Comments on: A Bad Week for My Local News

By: Arizona Daily Star Goes From Sad to Pathetic | Writer's Resource Center

Arizona Daily Star Goes From Sad to Pathetic | Writer's Resource Center — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:18:54 +0000

[...] last week I was bemoaning my local newspaper’s horrible decision to restrict access to its web site. As if that weren’t depressing enough, this week brought [...]

By: John Hewitt

John Hewitt — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:27:50 +0000

Hi Pearl,

I certainly could work around their system. I’ve done it before. I have over a dozen domains and plenty of emails that I can use for annoyances such as this. However, I object to the exclusionary tactic as a whole, and the belief that I should jump through a bunch of hoops just to read news that is freely available elsewhere.

By: Pearl

Pearl — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:58:38 +0000

does bugmenot.com not work?

By: JoniB

JoniB — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 23:36:03 +0000

Wow! I keep forgetting how chaotic yet necessary those times were. I hope you’ve put your experiences down on the page. To have been part of that history is fantastic. I was “safe” on the Minnesota farm during all those years of upheaval and therefore missed all the passion of the era.

By: Connie Williams

Connie Williams — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 17:05:57 +0000

I lived in Arizona during the late 60s and early 70’s. KCAC had just opened, Toad (Gary) and Marty Manning, were DJs, and I was on staff, that was about 1970 or maybe ‘71. Anyway, we picketed the Nixon campaign breakfast because they wouldn’t let KCAC have press pass, at least that’s what I sort of remember, and almost got shot down in the streets. It was pretty awesome times.

By: JoniB

JoniB — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 02:30:01 +0000

Hey Connie! I just checked out your link. Are you from Arizona and now in Texas?

By: JoniB

JoniB — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 02:23:50 +0000

Connie, my hubby remembers KCAC radio but not the others.
New Times used to be good when Bob Boze Bell and Jana Bommersbach where on staff. Ah, those were the days….
Dang, I’m showing my age!

By: Connie Williams

Connie Williams — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:12:08 +0000

Anybody remember KCAC and Toad and Marty Earthworm . . . .

By: John Hewitt

John Hewitt — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:47:15 +0000

Hi Joni,

I actually work in Tempe, so I am familiar with the anemic Phoenix newspaper scene. Even the New Times has lost its former zing.

In the case of the Arizona Daily Star and Starnet, they used to be quite good when it came to the Internet. They were my original Internet and Web provider back in 1993. Up until recently, I liked their web site quite a bit. It was easy to navigate an the ads weren’t too annoying (I wonder how their advertisers are going to feel about the inevitable drop in page views). The Star was bought out recently though, and this may be the new company imposing its “vision”. I don’t know. I just know that I won’t join any organization that requires my membership just to read their articles. There’s too much good stuff out there that I can access without having to jump through hoops.

By: JoniB

JoniB — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:28:54 +0000

Hey, John! I’m up in Phoenix. I stopped reading our newspapers years ago when the Phoenix Gazette was put out to pasture. The whole newspaper industry is going through an identity crisis. Poytner.com had an article about this not too long ago. The internet is either intimidating them or they are ignoring it all together. They haven’t adapted themselves to the new face of information. Change is not easy.