Daily Mail - RIP

[The Real SamC]

Without prior announcement, the Chilton family has shut down the Charleston Daily Mail. It is replaced by a "combined" paper which is 99% Gagzette. No word on who, if anybody, from the Daily Mail staff will still have a job.

Politics aside, there is no argument that the Daily Mail sports page has been a fair and balanced voice in the coverage of MU athletics (and that the news pages have understood the role of the University in the state) while the Gagzette has been hostile or dismissive of both.

A sad day.

 

[31Herd55]

Gazette has always been a BIG-TIME cheerleader for everything Ears and the looney-liberal-lefties.

 

[GeauxHerd]

Hopefully Chuck McGill will still there.

 

[TheGreenhouseEffect]

The way of the fish wrapper continues its Internet created decline. Liberal content sent to sometimes conservative subscribers does not a good customer make.

Here in Atlanta I get the AJC Friday through Sunday , but for that I get an app that opens on my iPad that allows me to read Monday through Thursday s news too. It's a pretty darned good app and quite frankly due to the size of the AJC is preferred by me on those weekdays when I'm really too busy or traveling to read the paper.
I hate it for the journalists and workers at the DM, my heart goes out to them. Unemployment in WV is a much harder thing than in other states.
To be honest even here in Atlanta, GA Tech is second fiddle to UGA in AJC coverage even though tech is atlanta based and UGA 75 miles north . So in all honesty sans the cheap shots by Dhickman and Vingleer, the coverage Marshall gets is pretty good by CN. Smock does the best he can, and I think is really under valued by many Marshall fans. He does his homework, recalls the history and in recent more better times has been as flattering as an unbiased journalist can be....even tries but fails miserably at humor too! LOL!

 

[oldeherd]

Without prior announcement, the Chilton family has shut down the Charleston Daily Mail. It is replaced by a "combined" paper which is 99% Gagzette. No word on who, if anybody, from the Daily Mail staff will still have a job.

Politics aside, there is no argument that the Daily Mail sports page has been a fair and balanced voice in the coverage of MU athletics (and that the news pages have understood the role of the University in the state) while the Gagzette has been hostile or dismissive of both.

A sad day.

Another cold, calculating action by the "progressive" Chilton ilk. Hell, if you know the real history of the slimebags who have ran/controlled the Charleston papers for decades, it would curl your blood. Ned Chilton wanted to portray himself and the paper as a "champion" for the common man, but his paper at times engaged in "union busting" activity when dealing with some of its employees. He described his editorial policy as one of "sustained" outrage when, in reality, it was "selective" outrage. Look at difference of coverages given to, say, the killings in Charleston, SC, versus those like the killing in San Francisco by a 5 times deported illegal alien, a crime surely created with regularity due to our lax, almost non-existent immigration policies. Policies which are, by the way, constantly champion by Gazette "progressives".

Finally, the Gazette labeled itself the "state newspaper", which meant, in reality, it was for everything in Charleston/Kanawha County and Morgantown/WVU, and to "hell with everybody else". Just vividly recall the ongoing campaign for establishment of the MU medical school and the Gazette's incessant editorial rantings against it. One low life columnist then, a hack by name of Don Marsh from Logan County, constantly belittled the MU med school advocacy/efforts. Of course, Marsh was "rewarded" as his son got into WVU's med school and was recently named the head of the vast health science system in Morganhole. On the whole, the Gazette editorially has been, historically, about 98% anti Huntington and anti Marshall, which continues today under Jim Haught, and columnists/hacks like Phil Kabler. Remember, the WVU graduate degree scandal involving Joe Machin's daughter and a phony executive MBA degree, dubbed "Heathergate", was uncovered by NEWSPAPERS IN PITTSBURGH, AND NOT THE HOLIER THAN THOUGH GAZETTE AND ITS "SUSTAINED OUTRAGE"!!! At least the Daily Mail was a lot more even handed, vis-a-vis Huntington and MU, especially during the days when awarding winning publisher/editor, Jack Maurice, a MU journalism grad, was in charge.

 

[The Real SamC]

WCHS TV reports that everybody in the building, both Gagzette and Daily Mail, was given two weeks notice and told they will have to reapply for a job at the "new" paper. However, today's paper, like the combined weekend papers have always been, was 100% Gagzette.

This is, IMHO, just subterfuge. Every position of significance will go to the Gagzette incumbent. Knowing how greedy the Chiltons are, probably for less pay. Hopefully McGill and some others will catch on somewhere, but I don't know where. The H-D certainly is not hiring, the Beckley paper pretty much no longer produces serious material of its own. Raese (who is more anti-Marshall than the Chiltons) made some noise about starting a rival paper, but he doesn't have the cash.

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

How in the hell Charleston still had two dailies is beyond me.

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

Cities 10 times the size of Charleston barely have one paper. It really amazes me that both were still operating.

 

[oldeherd]

WCHS TV reports that everybody in the building, both Gagzette and Daily Mail, was given two weeks notice and told they will have to reapply for a job at the "new" paper. However, today's paper, like the combined weekend papers have always been, was 100% Gagzette.

This is, IMHO, just subterfuge. Every position of significance will go to the Gagzette incumbent. Knowing how greedy the Chiltons are, probably for less pay. Hopefully McGill and some others will catch on somewhere, but I don't know where. The H-D certainly is not hiring, the Beckley paper pretty much no longer produces serious material of its own. Raese (who is more anti-Marshall than the Chiltons) made some noise about starting a rival paper, but he doesn't have the cash.

What will be a telling factor, SamC, regarding the subterfuge, will be after all this shakes out, and we end up with a revised Gazette with very little remaining in terms of content of the Daily Mail, is whether Betty Chilton and the "management" of the paper will then jack up the price of the paper 30 to 40 per cent under the guise/sham that they are putting out a combined paper.

 

[Gochneaur645]

McGill is a superstar. He'll be fine no matter what happens there. It would be nice if he somehow wound up at the H-D.

 

[The Real SamC]

How in the hell Charleston still had two dailies is beyond me.

The reason was very simple. The Gagzette. The Gagzette is, and always has been, such an awful newspaper that it allowed the Daily Mail to survive. The Chiltons were so out of touch that they waited and waited and waited for the same thing to happen in Charleston as happened most everywhere else, which is for the afternoon paper to dry up and go away. In their elite arrogance, they never understood that that was happening because the morning papers in those other towns was actually readable. If the Charleston morning paper had been as good as even the H-D, the Daily Mail would have died a natural death decades ago. But is it not. It is probably the worst newspaper in any market of its size in the country.

 

[Dorrej]

Sad day. The Daily Mail was my favorite paper in the state. Hopefully Redd and McGill get to stay, then the sports page might be readable.

 

[TwolfHerdfan]

Another cold, calculating action by the "progressive" Chilton ilk. Hell, if you know the real history of the slimebags who have ran/controlled the Charleston papers for decades, it would curl your blood. Ned Chilton wanted to portray himself and the paper as a "champion" for the common man, but his paper at times engaged in "union busting" activity when dealing with some of its employees. He described his editorial policy as one of "sustained" outrage when, in reality, it was "selective" outrage. Look at difference of coverages given to, say, the killings in Charleston, SC, versus those like the killing in San Francisco by a 5 times deported illegal alien, a crime surely created with regularity due to our lax, almost non-existent immigration policies. Policies which are, by the way, constantly champion by Gazette "progressives".

Finally, the Gazette labeled itself the "state newspaper", which meant, in reality, it was for everything in Charleston/Kanawha County and Morgantown/WVU, and to "hell with everybody else". Just vividly recall the ongoing campaign for establishment of the MU medical school and the Gazette's incessant editorial rantings against it. One low life columnist then, a hack by name of Don Marsh from Logan County, constantly belittled the MU med school advocacy/efforts. Of course, Marsh was "rewarded" as his son got into WVU's med school and was recently named the head of the vast health science system in Morganhole. On the whole, the Gazette editorially has been, historically, about 98% anti Huntington and anti Marshall, which continues today under Jim Haught, and columnists/hacks like Phil Kabler. Remember, the WVU graduate degree scandal involving Joe Machin's daughter and a phony executive MBA degree, dubbed "Heathergate", was uncovered by NEWSPAPERS IN PITTSBURGH, AND NOT THE HOLIER THAN THOUGH GAZETTE AND ITS "SUSTAINED OUTRAGE"!!! At least the Daily Mail was a lot more even handed, vis-a-vis Huntington and MU, especially during the days when awarding winning publisher/editor, Jack Maurice, a MU journalism grad, was in charge.

Not to mention the Gazette railed against the formation of the MU School of Pharmacy. Marsh was an ass. Hell, the Gagette even invited the UC President to do a piece on why MU didn't deserve a School of Pharmacy.
Maybe the Gagette should turn their attention to Charlestons murder problems and the crime around Town Center Mall. Sad stuff.

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

My Grandpa always referred to the Gazette as the "Pravda on the Kanawha"

 

[herdalicious]

When they bought the Daily Mail in 2010, a judge ruled that they could not kill the paper for a period five years. That injunction ran out Sunday.

 

[lexkyherdfan]

as other have said...I have never understood how two papers survived in a city the size of Charleston. We have one in Lexington.

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

The reason was very simple. The Gagzette. The Gagzette is, and always has been, such an awful newspaper that it allowed the Daily Mail to survive. The Chiltons were so out of touch that they waited and waited and waited for the same thing to happen in Charleston as happened most everywhere else, which is for the afternoon paper to dry up and go away. In their elite arrogance, they never understood that that was happening because the morning papers in those other towns was actually readable. If the Charleston morning paper had been as good as even the H-D, the Daily Mail would have died a natural death decades ago. But is it not. It is probably the worst newspaper in any market of its size in the country.

Really? I can see someone not liking it for the politics or pro-WVU bias, but it always seemed like a good paper to me. Pretty thorough in its coverage, while most papers today are a shell of what they used to be. Hell, the Sunday edition was better than the C/J here.

 

[BT4373]

They were too biased against the regional airport which would have helped the whole state. Now look at the Keystone Cops around the slip.

 

[-CarlHungus-]

McGill and Casazza are the best sports guys in the state - by far. I hope their jobs are secure.

Casazza's blog feature "The Good and the Bad" has been nominated for national awards. He breaks down big plays/sequences for each WVU game with embedded youtube clips and posts insight into how and why they were important. It's an amazing amount of work but it's a great service to his readers.

 

[jocktalker]

The "new" newspaper plans to cut 10-17 positions. Chuck and his wife both work at the paper so at least one of them should be safe along with Vingle, Smock and Casazza. Doubt they keep Hickman and Redd but Hickman has seniority. They might keep him instead of Cassaza.

 

[-CarlHungus-]

The "new" newspaper plans to cut 10-17 positions. Chuck and his wife both work at the paper so at least one of them should be safe along with Vingle, Smock and Casazza. Doubt they keep Hickman and Redd but Hickman has seniority. They might keep him instead of Cassaza.

Hickman is ok, but he represents everything that's taking print media under. He doesn't have an active blog, isn't active on twitter, and really doesn't do much else outside of print work that I'm aware of.

Casazza is a go getter. His blog is top notch and he was previously doing a pretty good podcast. He can do more than print media.

 

[jocktalker]

I don'the disagree with you on those points, just posted what I'd heard. The Gazette is a liberal pro-union organization and they may value seniority over production.

 

[oldeherd]

I don'the disagree with you on those points, just posted what I'd heard. The Gazette is a liberal pro-union organization and they may value seniority over production.

Not really, when you go back and look and some of their actions against their own "union" employees over the years. Hypocrite Ned and family have followed the "do as I say and not as I do" mantra.

 

[The Real SamC]

Not really, when you go back and look and some of their actions against their own "union" employees over the years. Hypocrite Ned and family have followed the "do as I say and not as I do" mantra.

This is correct.

To flesh it out, almost all newspapers are heavily unionized. The Gagzette is the exception. Hypocrite Ned, firebrand 'friend of labor', brought in strike breakers back in 1972 to eliminate the pressmen's union, and all of the far-left editorialists crossed the picket lines and were promptly tossed out of their unions. The place has been a 100% union free operation ever since. No one has any "seniority". Everyone is working at will.

The Gagzette, more than anything, exists to spew out its opinions. That is why it is such a bad paper. Its not the so-called editorial page, but the editorial within every article. The Chiltons, while greedy f***s, could have sold the paper before the internet was invented for a whole lot more than they were making.

This includes sports. Which is why the paper will follow its dismissive and hostile attitude toward MU sports ongoing. They could sell a few more papers with better MU coverage, but that is not the point. They want to demean MU, and Vingleberry is there to do that.

 

[herdgadfly]

I don't know why everyone is defending the Daily Mail. Any newspaper that fires a columnist, Don Surber, for telling the truth by calling Big Mike Brown "an animal that the Ferguson police had to put down" simply choose to abandon its employee by ignoring the known facts of that case.