How long will Hearst Newspapers publish the Connecticut Post in print?
“Long enough to publish our obituaries,” cracked Mark Aldam, executive vice president and deputy group head of Hearst Newspapers. It was a pretty good line, almost like Aldam expected the question about print news mortality posed by Ann Nyberg, News 8 WTNH anchor at the Bridgeport Regional Business Council’s annual dinner Wednesday night at the Bridgeport Holiday Inn.
Aldam, who oversees the Connecticut Post, was the guest speaker who addressed the audience in a question and answer format with Nyberg, an admitted social network junkie.
The Connecticut Post is in a unique position with Hearst Newspapers, part of a Fairfield County triangle of dailies that runs from Greenwich and Stamford, east to Bridgeport and then west to Danbury. All four papers are printed in Bridgeport. “We love this market,” Aldam cooed. And why not? The Fairfield County market, he says, far outperforms the United States average for print news readers. But he added, “We need to change the business model” as consumer tastes transition to digital media. Aldam talked about doubling the size of the Hearst sales force to generate revenues.
Conveniently, he didn’t talk about the editorial side where the newspaper that covers the state’s largest city doesn’t have one full-time reporter to cover City Hall. Why? Mark’s an advertising guy, he’s not a news guy and that’s the trend–right or wrong–that dominates newspaper decision making. They’re marketing guys and advertising guys. Not news guys.
It’s disgraceful that my friends at the Connecticut Post don’t cover City Hall. They don’t cover Bridgeport, not in a meaningful way. One reporter–and she’s mighty good–Keila Torres covers the city. Anyone else, for the most part, is a fill-in.
“Oh, gee, the city ran out of ballots on Election Day. Maybe we should pay attention to this one.” That’s the general attitude over there. We’ll throw bodies at something when something crazy happens and then we’ll editorialize up the wazoo and hope to win awards. Gee, Mark, man in charge, what about the city’s budget deficit? What the Bridgeport governor’s office closing? What about city layoffs? What about the regional sewage plan that could make or break Mayor Bill Finch’s reelection and raises a whole bunch of development issues? These were issues, just in the past week, covered by little OIB.
Mark will say go talk to Baden. I don’t know Connecticut Post Executive Editor Tom Baden well. We’ve exchanged a couple of emails. He seems like a nice-enough guy. The Connecticut Post can do a lot of good if the will is there to tweak this or that. They can find a few extra bodies to cover the city. They have this I-Team over there (the investigative team) that supposedly does enterprise stories. The only thing I see from the I-Team is a rehashing of old stuff. Nothing really new. How about unleashing the I-Team on Bridgeport? Or giving Keila Torres some help?
You see, the watchdogs aren’t much better than those they profess to watch.
Here is an example of the kettle calling the pot “Black.”
Did you miss my prior posting Lennie? I’ll re-post it–just in case:
mitch beck // Dec 8, 2010 at 9:08 am
“Aren’t there more important and more controversial things to deal with than a Mayor of a city that used the F-bomb?”
Joel Gonzalez // Dec 8, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Yes, there are more important and more controversial things to deal with than a Mayor of a city that used the F-bomb.
The problem is the CT Post and the likes of Lennie Grimaldi are too “FUCKING” lazy and afraid to get off their asses and report what is important and potentially controversial. Ooops! Did I drop an F-bomb?
Lennie, are you not an advertising guy? The “only” reason I come here is because you do concentrate on Bridgeport issues. All those who live, work and have an interest in the City of Bridgeport should be checking us out here.
But Lennie, you too fall short when it comes to showing some balls. I’ll give you three examples. When you started promoting your 25th year Only In Bridgeport book, you stated in one of your postings that the book would have nothing about Joe Ganim, one of the longest-serving Mayors and one convicted for corruption since a very long time. No balls! No willingness to “Pry Open the Juicy Stuff.” Second, remember my protest at the Connecticut Post a few weeks ago? You did write about it here on OIB and I appreciate it. But I was watching your moves. I noticed you didn’t mention shit about it on your Only In Bridgeport blog on the Connecticut Post. Why? I was clearly making the very same point you are trying to make on this posting of yours. It wouldn’t cost the Post a dime to allow me the same privilege afforded to you, Jonathan Kantrowitz and Dan Malloy as host of the Politics Blogs by “Readers.” All who by the way are Democrats and Liberals. Afraid of losing your blog site at the Post? You don’t think you can make it without them and must rely on them for more OIB traffic? Lastly, I noticed you haven’t–doubt you plan to–posted this topic on your Connecticut Post blog either. But you did put a free ad promoting your 25th anniversary edition of Only In Bridgeport. Lennie, you should know better by now to try and pull a fast one on me. Show me some balls. blog.ctnews.com/grimaldi
Joel, did you take your meds today? You’re angry at the Post because they won’t give you a column. The amount of direct traffic here on the OIB mothership, thousands of visits weekly, blows away referral traffic I receive from my Post column. Writing for the Post once or twice a week is just one of many ways to drive additional traffic. I don’t need the CT Post. And I don’t know how long I’ll be writing for it. Good grief, if I were so concerned about losing the Post gig do you think I would ever criticize their meager Bridgeport coverage? As for Joe, there’s plenty about him in the revised OIB book. I simply want readers to know that what I write about the Ganim years will not dominate the book. It’s a book about Bridgeport, not Joe. And speaking of the book come see us tonight 5 to 6:30 at Rainy Faye!!!
Will Master Baden be attending this evening?
Here is a good one! Lennie covered a Bridgeport story that he only shared in his CT Post OIB blog. This is the best part of the story:
“It was my honor to nominate Chris for the position of Chair because of the fact that during my first two years he always offered to assist and was there whenever I called on him,” Rep. Ezequiel Santiago (D-Bridgeport) said. “He has the tenure and experience to allow the delegation to build on the progress we have made over the last two years.”
To build on the progress we have made over the last two years? Can anyone state any progress they have made in the last three years? The only progress Rep. Ezequiel Santiago (D-Bridgeport) has made is in his bank account from getting paid for hours not worked for the City of Bridgeport. Is John Gomes around?
Joel Gonzalez // Dec 9, 2010 at 4:36 am
Responding to your post
Joel, of course John Gomes is around … and it will confirm what you say. Both he and I know personally and professionally that Representative was rarely around for the CitiStat position given to him. Was he paid for those 40 hours? If you were to review his timesheets for his days at CitiStat, you’ll see that Gomes had them truthfully filled out as to his time not spent as well as time spent at the CitiStat office. The abuse was flagrant and it was never handled, once John was told by CAO Nunn that he would handle Representative Santiago’s abuse of taxpayer dollars. Because he did get paid for those 40 hours, without doubt.
This is simply one small incident where abuse could have been stopped, but …
The CT Post is not a newspaper–there’s no news in it! I stopped reading it years ago. If it had an ounce of journalistic integrity this city would not be in the state it is.
Even advertising and marketing guys have to realize that to sell ad space they have to sell papers and to sell papers there has to be something in it people want to read, preferably something they can only read there. When was the last time the CT Post had a scoop?
The last time they went for Ice Cream.
Folks, before any of you post a comment, go back up the screen and take a good look at the picture of Mark Aldam. Notice the folded arms? People with folded arms have no intention of doing shit. One leads by example and if it’s not clear to you what example the CT Post staff is following, don’t bother to post.
CT Post needs to do some real reporting, like …
Has anyone noticed the city has been doing a great job on covering up crime? There are countless crimes escaping the media scope. I understand the thought behind the lack of reporting with the anticipation of economic development. However, some light needs to be shed on how to control the crime.
You have youth being arrested with weapons left and right and it doesn’t hit the paper. You have countless gang fights, no paper. You have robbery, home invasions, no paper.
How can a gruesome Home Invasion occur on Wells St. and not hit the paper until months later? A home invasion occurs in Trumbull at 1:30am and it makes the online version later that morning …
You have cops being shot at in broad daylight by youth and it barely touches the news.
Any thought on doing stories on how our murder rate would reach the rate of the early ’90s if it weren’t for the good trauma work at Bpt Hosp and St. Vincent’s? We only have 23 Homicides, but we have about 80+/- people shot this year.
Just because you don’t report it does not mean it is not occurring. There are citizens who want change, and if it does not occur they will continue to leave for greener pastures!!! I work in the city with youth. I grew up in the city and love the city, but these days it is not a place to risk raising a child. I would have loved to buy in the city, but for the aforementioned, I chose not to and I don’t regret it a bit!!!
Well everyone has to be somewhere, I guess, so last night I traveled to Trumbull to listen to the informational meeting on potential approaches to dealing with Trumbull’s 10,000,000 gallons/day sewage output for and by the Town of Trumbull. One or more of their potential options include the agreement they now ‘enjoy’ with Bridgeport for their 9400 ratepayers or an alternative Regional approach that might include Monroe as well along with the current 33,500 from Bridgeport.
It was a sound basic session introduced by Tim Herbst and emceed by John Marsilio, PWD Trumbull.
Options that are technically feasible were presented, attempts at arriving at financial expenses in terms of capital improvements were offered tentatively (but interest in knowing ultimate user costs in terms of WPCA rates was not satisfied). Too many assumptions at this moment!
The New Haven Regional plan completed in 2005 was presented as a working example of regionalism in action and the shift from an infrastructure approach managed by a municipality (current) to a Regional Authority managed by a Board of ‘environmental trustees’ where taxpayer burdens and obligations, assets and liabilities, are transferred through the mechanism to ratepayers.
An attempt was made on more than one occasion to identify that Trumbull’s representatives to such an Authority would have more effective governance than Trumbull gets now as a customer of Bridgeport. But individual negative feelings about being part of a deal with Bridgeport were always at the surface among representatives of the Council, Trumbull WPCA and Finance Board.
Bridgeport was represented by Attorney Ed Maley (from Cromwell) who has been working on this subject for the City for about one year. Rob Russo was also present on this subject for the City. He was retained one week ago. (This must be a very GREEN subject.) CAO Andy Nunn was present but silent.
As a Bridgeport taxpayer I found the meeting generally very informative. At meeting’s end I went up to the ‘Bridgeport delegation’ suggesting that such an informational meeting might have great value in the City of Bridgeport as well. Response … it might … but don’t hold your breath.
Bridgeport (as policy, Mayor’s office? WPCA? Common Council decision?) called a stop to the Trumbull contract (no option to be offered to extend) in June, 2012. Our own contracted plant management agreement expires in April 2013 as well. (Is Michael Feeney still active as WPCA head?) And it probably would be helpful for the City or the WPCA to inform us of the capital improvements on the Combined Sewer system that will extend over the next 20 years or more.
The long term (50 years or more) shaping of a most basic part of our infrastructure that radically and daily effects our environment needs to be understood by citizens.
If inflow to such a system exceeds outflow, you get overflow that is against the law and gets DEP upset. We are being watched on this at the West End plant. And finally the ultimate test of any system is what comes out the last outflow part of a system … will it pass the smell test? And will the public as either taxpayer or ratepayer be happy with the voice a new governance system will encourage for them and the cost of their sewage waste disposal system?
Beacon, thanks for the report. The appearance in Trumbull of Bridgeport representatives shows how serious this deal is for Bridgeport. Finch and Herbst haven’t been getting along so Russo representing the city gives hizzoner someone who can convey the city’s position to Herbst.
So it was strange to see Candidate Russo, a Bridgeport taxpayer resident, a private attorney, and a friend, so recently employed when others are departing at a depressing rate. Does it take a Republican to talk to a Republican? Is that what you are telling me. Wow!!!
I thought a real environmentalist, as Hizzoner claims to be, would bore the public from street level combined sewers to the West End discharge tube with how great a project this is for the ‘burbs and the ‘port. What is missing is the sub (burbs) and the bridge (port), so what is going secret at this time (with Atty Maley professional efforts for one year) is flowing under the bridge in the dark current. And from the $50 Million deal that “they” have constructed out of public sight the familiar number of $40 Million to come to the City while the infrastructure assets of lines and plants as well as significant debt and future responsibilities go to the new Authority. What happens to future capital funding for CSO? Does that go away or then reside in the new Authority? How does a current and future ratepayer participate in the governance in the future? How are his interests represented? Last night in Trumbull, John Marsilio said that is all in the detail, in the assumptions, in the ultimate deal that will come to be. He tried not to provide his opinion but encouraged the assembled to do their work. Where is the Bridgeport Common Council Committee that needs to tackle this? Where is the public meeting in Bridgeport to assemble the parties and begin the dialogue? Where is the environmental leader in the community who will have the $40 milllion raised for Bridgeport dedicated to the outstanding and continuing major upgrades for Bridgeport (alone or as part of a delivery system), rather than to disappear under the bridge in the dark flows in the ‘port?
Lennie with an invitation like this from Speedy Gonzalez:
Lennie, you should know better by now to try and pull a fast one on me. Show me some balls.
I’d be sure that he has retired that paper-cutter/guillotine before take him up on this challenge. Repeat after me; Ouch.
To be fair to the CT Post: Keila Torres has been on maternity leave … I just saw a story from her the other day, so maybe she just came back.
Instead of talking about regionalization of the sewer system we should be talking about their (Trumbull’s) upcoming contract renewal for the sewer system tie-in.
They meaning Trumbull have been a PIA with their approval or lack thereof for the new High School. I believe that we tell Trumbull we will renew your sewer contract for 5 years at a substantial increase and after that you will need your own processing plant.
Trumbull always wants things their way it’s time for us to tell them enough is enough.
TC, It is interesting what puts people at the table at a certain moment and then what keeps them there. An award of a PIA designation comes from the eye of the beholder, and wouldn’t we always want to pay less, to save time, to avoid dealing with, to have someone else do it, etc. Well Trumbull apparently has been told by Bridgeport that their contract option is not available come 2012. That is why they are acting.
One of the things they will consider is going it alone. Though that is technically feasible permits to site such a facility may take many many years at ever more expensive levels of ultimate outflow. And the outflow would be targeted for release from a yet-to-be-built line through parts of Bridgeport emptying out into tidal parts of Pequonnock River. (What approvals required?)
I understand your desire to have them go on their own, but it’s complicated these days to be on your own. And neighbors might have a say in your plan which causes hiccups.
TC, might you want to know what happens if no other municipality wants to be a Regional Partner with us and we go it alone? I certainly would like to consider that. Implications: no $40 Million check from the blue; no transfer of liabilities and responsibilities to another party; no transfer of necessary attention to DEP orders currently.
And if Trumbull were independent, we would not have their 10,000,000 gallons per day flow, that might have our plants operate better, but surely now that is only part of the story.
So I ask again, don’t you want to have a Bridgeport information session among our ‘professionals,’ managers and decision makers?
My union, 1522, invited John Gomes to our Xmas party and after he accepted they took it back. Why? ‘cuz it’s at Testos?
Did they take back the invite??? I’m not understanding.
Does your union still invite Deputy director of Labor Relations Tom McCarthy or just City Council president Tom McCarthy?
1522 is a joke.
The joke inviting another joke ~~~ forgetaboutit ~~~ er, them.
I’m not surprised. Anna and Richie from 1522 are so far up Finch’s ass I’m surprised they can even breathe. Why do you think they are the only union with 2 FULL-TIME UNION OFFICERS PAID BY THE TAXPAYERS? They are paid to do union work all day. Also interesting that their union has not been asked to make concessions. Another example of inequitable treatment of employees. If you kiss ass, you are okay. If you stand up for what is right (which is why union members pay their dues BTW), you are targeted by the administration. Well I am glad my union does the right thing even if it means layoffs. At least we can hold our heads up high without breathing ass.
The Fixer // Dec 9, 2010 at 9:15 pm
To your posting …
So you think revoking the invitation to John came as an order from the Mayor’s office?
Carolanne, 1522 has always invited the mayor’s office to attend their party. How does Anna explain John Gomes attendance? I don’t think Finch gave the order. I think Anna serves only one master and that is Bill Finch.
*** Does the union or city pick up the Testos Xmas dinner tab or do the union workers have to pay? It’s got to be at least $50 each, no? *** Lots of Xmas cheer will be needed @ that shindig. ***
BEACON2 was anyone from Monroe invited? If so did they come? Being a Democrat on the Town Council in Monroe no one, especially the First Selectman tells you anything. Hiring Russo was a shrewd move by Finch. Russo may be able to speak, “FS Vavrek,” as well as Herbst speak. Our FS election is around the corner too and he made big promises about getting this sewer deal done. The problem is that no one in Monroe wants to spend money, so it won’t be included in our budget and the likelihood of bonding is 50-50 at best. I know the catalyst for Monroe and basis of the sewer deal is to get Scinto’s new Jewish Home for the Eldery built here. Where that deal stands is between Scinto and the puppetmasters and a developer here in Monroe. Additionally, our town is torn on the matter of economic development. There is probably still a majority of the voting public that doesn’t want economic development because they are still trying to hang on to “ruralness” of town. Also, the 0%ers have stop supporting Vavrek here plus every other Republican wants to primary him. This is not a great atmosphere to craft any deal. The mistrust of Bridgeport is glaringly evident around election or appointment time when anyone who has or had any connection to Bridgeport is decried as evil and hunted to be burned at the proverbial stake. Just ask Rep. Hovey and her supporters. (Being slammed by Bridgeport every two minutes as stuck up, arrogant, suburbs where no one could possibly care about Bridgeport doesn’t make things easier either, although there is a lot of that among Monroe Republicans.) This puts our FS between a rock and hard place, trying to placate those who do and don’t want sewers and which action will help him get re-elected. I can guarantee no one wants to really pay for the sewers unless the JHE is a done deal. This would have been an easier deal when Tom Buzi was First Selectman. Even then, when the deal was not for regionalization, but just for Scinto to build sewers to Trumbull and the towns would share property taxes people in Monroe didn’t want to have pay on a continuing basis even though the crap would. No one was willing to try and find a fair solution to the problem, Finch was desperate for cash, the other half of Bridgeport politicians said screw the ‘burbs, Trumbull wanted more flow and their town was split on what to pay Bridgeport for it, in addition to the problem of what was in it for them. I think both municipalities need a change of leadership, I haven’t been impressed with either leadership since the elections.
Also, since Joel Thompson the Post does not have a reporter assigned to Monroe at all, which is interesting because a poll showed that half of Monroe gets its news from the Post.
Who gave you those poll results about where people from Monroe get their news?
Let me guess, the Advertising Department of the CT Post?
50% from a print publication???
Did someone call for a “Hovey supporter?”
“… The mistrust of Bridgeport is glaringly evident around election or appointment time when anyone who has or had any connection to Bridgeport is decried as evil and hunted to be burned at the proverbial stake. Just ask Rep. Hovey and her supporters …”
MCAT, do you mean someone like this guy?
www .ctpost.com/default/photo/Randy-Dixon-25-of-Bridgeport-was-arrested-460736.php
MCAT,
I am not a political insider in the sense of someone with a position, elected-appointed-employed, that would provide me with special knowledge. Many OIB contributors have such status. But it is interesting to understand how much you can learn by showing up to public meetings, listening to what passes for information sharing and dialogue, and then testing your memory against current knowledge, applying a bit of wisdom and then saying your conclusion out loud. At which point OIB offers a corrective climate to provide some communication to tell whether you are on the right track or not. Statement rendered. Facts not contradicted. Opinion finds agree- or disagreement. OK.
This was Trumbull’s meeting. Did Trumbull WPCA or other office decide that Monroe input was premature or unnecessary to the Information Meeting? Probably.
Notice that neither Fairfield nor Stratford representatives were invited to speak and yet they would be part of three of the options discussed as technically feasible.
It would appear that Monroe has a larger task at hand, recognizing their love of referenda for decision making, and information meetings in that community that would share with the populace their current number of rate payers, the reality of stalled economic development, and trend lines over the next 50 years for handling sewage, installing sewers in whatever phasing, etc. needs to be done, before the reality of sewage expense in an environmentally called for manner, sinks in. And I am not talking about walking across a spongy septic field. Septic approaches and difficult/rocky terrain have lifetimes too.
I will guess from hearing whispers and body language that Vavrek was present as a listener.
I know all of us need systems to handle the problem of sewage. I know it will cost lots of money over time to bring systems to optimum operation and maintain them. I believe that technology will improve and that DEP criteria will get more stringent. I sense that certain types of funding from State and Fed sources may be more difficult to use and that this will increase cost assumptions. All of this can be plotted subject to assumptions in mind-numbing detail. But because we are political people, in proximate geography with civic boundaries, we have stereotyped responses to working together with certain agreements to end up with an efficient, quality, optimum sewage system for the region, with governance that is open accountable and transparent allowing most people to be satisfied as they pay their increasingly more expensive WPCA rates into the future.
What’s the real alternative? An outhouse on every lot? Why that is as phony as $600 tax credits, isn’t it? And public information sessions are necessary to show how many are in the same boat and we all need to distribute the paddling fairly.
One Final Thought or Question: Instead of selection of WPCA representatives by sitting community CEOs, why not have a regional election, coincident with Presidential elections, of candidates who have a track record as “environmental trustees” without specific regard to political party, necessarily. In Bridgeport that might be helpful since the Mayor’s office has extreme difficulty keeping all Boards and Commissions staffed with competent and current members anyway. Here would be one fewer task for a Bridgeport Mayor. And the members would need to be responsive to the community at large. This part of the “deal making” around the sewage question is important. It was pointed to by John Marsilio but ignored in the questioning by the audience. Stay tuned. We will see more about this, but may have to look hard for the Devil in the detail.
PS Lennie can’t make the book signing but I will still see you at the party.
The Oracle of Omaha Steaks!
Bad News about a Famous Place!
blog.ctnews.com/connecticutpostings/2010/12/09/arthurs-famous-pizza-is-closing/