Media General eliminates 80 positions in Florida, including 18 in the Tampa Tribune newsroom

  Media General eliminated 80 positions at its outlets in Florida today -- including a number of experienced journalists at the Tampa Tribune newspaper, such as longtime columnist Dan Ruth and editorial page editor Rosemary Goudreau.

The job reductions were made necessary by the worsening newspaper economy, particularly the large drops in classified advertising revenue every newspaper has faced in recent months and years, said John Schueler, president of Media General's Florida Communications Group, which oversees the Tribune, WFLA-Ch. 8, TBO.com, Hernando Today and all the corporation's other Florida-based outlets.

"Circuit City just declared bankruptcy and Macy's has signaled in the first quarter they're going to cut all of their magazine ads,"  Schueler said. "All of those signs tell us that in the short run it's going to be much tougher, so we're trying to get ahead of that."

Schueler said about one-third of the eliminated positions were unfilled jobs; the reductions will leave FCG with about 1,150 employees total, down from 1,326 in April. At the Tampa Tribune, the names of those laid off today included some of the longest-tenured and best-known journalists on the staff: Ruth, Goudreau, senior editor Larry Fletcher, senior editor/presentation Pat Mitchell, longtime reporter Phil Morgan and many others.

"We're all cognizant of the economic realities of this business," said Ruth, who was packing up his desk when I reached him by phone this morning. "For the last two years, hardly a day has gone by when I didn't wonder if this would be the day . . . I've given 36 years of my life to this business . . . now that day has come."

Ruth is arguably the most visible name yet at the Tribune to be included in staff reductions (he also hosts a Sunday afternoon radio show on WWBA-AM 820). Rumors surfaced a couple of weeks ago that the worsening economy was forcing the newspaper to cut 20 more positions; Tribune executive editor Janet Coats eventually confirmed that 18 positions were eliminated at the Tribune.

Having reorganized the newsrooms of the Tribune, WFLA and TBO.com into a "Web first" converged operation, Coats remained confident the remaining staff could still produce compelling content for TV, print and online. "We still have 235 journalists in this newsroom -- that is a strong enough staff to produce the product line we have now," she said. "Even though it's been a rough year, I think we are strong enough and deep enough to figure this out."

The big problem: how to replace the huge drops in revenue that have come from losing auto ads, retail ads, real estate ads and classified ads to the recession and competition from Web sites such as eBay and Monster.com. Throughout the year, Media General has tried to shave costs by offering buyouts, instituting layoffs and reducing the size of the newspaper.

And Coats acknowledged the frustration some staffers felt as people with decades of tenure saw their jobs eliminated so quickly. “Some of the people who left today . . . were people who were at my wedding,” she said. “But, as heartless as it may sound, it’s business. There are certain ways you have to handle this . . . but there were still several standing ovations today in the newsroom.”   

Over the years, staff reductions and voluntary departures have taken some well-known names from the Tribune's roster, including movie critic Bob Ross, classical music critic Kurt Loft, political columnist/editorial writer Joe Brown (at right) and now Ruth.

The question left: What kind of paper can the Tribune produce with such a reduced staff? And will crucial connections with readers be lost as writers well known in the community leave?

"Of course, we're concerned about our connection to readers...but we're working hard to make those connections with the reporters we do have," said Scheuler, who did not expect any platform to be significantly remade following the staff reductions. "It's a balancing act." 

Ruth actually worked at the Tribune in two stints, from 1973 to 1981, leaving for Chicago where he worked, among other jobs, as the TV critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, and from 1991 to now. The columnist says he got a phone call this morning notifying him of the layoff, and isn't sure what he may do next.

"I'm 59 years old and I've had a triple bypass . . . I don't quite know what my marketability is," Ruth said. "But I feel like I can walk out of here with my head held high. I did the best job I could as a columnist for as long as I could, and that's all you can really do."

*

MEMO TO:     All FCG Employees

FROM:            John Schueler

Dear Colleagues:

Today we announced the elimination of eighty positions in 
Advertising, News, Marketing, Administration, IT, HR and the Business 
Office. About one third came from open positions and the remainder 
through layoffs.

Our revenue base continues to be challenged as the market and 
advertising economy stumble, so we will continue to work on 
efficiencies in our operational areas that are likely to result in 
further employee reductions.

Despite these very difficult decisions, we are working to preserve 
our purpose and mission so that we can thrive in the long term. Your 
talent, commitment and dedication to outstanding local journalism 
remain the cornerstone of our community service and our progress in 
this tough economy. Our ongoing investments in operational efficiency 
as well as in profitable products and services across all of our 
platforms will help to see us through this very difficult period.

As we face the continuing uncertain economic conditions in the months 
ahead, I look to your dedication and professionalism as we chart the 
best course for success.

Comments

[Jill]

Besides, most people who are inside the newspaper industry probably know who has lost their job.
If the person who is now unemployed doesn't want their business posted in a blog, that's their perogative.
Newspapers don't post the name of every GM or Wachovia employee that gets laid off.

[Jill]

"How about someone posting a list of the PEOPLE who were let go and their newsroom function?

I beleive it would prove interesting.

Posted by: mike | November 12, 2008 at 03:19 PM"

So, maybe you should be more careful not to be so ambiguous

[Eric Deggans]

I don;'t really have a complete list of people; I have posted the names I think the greatest number of readers would recognize.

[mike]

Nowhere in your original post did you mention “the posting of names and positions could even lead to employment for some of these folk.”

It just came across as morbid curiosity to me.

Posted by: Jill | November 12, 2008 at 05:11 PM

Yeah? So you were wrong. No big deal, really.

But perhaps you should watch your assumptions a little more carefully.

[Dane]

My heart goes out to everyone -- those who have been let go and those who struggle through each day wondering if they're next. I know Kurt Loft would never wish anything bad for either his fellow staffers or the newspaper. Twenty six years ago, I was one of dozens of Tampa Times staffers who were told by Media General management to walk to the back of the room and pick up the envelope with our names on them. Little did I know that I was one of the lucky ones. Getting laid off made me find another career -- at a time in my life when I was most able to handle change. I'm sorry that Steve Otto, Dan Ruth, Phil Morgan and so many other wonderful, creative individuals have to face uncertainty at their age. But please do print their names. God knows The Tribune won't acknowledge them or their life-long contributations to their community and their profession. Good luck, friends.
Dane Sumberg
The Tampa Times
1971-1982

[Jill]

No, Mike, I really don’t get it.

Have you ever lost your job the way these people have?

I have. I can tell you, next to the shock and humiliation of losing my job and having to hand over my key and being escorted to the door by armed guards, was the added jolt of reading my name, along with all the other casualties in another newspaper.

Nowhere in your original post did you mention “the posting of names and positions could even lead to employment for some of these folk.”

It just came across as morbid curiosity to me.

[mike]

"Some of those people might not appreciate their names being posted to satisfy someone's curiosity."

Posted by: Jill | November 12, 2008 at 04:10 PM

I suppose, Jill, though you sound a bit "touchy" to me. Has the Trib published anything about this latest massacre? If so, it escaped me.

This is news afterall, and these unfortunate people were, and may yet continue to be in the business.

Do you see just a touch of irony in your statement, Jill?

The Tribune prints "victims" names every day and these folks are victims, as are all Tribune readers at this point!

So how about this? No names, just the positions they held?

This is not, as you seem to think "idle curiousity" on my part.

The posting of names and positions could even lead to employment for some of these folks!

Perhaps some of these now unemployed people have skills that could be carried right into some other business.

You really should think a bit before you speak (write).

Anyway, if we could look at the JUST the positions (sans names) that were cut, perhaps we could get a better idea of how the quality of the paper will suffer.

Do you get it now, Jill?

[Jill]

Some of those people might not appreciate their names being posted to satisfy someone's curiosity.

[mike]

How about someone posting a list of the PEOPLE who were let go and their newsroom function?

I beleive it would prove interesting.

[D. Brackman]

Dan Ruth is a good man. This is the Trib's loss. He will soon be hired by a better organization!

[Ex Trib (88-96)]

"Still There" is completely off base in his/her assertions about the intent of Kurt's note or his feelings about his former co-workers.

Anyone who knows Kurt knows how concerned he is about the fate of his colleagues. And anyone who worked with Kurt knows how loyal he was to that organization, and how much he believed in the cause of newspapers in general and the Trib in particular.

If anything, his reasonable and well-founded prediction that the Tribune may not last much longer than first quarter of next year ought to serve as a real wake-up call for those "still there" who somehow believe that all will work out if they just stick around and work hard. Not gonna happen.

Sadly, the Tribune is caught in a perfect storm of events that, cumulatively, are fatal 1)Longtime mismanagement, continuing with Janet Coats' misguided "leadership" (why doesn't she just admit that MG has asked her to oversee the gradual destruction of the paper?) 2)Industry-wide woes; and 3)The recent Wall Street meltdown.

Those "still there," including plenty of very talented writers and editors with enviable records of accomplishment and lots of valuable experience, would be well served, personally and professionally, by looking far and wide for a suitable position outside of the newspaper industry.

Yes, your skills are transferable, and yes the jobs are out there. But they won't just show up on your doorstep. Search the job listings at all the web sites of the relevant professional associations (local and national). Use the resources of linked-in or Facebook to let friends and family know that you're looking. Ask long-time bosses, or colleagues, or other associates, for letters of recommendation. Update your resume, and then tweak it to fit any job for which you apply. If local prospects look dim, then be willing to relocate. Yes, painful in the short run, but worth it for the right job and the right salary.

Don't count on Mother Trib (or any other newspaper) to be there for you. As ought to be crystal clear by now - they won't be.

[Crallton]

It's good to see the Tribune is embracing Change. There is still Hope for newspapers.

Media General might qualify for a bailout, as they serve a public good, much like the Detroit automakers who haven't changed their bleeding business model.

To all you journalists, I remind you, "Yes We Can."

I'm not Dan Ruth or Dave Sommer, and they don't approve this message

[Steve]

The old Guard in Journalism - which some of you speak of with such reverence(perhaps rightly so) -- is in large part responsible for it's inability to change enough with a changing world in order to continue being of value as journalism and as a business enterprise.

Many traditional journalists refused to understand their connection to the business side of things -- to their peril.

Institutional knowledge applied in the wrong manner becomes deadwood over time. Journalism traditions and the attached historical overhead (too many copy editors, bloated research departments, too many managers who don't actually touch or produce content, general arrogance, etc.,) has in many cases produced good people who refuses to adapt -- and thus they died.

Some of us who were on the inside at Media General understood how screwed up the company is. MG management wants to pretend they are hard core journalists when that arguement suits them, but otherwise their values are elsewhere.

They play the shortsighted quarter-by-quarter numbers game of profit -- even to the point of cutting expenses into the bone adversely affecting product quality (i.e. they could care less about the product).

I sat in meeting (3 or 4 months ago)where John Scheuler explained to a group of managers that they had research which showed there was a point at which the quality of the effort made for content had nothing to do with how popular or profitable the content would become. He suggested we perhaps we needed to scale back our efforts at quality of content in order to make things more cost effective/profitable -- in order to do other products. In other words --don't try too hard because the readers/users/viewers aren't using media because of the quality of your journalistic effort.

This kind of business management is bankrupt of anything other than monetary value. Makes for great journalism and fueling of democracy doesn't it!

This also makes sense because everyone will be asked to pick up the work of 2 or three others once budgets are cut (because we're propping up our stock by fudging revenue/profit numbers by reducing expenses to ridculous levels.)

10 years ago I was walking around telling anyone who would listen that the Tribune needed to overnight re-print all the newspaper editorial staffers business cards and make them read TBO.com instead of Tampa Tribune. Then they could repurpose the web content to create the newspaper -- instead of the other way around -- the way it ought to be (the traditionalists didn't want to change! They would not allow the web or the TV to publish before they did! They were not platform agnostic.)

At the time there we about 16 people on TBO staff... more than 400 on the paper side.

There just too much more to say about the failures of this organization...

[Jill]

The Times does not have stockholders to answer to like Media General which is a publicly held company.
News that is worth anything, is sometimes controversial. Stockholders don't like controvery.

[Mike]

How long until the Times is the only paper in the area?

Posted by: Dave | November 11, 2008 at 04:14 PM

That happened a few weeks ago. Sad to say the Times IS the only paper in the area, my friend, and we are a poorer community for it.

For a while there, the was a real "newspaper war" in the area and each paper (Times and Trib) competed mightily against the other.

Here's hoping the Times does not relax completely when the fading broadsheet that is now the Trib succumbs. It won't be long.

[Kevin]

Most of the previous respondants have made valid points. The Tribune is no longer an actual newspaper of much value. Many of its local stories now consist of short blurbs containing sketchy information rather than what would have previously been an informative bit of reporting with details. The opinion page now has little to no commentary from differing sources. I see a paper whose management seems to have ceased caring about how its product is perceived in the world of journalism and among readers who maintain a degree of responsibility in being informed about what is happening both locally and nationally.

I've been a subscriber to the Tribune for more than 37 years and was also a patron of the old Tampa Times before its demise. I've subscribed to the St. Pete Times for the nearly 22 years since it began home delivery in Hillsborough County. Both the Tribune and the St. Pete Times were looked at as essential in my household. Now all I see of merit in the Tribune are the obituaries and perhaps some of its coverage of local government. I'd seriously consider abandoning the Tribune if it weren't for those few positives.

Fortunately, we've still got the St. Pete Times and I commend them for keeping their standards relatively high during this difficult economic period and unwelcomed phase of transition.

[Brad]

The Trib continues its steady decline to oblivion. I was a subscriber as late as 6 months ago, but the product became so poor, I switched my weekend St. Pete Times subscription to full week and dropped the Trib.

The St. Pete Times has been forced to make changes too, but they have made changes the right way and they continue to deliver news and actual reporting. I don't get why the Trib cannot put out a comparable product, other than it being awful management. It's a newspaper without news.... and less paper too!

The Trib became a sports report along with rehashed AP and NY Times stories. I can get AP stories and NYT Op-Eds on the web long before they make it to print.

No need to go to TBO.com either, which is the dumbest thing to focus on.

I hope the Trib can survive, but frankly I don't see why or how it should given what it is.

[rob johnson]

No matter how you feel about Dan's columns, the very evidence that the Trib made a bad move getting rid of him is the volume of comment traffic on this Web site about the guy. He sparked comment, which is of value to all media.
The Trib also showed its lack of class by laying him off with a phone call after all those years.
No guts.
And soon, no newspaper.
Rob Johnson
Tampa Trib 72-75 (When it still mattered.)

[Dave]

How long until the Times is the only paper in the area?

[Another Dave]

As another who worked at Mediocre General for 13 years I am dismayed at management's total disregard for the quality of the product.

The paper has lost decades of institutional knowledge and one of the best columnists in the state, if not the nation, in Dan Ruth.

This is a service industry. You can't just cut production by 30,000 widgets a week and expect your customers to not notice.

I know no one at the St. Pete Times is laughing because, after all, everyone in this industry is struggling, but deep down many are thinking, "And we used to compete with these guys???"

[David Pedreira]

As a former reporter for The Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times, I was dismayed to hear that the Tribune laid off such newsroom stalwarts as Dan Ruth, Larry Fletcher, and Phil Morgan. They were members of the old guard in journalism, and I mean that in the best sense of the phrase. Fletcher had a love for hard news and investigative journalism, and Ruth has been an institution in Tampa for 30 years. I don’t know how the Tribune justifies lopping off decades of its intellectual capital--the move seems more desperate than strategic to me.

Despite my frustration, I hope the Tribune is able to ride out this recession. There aren't many two-paper markets left in this country, and the community has benefitted over the years from competition between the Tribune and the Times. Talented people remain at the Tribune, but their numbers are dwindling.

[Eric Deggans]

Your post made it sound as if there was something shady to what he was doing. I explained to you why a restaurant reviewer might bring people along to review a restaurant.

And here are plenty of entries on this blog documenting the departures of Times staffers.

[Still There]

Mr. Moderator,

The anonymous, unproven allegations you describe were made first by your coworker, not me, at 1:57 a.m. I merely repeated them and you zapped my comments. Nice touch. Freedom of speech, right? And how many people have been dispatched by your paper? It's nice of you to go out of your way to protect your own.

[Eric Deggans]

Just to break in here with a comment from the guy who moderates the comments:

As much as I appreciate this back and forth, I really hope some of you will cut down on the name calling. There's a lot of frustration, anger and emotion roiling the local newspaper industry right now; a lot of good people lost jobs which were very important to them yesterday. And bickering doesn't shed any more light on the situation or help them deal with it any better.

And just to shed some light on the comment about restaurant reviews that Still There made -- which I deleted because it made anonymous unproven allegations -- you should know that our restaurant reviewer Chris Sherman often took staffers on large lunches.

The reason was to allow him to sample a range of dishes in a restuarant without raising suspicion. He was supposed to dine anonymously -- if he ordered five different entrees by himself, the staff would figure out who he was pretty quickly. By taking a group of people, he could get them all to order different things and sample every dish -- and get feedback from his companions to augment his own opinions.

So i'm not sure what you were talking about regarding reviews at the Tribune. But taking other staffers along isn't unheard of...

[Jill]

Whether you like the Tampa Tribune or don't like the Tampa Tribune the fact that if it folds there will be one less source of information should bother each and every one of you.
As for the people who are still working at what is left of the Tribune, it's their job. The way they pay their mortgage and feed their kids.
Many of the people still there hate what has happened to their newspaper, hate the way it looks and the way they are stretched so thin that they can't possibly cover every story that deserves coverage.
If they left, where would they go? Newspaper staff reductions are happening all over Florida and all over the country.

[Still There]

You bet, along with about 200 other people who are dedicated to and believe in what we do.

Still there...I wonder if you are "Still there" today.

[beltwaybandit]

Judging by the sniping going on between those still at the Trib and folks like Kurt who got out early, it is obvious what one of the reasons for the Trib's fall is.

But it was Kurt himself who posted it above...MG is preparing to go all on-line and do away with the production/distributuon business model that newpsapers are stuck with.

Tough for those who get washed out in the transition.

But the only option left and clearly the way the business is headed.

Unfortunately, it is the same management team thaty helped blow the competitive advantage the company had years ago when they combined on-line with TV and newspaper.

No reason to think they can do this move any better.

[idiotwind]

Perhaps "Still There" will remember his/her idiotic comments when the Trib eliminates even more positions after grabbing as much Super Bowl revenue as it can. Kurt Loft was the most brilliant journalist ever to grace that unfortunate enterprise, and he left because he foresaw the impending calamity. The Trib has always had its share of no-talent gripers and hangers-on, many of whom are like you, with nothing more to offer than being "still there."

[Kurt Loft]

I worked at the Tribune for nearly 30 years and my love for the people in the newsroom never waned. I wish no ill will on anyone still there; I only emphasize what has never changed: Media General cares little about its people or its product. Does that need to be emphasized any more strongly that this week? MG is preparing to go exclusively online with a streamlined cast.

[thumper]

I worked for the Trib 14 years in production in the press room. I remember the media general take over. The one where HR told employees, they should not look for long time employment with the trib. The new guard was to spend about 5 years and move on to greener pastures....Imagine that??

[Newzaroo]

Has anybody else noticed how much Dan Ruth looks and laughs, like Barney Rubble from the Flintstones. Ruth's columns were cartoonish too. Bye Dan, don't let the door hit ya' where the good lord split ya'.

[Patty Ryan]

"Still there," you were unfairly harsh on Kurt Loft, my former colleague of 20 years. His message, as I read it, did not wish ill on those left behind.

What did Kurt do to deserve the disappointment of your collective Tribune "we"? Whatever it was, you might weigh it against the way he always rose before dawn to cover shuttle launches, or the way he invited coworkers along on restaurant reviews, or that he also managed to cover the orchestra, all for the price of one reporter. You must realize that he gave Media General far more than he drew in salary. I don't really think you're angry at Kurt. I think you are just worried. I lack his ability to predict the future but I do remember the past: People do not wind up crying in their beer for having left the Tribune. Trust me on this.

Whatever falls apart in the times ahead, don't let it be the affection and regard you have for your colleagues. And don't confuse a journalist's career decisions with his capacity for loyalty.

[Dave]

Very distressing that so many people cannot see past Dan Ruth's politics to see the real problem here.

I suppose that's a symptom of what is wrong in our society.

[Steve]

Media General is lucky they have the changing nature of media and a failed economy to hide their failure behind. Truth is they have been full of sh-- for some time. They have blown it big time. They were supposed to be the "convergence" leader of the world -- an outlet that "got it" a media company that understood the future of the business. They paraded themselves every chance they could but it was all pretty much BS.
It's easy to prove that they never practiced what they preached. When things got bad they started laying off the "value" of the enterprise and slashing expenses to hire suits and sales weasels (they've always had an arm of both especially on the newspaper side). All this sales effort hoped to make up the shifting media ground. The ground could only be held by early and bold staffing, content and delivery gambles (REAL CONVERGENCE!) -- gambles they were, in the end, to afraid to make.
Now they they've lost the advantage of the early adopter (actually they gave that away years ago). Now they have a shell of a product full of canned news from corporate providers and new services -- all the same as everyone else. This is not their proud Journalism. This is not the kind of work that ought to brag about "fueling democracy" -- as part of the mission statement of the Florida Communications Group (Trib, WFLA,TBO) so proclaims. It's a lie.
This is not to say that there ought not to have been layoffs or expense checks -- or that newspapers ought to be around forever -- but this company blew it better than most.

[J.J.T.]

Ooops! Make that "typical." My fingers were flying

[J.J.T.]

Tpyical management philosophy. The Trib is cutting in all the wrong places. Not only it, but its parent, Media General, is top-heavy in managment. Cut from the top, not the bottom. And, I cannot understand why newspapers put so much time and energy into sports pages. Look at any publication's sports section and most days you will find six to eight pages of nothing but copy, no ads. Sports pages cost a huge amount of manhours. They are the biggest loss leaders of newspapers. Drop the sports and concentrate on being the watchdogs. Who's going to keep the public servants honest?

[Still There]

Kurt,

As someone who left the paper of his own free will, why do you wish ill will on those who remain? Predicting that the paper will cease to exist after the Super Bowl in February doesn't sit too well with your former coworkers. Perhaps you are indeed better off at your new boring job and perhaps we are better off without you. One thing that is certain is we are extremely disappointed in you. We don't wish for anything bad to occur at your new workplace, trust us. That would be bush league. And that is not what those of us who remain are. But your true colors have shown -- yet again.

[J R GUNTER]

DAN RUTH COLUMN WAS ALWAYS POSITIONED ON THE LEFT IT NEEDED TO BE 2 INCHES FARTHER LEFT. DAN HAS NO WORRYS OBAMA'S CHECK WILL ARIVE SHORTLY.RELAX DAN OUR WORRY'S ARE OVER,OBAMA'S ON THE SCENE

[bub]

an easy way for the socialist goverment in america , working towards communism , is to abolish the bill of rights/constitution in america , so instead of just abolishing the free press it will just put it out of business , think about it!! there goes the first amendment , freedom of the press

[Sherman Dorn]

This is horrible. I don't care what you think of the Tribune's editorial stance, or its quality over the past year or so; this is very bad news for this community and continues an awful trend nationwide. Media General has been stripping the Tribune's capacity for a number of years, and the reporters on the whole have been doing the best job that they can. I often disagreed with Goudreau, but she has a sharp mind and asks good, hard-nosed questions. The community will be worse off without her in the editorial board room or Ruth poking holes in the egos and fantasies of public officials.

[mike]

Dan Ruth was the only reason to read that rag of newspaper. Perhaps the St. Pete Times will pick him up. Even better why not just replace the Tampa Tribune with the St. Petersburg Times?

[Rod]

Mr. Deggans asks a good question. How can the Tribune be an effective newspaper with so few reporters and such a large metropolitian area, and state government. The reality is it can't. Very sad. What's worse is it doesn't seem like the Tribune even offered Dan Ruth another option, like "Hey Dan" you're off the staff, but right us a couple of columns per week and we'll pay you $500. Not bad work for sitting in your underwear and making phone calls. Plus watching city meetings online. Oh, well, at least the Trib still has Rob Shaw and the other good journalists there.

[George]

Dan Ruth was so virulently anti-Bush it was hard to read him, the hate came through so much. Dan's writing was so unpleasant.

Still, I hope Dan can find a better job.

[notafriend]

Not allegations at all! Pure facts were all I stated. He was disliked by many in the past, did that have anything to do with his "layoff"? If so, more power to ya.

[Jim]

Not too surprising...since Dan in certainly to what your paper represents with its conservative slant... too bad, times are changing... why not close up Hernando Today and save your bucks there.. its such a waste of $$$$

[Eric Deggans]

Notafriend, I don't allow posting of damaging allegations about people with no proof. And since this post doesn't have anything to do with what you were talking about anyway, I removed it.

Please check the rules on the side of the blog for guidelines on what is acceptable in comments...

[lookout]

A interesting note was how employees still there awhile back. Were told if they got caught looking for jobs at the St. Pete times while still there they'd get fired.

[notafriend]

Hmmm, awful defensive for a guy ya just fired? What happened to my previous post?

I'm cancelling my subscription now. One of the only reasons I got the paper is Ruth, and now that he's gone I have no need for it.