Disagree. Old Arizona native here who watched the Arizona Republican (its original name) finally become more balanced. This in turn caused folks like you to holler 'DNC' because progressive voices in the state finally got heard. Last I heard opinion pieces are not fair or balanced and that's okay; the news articles were.
All I can say is that it's too bad that Gannett appears to have capitulated to what's popular instead of what's right.
Ah shoot, my account ran out of credits. This was more popular than I expected! Just texted the techies to add some. Thanks for flagging. In the meantime, if you wanna write it by hand, you can find him at Mike@gannett.com
I would re-subscribe today if The Agenda would commit to stop using Chat GPT. The irony of asking us to fund an independent newspaper while using a program that scrapes images from other artists who also deserve to be paid no longer needs to be lost on some of the best minds in Arizona journalism.
Nah. The Republic quit being a newspaper years ago. Now it is just a publication of the DNC. Roberts, Montini, Diaz, and Boas were all incapable of writing a balanced and truthful article.
All I can say is, "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."
A quick trip down the history of news\journalism reveals that newspapers are relatively new. 1566 (Venice) is not that long ago and nearly universal literacy is less than 200 years old. Too, newspapers were\are primarily directed towards the ruling class and aristocrats. The hoi polloi joining the daily readership is a very recent development and is predictably disappearing with easier ways to consume their news-which to 80% of the population consists of celebs,fashion, music and sports-not politics!
Finally, of that 20% left of educated adults, 50% no longer believe anything in what is packaged as "news" and rightly so, as it is opinion journalism and entertainment. Democracy will survive the demise of what is labeled as journalism, but history also shows democracy is an aberration as a form of government.
As one of The Arizona Republic staffers who will soon be departing, I think it's important to note that I was not forced out but instead chose what struck me as an attractive deal. No blood was shed on my part, nor on that of other colleagues, as best I can tell.
The company's buyout offer was voluntary and open to all staffers, regardless of age or years served. For folks like me, who have long tenures at the newspaper, it helped settle the question of when to leave. After all, we can't work forever (with apologies to Capitol Media's Howie Fischer).
As someone who is fast approaching her 45th anniversary with The Republic, isn't that long enough? I'm pretty sure I would have been welcome to stay, but I want a less hectic schedule. I'm not retiring, just stepping aside and curious to see what the next chapter brings.
I'll keep my subscriptions to both The Republic and the Agenda, because local news is important and subscriptions are vital to the financial status of both publications.
Mary Jo, we are distant cousins (my maternal grandmother's maiden name was Pitzl. When I first moved to AZ, 34 years ago, I saw your byline in an article I read and sent you an email. I think if I remember correctly our greatgrandfathers were brothers. I've enjoyed reading you over the years and I hope you get to do your retirement on your terms. Congrats and good luck and be very proud of what you have done.
How many writers do you have? I think having a few varied perspectives improves the chances of the publication (i.e. conservative & independent & non-political folks). If you have a few different writers of different backgrounds (diversity of thought), people are craving that.
Yeah, we've tried to bring in new freelancers with different backgrounds and ideologies this year. But it's hard to find steady, experienced reporters who have the time and get the vibe we do here (and meet deadlines). Plus, freelancers aren't free. So at some point, it makes more sense to just hire another reporter who is actually in tune with our rhythm. But we can't afford that yet.
There are definitely writers available with diversity of thought. "In tune with your vibe" might be why you aren't reaching other folks, to get the subscribers you want. But hey its your substack, if you don't want to integrate substantial feedback.
I wish I could help. But those of us who are retired and whose medical price increases and lack of care are rising, we cannot possibly support every request. From substacks to charities to candidates for office we are being bombarded every day with - please send money. Major corporations like Gannett are complicit in the destruction of our democracy. They are all worshiping the almighty dollar and dismissing the real threat of fascism in their greed and power grabs.
Journalism has always been the primary backbone of democracy. But with the mega mergers, the corporate take-overs and the focus on profit over substance, I watch in horror as reporter after reporter allows the liars to make their claims without pushing back. Great. Got the sound byte. Next...
Paramount caves because they want a mega merger. CNN caves because...? CBS caves. CBS has had some of the most revered journalists in this country's history. They are rolling over in their graves at the utter banality of reporting and the demise of truth over power. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of all of it.
Bisbeefred has some great ideas worth pursuing. Get creative. And maybe just STRIKE. I think women in general all over this country should just stop working. If we all could organize and just everyone walk off their jobs and shut the country down, maybe that could help.
Anyway. Sorry for the rant, but honestly. I'm done. I'm fed up and not spending another dime on another substack, magazine, newspaper (print or digital) or national candidate for office. The bank is closed. Figure it out and stop asking the people whose livelihoods are being threatened daily to cough up more dough.
Trust me, I'm just as tired of asking for money as you are tired of being asked. But striking is not an option -- we're an independent news source. We strike, we starve. And I understand you're fed up with requests for support, but either people support the Agenda (and a million other things that are threatened right now) or they go away. So I think we'll keep asking for now.
Try, if you haven't already, to pursue large corporate sponsorships for your sustainability initiatives. Shoot, maybe even some unbiased major donors will grow your distribution. Having worked for newspapers for almost twenty years, it is the advertising that provides the news hole.
I've suggested in the past, how bout a sub to all five or at least four out of five of the agendas? Something on the order of $200 for all. 4 or 5. (I realize not everyone is interested enough in Tucson/SoAZ) for a sub
Another suggestion is to offer a 6 month sub for kinda cheap $35-$40, to hook peeps. You financial tracking software should be able to handle that with not too much oversight.
A third suggestion, is an auction. At least a few of your subscribers are big bucks and have stuff of value that they need a tax break for. And some fun stuff too. Contract with peeps who run online auctions so you don't do it. Try to raise $50k or more. Check out the TMC auction in Tucson-nothing that big but along those lines. Big prize, small prize, and a bunch of smaller prizes.
All fantastic ideas. That's a big part of why we're looking to leave Substack -- they don't have the infrastructure to allow those multi-subscription prices. Or six month subs.
Hadn't thought of the auction idea -- that's totally worth pursuing. I'll check out TMC. Thanks!
did i forget to remove last week's header header because i rushed to get this email out and didn't wanna bother anyone else on vacation to edit me? Yes, i did thanks for noticing.
The AZ Republic is going in the wrong direction. I subscribe specifically for local news and columnists such as Laurie Roberts. The Republic spends too much space on sports IMHO. I subscribe to the AZ Republic to support local journalism. If the Republic isn’t going to cover local news and have local columnists, I’ll cancel my subscription. I do subscribe to the Agenda and other local online news sources.
We have only a digital subscription to the AZ Republic which I know hits their printing budget, but it got too expensive. I pick up a Sunday paper at Dollar Store when I can but with Montini cut out of the Sunday paper a long time ago and now some of the local editorial writers, there's no real reason to even pick up that. Sad, truly sad.
Ugh i think sports must really sell because yeah, totally agree. I've never read a sports page in my life. I really struggle with the idea of cancelling your subscription though. From a consumer perspective, 100% fair -- subscribe to what you feel brings you value. But from a journalism perspective, if everyone unsubscribes to the Republic, I think we lose something very important. Even if those dollars do actually go to small pubs like us. On the other hand, they've shown that no matter what, they're going to try to cut costs, so why stay to support that? Idk just musing on dark topics this morning...
Ok, knock off dissing my sports😂. If I didn’t have my sports to calm me down, bum me out, make me happy, make me cheer I’d be way too focused on the negativity of real life. To parents; I learned my fractions by learning how to figure out the batting averages of my favorite players. I was 5 when the Dodgers moved to LA from NY. How to get your kids off their screens (us too) and watch live men and women at the top of their game. It’s just fun. It’s a long hot summer.
Those are the columnists I read regularly in the Republic. (Az central). Those people are the old guard with historical knowledge of the state of Arizona. It’s back to the Repulsive, if it’s back at all. If we lose Horizon on Friday for the journalist round table, we lose. It’s tragic. Thanks for the information and coming off your vacation. It’s a dark time for honest information.
Disagree. Old Arizona native here who watched the Arizona Republican (its original name) finally become more balanced. This in turn caused folks like you to holler 'DNC' because progressive voices in the state finally got heard. Last I heard opinion pieces are not fair or balanced and that's okay; the news articles were.
All I can say is that it's too bad that Gannett appears to have capitulated to what's popular instead of what's right.
I was unable to use Wolfpak ("campaign no longer available???") to write to Gannet CEO to object to Abe's firing.
Ah shoot, my account ran out of credits. This was more popular than I expected! Just texted the techies to add some. Thanks for flagging. In the meantime, if you wanna write it by hand, you can find him at Mike@gannett.com
I would re-subscribe today if The Agenda would commit to stop using Chat GPT. The irony of asking us to fund an independent newspaper while using a program that scrapes images from other artists who also deserve to be paid no longer needs to be lost on some of the best minds in Arizona journalism.
Nah. The Republic quit being a newspaper years ago. Now it is just a publication of the DNC. Roberts, Montini, Diaz, and Boas were all incapable of writing a balanced and truthful article.
All I can say is, "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."
A quick trip down the history of news\journalism reveals that newspapers are relatively new. 1566 (Venice) is not that long ago and nearly universal literacy is less than 200 years old. Too, newspapers were\are primarily directed towards the ruling class and aristocrats. The hoi polloi joining the daily readership is a very recent development and is predictably disappearing with easier ways to consume their news-which to 80% of the population consists of celebs,fashion, music and sports-not politics!
Finally, of that 20% left of educated adults, 50% no longer believe anything in what is packaged as "news" and rightly so, as it is opinion journalism and entertainment. Democracy will survive the demise of what is labeled as journalism, but history also shows democracy is an aberration as a form of government.
Sorry to hear the news about the Republic. I love reading Laurie Robert’s and EJ Montini.
Well maybe I’ll subscribe again now that Boas has been put out to pasture. He was already full of shit; this is perfect.
As one of The Arizona Republic staffers who will soon be departing, I think it's important to note that I was not forced out but instead chose what struck me as an attractive deal. No blood was shed on my part, nor on that of other colleagues, as best I can tell.
The company's buyout offer was voluntary and open to all staffers, regardless of age or years served. For folks like me, who have long tenures at the newspaper, it helped settle the question of when to leave. After all, we can't work forever (with apologies to Capitol Media's Howie Fischer).
As someone who is fast approaching her 45th anniversary with The Republic, isn't that long enough? I'm pretty sure I would have been welcome to stay, but I want a less hectic schedule. I'm not retiring, just stepping aside and curious to see what the next chapter brings.
I'll keep my subscriptions to both The Republic and the Agenda, because local news is important and subscriptions are vital to the financial status of both publications.
Mary Jo, we are distant cousins (my maternal grandmother's maiden name was Pitzl. When I first moved to AZ, 34 years ago, I saw your byline in an article I read and sent you an email. I think if I remember correctly our greatgrandfathers were brothers. I've enjoyed reading you over the years and I hope you get to do your retirement on your terms. Congrats and good luck and be very proud of what you have done.
You’ll be sorely missed. Thank you.
How many writers do you have? I think having a few varied perspectives improves the chances of the publication (i.e. conservative & independent & non-political folks). If you have a few different writers of different backgrounds (diversity of thought), people are craving that.
Yeah, we've tried to bring in new freelancers with different backgrounds and ideologies this year. But it's hard to find steady, experienced reporters who have the time and get the vibe we do here (and meet deadlines). Plus, freelancers aren't free. So at some point, it makes more sense to just hire another reporter who is actually in tune with our rhythm. But we can't afford that yet.
There are definitely writers available with diversity of thought. "In tune with your vibe" might be why you aren't reaching other folks, to get the subscribers you want. But hey its your substack, if you don't want to integrate substantial feedback.
I wish I could help. But those of us who are retired and whose medical price increases and lack of care are rising, we cannot possibly support every request. From substacks to charities to candidates for office we are being bombarded every day with - please send money. Major corporations like Gannett are complicit in the destruction of our democracy. They are all worshiping the almighty dollar and dismissing the real threat of fascism in their greed and power grabs.
Journalism has always been the primary backbone of democracy. But with the mega mergers, the corporate take-overs and the focus on profit over substance, I watch in horror as reporter after reporter allows the liars to make their claims without pushing back. Great. Got the sound byte. Next...
Paramount caves because they want a mega merger. CNN caves because...? CBS caves. CBS has had some of the most revered journalists in this country's history. They are rolling over in their graves at the utter banality of reporting and the demise of truth over power. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of all of it.
Bisbeefred has some great ideas worth pursuing. Get creative. And maybe just STRIKE. I think women in general all over this country should just stop working. If we all could organize and just everyone walk off their jobs and shut the country down, maybe that could help.
Anyway. Sorry for the rant, but honestly. I'm done. I'm fed up and not spending another dime on another substack, magazine, newspaper (print or digital) or national candidate for office. The bank is closed. Figure it out and stop asking the people whose livelihoods are being threatened daily to cough up more dough.
As a former journalist I assure you, Walter Cronkite is rolling in his grave.
Trust me, I'm just as tired of asking for money as you are tired of being asked. But striking is not an option -- we're an independent news source. We strike, we starve. And I understand you're fed up with requests for support, but either people support the Agenda (and a million other things that are threatened right now) or they go away. So I think we'll keep asking for now.
Understood. I wish the billionaires gave a damn about this country. They could fund a lot of good. I wish I could. I just can’t. Good luck.
totally fair. And yes, eat the billionaires!
Try, if you haven't already, to pursue large corporate sponsorships for your sustainability initiatives. Shoot, maybe even some unbiased major donors will grow your distribution. Having worked for newspapers for almost twenty years, it is the advertising that provides the news hole.
Yeah, we are working on the sponsorship route but we have to be very careful about whose money we take.
I've suggested in the past, how bout a sub to all five or at least four out of five of the agendas? Something on the order of $200 for all. 4 or 5. (I realize not everyone is interested enough in Tucson/SoAZ) for a sub
Another suggestion is to offer a 6 month sub for kinda cheap $35-$40, to hook peeps. You financial tracking software should be able to handle that with not too much oversight.
A third suggestion, is an auction. At least a few of your subscribers are big bucks and have stuff of value that they need a tax break for. And some fun stuff too. Contract with peeps who run online auctions so you don't do it. Try to raise $50k or more. Check out the TMC auction in Tucson-nothing that big but along those lines. Big prize, small prize, and a bunch of smaller prizes.
All fantastic ideas. That's a big part of why we're looking to leave Substack -- they don't have the infrastructure to allow those multi-subscription prices. Or six month subs.
Hadn't thought of the auction idea -- that's totally worth pursuing. I'll check out TMC. Thanks!
did i forget to remove last week's header header because i rushed to get this email out and didn't wanna bother anyone else on vacation to edit me? Yes, i did thanks for noticing.
oops i can't tell if that's a reply or a comment but that was aimed at nobody and everybody in particular.
The AZ Republic is going in the wrong direction. I subscribe specifically for local news and columnists such as Laurie Roberts. The Republic spends too much space on sports IMHO. I subscribe to the AZ Republic to support local journalism. If the Republic isn’t going to cover local news and have local columnists, I’ll cancel my subscription. I do subscribe to the Agenda and other local online news sources.
We have only a digital subscription to the AZ Republic which I know hits their printing budget, but it got too expensive. I pick up a Sunday paper at Dollar Store when I can but with Montini cut out of the Sunday paper a long time ago and now some of the local editorial writers, there's no real reason to even pick up that. Sad, truly sad.
Ugh i think sports must really sell because yeah, totally agree. I've never read a sports page in my life. I really struggle with the idea of cancelling your subscription though. From a consumer perspective, 100% fair -- subscribe to what you feel brings you value. But from a journalism perspective, if everyone unsubscribes to the Republic, I think we lose something very important. Even if those dollars do actually go to small pubs like us. On the other hand, they've shown that no matter what, they're going to try to cut costs, so why stay to support that? Idk just musing on dark topics this morning...
Ok, knock off dissing my sports😂. If I didn’t have my sports to calm me down, bum me out, make me happy, make me cheer I’d be way too focused on the negativity of real life. To parents; I learned my fractions by learning how to figure out the batting averages of my favorite players. I was 5 when the Dodgers moved to LA from NY. How to get your kids off their screens (us too) and watch live men and women at the top of their game. It’s just fun. It’s a long hot summer.
Those are the columnists I read regularly in the Republic. (Az central). Those people are the old guard with historical knowledge of the state of Arizona. It’s back to the Repulsive, if it’s back at all. If we lose Horizon on Friday for the journalist round table, we lose. It’s tragic. Thanks for the information and coming off your vacation. It’s a dark time for honest information.
Right?!?!?! Even Phil- with whom I never agree- this is such a loss.