Jesus. Where do you start? There's the relentless reminding of readers that the Times Leader loves Wilkes-Barre so much that it's giving away $100,000, $25 at a time. There's the over-the-top Web coverage -- one story, two video clips, three photo galleries. There's reporter Bill O'Boyle, whose "story" is the biggest wet kiss yet for the man who signs his paycheck, Richard Connor. And, finally, there is the lead art both online and above the fold: Connor blowing out birthday candles. This dude makes Allison Walzer look like the most humble motherfucker ever.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Times Leader sets world record for self-aggrandizement
Jesus. Where do you start? There's the relentless reminding of readers that the Times Leader loves Wilkes-Barre so much that it's giving away $100,000, $25 at a time. There's the over-the-top Web coverage -- one story, two video clips, three photo galleries. There's reporter Bill O'Boyle, whose "story" is the biggest wet kiss yet for the man who signs his paycheck, Richard Connor. And, finally, there is the lead art both online and above the fold: Connor blowing out birthday candles. This dude makes Allison Walzer look like the most humble motherfucker ever.
Pathetic. The story should be about the charities in need, not about the man giving away the money.
ReplyDeleteLavelle & Murray sure do know how to throw a party. It's such a love fest -- ad agency, newspaper and WNEP all licking each other's butts. Connor is the biggest jackass of them all. I wonder where his beautiful wife was? Home looking for a new life, I suppose. She had to have her daughter there for looks but I bet that killed her.
ReplyDeleteWhere's the CFO? Where's the executive staff? The employees? Connor says he's all about his employees and yet never mentions any of them by name.
Oh -- and who BLOWS on a cake these days? Grips, can you say sharing diseases!
Mr. NEPAmedia and 10:24, it looks like its time for your naps.
ReplyDelete11:31 ... I thought that was his wife on the front page this morning - the chick with the bleached hair standing behind him ... no?
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't see the front page but his wife is a brunette. Helen Lavelle from Lavelle & Murray is a blonde.
ReplyDelete3 key positions Connor filled within 6 months of his takeover have been changed. VP Advertising, CFO, and VP Online. People would say Knight Ridder was a terrible company...look at what Connor is doing to the staff.
ReplyDeleteWord is he had all the employees line up for a free turkey in the parking lot and Connor was handing them out. They all felt like they were going to a food shelter the way it was done. Strike one up for Connor there!
After a year and a half of purchasing the paper, members of the business office finally got their chance to have a meeting with Connor only to find out the meeting was about Connor letting the CFO go. Strike another one up for Connor!
Everytime I see grandpa with his little girl...it just makes me chuckle. Does he realize how ridiculous his family situation looks?
Please don't knock O'Boyle. Do you actually think he volunteered to write the story? Come on. It sounds more like punishment.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I have been hearing from former colleagues, everything at the TL is one big photo op for the big guy. There's a way to promote yourself and your company without making it a one-man show. And that's all it is. A big show.
The so-called "editor" doesn't even know more than half of the staff because he never spends any time in the newsroom.
You'll engender a hell of a lot more goodwill for your company by doing the good works quietly, soft-peddling the credit, putting the focus on the people who need help, and the people in the community who help them every day.
ReplyDeletePeople appreciate that kind of coverage, not Connor's big buffoon act. The community recognizes these kind of stories just signify an ego out of control.
Check out Page 6B in Thursday's TL.
ReplyDeleteNot all of us live in the TL's circulation area. What was on 6B Thursday?
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm wrong about this ...
ReplyDeleteTimes Leader Holiday Shopping Guide, Page 11, Item 6 (recommended gifts for children)
Aqua Dots??? Is this the same item pulled from shelves because the beads were laced with the date rape drug? Tainted Aqua Dots (from China) was the lead story on TV and online only a few weeks ago.
Please tell me the paper is not recommending parents purchase Aqua Dots for their children.
It must be my error - no editor would ever let something so stupid and potentially harmful be printed.
Yep, date rape drug Aqua Dots. Well done TL, well done.
ReplyDeleteThey were too busy making sure Connor's face is all over the paper. Why don't you ask people who can still stand to work there how morale is now.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteThey were too busy making sure Connor's face is all over the paper. Why don't you ask people who can still stand to work there how morale is now.
8:44 PM, November 23, 2007
Morale is great. Thanks for asking...
You must be kidding about morale. I know of at least three top newsroom people who are interviewing elsewhere right now. I guess they didn't tell you. From what I hear, there is no teamwork, no communication and no rules. Most of the people think the management team is a big joke.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great for W-B. Good luck, TL
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteYou must be kidding about morale. I know of at least three top newsroom people who are interviewing elsewhere right now. I guess they didn't tell you. From what I hear, there is no teamwork, no communication and no rules. Most of the people think the management team is a big joke.
9:14 AM, November 24, 2007
It's nice to see 9:14 a.m. talk about speculation from what s/he has allegedly heard. Morale is great, thanks for asking - again.
How many charities actually showed up at the party of the century? It looked like a party for the homeless of WB. Seems the one who made out the best was Helen Lavelle.
ReplyDeleteWhy did Connor let the CFO go?
Imagine anyone making Walzer look humble? Connor has accomplished something in his first year!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see 9:14 a.m. talk about speculation from what s/he has allegedly heard. Morale is great, thanks for asking - again.
ReplyDelete11:12 AM, November 24, 2007
Renita, you are the only one who thinks morale is great. Let's face it, Connor isn't here for the long haul. He's already 65. The TL will be gone in five years.
I don't work there anymore but good sources close to the newsroom say morale is not good and some people named here might be on the way out.
ReplyDeleteHaha! I love reading this stuff for such a great laugh. All you people are such dorks. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteWhat's so funny?
ReplyDeleteMorale is high in every department at the TL. Look what our great leader has given us: company/family picnic at Knoebels; free turkeys for Thanksgiving; the party of the century; a forthcoming Christmas party; lower and better health insurance; annual raises based on performance and attitude; unlimited overtime. I can go on, but compare these perks to the CV, TT or SS.
ReplyDeleteDo TS employees receive any of this? Or at least a Christmas bonus. Something tells me NOOO.
Morale is high at the TL. Thanks for asking - again and again.
"Morale is high in every department at the TL. Look what our great leader has given us: company/family picnic at Knoebels; free turkeys for Thanksgiving; the party of the century; a forthcoming Christmas party; lower and better health insurance; annual raises based on performance and attitude; unlimited overtime. I can go on"
ReplyDeleteOK, free turkeys, parties and health insurance are good for something... but notice there's nothing on the list about the quality of journalism and professional fulfillment.
The bread and circuses only go so far when the whole newsroom knows the paper's quality is a tenth of what it was two years ago and the management is a joke. You can't free-turkey your way around that.
Who is the TL cheerleader who keeps posting here?
ReplyDeleteI detect a healthy dose of sarcasm from the "cheerleader."
ReplyDeleteMorale is very high ... if your name is Joe Butkeiwicz, Joe Healey, Joe Soprano ... or Joe in general.
If your not one of these people, or your not Connor's hand picked, corn fed, cellulite boobed design queen, then your morale sucks.
Don't know of anyone interviewing right now, but there are a few people who are taking one further and are just flat out leaving.
But, the morale killer isn't necessarily Connor. He named himself editor and hardly sets foot in the newsroom. But the people he's put in charge redefine stupidity.
You try to do your job. You think you did OK. And then you get a phantom e-mail from a manager telling you that you screwed up. They never tell you in person, you had no idea there was an issue, but check your inbox to see how you fucked up.
Yeah. Morale is GREAT. Thanks for asking.
I love Lord Farquat. He gave me a turkey.
ReplyDeleteHow often do you get a turkey from a turkey?
Joe Butkeiwicz, Joe Healey, Joe Soprano
ReplyDeleteThat's the core of a real suck-hole unit. Wow. Last person out of the TL turn off the lights please.
Gotta love the very few who keeps posting propaganda about morale at the TL. They say the quality of journalism nowadays isn't the same as it was two years ago. And these are the same people who complained two years ago about the quality of journalism at the TL.
ReplyDeleteWhich is it?
Morale is great, actually, it can't get any better. Hows the morale at the CV, dorks? Thanks for asking - again, again and again.
Give me a T!
Give me a L!
What's that spell? TL, one more time, TL, two more times, TL TL.
Give me a C!
Give me an O!
Give me an N!
Give me an N!
Give me an O!
Give me an R!
What's that spell? Connor, one more time, Connor, two more times, Connor, Connor.
Hooray.
It's tough to respect editors who couldn't write a story if their lives depended on it.
ReplyDeleteHi, Rich. Nice cheer.
ReplyDeleteI still can't get past the list of "happy people." If happy means retarded I get it. If not, I'm stumped.
ReplyDeleteThis is EXACTLY what I mean. Love it!!!
ReplyDelete"cellulite boobed design queen..."
ReplyDeleteWho fits that criteria?
"u" and "y." Yeah, I'm glad "u" left "2."
ReplyDeleteIf Connor is so great, why did Iseman and Janoski leave. They care about the product and journalism. They are suck ups to establishment. Now look you is in charge. Suck ups, Ronald Reagan loving cheerleaders and entertainment editors.
ReplyDeleteIf Connor is so great, why did Iseman and Janoski leave. They care about the product and journalism. They are suck ups to establishment. Now look you is in charge. Suck ups, Ronald Reagan loving cheerleaders and entertainment editors.
ReplyDelete2:59 AM, November 26, 2007
I meant they aren't suck ups to the establishment
Iseman, quit posting on here. You're the reason half the staff left
ReplyDeleteIf u think iseman has the time or cares 2 even post here get a life. he's enjoying life with gannett and couldn't care less what happens in nepa nemore
ReplyDeleteIt's that bad at Gannett, isn't it, Iseman? You long for the days of walking down Market Street, seeing the Genetti lambasting SAYSO, and watching as a bus drove by with a picture of your frizzy-haired head on a billboard on the side.
ReplyDeleteSome people in the newsroom wish Connor was around more often because then he might see what the managers can't see.
ReplyDeleteConnor is only 60, by the way
ReplyDeleteThe two top newsroom managers don't belong in their positions.
ReplyDeletecompare the quality of the journalists who left the TL after Knight Ridder went up for sale to the so-called journalists who joined the TL under Connor. That goes to show you that Connor doesn't care about quality journalism. He is a bottom line guy. He'll make a few bucks, sell to TS and retire in Waco.
ReplyDeleteSome of those who left when KR was for sale weren't so hot, either. Look again. The TL has some great journalists but like someone else said, the people in the top two positions are pretty clueless. Even a news clerk can see that.
ReplyDeleteMoot points ppl. Connor will bail in the next 2-3 years. Most logical buyer? You guessed it Times-Shamrock.
ReplyDeleteWho are the top 2 at TL? Bukawitz? Who else?
ReplyDeleteIf you spell it "Bukawitz," 12:11, you probably don't have any business asking the question.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if Butkiewicz is the right guy for the position, but you can't say a bad word about the guy. You can't find a nicer, more decent man than Joe B.
ReplyDeleteHe's nice to the people he is afraid of or who he likes. He takes it out on the people he doesn't or thinks he can get away with. He is afraid of the cellulite boob editor and doesn't make a decision without the approval of his little "friend" er, assistant. She calls the shots but the problem is she doesn't know too much either. And she's a nasty one. They call her Walzer Lite.
ReplyDeleteTL Circulation M-Sat: approx. 40,000
ReplyDeleteCV Circulation M-Sat: approx. 29,000
TL Circulation Sunday: approx. 54,000
CV Circulation Sunday: approx. 30,000.
Has been for decades. Enough said!
Connors is 60? Why does he look older than Dick Cheney and the Pope?
ReplyDeleteAnd thank god for Levitra.
Wait, who's Walzer Lite?
ReplyDeleteWTF happened in your lives that made you so miserable and mean?
ReplyDeleteTL Circulation M-Sat: approx. 40,000
ReplyDeleteCV Circulation M-Sat: approx. 29,000
TL Circulation Sunday: approx. 54,000
CV Circulation Sunday: approx. 30,000.
Has been for decades. Enough said!
6:43 PM, November 27, 2007
Huh? Those aren't up to date TL numbers, Renita. TL circulation has been dropping for years. Sunday circ is way down since Pittston Dispatch numbers are added in. Yeah, CV numbers are less, but the CV costs more. And the CV has slowly been making progress since the Shamrock purchase. No one denies the CV was shit with Golias and Ney in charge and they were letting Ed Lewis slander people with imaginary sources. Holeva wanted to get of the slandering Ed, and Rich Connor granted his wish. Good job, Rich. The CV is slowly improving under Holeva, and the TL is rapidly falling apart. Look who left, and look who joined and look who's in charge now in Connor Bustland.
Is Anne W or Renita the cellulite boob editor known as Walzer Lite? And what are cellulite boobs?
ReplyDelete"WTF happened in your lives that made you so miserable and mean?"
ReplyDeleteLet's see, KR went under, McClatchy had no interest, Connor bought the TL, fired or forced out anyone in management unwilling to drink his Kool-Aid and turned the whole thing into one giant print bj for himself and his business buddies amongst the WB "elite."
Cellulite Boobs are defined as boobs which are artificially enhanced by eating Pringles, Ding Dongs and large quanities of chilli and cheese french fries.
ReplyDeleteIt's not Ann or Renita who are the boob queen. Just look around. One of them is the Walzer Light though I'm sure. Figure it out.
ReplyDeleteIt's not Ann or Renita who are the boob queen. Just look around. One of them is the Walzer Light though I'm sure. Figure it out.
ReplyDeleteSomeone please tell us. Who is Walzer Lite in your newsroom?
ReplyDeleteShe has all the taste and half the calories of a regular Walzer.
ReplyDeleteWalzer Light = Anne Woelfel
ReplyDeleteThe one Walzer to have when you're having more than one.
ReplyDeleteWhich newspaper is the lapdog and which is the watchdog now? I hear Connor is going soft on Luzerne County officials because he wants to get county ad biz.
ReplyDeleteWalzer always did like Woelfel. She rarely got yelled at by Walzer.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteNot sure if Butkiewicz is the right guy for the position, but you can't say a bad word about the guy. You can't find a nicer, more decent man than Joe B.
4:00 PM, November 27, 2007
Nobody is doubting that he's a nice person, but I'm told he's not the same "Joe" from last year. All this time being one of Connor's yes men is taking a toll. And I'm really not trying to be nasty, but it's Connor's business and he'll run it as he sees fit. Some perfectly capable people have been shown the door while buffoons like Prashant still rule the roost.
Joe is one of the good guys but I think he does not want to make waves so he doesn't tell Connor what the newsroom really needs. I haven't seen him in awhile but word is he is too close to Wolfel who we all know was a friend of Walzer. What does that tell you?
ReplyDeleteAnnie just needs a good rogering. Than she wouldn't be so uptight.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who need to know:
ReplyDeleteRoger: Verb. To have sexual intercourse. Male usage.
Is Anne W really in charge? She's a frickin page designer.
ReplyDeleteYep, that's right. Welcome to life at the new TL.
ReplyDeletedat's it
ReplyDeleteThe TL's news decisions are being made by page designers and features editors these days.
ReplyDeleteWhy else do you think that we get huge Page 1 stories with giant photos about watchmakers when real news is actually happening.
Any voices begging to differ aren't necessarily silenced. They give you your 2 minutes to disagree. Then they ignore you.
They ignore you during your 2 mins, too.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear Joe B isn't the same guy these days. Sounds like "survival" at the TL. I'm sure he is drinking Connor's kool aid in order to keep his job.
ReplyDeleteTL circulation 37,500
ReplyDeleteCV circ daily 30,000
TL Sunday circ 42,700
CV sunday circ 30,000
The TL has dropped almost 1800 copies since last statement.
They signed up 4000 current subscribers on the 100th anniversary plan at almost 1/2 of what they were paying plus gave $25of that to a charity. Do the math... connor paid about $420,000 to retain subscribers he already had.
This 100th anniv promo was connor's last ditch attempt to save what has become a fluff rag. He also was able to stroke his own ego some more.
ReplyDeleteIt is still a good paper. I think they've just added some balance. How can you compare it to the CV with its horrible front page?
ReplyDeleteThe TL is going under. Times Shamrock is going to figure out squeeze the TL out of biz with the synergy between Scanton, WB and Hazleton. Connor needed to buy the Standard-Speaker to stay alive in the long run. In five years, he will be retired in Waco. Why do you think he is still registered to vote in Texas?
ReplyDeleteAnnie get that Rogering yet? Anyone know?
ReplyDeleteHave to agree with the 10:39 PM, December 02, 2007 poster. The CV is strategically perhaps slowly going to dismantle the TL. They have got them surrounded. And while Connor is busy looking in the mirror telling himself how great he is, The Lynett's are making progress. It's just a matter of time before he sells.
ReplyDelete2 maybe 3 years.
DUH. I said that several days ago. I wish you TL whiners would actually start investigating the private equity firm and its goals for the TL then compare where the TL stands in meeting those goals. If you do the math you'll see that the TL will be FORCED to sell TO someone (TS is my bet) at less than Connor bought the TL from KR/MC. It's simple math you idiots.
ReplyDeleteanybody who says morale is good at the TL is crazy or blind. it has become a terrible place to work in the last year or so.
ReplyDeleteTo all of you out there, whether you work at a newspaper or somewhere else, if your job is that bad, leave. If you love your job but think the bosses are assholes, go to your human resources departments. Just say it in a nicer way.
ReplyDeleteRoger that!
ReplyDeleteWho's the hr director now....so many have turned over in that place. You can never trust hr there anyway. They are under Connor's rule as well. Same went for McHugh.
ReplyDelete