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« Your Newspaper
Dear Oprah, why do you want to kill newspapers?
By Todd Franko (Contact)
Published April 3, 2009
Dear Oprah:Have you lost your soul? My mom thinks you have — and she’s your biggest fan.
I just think you’ve lost your memory.
Let me help you a bit. This was a news report last November:
“The Chicago Sun-Times reported that it printed an additional 350,000 papers Thursday after popular talk show host, Oprah Winfrey called the paper's Nov. 5 edition "The best paper in the world" on her show. The paper had already printed 500,000 copies the day before.
You even had a Sun-Times guy on your show. Click here if you need a refresher.
So what the heck happened Thursday?
You let financial guru Suze Orman come on your show and tell your audience to cancel their newspaper subscriptions to save money.
Let me remind you of your audience: They do what you say.
I know. I have a wife, a mother and at least one sister-in-law who all follow your every move. My mom has a bookshelf in her house that should be labeled ”Oprah’s Bookshelf.” You wave it; she reads it.
After the Dow and Wal-Mart, you are the No. 3 economic force in America.
You so influence the lives of these women that I’ve been dying for an episode entitled “Mrs. Franko, it’s time for you to go back into the workforce” because my chats with my wife are certainly not working.
What will you do if your fans go out today and cancel their newspaper?
Here’s an irony: Had this show aired in October, and your audience listened to you, you might not have had a Chicago Sun-Times in November to wave on TV to proclaim “the best paper in the world.”
I know you were in a pickle Thursday.
Suze’s nice and she’s tough. When my mom and my wife can’t watch you on TV, they watch Suze. So for them, Thursday was the female equivalent of the Super Bowl.
“Ma — bring extra guacamole; Oprah and Suze are on together. And some Bud Light.”
But you’re tough, too. I saw you when you walloped that author, James Frey. Overnight, he went from everywhere to nowhere.
With Suze, you would not have had to have been that tough. I do not want Suze to disappear like Frey. My mom and wife would not be happy. I prefer them happy.
Thankfully, they like when I am happy. What they would have liked you to do is stop Suze and talk about your fondness for newspapers, how in November, you had a newspaper guy on your show.
They would have also liked you to tout:
• the bad guys that newspapers go after when others can't or won’t.
• the resource newspapers are for common citizens when they have a concern.
• the family news that is showcased daily — from births to weddings to school honor rolls.
• the daily scrapbook newspapers are for communities across the country.
I could continue, but here’s what I ask:
Let me and four of my newspaper friends come on your show and put a face to the role of newspapers.
Others are stepping in to save newspapers. Colleges are creating newspaper cooperatives with their local paper to bolster dwindling resources. In Washington, one senator wants to allow newspapers to have a non-profit status. Heck, France is even considering government funding to support newspapers.
You can help, too.
While Suze was helpful in trying to help folks save a few bucks, the long-term impact of her advice is catastrophic. We will gladly show you.
My dream of coming on your show ends similarly to that car episode you had several years ago. You would jump up and down on the stage proclaiming:
You get a paper ..
And you get a newspaper ..
And you get a newspaper ..
And you get a newspaper ..
And you get a newspaper ..
And you get a newspaper ..
And communities across America would continue to be served by the one industry that’s stayed by them longer than cars, computers and daily talk show hosts.
Your friend and fan,
Todd Franko
Editor
The Vindicator
Youngstown, Ohio
Comments
Unfortunately, Mr. Martin above would not be happy with any newspaper unless it was written with a republican bias. Newspapers are one of the few remaining bastions of truth and investigative reporting available. Do they get things wrong on occassion, sure, do they find things that most media miss, definitely!
I will agree with one point of the above Mr. Martin, due to budget concerns, most newspapers, and the Vindy is very much in this category, are becoming more "clip" papers without a lot of original reporting. What original reporting and investigative reporting is done well, but when you go to the business section and find 1-2 local stories at best mon-sat, it's like what's the point? We really don't care how the rest of the business world is doing, we hear that all the time on the tv news, but I would like to know whats what exactly on the local business front.
Overall Vindy does well within it's confines, but I think for a local paper to really succeed and thrive in todays tough climate, become a LOCAL paper, and really concentrate on that news. It would be a surprising change that just may surprise your revenue resources as well. Just a thought
tnmartin:
While Todd and I missed out on the era you describe, in my short tenure here, I have learned that there is a high tolerance - pride even - for Valley political hijinks of the past. Some people have accused this newspaper of hounding Jim Traficant from office, yet many proudly boast that they would vote for him again if he ran for office today. I just don't see your disenchantment over the past playing a huge role in decisions made by today's readership. But your insight is appreciated. And if you have a list to share of those currently on the take, feel free to send it my way...
Mark Sweetwood
Managing Editor
Well said Mr. Sweetwood, I was just at a lunch meeting today where the virtues of Mr. Traficant were being sung. I am still bleeding a bit from biting my tongue so hard. I agree that there should be no bias in feature reporting, but an editorial is just that, a persons opinion on a subject.
Again, I agree with the fact that the local papers do contribute to jobs in the community as well, but so do the local cable companies doing installations, etc. I will continue reading my Vindicator daily, but I say to you again, let's get it local folks.
All newspapers and newscasts should be prefaced by saying;
"The views and opinions expressed are those of the reporter and not necessarily the actions or facts as they took place"
Newsmedia in general have long since had a left-leaning bias. Not until radio and internet became more prominant did people start getting an alternative viewpoint. National News as far back as the Walter Cronkite days and beyond was always more about what we WANT you to think rather than here's the FACTS - you garner your own opinion.
I would tend to believe the worst culprit in print media is the AP who have no one to counter or fact check articles, yet they maintain a monopoly on all national and worldwide news.
that being said----- Oprah doesn't own any newspapers so she doesn't care about the outcome of them.
Who is more responsible for exposing corruption, a reporter or a member of law enforcement? Who has the ability to seek a subpoena or a search warrant, a reporter or a member of law enforcement? Which is less likely to get sued if he makes a mistake? So, tnm, why lay the onus on the newspaper? Who did you expose during your law enforcement career? You were even invited above by Mr. Sweetwood to name some names that you claim "most of us know." Did you? It seems that all you do is whine about how bad everyone else is at performing up to your high expectations. You've been invited to step up to the plate: swing away.
Said it well, Mr. Franko.
"You let financial guru Suze Orman come on your show and tell your audience to cancel their newspaper subscriptions to save money."
We still get The Vindy at our house! :)
Suze who? I like to watch Mad Money! Jim Cramer ROCKS!