Thursday, October 8, 2009
Media / News Bites STMG Goes to Tyree
Posted by Michael Miner on Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 3:31 PM
So it's done. A federal bankruptcy judge spoke Thursday, and financier James Tyree and the local businessmen in his investment group will be taking over the dozens of newspaper titles that compose the Sun-Times Media Group.
Ideally, newspapers are owned by fabulously rich and reclusive idealists, men and women to whom profit is unimportant, who have no interest in doing their friends favors because truth is much dearer than friendship and they probably have no friends anyway. They do have causes, splendid causes, but they wouldn't dream of promoting them in the papers they control because that would only tarnish them. Their private lives are impeccable, their courage, when put to the test, astonishing.
Bruce Wayne would make a fine owner of the Sun-Times.
When we're getting instead — as I assume we'll see when the list of names of the STMG's new owners is made public — is a bunch of movers and shakers with so many axes to grind they could clear the redwood forests, men and women who believe that in snatching the media group from the jaws of liquidation they've demonstrated unusual virtue, and who, when push comes to shove, will expect the titles they believe they own to respect and advance their reputations.
The stockholder model is deeply flawed. The buccaneer model is likewise. Tyree is introducing a third mode of ownership. Good luck to him and Chicago.
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"Good luck to him and Chicago."
Indeed. And where is Bruce Wayne these days anyway?
why did you link to a chinese website?
What kind of reporting is this. Its not over until two Unions must first approve the concessions. And so far the typographers haven't approve anything.
Whatever happened to Ted Kaczynski? He was absolutely right.
Wow. James Tyree said on "Chicago Tonight" that the Sun-Times has "great leadership" in Jeremy Halbreich and Rick Surkhamer. If he really believes that, he really has no idea what he signed on for.
@Hello
Wow, there's a name to conjure with! Ted Kaczynski. Hadn't thought about him in years. I take it you've read his "Unabomber manifesto." The man shouldn't have been fragging people, but I found his arguments (minus the explosives) to be almost compelling, basically an erring, ontic restatement of the later Heidegger, minus the latter's key point (and, I think, a valid one) that it's not technology as such but rather a technologically flavored way of thinking that endangers us.
One way this plays out is in the tendency to subordinate human beings (Dasein) to technology itself, and this is the nut that the nut (Kaczynski) was trying to crack. So I suppose you could say that the advent of the Internet is undermining the low-tech but still useful daily news-delivery and agenda-setting product known as a newspaper that, in turn, over the years had evolved into a monopolistic, collegial setting for journalists who had the time to think and probe and investigate in ways that a non-dominant and even somewhat market-sensitive institution would never have allowed them to do.
While the Internet certainly has the virtue of bringing to the public eye a very wide array of voices, including some wonderful and much needed critics of mainstream media, it appears to be undermining newspapers' dominance, eroding their journalistic muscle and their ability to generate critical-mass public attention, and thus also their ability to apply any kind of effective check on the power centers in society. (Not that papers always did a good job of this anyway, but they had their moments.)
Whatever emerges to take the place of newspapers is never likely to have that kind of voice or those resources. Or not. It all remains to be seen. But let's say the trendlines aren't encouraging. Wonder what Kaczynski would have to say today.
Does anyone know if the other two unions voted on this yet? It's totally fallen out of the news.
Guild voted to accept and typographers are not scheduled to vote. Miner should have check that out.
Pelham -- You seem very smart. But please, vary the length and style of your sentences: Your stuff is tough to read. I am interested in your ideas but hate headaches.
@Rippy
Glad you're interested. My apologies, though, for the run-on sentences. I've always had a problem with that.
Also, apologies in general for going off-subject. This is a tough situation at STMG. While the folks there are keeping their jobs for now, it appears they're in for a rough ride. I know that, occasionally at least, I may sound flippant, angry and/or self-indulgent. But I really do wish them all the best.
Pelham: Yes, I've read the manifesto and I agree with a lot of Kaczynski's thoughts on technology ruining our world and how technology has brought the U.S. to its knees since India has taken over so many jobs.
However, in this case, I was thinking more about his opinion of CEOs... He didn't like them much.
If I could just interject in here and remind everyone that Ted Kaczynski was, from my recollection, a paronoid schizophrenic. That is where his ramblings came from. The effects that technology has had on the gathering and consumption of news is an interesting discussion. But I don't know that quoting the unabomber and treating him as if he were a philosopher is really the best way to get your point across.
Hey IAC, Totally suprised to see you still weighing in on all things STMG. Thought you'd be celebrating in the Switzerland on somewhwer else more private considering you big "win" last week. Oh , wait thats right you have no personal stake in the commings or goings on Orleans. So why not butt out now that you have fufilled your promise.
I beg to differ, IAC, I believe quoting Ted Kaczynski and recounting his manifesto on the subject of the consequences of technology and the evil of CEOs is an excellent way to get our point across. Of course, it depends on the point we're trying to make, doesn't it, Mr. Pseudointellectual?
Too bad those who made such a big show of registering their disgust and indignation with the deal by voting no -- yeah, i mean you, "Reverend" among others -- won't follow through and pack their bags.
Now that the dust has settled, I'd just like to hazard a guess at unmasking one of our anonymous posters.
Rippy, are you Rorschach from the Watchmen?
@Bir bom
Actually, I'm more of a pointy-headed intellectual myself.
Reuben Kincaid, for all you know, I'm already gone. But you don't know, do you?
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