's Goblin Parade in downtown Rogers with Saturday's trick-or-treating at the Promenade.

The Goblin Parade was a triumph of cooperation and enthusiasm. The merchants were in prime form with candy bowls at just about every door, and those from outside the downtown filled in the gaps between shops. My daughter walked away with a tremendous amount of candy, including some of the "good stuff" like miniature candy bars that cost a lot for independent businessmen and women whose customer traffic hasn't been exactly steady.

At the Promenade, granted, we arrived about an hour into the event (which was scheduled to last four) and found businesses already out of candy. Others weren't participating. But the real kicker was what we found in my daughter's bag. One shop (no names to protect the clearly guilty) dropped in a coupon. Another put in perfume samples. You did just read that, and it wasn't a typo. This was, for the Promenade shops with their nameless owners, a marketing opportunity.

To the extent I am able, I will shop in downtown Rogers, where I know the shopkeepers are focused on community, not money.

Starting the Refugee Watch

Since news of the merger came out, reporters (at least the ones calm enough to broach the subject) are starting to talk about their futures with their respective publications and industry at large. Some are expecting to leave, but some are planning to leave. It seems the corporate bigwigs have pushed too hard and will lose some of their top talent. These are times of trial and tribulation for the local press. Please support them, because they believed they were supporting you.