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May 11, 2011· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

Publisher Ian Lamont out at Signal

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

I used to care a lot about the personnel turn-style (perhaps churn-style is more apropos) at the Signal, but now-a-days I only read the following press release with a shrug:

Charles Hill Morris Jr., regional manager of The Signal, announced today that Ian Lamont, publisher for almost three years, has resigned, effective immediately.

“I wish all at The Signal and The Signal itself much success,” Lamont said. “I came to love this paper and the Santa Clarita Valley community, so a piece of me will always remain in the SCV and at The Signal.”

Newspapers are under revenue pressures and need leadership able to fully commit to the process. Lamont could not currently make this full commitment, and thus both sides agreed to an amicable parting.

While the resignation is effective immediately, Lamont will be available for consultation throughout the transition to new leadership.

“Ian Lamont joined the Signal at a critical time. We are grateful for his and his team’s contributions to the business and we wish him well in whatever he chooses to do in the future,” Morris said.

To you and me, the Signal is a critical if flawed newspaper of record for the SCV. The only newspaper of record for our town, and its 250,000 inhabitants. The Times doesn’t cover us, the Daily News moved on years ago, and so for local news, The Signal is the only game in town, and that’s why I’m invested in it and want it to succeed.

To the Morris Multimedia owners in Georgia, however, The Signal is just a profit vehicle, a means of extracting wealth from us while giving us a mediocre product in return. They couldn’t care less about improving our paper or keeping quality journalistic talent on board, that’s why they pay our reporters about what a fry cook at McDonald’s makes. That’s why we’re witness to a revolving turn-style of publishers every 18-36 months and why no good Signal journalist ever stays a good Signal journalist and instead moves on to other papers.

Morris only cares about ad revenues and profit margins and you can see confirmation of that in the statement. It all but confirms the rumors I’ve heard from publishers and ex-Signal journalists for years: a publisher is given a certain time frame and a certain target for ad dollars/profit margins, and when he doesn’t meet those impossibly high targets, he’s gone.

Nevermind the quality of the paper. Nevermind the quality of the journalists. Nevermind new features or products or publications that have been rolled out during the publisher’s tenure (like altSCV). Nevermind the awards the paper wins now and again. Nevermind our town even. It’s all about maximizing the amount of money they can extract from us while minimizing costs under the banner of a “community newspaper.”

I follow the newspaper industry closely and I can’t think of a worse owner than Morris. So I’ve given up caring about news releases like this. Nothing will change on Creekside until Morris is bought out, goes under, or gets consumed by someone else. I’ll always support the young reporters and editorial staff there but who the publisher was, is and shall be in the future doesn’t matter a bit.

Comments (99)

  1. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 12:41 pm
    Have you ever noticed that after watching and reading all the news that there’s simply no bad news? Well, this must be one of those rare fortunate days… enjoy it everyone.
  2. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 12:43 pm
    Wait, The Sig is the only game in town? What about the westside’s definitive web newspaper (webspaper?) of record?
  3. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 1:05 pm
    Josh, what about all of these excellent local news sources: The Signal, SCVTalk, West Ranch Beacon, IHeart, and KHTS.
  4. NFICMay 11, 2011 at 1:08 pm
    KHTS has been keeping a low profile on stories since the City pulled all their advertising from them – thus they’ve become another Signal.
  5. NFICMay 11, 2011 at 1:06 pm
    Not sorry to see Lamont go. While newspapers have have had difficulty generating revenue since electronic versions appeared on the internet, I think the Signal and their cheerleading approach to local issues lost much respect and many subscribers. It used to be a good, insightful paper ten years ago. Lamont and his ways of cozying up to any advertiser out there has only hastened its demise.
  6. ToddMay 11, 2011 at 4:24 pm
    I think Morris is way out of their league with the Signal. Looking at the rundown of their papers and broadcast outlets, at a passing glance it appears to me that Santa Clarita is the largest market they operate in. Acutally, lemme do some quick wiki research. Grant County, WI – 49,238 Bryan County, GA – 30,132 Kershaw County, SC – 56486 Liberty County, GA – 60,483 Fairfield County, SC – 24,047 Newton County, GA – 99,958 Crawford County, WI – 16,897 Effingham County, GA – 52,060 Ellsworth County, KS – 6,497 Fennimore, WI – 2,387 Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield, GA – 17,000 (circulation per Morris, editorial content provided by Army) Fort Jackson, SC ~13,000 Grant County, WI – 49,238 Great Bend, Kansas – 15,995 Hillsboro, WI – 1,302 Lake Wateree Homeowners Association – Unk, private HOA in Fairfield County, SC (see above) Hall County, GA – 139,277 Bishopville, SC – 3,670 “Smoky Valley”, KS – ??? (Based in Ellsworth, KS, see above) Platteville, WI – see Grant County, WI Lafayette County, WI -16,137 Richland County, WI – 17,924 Santa Clarita, CA ~ 250,000 Shaw Air Force Base, SC – 17,000 Smithville, TN – 3,994 Warren County, TN – 38,276 Bulloch County, GA – 69,213 (circulation 8,000) Kershaw Chamber of Commerce – (see Kershaw County, SC) Gainesville, GA – 35,750 So yah. Santa Clarita is a.) West of the Mississippi River b.) home to nearly twice the population of Morris’ next closest populus and c.) is a suburb within a major metropolitan area of over 10 Million. Doesn’t really fit their mold. No wonder its generally home-cookin over there. (No offense to the writers Josh… I’m certain the pressure comes from the top to make it a certain way, hence why Lamont is gonzo.)
  7. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 4:31 pm
    “Home cookin’.” I love it! I hereby dub Ye Oulde Signal … The Crockpot Courier.
  8. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 1:13 pm
    SCVTalk is nothing but an excellent asset for the community. I’m continually thankful Jeff perseveres in his endeavor. That said, the majority of the content is aggregated content from other news sources. WRB is a blog that aggregates a lot of content, publishes some opinion columns and does almost no original reporting. IHSCV is a blog that, while providing extensive council meeting updates, is anonymous and marked by a looser tone than befits serious journalism. KHTS, like The Signal, is an only-game-in-town entity. There’s no other radio stations dedicated to the SCV, as far as I know.
  9. Coastal SageMay 11, 2011 at 1:42 pm
    This is the second, or perhaps the third, putsch by Morris which I’ve seen in the last 10 or so years. It’s always preceded by The Signal having editorial content which upsets someone who is well connected, and they in turn get their dear friends, The Signal’s main advertisers, to convince Morris’ out-of-state-management to make the appropriate head-chopping adjustments to the editorial and reporting staff. Just last week, in non-communication to The Signal’s regular columnists, there were signs another putsch was about to occur. What can one say, except that every time The Signal gets an inch or two closer to being a legitimate and objective community newspaper, representing a diversity of views, the editorial staff gets the run yanked from under it.
  10. NateMay 11, 2011 at 4:02 pm
    Would you bravely call them cock roaches through the Internet?
  11. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 1:46 pm
    Reading between the lines, it appears that Josh believes SCVTALK, WRB, IHSCV, & KHTS might as well evaporate… hmmmm?
  12. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 1:56 pm
    I neither said nor implied anything of the sort.
  13. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 2:00 pm
    Those pesky perceptions… dang.
  14. ToddMay 11, 2011 at 2:04 pm
    As a journalist in my former life, and a graduate of a well-respected journalism school, I Han my head low, knowing that community papers are going the way of the dodo. Print media is dying, and has been for years. Long gone are they days of my youth, eating my breakfast at the kitchen table while dad read the LA Times and sipped his coffee. Today, an especially in commuter-infested Santa Clarita, my dad would need to be out the door on the way to work well before the paper arrived on the doorstep, let alone in time for me to have breakfast. Fast forward 25 years or so, and I read the “paper” via my iPhone as I take the train down to the town where I grew up. For a while I brought with me the ad-laden print version of the Times…. Before I had an iPhone. If I need to go in depth on a story, I fwd myself the link to read later. But thats it. As such, circulation is down in papers so advertising is down. Many community paper rely on the legal notices that they publish as a good portion of their revenues now. And they well know, don’t crap where you eat. So guess what? Where did all the stories critical of city hall go? Under the stacks of checks city hall is writing, keeping the paper afloat.
  15. LindaMay 11, 2011 at 4:34 pm
    Most of the legal notices published by the Signal are foreclosure notices and probate notices, which have nothing to do with the city. And I’m doubtful the City of Santa Clarita would pull its notices because of the Signal’s editorial views since the only other choices, the Daily News and the L.A. Times, are bound to be more expensive. That said, the GOBN, as Cash calls it, (and where is Cash these days?) no doubt influences editorial views at the Signal.
  16. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 3:04 pm
    Yeah… well, the L.A. Times has been carrying water for the Democrat Party seems like forever. Other than their sports section, it’s pretty much useless…
  17. Venturan (NDMay 11, 2011 at 3:22 pm
    Who broke the Bell & Vernon stories? Who broke the LA Teacher’s Union story? As of late, I think KFI and its listeners have gotten more mileage out of the LA Times than anyone else.
  18. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 3:26 pm
    Yeah, all that reporting on the Bell scandal was a waste of time. And the Homicide Report they’ve kept going for several years? Total waste of reporter resources. Pulitzer Prize-winning photo work? Booooooring.
  19. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 4:04 pm
    Pulitzer Prize… yeah, well President B. Hussein got the Nobel Peace Prize… go figure. Bottom line: the L.A. Times is a liberal rag…
  20. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 4:11 pm
    Seriously, Mr. Reynolds? That’s your go-to? Pulling the President (whose last name is Obama, not Hussein) into this and dismissing the Times as “a liberal rag”? I may not agree with everything the LAT does, but the city of Los Angeles is better off with a daily newspaper that gets quite a few things right than without one.
  21. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 4:16 pm
    Josh, I believe I am entitled to my opinion. If you don’t think the L.A. Times is slanted heavily left then I believe you have an inaccurate assessment. Also, if your sensibilities about Obama’s nickname is offended then that is pretty revealing.
  22. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 4:29 pm
    I’m not trying to say you’re not entitled to your opinion. I’m not saying the L.A. Times isn’t left-leaning. And nothing is revealed by the fact I prefer to refer to the President of the U.S. by his last name, not inexplicably continuing to remind everyone his middle name is Hussein. What I AM saying, and what can get lost in the noise-vs-signal nature of these comment boards, is that communities are better off WITH newspapers (and other sources of news) than without. And Nate, I’m not unfamiliar with Mr. Reynolds. My name may be absent from the paper, but I’m still around.
  23. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 4:34 pm
    All I’m saying Josh is that I do not trust the L.A. Times. Having said that, I do subscribe to the Signal and have for many years. I also enjoy it’s on-line site.
  24. Mr PerezMay 11, 2011 at 4:52 pm
    An opinion is an entirely different definition of what is potentially going on. Bill, why don’t you discuss why it is you highlight and address my Commander-In-Chief specifically by his middle name.
  25. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 5:10 pm
    It’s my opinion his socialist policies are ruining America.
  26. Mr PerezMay 11, 2011 at 5:15 pm
    Then stay in that lane as opposed to insinuating otherwise by the focus on his name.
  27. NateMay 11, 2011 at 4:14 pm
    Bill Reynolds isn’t to be taken serious Josh. Professional troll.
  28. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 4:19 pm
    Now, now “Lil Natie No Show”, personal insults are not nice.
  29. NateMay 11, 2011 at 5:06 pm
    Not an insult. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)
  30. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 5:12 pm
    So, you gave me a compliment, eh Lil Natie? Ha!
  31. TaTonkaMay 11, 2011 at 5:19 pm
    LOL From Nate’s link “Like any pejorative term, it can be used as an ad hominem attack, suggesting a negative motivation” Classic!!!!
  32. NateMay 12, 2011 at 2:04 am
    It is like a troll convention in here… between Bill Reynolds and John Adams / John Ramirez / TaTonka
  33. ToddMay 11, 2011 at 3:42 pm
    Never fails to get a jab in against anything not a pacyderm.
  34. TaTonkaMay 11, 2011 at 3:09 pm
    Let me get this straight. The signal is a lousy paper. The signal makes piles of money. Is that not the perfect opportunity for a young journalistic entrepreneur to make a boat load of cash? Start a good Newspaper. (you seem to know all the secrets of success) Then you can pay your reporters 200k a year and give the readers the liberal slant. (look at the success msnbc has selling their product to 14 people a night) I wish you all the success in the world. It should be easy with all the newspaper knowledge you have. I read mr morris’s bio and he has nothing on you. http://www.morrismultimedia.com/corporate.html But then again he took a shot……
  35. Venturan (NDMay 11, 2011 at 4:09 pm
    There are precious few sources for ad revenues: the City, NL/Lennar, the auto dealers and a handful of local businesses. How can a news outlet accurately report on happenings when the primary stories inevitably touch 3 of those 4? Overlay a generally apathetic populous and you’re left with a slim subscription base from which to spread the printing costs or even consider a paywall. The smart money already left town. Morris is all SCV has, unfortunately.
  36. NFICMay 12, 2011 at 5:45 am
    Lets ask the questions another way. If not for the Signal, where would the City, the auto dealers and the department stores advertise?
  37. TaTonkaMay 12, 2011 at 5:50 am
    Scvtalk.com !!!!
  38. Venturan (NDMay 12, 2011 at 7:56 am
    Follow the eyeballs – if there was no local paper, the folks who need their fix would spend even more time online and get even more plugged in via FB/Twitter. TaTonka is right – the money would shift to the homegrown web properties and internal social media efforts. Newhall Land has already shifted significant dollars in that direction, reaching its respective zenith with the Bridgeport food truck event. Did they pack the house by advertising in TMS? I didn’t mention the Realtors, who all but abandoned print media years ago.. In the past few years, the City has also built an impressive web/social presence, buttressed by Leon/SCVTV and his online outreach. The furthest behind is arguably the auto dealers assn, but that’s a matter of time. Growing ad revenues from here is going to be massively difficult, and I’d venture a guess that Lamont’s paywall trial balloon was the “hands in the air” moment that kicked off his exit. Tragically, it may prove to be a huge mistake if the new Publisher proves inept. My bet? Look for a sale six months following the start of the replacement.
  39. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 5:17 pm
    Mr. Perez, Obama’s middle name is Hussein and I will use it whenever I deem appropriate. In America, we still have freedom of speech. Thank you for your service.
  40. Mr PerezMay 11, 2011 at 5:29 pm
    And I thank you for yours as well but this isn’t me trying to take that right away from you. To look at that right even deeper though, the Supreme Court has ruled before that such a right isn’t a license for speech which is discriminatory in nature, nor speech associated with the Schenck case. Not saying you are being discriminatory by highlighting this but this could be the perception which is why I was asking you to detail more.
  41. Mr PerezMay 11, 2011 at 5:35 pm
    And to caveat off my statement, it is similar to what happened during the Ellis Island immigration times when people who had “ethnic” sounding names would be made to change them. Was it because those in charge wanted a homogenized society where everyone either looked like them or their names at least sounded like theirs? Maybe. Fast forward to more modern times when people voluntarily change their names due to a fear of discrimination, i.e. the waiter in New York who was told not to use his name tag of Mohammad. This can be called my opinion but in reality is along the lines of what is taught by Equal Opportunity in the DoD.
  42. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 5:48 pm
    SFC Perez, I don’t think you can prove that folks going through Ellis Island were forced to change their names. Rather, I believe some folks freely chose to change names for various reasons… in fact, during the WWII era many Jewish folks changed their last names. Further, I believe left wingers push political correctness to help control debates. You certainly wouldn’t want to fall into that category would you? }
  43. Mr PerezMay 11, 2011 at 5:55 pm
    Bill, I had relatives on my mother’s side who came from Germany that were “asked” to change their names very politely. They subsequently changed them back to their original state later in time though. The reasoning behind an individual wanting to change their name to something more accepted is easily compared to how life is in elementary school for the kid who sticks out. And what you may see as being PC, we see as being covered under EO in the Army. We believe it and live it. And we also do not take political sides simply because to propogate a certain party’s line while in uniform is against regulatory guidance.
  44. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 6:01 pm
    I certainly respect your attitude about these matters, but I’m not serving so I can let it rip against policies that ruin America.
  45. LindaMay 11, 2011 at 6:02 pm
    Mr. Perez, you are being way too polite. Bill refers to President Obama as “Hussein” because Bill believes calling someone “Hussein” is insulting — the same way some of us referred to Bush as “Dubya” or “Dumbya.” But in this case the insult is based on ethnic bigotry, not the president’s intelligence or lack thereof.
  46. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 6:04 pm
    Linda, do you have a problem with Obama’s middle name?
  47. NateMay 12, 2011 at 2:09 am
    Somewhere in the Summits there is a bridge without a troll. Free passage for all!
  48. Mr PerezMay 13, 2011 at 2:40 pm
    We need to run the Summit park hills sometime.
  49. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 5:48 pm
    Why is it “appropriate”? Why can’t you simply refer to him as President Obama? Or President Barack Obama? Or President Barack Hussein Obama, if you really must? Did you refer to other presidents in this fashion? Or is it simply because his middle name isn’t something like James or William or anything else less “ethnic”? Pres. Obama gets slapped with any number of stupid nicknames, or people insist on pointing out that he shares his middle name with Saddam, just as every president before him was slapped with some stupid nickname. Apparently it’s easier to boil disagreements and convictions down to single words than actually elucidate a point.
  50. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 5:57 pm
    Josh, I, among millions of Americans, do not appreciate BHO’s policies and I think he is proving to be our worst president ever. As for nicknames, many folks including me referred to President Clinton as Bubba, President Carter as Peanut Jimmy…. a lot of folks liked calling President George W. Bush, “W”. The bottom line is BHO is ruining America and it’s not our fault that his Muslim father named his son Barack Hussein Obama.
  51. Mr PerezMay 11, 2011 at 6:03 pm
    To be a Muslim one has to make the Shahadah(Declaration of Faith), have belief in the One Creator/All Prophets/Angels, make 5 daily prayers, pay annual charity/tithe to the poor, and attempt to go on Pilgrimage in a lifetime. These are things that the President’s father didn’t do nor believed in. He simply was labeled a Muslim because that was the dominant religion of where he was from. Similar to how Christianity is here in America. With that being said, I don’t think his father was a Muslim. But what if he was, and what if our President was as well??
  52. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 6:07 pm
    I don’t care what BHO’s religion is… besides, sometimes I don’t think he has a religion. What I care about is his rotten policies that are ruining America.
  53. Mr PerezMay 11, 2011 at 6:09 pm
    And I can respect that but like I said before, perceptions are what forms our actions and thoughts. To focus on his middle name gives a perception of not liking that name as opposed to his policies.
  54. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 6:14 pm
    There’s not much I like about the man… not his name, not his policies, not his arrogance, not his W/H rapper invitee, not his beer summit, etc. In fact, this President was suppossed to transcend racism… due to his personal behavior and actions, racism has gotten worse in America.
  55. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 6:33 pm
    Then talk about policies and decisions with which you disagree. What does “not liking his name” have to do with anything? And why use stupid nicknames for any president?
  56. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 6:42 pm
    I prefer ridiculing this lousy president, much like Liberals did to our last president. Besides, why are you defending this nitwit?
  57. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 6:47 pm
    You prefer ridicule and nicknames to productive discussion? I’m not defending anyone. I’m advocating productive discourse instead of cheap shots. Is that something you have a problem with?
  58. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 7:02 pm
    Nope… which Obama policy would you like to defend?
  59. TaTonkaMay 11, 2011 at 7:06 pm
    Just wondering Josh, during the 8 years of Bush bashing did you ever once question why people were calling Bush names like Shrub-Dumbya-Boy King-Deserter and Chief? Did you tell them to stick to policy? If so, with you being a journalist and keeper of great records. I am sure you can give us a links of such events happening. (Or you could just be honest and say the name-calling of Bush didn’t bother you). Maybe a lack of consistency?
  60. NateMay 12, 2011 at 2:21 am
    Yeah Josh Let’s talk about how Obama LIED to our country and marched us into Iraq…
  61. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 7:36 pm
    Mr. Reynolds, I didn’t say I wanted to defend any of Pres. Obama’s policies. TaTonka, I believe I’ve already laid out today, repeatedly, my distaste with the low-level nicknames ascribed to presidents. It bothers me when it’s done to any president, no matter if I agree with him or not.
  62. TaTonkaMay 11, 2011 at 8:20 pm
    Cant wait to see your examples
  63. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 8:49 pm
    TaTonka, my examples of what? I’m done repeating that stupid nicknames for any president former or current are just that. You want past examples of my defense of that? Sorry, can’t help you there. In the years since Jeff launched this site, today marks the most times I’ve left comments, and there is no historical record of my defending my heretofore stated conviction. Besides, the past is the past. If what I’ve said here today isn’t enough for you, that’s your problem.
  64. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 9:16 pm
    Then, what’s your issue Josh? I can’t stand President B. Hussein & you apparently praise the ground he walks on. What is it about The Messiah that you like?
  65. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 9:39 pm
    Mr. Reynolds, Pres. Obama is not “the messiah,” as far as I’m concerned. I fail to see how you arrived at the conclusion I worship the ground on which he walks simply because I’ve commented in favor of eschewing dumb nicknames. I have a sneaking suspicion you’ll get in the last word. I’ve left far more comments here than I expected or intended.
  66. Mr PerezMay 11, 2011 at 8:55 pm
    But two wrongs doesn’t make a right. I never badmouthed the previous President nor did I like when others did the same. I think he was a good guy who had individuals around him at that were very toxic. I have been in the Army during Presidents Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr, and now Obama. I can say that I saw a distinctive difference when President Clinton first took office in regards to how it affected our day-to-day operations but can’t say the same for the current POTUS. What we have seen for the most part in the military is that when you have a Republican President there is a major push towards weapons systems and training, while with a Democrat President there is a focus on quality of life. I can’t say either assumptions is holding true right now. We just make it happen diligently.
  67. Bill ReynoldsMay 11, 2011 at 9:32 pm
    Maybe during your career it’s best to have Democrat Presidents – less risk. Bubba Clinton bailed on Somalia leaving millions to perish. But during my day with LBJ (D), there were major risks and then he quit leaving us high and dry.
  68. Mr PerezMay 11, 2011 at 10:20 pm
    I don’t know if the letter behind their name really makes a difference anymore. Maybe there will come a day when we can vote for someone based off their individual beliefs instead of the party lines.
  69. BrookMay 12, 2011 at 12:17 pm
    Jeff if only there was a “hide all comments when they are only Bill R arguing with someone” – I was excited to see there was 88 comments today, too bad only about 30 of them are actually about the Signal post you made.
  70. IHeartSCVMay 11, 2011 at 6:02 pm
    More than anything else, I think some competition would do The Signal a lot of good. As it stands, 36 hours might pass before they report on a city council meeting–no rush because there’s no other paper to beat. There are factually incorrect stories, like Jim Holt’s story on ozone pollution last week, so it seems there’s little review. If there was another paper that reported more detailed accounts of crime, politics, etc., TMS would have to up its game.
  71. Josh PremakoMay 11, 2011 at 6:31 pm
    Competition would absolutely be a good thing.
  72. AlpinerMay 12, 2011 at 7:59 am
    Indeed, competition would be a very good thing.
  73. Cheryl PhillipsMay 11, 2011 at 9:55 pm
    Call me the eternal optimist but I do not believe Print is a thing of the past. Did instant coffee kill coffee? We’ve seen in the City of Bell what can happen in a town where there is no newspaper – pretty scary. These magazine publishers explain why there is room for all forms of media. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGVniqgWSc0
  74. Venturan (NDMay 12, 2011 at 8:31 am
    Your local paper won’t die, but I’d hesitate to call it “Mighty.”
  75. AlpinerMay 12, 2011 at 8:56 am
    Amen…
  76. Gang FangMay 11, 2011 at 10:12 pm
    Bill is in hog heaven, someone is responding to him! It’s like a caged bird being freed! If said was a bigoted malcontent with compensation issues….
  77. NateMay 12, 2011 at 2:14 am
    That’s a fact!
  78. PetzMay 12, 2011 at 5:39 am
    If the goal is to defeat Obama in 2012, then focusing on his middle name will not help achieve that goal. The appeal must be to the sensibilities of the independents in the purple and blue states. CA is too far gone….FL, NV, Ohio, PA, MI, and Indiana is where the election of 2012 will be won or lost. Independents believe that any focus on the middle name is petty and closes their ears to our message of bigger vs smaller government. Petz has always been a big newspaper man and wishes The Signal well-it is good to live in a community with a dedicated paper. They have strayed from the conservative views of their subscription base and need to get back on track. Bring back TITTS.
  79. Bill ReynoldsMay 12, 2011 at 6:04 am
    I don’t think anyone is “focused” on BHO’s middle name, rather the focus is this old message… “it’s the economy, stupid”. I personally believe Independents have wised up after 2+ years with this “Dithering-in-Chief”.
  80. PetzMay 12, 2011 at 6:47 am
    Independents are a very fickle bunch and they need to be nurtured….seems like they turned on Trump pretty fast. We cannot take them for granted.
  81. CastaicClayMay 12, 2011 at 10:08 am
    The stock market is 10% off its record high. What is wrong with the economy? Republican business owners.
  82. MikeMay 12, 2011 at 7:05 am
    Petz, I’m a big fan of sober analysis, and you are correct. The conservative message doesn’t appeal to me, but when it’s put forth clearly and honestly, I respect it. When it’s wrapped in xenophobia, it’s far less appealing. It doesn’t have to be that way. I know plenty of conservatives that don’t have a racist bone in their body. It also happens that almost all of the racists I know are also Republicans. But there are plenty of kooks that I wish my side could shake, too.
  83. TaTonkaMay 12, 2011 at 7:27 am
    Sober analysis is good. Just wondering where you categorize Van Jones, Rev Wright, Spike Lee, Al Sharpton, Melvin Watt, Jesse Jackson, KRS-ONE I could go on and on. Are they conservative?
  84. Gang FangMay 12, 2011 at 8:04 am
    Based on their race, it seems you may have a special little “category” of your own for them. Coincidence? And easy on the KRS-ONE, dude will wrap you up like a belated birthday gift with his tongue.
  85. Capt. GeneMay 12, 2011 at 8:36 am
    Good point GF, that leads me to wonder what race those republican racists Mike speaks of would be. You should ask Mike if are they are all white by chance. Don’t hold your breath though, evidence shows that Mike is not to quick to back up anything he says. Instead you should expect some sort of non squitur or other distraction.
  86. Mr PerezMay 12, 2011 at 10:40 am
    The majority of individuals you named don’t fall under the Democrat or Republican banner. They tend to be pretty independant with their views and associations. I also would not call the majority of them racist since one of the main definitions of the word implies being able to wield control over another group you deem to be inferior. And despite popular comments, having our current POTUS does not change who “The Man” historically is and was(I meet the definition of The Man BTW). Now some of the individuals mentioned do have a history of prejudice and that can’t be accepted, got it. But there is a distinctive difference between making a movie or speech where you may make derogatory, not inflammatory, comments. And then setting fire to another groups house of worship or cross in their front yard. Republicans in this country are “damn mad” that the Democrats are spending their hard earned tax money on items they don’t like. Just imagine you had to live a life in the hood and were judged at every moment because of your race, ethnicity, last name, or religious belief and tell me you wouldn’t be a little teed off. The solution is showing people who are in that life that there is a way out that doesn’t always have to involve sports or entertainment, which is where I have come in for so many years to do.
  87. MikeMay 12, 2011 at 1:08 pm
    KRS-ONE? Since when did every boomer Republican become a hip-hop expert?
  88. Josh PremakoMay 12, 2011 at 1:16 pm
    I, for one, am quite excited for Sarah Palin and Bret Baier’s performance of “Rapper’s Delight.”
  89. Mr PerezMay 12, 2011 at 2:48 pm
    I think the old lady on the Wedding Singer could do it better.
  90. Capt. GeneMay 12, 2011 at 7:46 am
    Still waiting Mike.
  91. Bill ReynoldsMay 12, 2011 at 8:35 am
    Still waiting, Mike…
  92. MikeMay 12, 2011 at 1:07 pm
    Gary, I’ll see what I can do. Considering these exchanges took place on two message boards that no longer exist, it might be my word against yours. My recollection is pretty crisp though. IIRC, I asked you several times if you thought Barack Obama was born in the United States and you refused to acknowledge that he was. In my book, that’s a birther. Considering further that you claim to have never met me and you aren’t indeed the person behind your several online iterations, it seems odd for you to be crowing so much about honesty.
  93. Capt. GeneMay 12, 2011 at 4:32 pm
    Mike, So predictable, instead of focussing on the issue you try to shift the discussion to whether or not I am someone you have met or not in the past, classic. In the meantime, here in the real world, you claimed I was a birther, you admit you have no proof, that makes you a stinking liar, regardless of whether we ever met or not.
  94. MikeMay 12, 2011 at 9:06 pm
    Funny, I thought I addressed the issue head-on, even recalling one of the exchanges that led me to label you with the very label you’ve taken such offense to. Do you dispute my version?
  95. Capt. GeneMay 13, 2011 at 5:58 am
    You recalled an exchange in which I (or someone else you think is me) neither confirmed nor denied whether they believed Obama was born in the U.S. or not. So in other words, when you, Mike, are faced with an absolutely zero evidence one way or the other, your default position is to label a person a birther? In my book that’s a liar. See if your wife will give you your balls back for an hour so you can man up and apologize.
  96. MikeMay 13, 2011 at 8:11 am
    1) You aren’t the other Captain Gene?
  97. Gang FangMay 12, 2011 at 8:05 am
    Mike: Ridiculously well stated. Golden mic for you.
  98. AlpinerMay 12, 2011 at 7:57 am
    Another one bites the dust…:)
  99. Capt. GeneMay 13, 2011 at 8:57 am
    What a great example you set for your children.

Preserved as part of the SCV Talk Archive. Text is presented as originally published; presentation has been standardised for readability. The original capture is available at the Internet Archive.

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