Oregonian Sports: Doing More With Less

Perfect link for this situation. As I was reading this and other reports of papers cutting back I couldn’t help but think of Scott Templeton and his antics.

I pondered that for a bit.

That’s a lot of cash. Both in what they’re making and in the cut they’re receiving. People tend to live within their means, which creates some financial difficulty when 10% cuts are mentioned and people can’t plan their budget/finances around it. 10% would definitely put me in a difficult situation.

On the other hand… that’s a lot of money to be making as well.

The fact that there’s grumbling about people who, some feel, should be laid off instead of cuts showcases that the decision was a poor one. The dead weight should ALWAYS be tossed first, before the share the pain method is used. Then again, maybe it’s not deadweight and it’s simply an impression it is.

Do I have a point? No, not really. I maintain that the industry needs to figure out how to adapt to a new age and standardized reactions to what’s happening are not the answer because the trend will only decrease, not increase. Eventually you lose talent, your quality suffers, and the spin down the drain continues.

I enjoy all the blazer writers, sans one drama queen (who is sports and not blazers, although he does have a few nice stories that are… drama. I suppose he just bothers me because he’s wrong a lot and has strong opinions without bothering to be informed about the blazers), and I hope that they choose to stay around and continue covering the blazers in some way or form.

This totally sucks but isn’t shocking. And I don’t know that it will have an appreciable effect on content. I’m sure their prediction is that everyone will just work that much harder to maintain a level of quality in order to ensure that they’ll keep their jobs. Lot of college grads and folks out of work who would gladly hop on board, 10% pay cut or otherwise. That’s how it goes in a crapola economy, not much loyalty to be found anywhere. I mean, this is no different that the same stuff you’re seeing in all kinds of other lines of work.

Adapt and survive – doing more with less can be a good thing. Change can be challenging/demanding, but riding a fantasy wave (endless home appreciation, etc.) has its consequences. Not getting into blame here. Hindsight is 20/20. We will come out of this stronger and smarter. Not saying the transition is pleasant, but approaching it with an adapt/overcome attitute way better than fear/doom perspective. Attitude is critical.
Anyway, the Blazers success is one factor which should go a long way to keeping Blazers reporting a priority. Many more motivated readers is a big help. And I think we may have the biggest story in the NBA brewing right here at home. Go Blazers !
(Makes a great escape too !)

In the case of a few high-profile writers, that 10% cut equates to a 5 figure hit.

Um, pardon me if my sympathy for those folks is low. Their 10% hit is damn near 40% of my pay and they are a newspaper writer not a neurosurgeon… The folks who make low wages however I have deep sympathy for. People who have to dial down their lifestyles not so much. Until Wallstreet and Washington is cleansed of it’s criminal overlapping oligarchy things won’t get better.

Here’s a piece from the Atlantic that lays it out straight from a former IMF head economist.

Like I have been saying for months now folks the NBA may not go bankrupt or dissolve (Dissolution is possible but not likely – after all sports and entertainment did well during the depression) but most of us won’t be able to afford to see them…

Is my motto. To an extent the recent Quick behind the locker room door pieces have raised the bar and become must reading. This is a positive development.

When I hear about layoffs, across the board cutbacks and mandated furloughs it’s hard for me to limited my reaction to “How will this affect Blazer Coverage”. Yes, The Blazers are my favorite sports team. Yes I’m a fan. Yes I enjoy and get a lot of my information and coverage from The Oregonian. Maybe I’m not as Diehard as many Blazer Edge’rs but when I hear about what is another downturn in the local economy I could really care less about how it may or may not affect the coverage. It’s just more fellow Oregonians unemployed and/or with less resources which means less spending and further stagnation of our economy.

These are difficult times for many people, for the whole country, even the global economy. For me The Blazers as beloved as they are to me are still just a diversion and ultimately entertainment. Smaller paychecks, layoffs, and the very real problems that are created by these realities trump any concern I might have about quality of coverage. Lately I’d love to see positive headlines on the sports page about The Blazers but find myself even more desperately looking for a kernel of any sustainable positive nationwide, local or global economic good news.

As The Blazers prepare for a return to playoff contention my hope is that myself and others aren’t forced to cut discrentionary spending to the point that cable, newspapers and even the golden apple of an actual ticket to the game doesn’t become something out of reach.

My Grandmother (98 yrs old) tells stories of community based entertainment during the Great Depression. Neighborhood sponsered movies, community potluck dinners. Priorities change, here’s hoping for better times ahead for The Blazers, The Oregonian and the entire global economy. But for me, more layoffs, cutbacks and belt tightening is hard for me to accept as positive. At some point we must start expanding and consuming to get the economy growing again.

The only shocking thing is that newspapers have lasted as long as they have.

in the short time i’ve known you,
look how good a blog you write