Arkansas Blog

They need to get rid of non-reporter columnists like Brummett and Sanders instead of reporters. If they want to be a provider of NEWS, then get rid of those who provide no news.

Then there's the pending loss of several NWA newspaper carriers.

Seems Warren Stephens doesn't have enough billion$.

The Stepthens paper in NWA, The Morning News, is now requiring delivery personnel to
pay for their own plastic sleeves which cover the daily delivered newspaper. The added cost was 5 cents each, now it's been upped to 10 cents.

If a carrier delivers 200 papers per day here's their pay decrease:

200x .10x 30 = $600 per month pay decrease for doing the very same job they have
done for the past few years.

Carriers pay for their own gas too. So calculate Cheney-Stephens gas prices out of their take home pay.

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Investigative reporters are a dying breed. Most people only want them investigating 'other' folk/causes, advertisers tend not to like their stuff and newspapers don't want to spend the necessary money (story/time wise...salaries have always been relatively pitiful.) If only Democracy didn't need em so much, they'd be virtually extinct.

Yup, elwood, Stephens, like so many corporations, is squeezing the last few cents out of struggling workers' hides.

Maybe a silver-lining in all this economic crap will be the return of our much-needed unions...maybe. Damn Ronald Reagan.

The fort Smith paper was hit today.
A photog (arguably one of their best ones), 4 or 5 ad people, 3 circulation people, a sports guy.

ARK. BLOG: A Fort Smith newspaper employee says the sports staff member left for reasons unrelated to layoffs.

I'm a former Stephens Media employee who left of his own volition earlier this year, and I just wanted to put in a couple of observations.

Firstly, eark, Brummett and Sanders produce something even more valuable than news stories: They produce readers. There are any number of folks who will pick up or subscribe to a paper just because one of those two are in it (Brummett far more so than Sanders, I'm sure). Advertisers care far more about subscriber counts than the size of the news hole. So Brummett and Sanders will be the last to go, I suspect, if it came down to it.

And to clear up a common conception, Stephens Media is not owned by Stephens Inc. It is the only Stephens family property, as far as I know, that remained in joint custody between Stephens Inc. and Stephens Group after the two family factions divvied up the holdings. So, technically, both companies have a say in how things are done at Stephens Media. That said, it was always Warren Stephens who was invoked at our office when talking about the corporate offices, never Witt.

Can't offer any insights into the current situation, though I can verify there was a hiring freeze put in place company wide months and months ago.

I can't imagine many readers buy their papers for Brummett. He seldom says anything that's not been heard before on this blog or TV. And I would think Sanders would bring in the least readers of all.

It might be merger time in NWA.

Thank you Squirrelhenge. It's so seldom we get facts.

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real
The past two talks John Brummett gave in NWA which I attended packed the house. This was during the past 3 years. He's very popular in NWA. In addition to being a good writer with whom many of us, including moi, have differences he is also an outstanding opinion columnist. He can offend equally but he has a better grip on Arkansas politics than any other writer in the state.

I have a problem with his arrogance at times. But, maybe that's just in Arkansas circles.
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On a more positive note, Warren Stephens just shot a 2-over-par 74 at Alotian today and is at the men's grill having a sip of Chardonnay while considering another nine before nightfall. He'll avoid the trick-or-treating kiddies tonight by staying at his cottage on the Alotian property.

Don Reynolds made a fabulous fortune while paying his employees chump change. The Stephenses know a good business model when they see one.

A great man passes! Studs Terkel has died. If only he could have lived to see a Chicagoan and Democrat elected on Tuesday. There was a great American journalist.

I too worked for Donrey Media, but long, long ago. Maybe with these layoffs it's time to revive the FDR parties. The DR stands for Don Reynolds - you can guess the other initial.