Only the trees aren't crying

(photo: by lachance)

We weren't going to write about this --  the last day of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer -- but how can we not?

It is, after all, the biggest Seattle media event since Frank Blethen shot the dog, or the first edition of The Stranger, or the fateful day KVI picked up Rush Limbaugh.

(Unlike  if we were a newspaper, we didn't have an obit ready to go when the lingering Loved One suddenly passed. We shoulda: this day has been predicted for years.)

Now the Times is reportedly tottering. Losing one of the huge daily newsrooms is bad enough, losing both is unthinkable.

The jerks will breath a little easier; the Republic is left a little queasier; having these many fewer reporters digging around. 

Local broadcast news isn't up to it: teevee and radio have been laying off for years, and have been barely more than sound-bite generators for a long time. Except for timid public radio, who does some depth (but little investigative) radio and teevee have been dependent on their editors reading the dailies first thing in the morning.

We never thought much of the P-I growing up. The family males were Republicans, and the stodgy, Seattle Times with its, cautious, gray columns, cautious gray writers, and predictably conservative editorial pages suited our family of small-town family business just fine. Besides, they only read it on Sundays.

People we knew said the P-I and all Hearst papers were yellow rags, and sure enough, lurid stories of violent crimes were splashed daily across the front page in a type size the Times was saving for the 2nd Coming... and if there were no suitably violent crimes in Seattle, then another city's violence would do.

Our first involvement with the paper was 7th & 8th grades as a vital link in filling the newshole in the town and environs of Ferndale, Washington. We peddled the P-I bike-wise, six mornings a week. It was hell, but extremely well-paid.

But by the mid-1960 's our perceptions, politics, and the P-I had changed. Our heads were turned by cartoonist Ray Collins, reporter Tom Robbins, education writer Frank Herbert, the mythic Darrell Bob Houston. It became our personal Seattle paper of record.

The Times, we shed with our father's politics. 

We did our first freelance for the P-I because we knew Walt Evans, a long dead editor for whom we'd worked on the Lynden Tribune while in high school.

Our first story was a feature about a couple of Seattle kids who were our shipmates on the SS Brooklyn Heights, a raggedy freighter we were signed onto in the South China Sea in 1966. We mailed it from Da Nang, but it never saw print because the pictures were ruined after the film was x-rayed by the Army as it came into the US. We got our first kill-fee.

Later we were the restaurant critic there, wrote a dining column, and did some freelance features over the years.

We don't know if business columnist, Bill Virgin is staying or leaving. His Wednesday On Radio column is one of the few, if not only, local radio columns still in print. If it gets some bytes on the new on-line P-I , we'll all be lucky. Read his incisive last column: Class final: How to kill an American newspaper here.

Despite it was owned by the Hearst Corporation, one of the largest (and historically one of the most ruthless and reckless) corporations on earth; despite the reporting staff was smaller, and the coverage thinner than the Times, the P-I was always the underdog in the Seattle newspaper wars.

We always liked the underdog; we'll miss the P-I. but hell, we stole it off the Net everyday like everybody else. We had a hand in killing it.

Comments

[PIFan]

March 17, 2009 (St. Patricks Day), surely (to quote an infamous American president) "a day that will live in infamy" as regards Seattle history. This is sad from a nostalgic point of view but certainly understandable from a technological and business sense.

I wish nothing but the best to all the fine hard-working and diligent employees of the PI, good luck to you all and "thanks for the memories".

[Coiler]

Art Thiel is one of the best sportswriters, his term of "Tyee gridheads" to describe rabid Husky fans is what makes him great.

[joanie]

I always preferred the PI but for reasons I didn't really understand until now. Thanks, Michael.

I heard about forty people are involved in the online version. I wish them luck.

It is a sad day for Seattle.

[Habu]

I would suggest that if the local rags would report with less leftist slant they may make it. But they cant refrain from their snarky leftist coloring of everything that doesnt fit their political drift.

Fair and balanced-what a concept.

It is reported this morning that the TNT and The Olympian are faltering, reducing staff, and in some cases salary.

Think of the the trees.

[Duke T.]

The failure of the newspapers have nothing to do with the opinions on the editorial pages or any ideological slant projected on them by right-wing ignoramuses. Even Dori says that. The right can't stand the truth.

[Coiler]

That's the whole idea of a 2 newspaper town, you must of slept through civics.

[marc]

Read Virgin's column, Habu if you actually want to learn something. Mikey's linked it above. Talk radio hasn't done so well around here either. Many of the media problems that apply to print apply to radio and teevee. Otherwise, John Carlson and Dori Monson, and Dave Ross Peter Weissbach would have huge audiences instead of fighting over a smaller and smaller pie.

[AuthenticAndrew]

If the papers were failing due to leftist slant they would have failed a lot sooner. It's quite amazing they've held on for as long as they have with the Internet being in full swing for nearly a decade now. I can't think of any other industry that has glided along as well as dead tree media so long after their obsoletion.

I wonder if the Times will get a business boost from having it's only alternative taken of the table. If so, it might even be able to hire some of the recently laid off help.

[nevets]

Sad day? THink positive people. Sure some of you will miss your favorite time of the day, sitting on the toilet reading the paper. Thinking of Coiler after you flush. But now you will have some extra time to maybe start that New Years resolution of losing a few pounds. Maybe have a few more moments with your kids before going off to work. The possibiluities are endless with what you can do with that extra time without a newspaper.

[PIFan]

Yeah, more time for the computer. Try wrapping your fish in that laptop or desktop.

[Coiler]

Hey nevets, I'm sure the PI doesn't need WalMart since they don't support local papers anyway

[HoBo]

We need to have The Stranger
go daily!

[Bill]

Class act, as always, Nevets. I'm sure you make your family proud.

Not.

[Brian]

The truth is, the PI was losing way more market share than the Times BEFORE the advent of the internet. So, any rational mind would surmise that their leftist slant had a lot to do with their failure. They seemed to forget that most of their audience was living outside the liberal enclave of Seattle's city limits.

[AuthenticAndrew]

I don't really care either way, but I think your reasoning is slanted to the right. By your logic Betamax failed because of the liberal bias in the movies offered in the Betamax format.

[Tried and truth]

The times is a leftist paper. The Stranger is a leftist paper. The Weekly is a leftist paper. All TV networks are leftist (except Fox News). Most books are leftist. There is nothing true available to us but talk radio and some internet sites.

[sparky]

And how do you know this, Brian??

I wonder if this is just a time in history where there is another big cultural shift. Generations have grown up with a paper copy of the newspaper, but now we have other ways to find information. Same with traditional radio. I hate to see either one go away permanently, but maybe this is how other generations felt with the advent of other technology like the phone and the auto and the airplane, which changed forever how we lived.

Anyway, I bought a copy this morning to keep as a historical piece.

[Woody Held]

Well, with no PI to read, and TBTL, Dr. Laura, and Coast to Coast providing no viable alternative, I suggest we retire to the basement for some spirited
ping pong

[Snarky]

Found this blog by googling Walt Evans, who we instinctively thought of upon hearing the news about the P-I.

Given that today is St. Patrick's Day, Walt undoubtedly would have found someting to celebrate, or at least held a fine wake.

[thothman]

This day has been a long time coming. With Craigslist taking over classifieds, and big biz going for targeted internet ads, the last nail has been dangling over the coffing for quite a while now.
I use to buy both the Times and the PI on my ferry ride from Kitsap to Seattle every day, I enjoyed both of them becoming am papers for that reason alone, to be able to read the news of the day from both slants, and try an figure out the truth inbetween somewhere. I haven't bought a paper daily for quite some time. the news is always a day old and that seems to out of touch for nowadays.
I do lament that when news in the form of papers is gone that means that there will no longer be a need for the timeworn classic first job, a paper route. It taught me a great deal about responsibility, having to get up every morning early rain or shine. Finding replacement workers when I needed to be away. Invoicing and collecting acounts receivables, paying the suppliers, etc. I can't imagine a modern equivalent of a better starter job than a paper route.

[Fremont]

Thanks for the tribute, Bla'M...I hope the P.I. writers are as internet-ly successful as you are! The sun sets with a nostalgic sadness today behind the revolving PI globe...plop!

[Habu]

Thothman...."I can't imagine a modern equivalent of a better starter job than a paper route."

Not to worry. Our highly educated young entrepeneurs have entered the manufacturing, marketing, and distrubution occupations. They cant make, market and distribute meth fast enough. Think of the chemistry knowledge required to produce a viable product, the purchasing of chemicals, marketing pitches to prospective dealers, pimps and soloists, and providing reliable and secure distrubution methods on schedule. They also must consider what weapons to use and today that is a challenge with the zero induced run on ammo of all calibers. Recommendation-the AK-47 family (many configurations and of course a suppressed .22 Hi Standard shooting the whispering .22 Short as issued by the Company in days gone by). Rugged, reliable, and plenty of ammo avaialbe from gangs and illegals. However, they must learn not to load the 30 round mag to capacity-no more than 29-28 recommended to prevent malfunctions during fascinating moments of intercourse.

Secondary gains include more business for dentists, docs, counselors, and funeral directors.

Is that a modern equivalent of a better starter job than say working at a fast food vendor-or an Albertsons or Safeway stocking? And, all home produced in our excellent K-12 system.

Habu
Preparing to walk among trees with my chainsaw to induce anxiety on trees that think they have escaped the blade due to the Seattle PI rag folding.

[joanie]

Thanks, Habu. If anyone had any doubt about your politics or integrity, you have eliminated them completely.

A picture of pure evil, ignorance and stupidity.

[Habu]

Home from the bar early Swino?
Thought St Pats would give you an excuse to mega guzzle. Appears it did.

You just cant fathom when you are having your chain jerked can you? ETOH does that to one's reasoning abilities.

Take a deep breath, have a night cap, and go sleep it off.

Tomorrow is another day to irriate you libs.

[joanie]

That's a beautiful building, isn't it. Somehow it fits a big city newspaper. I wonder what will happen to it?

Yes Ubah, you reveal yourself with every word. Keep it up. The only chain you know how to jerk is in the john.

[Habu]

Yes Ubah,

That wine affects your comprehension and spelling swino.

CIA is going to relocate from Bellevue to the PI building so they can be closer to the center of gravity of you libs and produce more disinformation for you to gorge yourselves on and provide tinfoil hat topics for you to call AA and rant. Of course, as you are coming to realise, it was a Company plot to destroy the PI to obtain the location. Obviously they terminated Randi's show with extreme prejudice. it worked. HOWEVER, if you contact zero, maybe he will contact the Lion Leon of Langley and get her out of the rendition program and back on the air.

You libs are so easy, and cheap entertainment.

[Coiler]

Another angry right wing male, where do they go after being had by the likes of Pills Limbaugh?

[joanie]

Probably back to the john. Searching the walls for their next post and practicing their chain jerking.

[sparky]

This is what they do after Rush dumps them or they go buy themselves a Pat Boone box.

[thothman]

habu, I started my paper route when I was twelve. I pray to God that there aren't any twelve year olds cooking meth. I didn't get my job at Safeway as a boxboy until I was sixteen, guess Safeway wants to be in compliance with child labor laws. That is why I regret the demise of the paper route as a job that an enterprising young (under 16) lad or lass can perform for some discretionary income. I made right around $100 a month from my route and that was thirty years ago dollars. I still can't think of what some lad or lass can do for that kind of steady income in todays modern world. (legitimate jobs that is).
Another side effect of losing the paper form of news: No longer being able to hide behind the folds of the paper at the breakfast table so as to be in your own world not to be disturbed.

[chucks]

We are just going to adapt and overcome. The News Tribune dumped kids delivering the paper years ago.
I to had a paper route some 45 years ago. In the morning, I delivered the paper and after school was mowing lawns.
My grandkids can still mow lawns plus wash cars. They will learn to be the evil capitalist pigs the world needs.

[Habu]

I too had a route at the same age as you for about a year. Then I started farm labor work-working in mint, orchards, aspargus, moving sprinker pipes,grinding corn, weeding etc. I doubt kids do those jobs today as the illegals unfortunately pretty much have the run of the labor jobs. Be good for some of our young gravity challenged kids to do some labor. Could be an incentive to want soemthing better in life. It sure did for me.

[Fremont]

Wow, woodyheld, I had to download a Quicktime update to access that fab ping-pong match...what an anticlimactic bummer! It was like opening a copy of yesterday's P-I....

Great pic, Sparkly!

[woody held]

In Europe they appreciate great alternative sports like ping pong. No doubt ugly white US males like yourself do not.

I suppose you are a football fan; I am not. Did you know that the average lifespan of an NFL player is 55 years? No wonder the Europeans do not like us.

[Paul Johnson]

Anti police, anti white, anti military, praise for Marxist Obama, queers in public office, pro globull warming, all things that traditional decent moral Americans know are not right. I wonder why they can't sell ads or their rag? Good riddance to the PI and all the other Marxist rags about to go. And soon goodbye to ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and the rest of them who don't get the message. Love Paul

[nevets]

Well, at least someone wont feel the pain this Administration is going to put us through. Lets see how many people Fisher will put on the inemployment line to pay this settlement. I'm sure those families will be very proud that April got hers.

[nevets]

Whoops, wrong thread. Sorry.

[KS]

Paul - hey man, where's the love ?