One Year Later - The Book Version of San Diego's Viral Hit Is Still a NY Times Bestseller.

 
* UPDATE, September 23, 2011 -- The book above has been #1 for eleven of the last 72 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List. The book finally dropped out of the top 25 on September 18, 2011. The CBS Television series, "$#*! My Dad Says," which debuted in September 2010 to mostly poor reviews, was cancelled in May 2011.   

* On May 4, 2010, "Sh* My Dad Says," the "R-rated" social media phenomenon that began in August 2009 on Twitter – attracting millions of followers as it moved to Facebook and to other social media platforms around the world – entered the rarefied air of the printed page.  

* It Books, an imprint of Harper-Collins, released a 176-page hardcover version of "S** My Dad Says" – filled with hilarious and sometimes poignant stories - supplemented by only a few of the more than 100 profane, ribald and politically incorrect quips posted on Twitter and uttered by Samuel "Sam" Halpern, the 74-year-old father of Justin Halpern of San Diego.

* The book does NOT replicate nor re-hash what's available online. It is a stand-alone product, a memoir of sorts, filled with short chapters - whereby son Justin provides the "back story" about his relationship with his father. The publisher's marketing notes describe the book as an "all-American tale that unfolds on the Little League field, in Denny's, during excruciating family road trips, and - most frequently - in the Halperns' kitchen over bowls of Grape-Nuts."  

* While some of the quips seen on Twitter do re-appear, the book is filled with fresh material. It is an equally hilarious but more fully formed (and surprisingly touching) collection of stories that paint an almost loving picture of what it was like for Justin to grow up in the shadow of his brainy and brutally blunt father.

* Justin's story has been told numerous times – and is available at so many other online venues – (the best, in my view, was published last year in the Los Angeles Times) – that I'm not going to get into an in-depth recap of how he got here today. In short, after being dumped by his girlfriend in Los Angeles, Justin Halpern, now 29, founder of the humor website, "Holy Taco" – and a senior writer for Maxim.com – moved back with his parents in San Diego.

* On August 4, 2009, he began posting a string of outrageous quips spun by his father – some dating back to Justin's own childhood – to a Twitter account, which in turn spread virally, capturing the attention of celebrities, literary agents and entertainment producers.


* Justin's father Sam, who's described as being "like Socrates, but angrier, and with worse hair" – is a retired scientist from the University of California, San Diego. He's not only corrosively blunt – but he's also, according to the Los Angeles Times, reported to be extremely protective of his privacy, refusing all requests for interviews. Whatever else we might want to know about this secretive but sometimes hilariously crude man - can only come through his adoring son - who describes his dad as "awesome."

 
* "My dad went to medical school," Justin Halpern told the Times in February. He lectured at Harvard. He's [expletive deleted] way smarter than I could ever hope to be."

 
* Sample quips from Justin's dad:  

"Look at that dog's rear. You can tell by the dilation of his a** that he's going to take a s*** soon. See. There it goes."  

"Oh please, you practically invented lazy. People should have to call you and ask for the rights to lazy before they use it."  

"You ranked the 25 Christmas presents you want, in order of how much you want them? Are you insane? I said tell me what you want for Christmas. I didn't ask you to make a f****** college football poll." 

"I'm sitting in one of those TGI Friday's places, and everyone looks like they want to shove a shotgun in their mouth."  

"Your brother brought his baby over this morning. He told me it could stand. It couldn't stand for sh**. Just sat there. Big let down."  

"Why am I going to pay $200 (for a plane ticket) so a six-year-old can see a wedding? You think that's a moment he cares about? Two years ago he was still sh****** his pants."  

"The worst thing you can be is a liar. . . . Okay, fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but then number two is liar. Nazi one, liar two."  

"My flight lands at 9:30 on Sunday...You want to watch what? What the f*** is Mad Men? Well I'm (going to be) a mad man if you don't pick me the hell up."


 
* The thing most surprising to me as a reader are passages in the book that illustrate the humanity of Justin's Dad. There are numerous "father-to-son" conversations whereby Justin's Dad, almost surreptitiously, dispenses advice based on his own experiences with the business of living and being a parent.

* For example, when Justin forgets to meet his Dad to help tend the garden - and decides instead to have a fun time with pals in Mexico - Dad is at first enraged, screaming that he almost called the cops. Then he calms down, motions Justin over, and in a rare display of open affection, grabs and bear-hugs his son and says, "You dumb s***. I can't wait until you have a kid of your own and you have to worry about what happens to him. You never stop worrying about your children. It sucks. You watch what you (get into), because this is your life, this bulls*** right here."  

* More quips from Justin's dad:  

(While watching "Schindler's List"): "What do you want? You want me to pass you some candy? They're throwing people in the f****** gas chamber, and you want a Skittles?"  

"How the f*** should I know if the food's gone bad? Eat it. You get sick, it wasn't good. You people, you think I got microscopic f****** eyes."  

"You're being f****** dramatic. You own a TV and an air mattress. That's not exactly what I'd call "a lot to lose."

"I wanted to see Detroit win. I've been there. It looks like God took a s*** on a parking lot. They deserve some good news."

"Remember how you used to make fun of me for being bald?...No, I'm not gonna make a joke. I'll let your mirror do that."  

"Give your mother the front seat...I don't give a s*** if she said you could have it, that's what she's supposed to do, and you're supposed to say, 'No, I insist.' You think I'm gonna drive around with my wife in the backseat and a nine-year-old in the front? You're a crazy son-of-a-b****."




* In my view, the greatest of ironies – one that has been missed by many observers amid the fun and frivolity about a cantankerously funny old man – is this: It's not about how popular Samuel Halpern has become – it's about how we accept and laugh more readily – at off-color remarks coming from a senior citizen.  

* My theory is because we enter and exit this world in diapers - we're reflexively more tolerant of people who are very young or very old - than we are of people who are "in the middle." We know this to be true because if Sam Halpern was a 30-year old man, he wouldn't be as funny. It's not just his words that make us howl – it's the fact that they're coming from a 74-year old man – to whom we've given more latitude to say or do whatever he wants. We give him a pass, a badge of wisdom for seeing it all. Conversely, for a toddler, we impart an aura of innocence and cuteness onto a being who's seen very little. In sum, we tend to let the very young and the very old - get away with things - that we'd never allow from others.

* More pearls of "wisdom" from Justin's dad:  

"I don't give a s*** how it happened, the window is broken... Wait, why is there syrup everywhere? Okay, you know what? Now I give a s*** how it happened. Let's hear it."  

"So he called you a homo. Big deal. There's nothing wrong with being a homosexual. No, I'm not saying you're a homosexual. J*s*s Chr*st, now I'm starting to see why this kid was giving you s***."

"Why the f*** would I want to live to 100? I'm 73 and sh**'s starting to get boring. By the way, there's no money left when I go, just fyi."  

"You need to flush the toilet more than once...No, YOU, YOU specifically need to. You know what, use a different toilet. This is my toilet."  

"Sometimes life leaves a hundred-dollar bill on your dresser, and you don't realize until later that it's because it f***** you."  

"Can we talk later? The news is on... Well, if you have tuberculosis it's not gonna get any worse in the next 30 minutes, J*s*s."  

"A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one of them wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you've failed."



* Why are we more forgiving of senior citizens delivering off-color remarks? In fact, there are educated answers that go beyond our own sense of intuition.

* Dr. Michael Mantell, a clinical psychologist, author, television correspondent and columnist for San Diego Magazine - and a former chief psychologist for Children's Hospital and Health Center of San Diego and the San Diego Police Department - believes this phenomenon is partially rooted in "a fundamental respect for elders that many still have in society."  

* "Those who don't have it," Dr. Mantell says, "are not tolerant of seniors, and are likely not tolerant of people who are younger as well. We tend to equate seniors with our grandparents. And again, for those (of us) who have positive, living relationships - our sense of respect for them continues."


* Even more gems from Justin's dad:  

(On finishing last in the 50-yard dash): "It kinda looked like you were being attacked by a bunch of bees or something. Then when I saw the fat kid with the watch who was timing you start laughing... Well, I'll just say it's never a good sign when a fat kid laughs at you."  

"You're like a tornado of bulls*** right now. We'll talk again after your bulls*** dies out over someone else's house."  

"I need to change clothes? Wow. That's big talk coming from someone who looks like they robbed a Mervyn's."  

"If mom calls, tell her I'm sh*****g. Son, marriage is about not having to lie about taking a s***."  

"Happy birthday, I didn't get you a present...Oh, mom got you one? Well, that's from me then too, unless it's sh***y."  

"Mom is smarter than you...No? Well, ask yourself this; has mom ever unknowingly had toilet paper hanging out of her a**?...Mom 1. You 0."  

"No. Tell 'em we're not doing Christmas dinner at a casino. Don't be an a** about it, but tell them why it's a f****** stupid idea."

 
* Meanwhile, as you read these words, the latest chapter in the saga of "S___ My Dad Says" has come to an end. Justin Halpern, who co-wrote and co-produced the television sit-com version of his Twitter feed (with William Shatner playing Justin's Dad) - was cancelled last month by CBS.  The show just wasn't any good.

 
* Situation comedies featuring curmudgeonly parents have been a television staple for decades. It was too much to ask the television series to defy the stark reality - that there was only so much "funny" - that could be squeezed out of this formula - and more specifically - from Justin's dad.

* So how much longer will the "Sh** My Dad Says" phenomenon last? With the death of the television show, I can't help thinking this is just a passing fad, a bright star that will quickly fade.


* So I'll stop thinking about it for now. We already know few things last forever. We don't know whether Sam Halpern is a passing fad or a potential institutional fixture on the landscape of American humor. So let's just sit back and enjoy the moment, and see how long we can continue to be lifted by our own gales of laughter.  

Original Material © 2010-2012 by David Kusumoto Communications.

** BREAKING / EXCLUSIVE - Pat Brown Promoted to Chief Weather Anchor at KGTV 10 (ABC - San Diego).

* "How's It Going to End?" has learned that nearly 18 months after her return to San Diego television news - Pat Brown has been promoted to chief weather anchor at KGTV Channel 10 (ABC) in San Diego. Although terms were not disclosed, she has signed a multi-year contract and will assume her new post on Monday, April 25, 2011.

* "I'm just jazzed to be back on the air on a regular basis on one of the top stations in San Diego," she said. "There's no place else I'd rather be."

* According to Jay Maloney, multi-platform marketing director for KGTV, Ms. Brown will return to a weekday schedule, delivering weather reports Monday through Friday during Channel 10's 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. news broadcasts. She replaces Byron Miranda, who had been the station's chief weather anchor since May 28, 2009.

* Jeff Block, KGTV vice president and general manager, expressed enthusiasm about Ms. Brown's promotion.

* "We are excited to have one of the most trusted forecasters joining San Diego’s most experienced news team," said Block. "Pat Brown knows and loves San Diego. She understands what it takes to accurately forecast our weather. San Diego trusts Pat Brown to forecast the weather, but she’s also a great person with incredible warmth and personality."

* The pioneering host of the "P.M. Magazine" show on KFMB (CBS) Channel 8 during the 1980s – Ms. Brown, (like KGTV 10's Hal Clement, who also worked at KFMB) - has been a near continuous presence on the landscape of San Diego television. A former state pageant queen from Sheperdstown, West Virginia – Ms. Brown effortlessly re-invented herself into a news reporter and TV personality – before settling into her present incarnation as a weather anchor armed with a consistently sunny disposition.

* In an ironic twist, the man Ms. Brown replaces – Byron Miranda - will leave KGTV Channel 10 San Diego to join KNBC 4 in Los Angeles. According to a press release issued by Vickie Burns, vice president of news and content for NBC - Mr. Miranda will join KNBC on May 2, 2011, helming that station's weekend weather segments at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. - as well as providing "fill-in" work during the weekdays as necessary.




* The changes come nearly two years (late June 2009) after a controversial decision by NBC brass to replace Pat Brown at KNSD (NBC San Diego, formerly NBC 7/39) - with Fritz Coleman, a meteorologist delivering news about San Diego's weather - from a network studio based in Los Angeles (KNBC Channel 4). The decision was controversial not only because it angered Ms. Brown's fan base, but more significantly, it marked the first time in San Diego television news history that the region's weather forecasts were broadcast to local viewers via satellite from Los Angeles. As one journalist noted to me back in 2009, it was a phenomenon that would never occur between NBC network-owned stations in Philadelphia and New York - two cities comparable in distance from each other as San Diego is to Los Angeles – with distinct cultural and demographic differences that can't be dismissed.





* While it's not yet formally known if Mr. Miranda will now go head-to-head during weekends at KNBC 4 Los Angeles against KGTV 10 in San Diego - it's still widely expected that he'll be delivering San Diego's weather on KNSD NBC San Diego - via satellite from KNBC's studios in Los Angeles (Burbank).

* Mr. Miranda has logged many stops in his career, working at stations in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as appearing on CNN and CNN International. Industry sources requesting anonymity pointedly noted that Mr. Miranda's exit comes just before the two-year anniversary of his contract with KGTV Channel 10 - consistent with a long-term desire to return to Los Angeles - even if it means, as it does here, reappearing in a limited role on KNBC Channel 4 - as a stepping stone to "bigger things," i.e., a larger career in news and/or in entertainment - in the nation's second largest media market.




* With the impending departure of Oprah Winfrey's talk show as a lead-in for San Diego CBS affiliate KFMB Channel 8's 5 p.m. news broadcast - the race to be #1 at 5 p.m. appears to be wide open in 2011-2012. Industry observers and advertisers are eager to see whether KFMB - minus Oprah's lead-in audience - will be able to hang onto its ratings lead during the 5 p.m. news hour.

* Meanwhile, KGTV Channel 10 News Director Joel Davis said Pat Brown's return to the station's weekday broadcasts on April 25 will be seamless.

* "Pat Brown fits right in with Kim (Kimberly Hunt), Steve (Atkinson), Hal (Clement) and the entire 10News team," he said. "Anyone who lives here knows it’s not always 70 degrees and sunny. You want someone who's been here and has the experience to understand San Diego's weather. And that’s Pat Brown."

* Ms. Brown, who has been doing fill-in work for KGTV (ABC) Channel 10 since November 2009, said she is overjoyed to return to a weekday schedule.




* "I'm never planning to leave San Diego and this is a wonderful opportunity for me to do what I love to do," she said. "I want to continue to re-connect with the fans and viewers who have followed me through the years. I've missed them and I hope they've missed me."

* This column's last story about Pat Brown - posted on November 4, 2009 - appears below.

(Original material © 2011 by David Kusumoto Communications.)



* * * * *WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009

* BREAKING / EXCLUSIVE – Pat Brown Returns to San Diego Television News.

* "How's It Going to End?" has learned that four months after leaving KNSD (NBC) Channel 7/39 – long-time San Diego news and weather anchor Pat Brown – has a new weekend gig.

* She will join ABC-affiliate KGTV Channel 10 as a weather anchor beginning this Sunday, November 8, 2009, at 6pm and at 11pm. She will work Saturdays and Sundays through the end of January, 2010.

* Pat Brown declined to comment about her status other than to say she is "happy" to be returning to San Diego television.

* However, Joel Davis, news director for KGTV Channel 10 – confirmed that Ms. Brown will fill in for weathercaster Kerstin Lindquist, who is on maternity leave.




* “We’re thrilled that since KNSD (NBC Channel 7/39) has farmed out their weather duties to Los Angeles, that we have the opportunity to bring someone of Pat’s stature and popularity to the 10 News weather team," Davis said. "It reinforces our commitment to bring San Diegans important local weather information – with the best weathercasters and the most advanced technology.”

* This development means Pat Brown will have worked at all three major network affiliates – KFMB CBS Channel 8, KNSD NBC 7/39 and KGTV ABC Channel 10 – since the late 1980s. Sources say she'll spend her weekdays continuing to serve the community as a tour guide for DayTrippers, a San Diego-based travel firm.

* My original story, posted on July 27, 2009, appears below.



* * * * *MONDAY, JULY 27, 2009
One Month Later -- What does Pat Brown's departure mean for local TV news?


* On Friday, June 26, 2009, Pat Brown gave her last weather report on NBC-owned KNSD 39 (Cable Channel 7) in San Diego.

* The pioneering host of the groundbreaking "P.M. Magazine" show on KFMB Channel 8 during the 1980s – Ms. Brown had a near continuous presence on the San Diego television news landscape. The former state pageant queen from Sheperdstown, West Virginia (1977), moved west – and effortlessly re-invented herself into a beauty-with-brains TV personality and news reporter – before settling into her last incarnation as a weather anchor armed with an effervescently sunny on-air disposition. In an industry never known for stability, Ms. Brown's admirers knew her to be just that – a consistently productive and positive force for San Diego television programming – and for the community she continues to serve.

* The following Monday, Ms. Brown was replaced by Fritz Coleman, a nearly 30-year veteran of the TV wars from KNBC Channel 4 in Los Angeles, one of NBC's flagship-owned stations (alongside WNBC in New York).





* But that wasn't the headline to some of us. The headline was that the award-winning Mr. Coleman, by all accounts a "nice guy" with broad appeal – is now broadcasting his San Diego weather reports from Los Angeles – on a custom-built set back at KNBC.

* Though such "arrangements" aren't new – the move was the first of its kind involving a network-owned news station in San Diego. It illustrates the dire economic health of local television news – with KNSD NBC 39 (in my view) – probably faring the worst, budget wise, among its competitors. Station managers everywhere have been slashing budgets – first dumping behind-the-scenes staff and "superfluous programming" – while saving their biggest (and most visible) cuts for last.

* Pat Brown's departure wasn't your garden variety "revolving door" personnel change. It was emblematic of something worse that has cast a chill in the rooms and halls of KNSD NBC 39 – and beyond. Wishful-thinking station heads might be blocking out the precedent – and scoffing at satirically minded suggestions that any station that "jobs out" any portion of its local identity to a distant area code – is setting itself up to be wiped out entirely - by a thousand paper cuts afflicted over the next several years. Some TV insiders are quietly saying that "it could've been worse." Well, that's true. Maybe they should be thankful. They believe the tempest surrounding Ms. Brown's departure will "blow over." And likely it will. Fritz Coleman has already won over some skeptics – and I give credit to news director Greg Dawson for trying to manage the ill-smelling winds of anger still blowing after this change.

* But the bigger picture that's unique to KNSD NBC Channel 39 – has less to do with Pat Brown – and more to do with the station itself being owned by NBC. Ms. Brown's departure raised eyebrows, for sure. But what was more ideologically significant to journalists – was that her departure and subsequent replacement by talent based in Los Angeles - was the first blatant evidence of what's been going on for a long time at network-owned stations in markets smaller than San Diego, e.g., the creeping decentralization of news and weather information – led by network executives who work in distant offices. Thus we have a classic instance whereby it's not always good to be OWNED by a network – and why it's sometimes better to be a network affiliate operating with greater independence.

* Since about 2002, TV news stations have been trending toward hiring more versatile reporters and anchors. These so-called "video-journalists" carry their own cameras and edit their own news segments – and sometimes get the privilege to present them live on the anchor desks where their higher-paid colleagues sit. Everyone knows that every "hybrid journalist" invited to the anchor desk to present his or her story – is being "screen tested." Such "hybrids" save big-time dollars for station managers – and equally significant, they can serve as "leverage" when the contracts of highly paid news anchors come up for renewal.

* On the surface, it appears to some that Pat Brown's "Achilles heel" was not being "versatile" enough. If so, you can count on other anchors at NBC 7/39 to be reviewed similarly for "fitness and compatibility" with the network's finance department. Hence the oft-heard advice during the last few years remains sound, e.g., "if you're still in TV news – the faster you can jump on the "hybrid train" the better – thus avoiding obsolescence and/or getting dragged or tossed behind.

* Local news anchors draw salaries that are double, triple or even higher than those working behind the scenes. An anchor's "work" is to bring in ratings. So what's that got to do with Pat Brown? Nothing unless you think she was a drag on ratings. I personally don't. It was all about saving money – but in a way more pernicious because the station is owned by a network - that decreed that news about the weather – does NOT require a local person to deliver it, hence can be pared less painfully than other departments.

* Everyone working in television news sees the handwriting on the wall. But in the past, even when times were good - that handwriting was mostly about being dumped in a budget cut and being replaced by someone cheaper, usually someone younger from a smaller market.

* But at a network-OWNED station – you have the additional fear of watching departments consolidated or phased out in stages, replaced by talent or crews located hundreds of miles away at other stations bigger than your own. It's analogous to newspapers shedding staff while publishing articles by news syndicates or wire services that are written in other states.



* What's unfortunate is despite the acknowledged downturn in local TV news nationwide - (because web-based news keeps siphoning viewers away) – the band-aid patches applied by network-owned-and-operated "suits" can't stop the bleeding. And watering down a station's local news product – under the aegis of saving money during a recession – also risks washing away the higher purpose of targeting audiences and advertisers in a region that will drift further away from KNSD NBC Channel 39 – and toward competing stations that remain committed to San Diego.

* It bears repeating that San Diego is the ninth largest city in the U.S. Yet corporate America and NBC keeps treating San Diego as if it's geographically, demographically and politically identical to Los Angeles. I sense that Mr. Dawson knows this to be true, even if he can't say it. Corporate America has always acted as if San Diego is a suburb of Los Angeles – and even believe its WEATHER is the same – despite San Diego's location on a harbor and Los Angeles's location on a smoggy basin.

* NOTE: Philadelphia is about the same distance to New York (and yet so different in character) - as San Diego is to Los Angeles. But NBC knows that replacing Philly-based weather anchors at WCAU NBC Channel 10 - with their counterparts at WNBC 4 in New York - would be greeted with outrage. Yet network executives continue to have a "blind spot" about San Diego - seeing it as being the same as L.A. - despite the polarizing political and cultural differences that are obvious to viewers in both cities.

* Pat Brown will re-invent herself like she always has – and will turn up soon because of her strong ties to the community. But in my view, intra-state or interstate consolidations – involving network-owned news stations like KNSD Channel 39 in San Diego – are incompatible with efforts to maintain revenues from local advertisers. Magnify that when you consider NBC's prime-time lineup is weak on every evening except Thursday – and that its sports product is limited to golf, NFL Sunday Night Football and the Olympics.

* The final irony amid all these words is this. A visit to KNSD NBC 7/39's website on Monday, July 27, 2009 at 9:45 p.m. Pacific Time – yielded the following banner slogan:

* * * * * *

(Original material © 2009-2012 by David Kusumoto Communications.)

UPDATED - Who's Covering What Beats at the San Diego Union-Tribune?

 

* What follows is a revised partial list of reporters, editors and photographers still working at the San Diego Union-Tribune. This list is PRELIMINARY and INCOMPLETE. All information is subject to change without notice as things continue to settle in at the main offices of the U-T in Mission Valley.

* Please check my main story about the changes at the Union-Tribune which were announced on June 17, 2010 by clicking here.

* As a public service to journalism and public relations colleagues in the greater San Diego area - this blog post contains a partial list of staffers assigned by Union-Tribune editor-in-chief Jeff Light. Mr. Light's vision for the paper, expected to be completed by the end of this summer, was previously outlined in his Editor's Note to readers.

* If you have information or corrections, please message me by clicking the "Contact" link located in the upper left corner of this blog or you can e-mail me by clicking here. Your identity is CONFIDENTIAL.

* A comprehensive list of ALL staff assignments at the Union-Tribune - including administrative newsroom personnel - will be provided to long-time PR professional and friend Gayle Lynn Falkenthal - whose website can be reached by clicking here. She in turn will post this list on her website for friends and colleagues - including members of the San Diego Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America - and the San Diego Press Club.



* Note that 13 entry-level reporting positions are marked "OPEN" in the list below. The search for less expensive "junior staff writers" and "associate staff writers" coincides with two (2) job ads that were posted online by the San Diego Union Tribune this month.

* The first ad for entry-level "junior staff writers" appeared on June 17, 2010, the same day more than 34 staffers were laid off by the paper. Successful applicants, the first ad reads, "will research and write news and straight-forward short stories with low level of complexity, analysis and narrative, in accordance with identified style and structure." These staffers, the ad continues, will "compile lists, contribute regularly to blogs during the course of the work day; work with reporters as directed to enhance larger trend stories; may 'fill in' in other areas as assigned when reporters are away from their beats." They may also "use social media to enhance readership and find sources, and assist with daily cops calls." This first ad, which closes July 19, 2010, appears here. No annual salary is listed. After the ad expires, a disabled screen-shot is visible by clicking here or the thumbnail image below.



* A second ad, this time for entry-level "associate staff writers" - to join the paper's "watchdog team" of investigative reporters - appeared a short time later. Successful applicants, the second ad reads, "will fill in doing basic beat work throughout the newsroom, to free up reporters to do deeper investigative stories. Subjects will range from the environment to military affairs to San Diego City Hall. Assignments as a beat fill-in could last two days, two months, or longer. Between assignments, there may be opportunities for associate reporters to assist in investigative work." This second ad, which closes July 28, 2010, appears here. The annual salary for these positions is $35,000. After the ad expires, a disabled screen-shot is visible by clicking here or the thumbnail image below.



* All names and assignments of current staff members of the San Diego Union-Tribune listed below were correct as of June 28, 2010 - yet are subject to change without notice:

1. Laura Wingard - Topic Editor -
        Public Safety Group Manager
2. Dana Littlefield - Courts
3. Greg Moran - Courts
4. Debbi Baker - Police/fire
5. Kristina Davis - Police/fire
6. Susan Shroder - Police/fire.
7. OPEN (Filled) - Pauline Repard -
        "Associate Staff Writer" - Police/fire.

----
8. Adrian Vore - Topic Editor - North Zone Group Manager
9. Michelle Breier - Associate Staff Writer
10. Logan Jenkins - Columnist
11. OPEN - "Associate Staff Writer" - North Zone
12. OPEN - "Associate Staff Writer" - North Zone
13. OPEN - "Associate Staff Writer" - North Zone
14. OPEN - "Associate Staff Writer" - North Zone
15. OPEN - "Associate Staff Writer" - North Zone
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16. David Ogul - Topic Editor - San Diego,
        South and East Zones Group Manager
17. Karen Pearlman - Associate Staff Writer - Zone(s)
18. Lisa Deaderick - Associate Staff Writer - Zone(s)
19. OPEN - "Associate Staff Writer" - Zone(s)
20. OPEN - "Associate Staff Writer" - Zone(s)
21. OPEN - "Associate Staff Writer" - Zone(s)
22. OPEN - "Associate Staff Writer" - Zone(s)
----
23. Hieu Tran Phan - Topic Editor - Uniquely San Diego
        Group Manager and Sunday Editor
24. Sandra Dibble - Border
25. Michael Stetz - Downtown & Attractions
26. Steve Schmidt - East County
27. OPEN (Filled) - Sr. Staff Writer - Morgan Lee -
        Immigration & demographics
28. J. Harry Jones - North County
29. Matthew Hall - San Diego
30. Janine Zuniga - South County
31. OPEN - Sr. Staff Writer - North County
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32. Ricky Young - Topic Editor -
        Investigations & Local Group Manager
33. Jeff McDonald - Investigations
34. Tanya Sierra - Investigations
35. Danielle Cervantes - Investigations
36. Tom Blair - Columnist
36. OPEN - "Junior Staff Writer" - Investigations
37. OPEN - "Junior Staff Writer" - Investigations
38. OPEN - "Junior Staff Writer" - Investigations
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39. Diana McCabe - Topic Editor - Money Group Manager
40. Dean Calbreath - Economy
41. Roger Showley (interim fill-in) - Real Estate
42. Michael Freeman - Technology
43. Tanya Mannes - Small Business
44. Roger Showley - Growth & Development
45. Onell Soto - Energy & Green Business
46. Lori Weisberg - Tourism & Restaurants
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47. Michele Parente - Topic Editor - Life & Entertainment -
         Local Group Manager
48. Caroline Dipping - Obituaries & Milestone
49. Blanca Gonzalez - Obituaries & Milestone
50. R. J. Ignelzi - Shopping & Deals
51. Karla Peterson - Everyday Critic
52. Peter Rowe - Sunday/Profiles
53. John Wilkens - Sunday/Profiles
54. Diane Bell - Columnist
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55. Jennifer Crowshaw - Topic Leader -
        Entertainment Group Manager
56. James Chute - Critic - Classical Music & Arts
57. Keli Dailey - Eating Out & Drinking
58. Nina Garin - Things to Do
59. James Hebert - Critic - Theater
60. George Varga - Critic - Music
61. Cynthia Zanone - Life & Entertainment
----
62. Michael Smolens - Topic Editor -
        Government Group
63. Craig Gustafson - City Hall
64. Michele Clock - County / Politics
65. Patrick Flynn - Higher Education
66. Maureen Magee - Schools
67. Robert J. Hawkins - Transportation
68. Michael Gardner - State Government
----
69. William Osborne - Editorial Editor
70. Stephen Breen - Editorial Cartoonist
71. Christopher Reed - Editorial Writer
72. Don Sevrens - Editorial Writer
73. Joseph Taylor - Letters Editor
----
74. Jim Watters - Topic Editor - Defense & Discovery Group
75. Keith Darcé - Biotech
76. Gretel C. Kovach - Military
77. Jeanette Steele - Military
78. Janet Lavelle - Health Care
79. Mike Lee - Environment
80. Gary Robbins - Science
----
81. Jay Posner - Topic Leader - Sports Group
82. Jess Kearney - Deputy Sports Editor
83. Kevin Acee - Chargers
84. Ed Brown - Sports Group
85. Nick Canepa - Columnist
86. Bill Center - Padres
87. P. K. Daniel - Prep Sports
88. Kevin Gemmell - Sports Group
89. Ralph Honda - Sports Group
90. John Jenkins - Chargers
91. Tod Leonard - Golf
92. Don Norcross - College Sports
93. Brent Schrotenboer - Sports Group
94. Tim Sullivan - Columnist - Sports Group
95. Mark Zeigler - College Sports
96. Ed Zieralski - Outdoors / Horse Racing
----
97. Kristine Viesselman - Managing Editor &
        Creative Director
98. Larry Nista - Page One - Section A Editor
99. Catherine Snapp - Business Section Leader
100. Karen Kucher - In-Depth Reporter - Section A
101. Matthew Tiffany - Sports Section Editor / Leader
102. Lora Cicalo - Quality Editor Leader
103. David Clary - Quality Editor - Section A
104. Andrew Castagnola - Section Leader - Our Region
105. Lisa Sullivan - Section Leader -
          Night & Day / Weekend / Arts
106. John Cannon - Section Leader - Quest / Health / Travel
107. Christine Ross - Section Leader - Smart Living /
          Passages / Food
108. Tom Mallory - Day Homepage Editor -
          Web Desk Digital Group
109. Juliet Hendrix - Night Homepage Editor -
          Web Desk Digital Group
110. Andrew Kleske - Digital Quality Editor -
          Web Desk Digital Group
111. Michael Price - News Design Director &
          Entertainment Designer
112. Peter Nguyen - Features Design &
          Entertainment Designer
113. Anita Arambula - Graphics & Design
114. Christopher Barber - Graphics & Design
115. Cristina Byvik - Graphics & Design
116. Michelle Gilchrist - Graphics & Design
117. Hines Grubb - Graphics & Design
118. Leslie Hackett - Graphics & Design
119. Robert Muldowney - Graphics & Design
120. Gordon Murray - Graphics & Design
121. Gloria Orbegozo - Graphics & Design
122. Matthew Perry - Graphics & Design
123. Michael Rocha - Graphics & Design
124. Kathy Rodondi - Graphics & Design
125. Gregory Schmidt - Graphics & Design
126. Aaron Steckelberg - Graphics & Design
127. Tara Stone - Graphics & Design
128. Anthony Tarantino - Graphics & Design
129. OPEN - Graphics & Design
130. OPEN - Graphics & Design
----
131. Nirmala Bhat - Quality Editor Group
132. Travis Conrads - Quality Editor Group
133. Mark Dodge-Medlin - Quality Editor Group
134. Steven Droessler - Quality Editor Group
135. Ed Ibardolasa - Quality Editor Group
136. John Keller - Quality Editor Group
137. John Kowalczyk - Quality Editor Group
138. Robert Krier - Quality Editor Group
139. Kelly Murphy - Quality Editor Group
140. Kate Nelson - Quality Editor Group
141. Richard Scannell - Quality Editor Group
142. Mitch Weinstock - Quality Editor Group
----
143. Robert York - Director of Photography /
          Executive Sports Editor
144. K. C. Alfred - Photographer
145. Nelvin C. Cepeda - Photographer
146. Alma Cesena - Photographer
147. Eduardo Contreras - Photographer
148. John Gastaldo - Photographer
149. John Gibbins - Photographer
150. Earnie Grafton - Photographer
151. Sean M. Haffey - Photographer
152. Howard Lipin - Photographer
153. Gerald McClard - Photographer
154. John R. McCutchen - Photographer
155. Charlie Neuman - Photographer
156. Peggy Peattie - Photographer
157. James R. Skovmand - Photo Editor
158. David J. Brooks - Videographer
159. OPEN - Videographer
160. OPEN - Videographer
161. OPEN - Videographer



Original Material © 2010 by David Kusumoto Communications.

Tom Blair's Return Overshadowed by More Layoffs at the San Diego Union-Tribune.

 

* A constellation of changes impacting the staff of the San Diego Union-Tribune were announced Thursday, June 17, 2010.



* As first noted on this blog on Monday, June 14, Tom Blair (above), a near-beloved institution on the landscape of San Diego journalism, was among the changes, returning to the venue that first made him famous. Mr. Blair will return to the Union-Tribune as a columnist, with his first write-up expected to be published Sunday, June 27, 2010. His additional responsibilities will include being a multi-media personality and commentator via the web and radio pod-casts - as well as making appearances with the U-T's broadcast news partner - ABC-affiliate KGTV Channel 10 in San Diego.

* At the time of this final update (Friday, June 25, 2010), the jubilant news of Mr. Blair's return was overshadowed by more than 30 layoffs impacting the editorial and support staff of the Union-Tribune. A partial list of confirmed names follows. If there are names of people looking for work who are missing from this list, please e-mail me here. All sources are confidential:

1. Steve Adamek (copy editor)
2. Marc Balanky (multi-media editor)
3. Leslie Berestein (reporter)
4. Michael Burge (reporter)
5. Derrik Chinn (reporter)
6. Leana Dekock (sports desk)
7. Jeff Dillon (web content)
8. Alan Drooz (web content)
9. George Hutti (copy editor)
10. Jose Luis Jiménez (reporter)
11. Anne Krueger (reporter)
12. Tovin Lapan (reporter)
13. Angela Lau (reporter)
14. James Laurin (copy editor)
15. Bruce Lieberman (reporter)
16. Anne Magill (reporter)
17. Marcia Manna (reporter)
18. John Marelius (reporter)
19. Rachel Moore (copy editor)
20. Ruben Navarrette (columnist)
21. Robert Pincus (reporter)
22. Jeff Ristine (reporter)
23. Ozzie Roberts (reporter)
24. Leonel Sanchez (reporter)
25. Basim Shamiyeh (systems editor)
26. Fred Sidhu (reporter)
27. David Gaddis Smith (foreign editor)
28. Ken Stone (web content)
29. Heather Urquhart (copy editor)
30. Nicole Vargas (reporter)
31. Hank Wesch (reporter)
32. Doug Williams (sports editor)
33. Bill Zavestoski (web content producer)
34. Martin Zimmerman (copy editor)

* According to long-time San Diego-based public relations guru Gayle Lynn Falkenthal, prior to last Thursday's layoffs, the management of the San Diego Union-Tribune had composed a list of 34 names to be slashed, 12 of which were to be offered the opportunity to re-join the staff as entry-level reporters. (Another report pegged the expected number of lower-level staff writers at 13, plus 3 new videographers and 2 new graphics reporters/designers.)

* One long-time U-T writer who was laid off posted an update on Facebook about being offered just such an opportunity with a substantial pay cut - OR - to take six-months severance after nearly 30 years of service. At the time of this post, a small number of laid-off reporters are still trying to decide whether to take the demotions to buy themselves more time during the current recession.

* Nevertheless, it is clear the management of the San Diego Union-Tribune had prepared for every possible contingency before executing last week's layoffs. They included composing and posting an online want-ad to recruit entry-level writers -- to replace higher-salaried reporters laid off -- who may choose to reject the paper's offer to be re-hired as lower-paid reporters. (These previously senior-level reporters who decide to stay on will be called "associate staff writers." New hires joining the U-T will be called "junior staff writers.")

* As expected, newsroom executives at the Union Tribune reasserted its mantra to "do more with less," desiring to stay lean and nimble with fewer staff members, while still competing aggressively in the digital age to "be first" with stories breaking in the greater San Diego region. (At the time of this post, a flurry of changes continues, including finalizing a preliminary list of new beat assignments.)

* Jeff Light, the recently appointed editor-in-chief of the San Diego Union-Tribune, outlined his vision for the paper in an "Editor's Note" published last Thursday on the Union-Tribune's website. He declined comment Tuesday, June 15 about the then impending layoffs, citing confidentiality of personnel matters. (Mr. Light formerly helmed The Orange County Register.)

* For nearly 10 years, the San Diego Union-Tribune has been hard hit by job losses impacting every department at its main operations center in Mission Valley and at its bureau offices throughout the San Diego county. However, unlike other papers that have folded without a buyer, e.g., the now defunct Rocky Mountain News and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer - the San Diego Union-Tribune found a buyer in Platinum Equity of Beverly Hills - in March 2009.

* Despite the tremendously somber nature of the layoffs, they underscore renewed confidence by Mr. Light and his bosses about the long-range future of the print edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune, albeit in a continued scaled-back form with its online and broadcast television partners, Sign On San Diego.com and KGTV (ABC) Channel 10.

* KGTV Channel 10 News Director Joel Davis issued the following statement to this blog site about its partnership with the Union-Tribune and its impending relationship with Tom Blair:

* "Our alliance with the Union-Tribune has allowed us to strengthen our brand of major news coverage," Mr. Davis wrote. "If you want to know the major news in San Diego, between 10News and the U-T, viewers can be assured we have it covered. The partnership also allows us to have more fresh content – which means more interesting news stories and less repetition. We’re excited to hear about Tom Blair, too. He has been an institution in San Diego journalism, and his addition strengthens the ability of our partnership to bring viewers and readers the best coverage of major news in San Diego."



* Meanwhile, the return of Mr. Blair (see photo above) to the Union-Tribune, means the 63-year-old San Diego journalism icon will come full circle, returning to the publication where his career started more than 40 years ago at the San Diego Evening-Tribune, which merged with the San Diego Union in 1992. (The San Diego Union was founded in 1868, and remains, in its incarnation as the San Diego Union-Tribune, one of the oldest still-standing daily publications in Southern California.)

* Mr. Blair, who joined San Diego Magazine in 1995, left the monthly publication in April while its owners, CurtCo Media Labs, sought to find a buyer. (The magazine has since been sold to a trio of investors, which includes former owner Jim Fitzpatrick, 64 - who first bought the monthly in 1994 - before selling it to CurtCo in 2005.)

* Mr. Blair's career reads like a page out of an Horatio Alger short story. His career began in 1968 as a resident "gopher" - an unpaid intern - in the newsroom of the San Diego Evening-Tribune - which, like its rival, the morning San Diego Union, was then located in the same office building in downtown San Diego. After graduating from San Diego State University, Blair then became a paid "trainee" - a participant in the paper's editorial training program - and was among those selected to formally join the newsroom staff of the Evening-Tribune during the early 1970s.

* He steadily climbed the newsroom ladder as a reporter, later becoming a ghost writer for columnist Neil Morgan at the Evening-Tribune. He then, in 1982, in good-natured journalistic parlance, "turned traitor" - moving to the rival San Diego Union - and continued writing his stand-alone column after the two papers consolidated their operations in 1992. Three years later, he left to become editor of San Diego Magazine - a monthly lifestyle publication aimed at affluent readers - that has remained in continuous publication since 1948.



* According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, for the six months ending March 31, 2010, the San Diego Union-Tribune is the 23rd most-read daily newspaper in the United States, with a circulation of 249,630, ahead of the San Francisco Chronicle and the Newark Star-Ledger. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal, with a circulation of 2.1 million, remains the highest-circulation daily in the United States, and the only newspaper among the top 25 that continues to post gains in the face of an industry-wide downturn in print-based advertising revenue and readership.

Original Material © 2010 by David Kusumoto Communications.