More on Old Media, part 365

The Saratogian is generally considered to be the Capital Region's best example of the worst aspects of corporate media consolidation. The paper's recent foray into the world on blogging serves as yet another proving point.

Managing Editor Barbara Lombardo had this to say, in her second entry:

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"..... When I do talk with someone, though, I like to know who I'm talking to.

That's why I'm not exactly leaping into the world of blogging.

Would you answer your telephone and then get into a conversation with someone who not only was a stranger, but who had no intention of identifying himself? If you received an anonymous letter in the old-fashioned U.S. mail, would you write back?

As the managing editor of The Saratogian, I hope to use this space to converse with you. I like talking about the news business and explaining how and why things work. But I don't intend to engage in lengthy defenses with any single, anonymous, would-be pen pal."

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Two points here:

1) This diatribe was in response to someone actually taking the time to leave a comment to her intial "here I am" blog entry. You know: the ole give and take conversational feedback loop that the Net is known for being, like, real good at?

2) Though she apparently has some problem with the "anonymous" option that is generally afforded to those making such comments, we must remember that this person's primary product (a daily printed newspaper) includes within it a section called Sound Off, wherein the public can have their opinion published, um: anonymously.

The local rumnor mill has it that the Saratogian's out-of-state parent company is looking to unload some if not all of its dailies. Although we would prefer to see it land in the arms of a locally-owned group of professional media types, the odds are that such a scenario won't happen , given the current economics of the game. The prediction here is that it will become part of the Hearst Corp (Times Union) empire.

Still, the day this rag changes hands -- to anyone short of Fox / News Corp -- will be a good day at The Spa'aaaaaaaa.......


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