News-Press Sues The Independent

This was on Business Wire and printed in sbnp? Any papers served? This is baffling.

The NP ordeal and all the bloody trauma it has inflicted has gone from surreal to sad.

and now, Melinda Burns, apparently fired at end of day Friday. see craig smith's blog
http://www.west.net/~smith/blog/index.sh...

It's getting very, very personal.......

Melinda Burns’ professionalism has been an inspiration to the community for 21 years. Anyone who has EVER dealt with her has been awed by her intelligence and fairness--and now she is subjected to stupidity and prejudiced. Enough! Wendy, the values you have brought to this community of greed, polarization, favoritism, oppression and feeble-mindedness are abhorrent! Can you see by now you are not a fit here? There are playgrounds for people with idiosyncrasies similar to yours, go there! Leave what’s left of Santa Barbara alone, and depart with the assurance that we will not forget you!

Wendy McCaw has the scruples of a goat.
Those that still subscribe to the Santa Barbara News rag also support the newsroom atmosphere of fear, lies, half truths and intimidation.
Anyone who reads this "newspaper" should also ask themselves what stories Wendy might not publish to protect friends, family, officials or politicos who suck up to Santa Barbara's Queen of Mean.
Let's have some fun, now: How about a T-shirt with the Santa Barbara newspaper masthead on it and underneath, the words: "I have not (yet) been sued, fired or intimidated by Wendy and her crew."
Any other suggestions out there?

I think this lawsuit shows:
1) Wendy McCaw and her gang have hit the bottom of the barrel - it's desperate
2) How stupid they are. People tend to forget things, even horrendous ones, and these idiots keep opening up this thing to show new levels of their depravity.
3) They will lose - and lose the paper for sure.
4) They have completely succeeded in alienating the community.
5) For sure they have shown they don't give a shit about anybody.
6) Their ship is going down. Those of us who cancelled our subscriptions months ago were picking it up occasionally to see what was up, and now we won't do that, even. It's not worth the paper it's printed on.
7) The News-Press is history.

How many lawsuits now?

Business Editor Michael Todd

Editor-in-chief Jerry Roberts

Teamster’s Union

Reporter Hildy Medina (for overtime)

Santa Barbara Independent

Reporter Melinda Burns (her actions pending)

How many editors, reporters, columnists and others torn from their jobs? 30?

How many legitimate news stories kept out of the paper? 10?

How can Tom Thomas, Morris Jurkowitz and Sara McCune accept “achievement” awards next week from a newspaper owner whose internationally known “achievement” is tearing apart the very fabric of our community?

To make sense of Wendy McCaw’s bizarre behavior –beyond eating tainted pork served up by her foodie boyfriend – look no further than a story placed prominently by her journalists at the bottom of Sunday’s business section:

“Businesswomen cope with menopause.”

For those who no longer subscribe: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic...

This has gone from bad to worse, but in some ways the worse is to see that Sarah Miller McCune who has done so much for this community is willing to accept a lifetime achievment award from a paper which I assume violates all her ethical and political beliefs. A gala ball while real journalists such as Melinda Burns must suffer. Not to mention the stupidist possible suit against the Independent. For holding leaked documents? Are they kidding. What line of work do they think they are in?
SB Watcher

Sara McCune turn your back on the discredited NP award, and highlight Wendy’s disgraceful behavior. This is NO time for a convivial party, with air kisses and hugs between SB’s rich, unless perhaps you were planning to invite Melinda, Jerry, Scott, George, Starshine and Cami et.al, garbed in their notorious black and carrying union placards for centerpieces, to join your table? Morrie will never turn this award down, he’s a Travis fan...but you, Sara? You could and should, or better yet, act like Marlon Brando, and send Jerry Roberts and Melinda Burns to accept in your award! THAT might make a statement, and it's an acceptance speech I'd sign up to hear!

Earlier in the afternoon of November 11th, the McCune Foundation is hosting a mixer for applicants to its grant program, held at Soho Restaurant. McCune herself could renounce the Newsmess then at her own party, or later in the evening at the Newsmess Wendinator party in the evening. However, it all is dicey if McCune still is serious about purchasing the newspaper and property, as she floated as an idea shortly after the implosion in early July. But that would mean that the Wendinator actually thinks rationally and cares about the rhetoric of a potential buyer.

I know, I showed my greenness again and the complete lack of any editors at News-Press. What do you expect, the memory or knowledge of Melinda Burns or Josh Molina?

In the issue published on Oct. 28, I wrote this that obviously never was edited by anyone with a clue:
"Firefighters battling a blaze in a four-story mixed-use structure in the 100 block of De la Guerra Street on Friday found at least one person trapped inside the burning building."

I still do not get the complaint. Everyone knows how to find "the 100 block" of De La Guerra Street ends there at the El Paseo Mall downtown at State Street, right?

And then today, in my article about the Harbor, I wrote this: "the replacement plan has been met with general support by the Water Commission, which advises the City Council." Then I quote "Water Commissioners" Ken Owen and William Antiochene.

The harbor has water, so I do not get the problem of proper identification of a Commission. And "El Estero" is down south in Carpinteria, right?

Graduate school is looking better all the time with a mentor like Scott Steepleton.

But the "100 block of De La Guerra St." is near the training tower, right?

e-mail today to City officials from John Ahlman, the Santa Barbara City Fire Dept. Battalion Chief:

START MESSAGE
You may have read the article in the News Press entitled "Firefighters discover person trapped in burning building" dated Saturday the 28th of October.

This was preplanned DRILL, not an actual incident. I had no communication with Vladimir or any SBNP reporter about this event. I will remind him to verify any event before publishing it, especially one where he is not in personal contact with myself or another representative of the fire department.

All drill activities such as this are relayed to the 911 dispatchers so as not to alarm the public. The four story "mixed-use structure " was our training tower.

When conducting training such as this, we use alternate radio frequencies to communicate, not our main tactical channel. I can not be completely sure, but it appears that Vladimir Kogan of the Santa Barbara Newspress may have picked this up off an emergency scanner and ran with it. The article was written in error as the "Fire" was a drill.

Firefighters discover person trapped in burning building
Vladimir Kogan
October 28, 2006 12:00 AM
Firefighters battling a blaze in a four-story mixed-use structure in the 100 block of De la Guerra Street on Friday found at least one person trapped inside the burning building.
Several engines from the Santa Barbara Fire Department responded to a report of a fire Friday evening, and firefighters punctured a hole in the roof to provide ventilation.
By 8:40 p.m., the blaze was contained, and firefighters entered the building and found the victim trapped on the second floor.
The victim's condition was unclear, though an ambulance was dispatched to provide medical help. A spokesman for the fire department did not return calls late Friday.
END MESSAGE

ABC COUNTS NEWS-PRESS CIRC DROP AS LOWER THAN BIG CITY COUNTERPARTS...how'd they do that???

Big Metros Show Severe Declines in Latest Circ Report

By Jennifer Saba

Published: October 30, 2006 7:40 AM ET

NEW YORK The Audit Bureau of Circulations FAS-FAX report for the six-month period ending September 2006 released this morning confirmed yet again that major metros are struggling to show growth. The losses are steep while the gains are meager.

This is the fourth consecutive semi-annual report to register a severe drop in daily circulation and -- perhaps more troubling to the industry -- Sunday copies. While the estimated decline 2.8% for daily circulation for all reporting papers may seem negligible, consider that in years past that decrease averaged around 1%. Sunday, considered the industry's bread-and-butter, showed even steeper losses, with a decline of about 3.4%.

Big cities like L.A., Miami, and Boston are feeling the effects of the Internet and the trimming of other-paid circulation. In New York, however, a 5.1% surge for the New York Post allowed it to leapfrog past its rival, the Daily News -- and The Washington Post -- into fifth place in daily circ.

The Los Angeles Times reported that daily circulation fell 8% to 775,766. Sunday dropped 6% to 1,172,005.

The San Francisco Chronicle was down. Daily dropped 5.3% to 373,805 and Sunday fell 7.3% to 432,957.

The New York Times lost 3.5% daily to 1,086,798 and 3.5% on Sunday to 1,623,697. Its sister publication, The Boston Globe, reported decreases in daily circulation, down 6.7% to 386,415 and Sunday, down 9.9% to 587,292.Daily circ at the Santa Barbara (Calif.) News-Press slipped 4.6% to 39,323. Sunday lost 5.4% to 40,801.

McCaw's lifetime "achievement:"How can Tom Thomas, Morris Jurkowitz and Sara McCune accept “achievement” awards next week from a newspaper owner whose internationally known “achievement” is tearing apart the very fabric of our community?" Who are Tom Thomas and Morris Jurkowitz?

If Mrs. Miller MCune should accept that award, then her opinion of media (from which she made her fortune) and of Santa Barbara, other than her fellow rich, is clear.

Where is that ceremony going to be held, at the guarded Bacara?

Great! Wendy is making public appearance November 11? Where? Will they release the usual robot foto's? Too bad we don't have paparazzi or party crashers. We're so kind to the elite.

the 2005 Lifetime Achievement Awards were held at the Biltmore. Will find out about this years. Would be a great place for a cabal-reunion.....

Reinstate Melinda Burns Petition Site:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeactio...

Please Go Today and Sign it.