News-Press Staffers Yell Yes

What does this mean to management's claim that they are all such happy campers at the NP now that they've driven out the troublemakers? Perhaps that 85% of the remaining newsroom employees are mindless dupes too willing to believe outside agitators and thus undeserving of readers' trust in their ability to report the news? Wouldn't that in and of itself provide grounds to terminate? Big-time union busters don't let little things like certification elections deter them. This one ain't over yet.

So can we have our newspress back now? When can I resubscribe?

Yahoo!! Congrats to the embattled reporting staff. And to Wendy (aka, Miss Management): you reap what you sow. Couldn't happen to a more deserving gal...
As to the signal for resubscribing: when the reporters are content that the wall between the news and editorial/managment has been restored. I wish it was when a non-rabid editorial page writer was hired, but that's asking too much.

Thank goodness. The Santa Barbara News-Supress may have a chance now of becoming a good news souce once again. Hope so.

I'm getting tired of this whole thing. If the paper doesn't improve, I think I will just order the New York Times, and bow out of this whole thing. I do wish the S.B. Pressed the best however.

I am so glad to hear about this landslide. Even though it will take a long time for the paper to improve, at least those staffer still working have some protection.

Keep boycotting and not subscribing until the Union gets a final contract with the company; could take 3 or 4 months still.

As for the comment by Santa Barbarian, very odd that you think NY Times is interchangeable with the local daily newspaper. I did not know the New York newspaper covered local news, which is the primary value the News-Press had.

And I heard that Barney McManigal was NOT there at the announcement, so looks like Mr. Indy Staff wrote it a bit too fast. Barney must still be too stressed out and could not go to work today after all those ATTACK comments yesterday by Janet Wolf pointing out the anti-environment voting record by Developer Dan during his tenure as a Coastal Commissioner.

Bravo from Fresno!

Here below is the latest interpretation of the unionization vote by the Newspress company in their hired statement. I recorded the entire announcement on video, all of it, and I wonder how those staff yelling in glee, hugging each other, and hoisting many celebratory drinks at Rudy's was a sign that they were "coerced" in a "controversial" union election. Maybe the upcoming photos by the Indy's Paul Wellman will show some coercion. Huff must simply have forgot to mention that 33 of 39 votes cast (85%) were in favour of the unionization. I look forward, as usual, to the next Huff statement with all the "facts".
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
September 27, 2006, 08:57 PM Eastern Time
News Room Employees at Santa Barbara News-Press Choose Teamsters in Controversial Election

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Santa Barbara News-Press issued the following statement today:

The news room employees today voted to authorize the Graphic Communications Council of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters as their bargaining agent. If the election results stand up to review, the union will engage in contract negotiations for the nearly 50 newsroom employees out of the 206 total newspaper workforce.

Based on the tactics employed by the union, the News-Press is not convinced that its employees were afforded a fair election free from coercion. The paper will consider all its options.

“While we are very disappointed in the outcome of today’s election and the way this organizing campaign has been waged, we are pleased that this unpleasant labor dispute is moving towards a resolution,” said Wendy McCaw, Santa Barbara News-Press co-publisher. “The focus of our attention remains on our responsibility to provide timely, balanced news coverage to our readers in Santa Barbara and the surrounding communities,” she concluded.
Contacts
Ágnes Huff Communications
Ágnes Huff, PhD, 310-641-2525

I see in that first photo that Barney McManigal was there. But he still must have been shocked about all the negativity and coercion, so departed early.

After all, coincidence is evidence.

barney was there, they asked people to keep canceling until the process was complete

Suppressing the news.

Favoring favorites like Travis Armstrong and Rob Lowe.

Spawning internet competitors.

Treating employees like dirt.

Making Santa Barbara an international laughing stock.

Losing a unionization election 85%-15%.

If divorcee Wendy paid $100,000,000 for the News-Press, she and boyfriend Nipper pissed half of it away during the last couple of months, with the union vote alone yesterday costing her $10,000,000.

She has become a pariah in her own town. HIS personal and business reputation remains where it was – in the gutter.

As Wendy should have discovered in mixing love and business a couple of years back, it’s vastly cheaper to put the live-in on a weekly cash allowance and keep him out of the family business.

With yesterday’s union loss being the opening shot in a long war, the same is true for her burgeoning army of lawyers, public relations experts, private investigators, more lawyers, guards and poison pen editorial writers. The fees must be staggering; but those pale in comparison to the damage they’ve done, to Wendy, to the paper, and to a community where most of them don’t even live. She needs to get rid of all of them and hire professional newspaper managers, and leave them alone, as she promised when she bought the paper.

She who doesn’t learn from history is bound to repeat it.

She won’t learn, and will repeat.

Hang on for the strike.

Having to read and hear about yesterday’s News-Press union election in other local, national and international media (but not in the News-Press itself, except for a few inches on B-5) makes the case for union protection of editorial integrity. An oxymoron, almost, but true in the upside down world of Wendy McCaw.

Everyone is grappling with this: what possibly could be going on inside Wendy’s head? Is she crazy? Nick in today’s Poodle has probably the most logical theory—“her problems are, in a way, very personal, and sadly, all too common among those afflicted with vast wealth.”

Nick is right, the arrogance and ignorance started locally with Michael Huffington, and has hit those hardest – like Michael and Wendy – who didn’t make the dough themselves.

Wendy like Michael has lived inside a “billionaires’ bubble” for most of her adult life. She’s among the richest single women on earth and, like another Michael, Michael Jackson of Neverland, she has used her vast wealth to create her own world that no one else can see or hear.

But it’s unraveling. For Michael Huffington it was having to admit he is gay; for Michael Jackson it was the courts; for Wendy it will be the NLRB.

She isn’t advised by sophisticated and disinterested people who are smart enough to keep her out of trouble and to whom she will listen. She knows such people and needs to reach out to them before it’s too late.

Otherwise, the media circus and union fight will continue for a long long time at incalculable cost to her personally.

Doc Searls, in his national blog, has a message: Fire the Manager.

http://doc.weblogs.com/2006/09/28#elemen...

Problem is, he doesn’t finger enough people. Things went south fast when Wendy and Arthur added another room to their 25-acre ocean front estate—the publisher’s suite. The impoverished food critic isn’t competent to run the News-Press. Doc, why put the editorial editor in charge while on vacation? McCaw needs to adopt a standard board structure and hire professional management, and leave it alone, so they can just mail checks to her yacht.

From today’s L.A. Observed:

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2006/0...

Not even close

Kevin Roderick

"Remaining staffers at Wendy McCaw's Santa Barbara News-Press voted 33-6 to join the Graphics Communications Conference of the Teamsters Union. McCaw immediately attacked the Teamsters, saying the union was in cahoots with everybody in Santa Barbara who thinks she's a rich twit. OK that part's not true."

MAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2006
SB NP REPORTERS VICTORIOUS AGAINST HEAVY WENDY PRESSURE!!!
FREE-PRESS FIRST AMENDMENT WIN!!!

http://wendypressmess121.blogspot.com/20...

During the news conference yesterday, Keegan of the Teamsters Union announced that ABC would be conducting an audit of the NewsPress circulation in early October.

Anyone can feel free to clarify what "ABC" is in this context, but it sounded like the real-deal authority.

ABC = Audit Bureau of Circulations - audits mostly daily papers.

Indy is audited by VAC - Verified Audit Circulations

ABC stands for Audit Bureau of Circulations, of which the News-Press is a member. Their six month audit report ending September, '06 will be of some interest to all. Their report for the six months ending 3/31/06 is the last we've heard about circulation. They may not provide the report, and should not, if they know what's good for them -- of which their track record is blemished.

--virtual auditor

To Reach Out Now,

Like McCaw, Huffington had wealth and used it for egotistical aims. But he was just the rich, blank Texan selected to further his wife's ambitions of global schmooze-dom.

Don't forget that Arianna Huffington worked with her "Messiah" cult to find a suitable millionaire for marriage. And after getting a ring, she convinced the shy, closeted gay-man (who had told her about his sexual leanings) to run for Congress, and basically oversaw most major voting and campaign decisions, including, says Michael, the move to endorse Proposition 187, the initiative that would have blocked basic social services for illegal immigrants.

None of this absolves Michael Huffington for buying a congressional seat and signing on to cynical and calculating political decisions, but we must give credit where it is due.

I find it funny that News-Press talking heads are concerned about employees voting out of "coercion." If by "coercion" they mean getting lawyers and a certain manager to talk smack about unionization, and trying to convince other managers to tell their staff not to vote for the union, well then they're right. Except it didn't work. Justice prevailed.

A very minor point in all this mess, but one that perhaps reflects some underlying weaknesses in the backgrounds of some of those involved: Huff, in "crafting" McCaw's response to the election, put the word towards, which is not a word (toward is what she apparently meant...)in her mouth, and McCaw presumably signed off on it before the statement was sent out... Ah, the joys of having an illiterate as publisher of our local daily...

Boomer505, sorry to inform you that my trusty Webster's cites "toward or towards"...so it is indeed a word.

Hi Harriet,

Yes, but according to AP Style, which most newspapers follow, the word is "toward." (And "backward" and "forward," etc.)

Nothing about any of this in today's News-Press. I guess it really IS the News-SUPPRESS.

I stand corrected. I just read there IS a story about this...hidden back in the business section.

Hi Former Salt Mine Toiler,

No argument re: your point about AP style, but what Boomer505 wrote was "the word towards, which is not a word." It IS a word, according to Webster's. Style guides such as AP only specify usage; they don't have the last word on whether a word exists. ;-) (I hope everyone else will forgive us for these silly off-topic comments!)

No worries, Harriet -- this is exactly the sort of thing that copy editors love (and live) to debate. They're the code monkeys of the newsroom, and damn proud of it.

(And never, ever, play trivia games with them.)

your pal in the newsroom, thanks. As a former copy editor (for a medical journal) I consider nitpicking a fine sport. Code monkeys of the world, unite! ;-)

Medical copy editing! I yield now.

"If the election results stand up to review..." the News-Press biz section states (what's with the use of a newspaper to issue constant statements instead of the news"...but in any case, this game ain't over. The Wicked Witch of the Worst will be will be working mighty hard to challenge the union vote.

She will be doing everything she can to negate the vote, not negotiate a contract and in general make life miserable for the newsroom. The stupid part of this is that it will just alienate her employees and the community even more. The smart thing would be to admit defeat, negotiate a contract and let everything blow over. The even smarter thing would be to admit her mistakes and hire a competent publisher and exective editor and let them run the business like a newspaper. It would probably cost her less than the legal and consulting fees. Unfortunately Wendy figures she can just buy her way out of this and her paid lackeys are more than happy to assist her so they can collect their fat checks. She still hasn't figured out that they are just money whores who will do or say anything for money, but then misery loves company, doesn't it.

Ex Inmate

Although Spendy might disagree, Star, Barney and the rest look fine in the photo in their new black Teamster Tees. SSSsssoooooooo, is it time for the McClaw management team to get aggressive and fight fire with fire? Wendy, ditch the black Armani—been a bomb, meaning bad, the opposite of good. Order up a black “Nipper’s” T-shirt ($18.99 each) from Arthur’s store at nippers.com and wear it during your period of mourning. Would almost suggest ordering the “Classic Made in U.S.A. Nipper’s Thong Underwear,” also currently available from our co-publisher’s online store at $10.00 a pop, but, as your boyfriend showed everyone by helping us bring in the Teamsters, he can’t cover your ass.

Funny, Figleaf, funny.

I don’t know about Starshine, but I kind of like the looks of the guy she’s hugging.

Nipster, dude, hey, first serious cash gig you’ve had since blowin’ basil at your club, and, in six months, you’ve screwed the pooch, brother, big time.

Toppin’ the list has got to be your excellent work in bringing the Teamsters in to “help” Wendy.

Publisher of the Year material.

Really.

You’d get the hook ‘cept you got your latest squeeze DOWN.

Now, for the contract, let’s see if you will have the cojones to cross the picket line surrounding the lifetime thingy.

I just picked up the newest edition of Vanity Fair, the one with Scientologists Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and the Asian baby they adopted on the cover. While flipping pages to the Cruise photo spread, I spotted Santa Barbara billionaire Wendy McCaw and her fiance Arthur Von Trapp (something like that) on page 188. My first thought was "Gawd, she's put on a few pounds!" But at least she can say that she isn't some dumb blond (is it blonde?) trophy wife. Anyway, I'm sure you read the article which portrayed her as our county's 2nd freakiest resident after Michael Jackson so I don't need to repeat it. But I stopped cold on page 195 when it said that Jeramy Gordon, the 23-year-old publisher of the "little" Santa Barbara Daily Sound, might be facing legal action from the not-so-little Wendy McCaw. McCaw's legal eagle, David Millstein, "said the look and feel of Gordon's paper are too similar to that of the News-Press..." Truer words have never been spoken. To prove her point, I grabbed a copy of each paper and did a comparison, and the results were hideously shocking. Here are my PowerPoint points, if were to do a PowerPoint on this.

Size
N-P: 22 X 12.5"
Sound: 16" x 10.5"

Page surface area
N-P: 275-square-inches
Sound: 168-square-inches

Number of pages
N-P: 40-60 per day
Sound: 20 per day

Content
N-P: Mostly wire copy with a few local stories
Sound: Mostly local stories with a few wire stories

Front page logo
N-P: Condensed serif bold typeface with a cute illustration of an adobe mission surrounded by sail boats. (Adobe mission-style buildings with terra cotta tile roofs are the registered trademark of Amperstand Publications, all rights reserved.)
Sound: No cute illustration, non-condensed Century Typeface

Editorial Page spin
N-P: Right-wing kook
Sound: No editorial page

Advertising
N-P: National chains and those who haven't figured out that locals hate the N-P
Sound: Local businesses

Photos
N-P: Color
Sound: B&W

Willingness to print addresses of TV stars
N-P: none
Sound: unknown

Desire of owner to become chummy with TV stars by not printing their addresses
N-P: Strong
Sound: unknown, probably none

Cost
N-P: 50 cents
Sound: Free

There you have it. This comparison clearly shows that these two newspapers are extremely similar, and yet I can't understand why Wendy hasn't sued already. Sure, she'll be hit with what's called an anti-SLAPP motion, a costly penalty designed to stop billionaire fat cats (did I say "fat" again?) from trying to silence others who use the First Amendment. It will cost her millions and the money will make Jeremy's day. But she's got the bucks and should sue anyway. Besides, the people in our legal system have nothing better to do than hear her complaints.

Nice comparison by Wink with Daily Sound, but some clarifications or corrections:

Daily Sound is 12 or 16 pages per day, not (yet) 20.

Typefaces actually look quite similar, but Newspress hardly should have a monopoly on type with serifs, no more than a monopoly on tile roofs.

Editorial spin is not apparent in Daily Sound, although its letters and guest commentaries can spin a lot, but that is the point for a diversity of perspectives that have been absent in Newspress.

Newspress advertising includes quite a lot of local sources, but they will get quite a shock when the audited circulation numbers are revealed later in October.

Daily Sound sometimes is color news content when the back page is a paid color ad.

Daily Sound has announced it will publish addresses when they are relevent for the news content, such as the location of a contentious land use dispute.

On chumminess with TV stars, Daily Sound probably would like some chums, but biases unlikely.

Daily Sound is distributed free from several hundred distribution points in Santa Barbara and soon starting at UCSB, although home delivery would be nice. Newspress subscriptions keep getting discounted to as low as 24 cents per day, which is less than half of the newsrack price, but such discounts are irrelevent because the local content and quality of the Newspress is less than a fifth of what it was as recent as last June.

As Daily Sound publisher/owner Jeramy Gordan has said several times during interviews, NO ONE has more incentive NOT to be confused with the Newspress than he does, as any publication that looks and feels like the Newspress is at an extreme disadvantage in the marketplace.

Get off it. No way in hell a Publisher of the News-Press would sell thong underwear on the side! News-Press publishers have been a distinguished group of gentlemen and community leaders, going back more than a century, starting with Tom Storke, and including the late Stuart Taylor. No way.

To Nipper's Thongs: That was then, this is now. The current ownership and publishers is not considered distinguished or community leaders. Respect is a 2 way street and the current publishers give no respect so get no respect. Amazingly that they haven't figured that out.

Ex Inmate

RE last sentence: Should read "Amazing that they haven't figured that out."

To Nipper's Thongs: I didn't believe it either so I went to the website & sure enough, the Nippers thong is there. Here's the link in case you want to get one:
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/store.aspx?s...

Harriett, if you look close, each Classic von Wiesenberger Thong ($10) has a little Nipper Frog caricature of our publisher woven right into the sweet spot.

Having read most of the comments posted on this site, I feel that they could have been written during the French Revolution.
Her Wendyness, the newly crowned King Nipper and court jester Travis Armstrong are locked up in the newspaper palace and the peasants are banging on the palace doors .
Her Royal Highness is so detached from reality that she doesn't completely grasp what is going on around the kingdom.
She dismisses the mob outside the palace: "They are mere mortals, union thugs, ignorant peasants and disgruntled journalists along with some very well-placed community crazies...Where are the lawyers, my kingdom for another barrister!!!"
A PBS documentary that aired last week on Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution best describes the rude awakening of Ms. Antoinette:
"Torn from her 100-room palace when a mob of some 7,000 women marched on Versailles, thrust into a common jail, she was plunged into despair, only to be transformed by her suffering. "Tribulation," she said, "first makes you realize who you are." Her wealth and crown had made her heedless of the poor and the powerless."
And, may I add, people who the crown and its minions greatly underestimated - the common folk.

The News-Press on Sunday has become boring and I picked up the New York Times. I can’t escape our drama, however: Wendy and her meltdown are mentioned on page 3 of the New York business section. She’s the “pretty destructive” national poster child for private ownership not necessarily being good.

Talk about a boring, "non-local" NP--Barney, if you want to feel REALLY good about yourself and your longtime community column, just scan Dr. Laura's "Local-Page Two” attempt in Sunday's NP. The only thing local about her column is her reference to people and, right-on, Laura, Santa Barbarans ARE people! Laura muddles through some 500-plus words on adoption, an item that, at best, belongs in the Life section. Keep it up Laura, as it always makes my day to witness yet another Wendy-based-bad-decision skid into blunder-land!

Dateline: the REAL Riviera; From the Dallas Morning News, Wendy and the Baron in party mode.

An excerpt:

“Last week, megawealthy Californian Wendy McCaw had more pressing business than putting down the staff insurrection at her Santa Barbara News-Press.

She pulled her 193-foot helicopter-equipped yacht, Calixe, into harbor at St. Tropez in the south of France to attend the wedding of native Dallasite Karen Farquharson to British-born Dallas businessman Horatio Lonsdale-Hands.”
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/...

At least the Dallas paper has a good columnist.

Good times ... burp.

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/phot...

Horatio Lonsdale-Hands is, of course, the other partner in the long departed, kinda missed, and notorious '80s demimondaine, "Nipper's," a caviar and champagne bar on Coast Village Road across the parking lot from Longs.

--virtual memory

Dr Lewis G Bishop and Ms Schlessinger have a small boat. Or is 5 to 6? http://cruising.sailboatowners.com/forum...

Nipper's a baron now (According to the Dallas Momring News)? When did he get promoted?

Thanks Harriet.

It seems that the phony "Baron" is not only disingenuous and pretentious, but also a rather indiscreet thong merchant. No doubt that Nipsy the Gigolo, Wrong-Way, the "Associate Editor, Mr. Steepleton" and all the other sycophants and paid consultants who have enabled her and given her such bad advice, will ultimately incur Wendy's wrath.

Doc Beaver sure has a nice looking boat.

Baron Von Weisenberger. Kind of makes sense if you think about it. He is probably one of those papered European gentry who have the title but not a dime to their name. He sure acts like one, dabbling here and there but never doing anything worthwhile. I was wondering why Wendy would even consider him but if he is titled, then he has something to offer her that she doesn't have, and she can legitimately hobnob around Europe with the upper classes. Wonder what her real motive is.

Ex Inmate

demimondaine??? hey biff, you are strating to read like joseph woodard back when he was at the weekly.

http://couples.weddingchannel.com/weddin... baron nipper

That's spelled "J-o-s-e-f" and I consider that a high compliment.

--virtual sesquipedalianist

Cash for a royal title. Done all the time by weathy American wannabes. Vanity Fair said the Baron's father never even used "von." Soon Wendy may be a Baroness.

anon 5:21, boat photo is already missing. also said bishop/schlessinger own 6 boats?

BARON VON JOCKSTRAP!!!!!
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAH HA HA HA! THIS IS HILARIOUS!
THIS IS GETTING TO BE TED MACK AMATEUR HOUR!!!!!

I've gotten a kick out of reading all the blogs for the last two months or so, but I must say: you guys have no clue what it's like parking your car, showing your ID badge and walking into the News-Press each day. Our stomachs are in knots ... I'm not trying to engender any sympathy, because we do have a right to quit. Yes. But, we also love this profession, and we love Santa Barbara, and we think this beautiful city deserves a newspaper that has some credibility.

I'm doing my best to not spout too much anger, but what the hell: Sell the newspaper, Wendy!! Please! We'll all be so much happier. ... This sucks.

Anonymous, sorry for the joking. I think we all recognize the seriousness of the situation, but since the devil can't stand laughter, I guess that's why we're posting these ridiculous comments. There isn't one of us who isn't thinking about you guys having to live with this rotten situation.

Absolutely...

Al Bonowith gave 1 weeks notice today, and left the building ( don't have all the facts on that yet: Escorted or offered to Leave with that weeks pay ? ).

Also the Lovely Mrs. Starshine Roshell has left the building of her own desicision.

Sorry Al - That's:

BONOWITZ !

Good Luck Al.

Starshine quit?

Yes, both Al Bonowitz, Travel and Copy Editor and fine illustrator of many of Starshine's columns, and Starshine Roshell quit today. He was in a tux and tails, she was in a polka dot dress.

No more duct tape for those two.

And the News-Press dies a bit more.

Terrible terrible terrible loss. Wendy doesn't even know what those two brought to the paper. Starshine's resignation letter (on Craig Smith's blog) is heartbreaking. Please post the details of the goodbye celebration.

This one really puts me over the edge. Being from downstairs, I really didn’t know Al or Starshine too well. I loved reading her on Sundays, though. And I remember Al and Joe forming a hot rhythm section in the impromptu “News-Press” band at last year’s Christmas party, which I’m boycotting this year, if we have one.

Starshine, you may have lost a job but you have gained the respect of a whole community! Watching your front-line courage and your honorable behavior, with your children tucked around you, has been inspirational! I hope we hear you are joining the Indy, because I, as a reader and a fan I want to keep reading your gleeful writing. This for you, I imagine, is a happy, happy day, so a champagne toast and three big cheers for escaping the Newsprison!

if you want to read Starshine's brilliant resignation letter, it's posted on my blog.

Check out the press release from the News-Press:
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site...

The Baroness von Hamburger just keeps steppin' in it, and she doesn't even know it.

So...what "profanity" did Starshine use when leaving to cause Steepleton to weep in a national toadie release?

I can only hope Starshine told Simpleton to go eff himself.

But seriously ... while Starshine's letter and her local celebrity will get the notice, it's quite likely Al Bonowitz's resignation is the more damaging of the two.

Big Al is one of those quiet, uber-competent guys who makes everything work, who does what it takes to make things go right. His Travel sections have won numerous awards and you'll find no better guy to share a newsroom with. He's the guy who held production together for the Life section.

With his resignation and the sleazy firing of Andrea Huebner -- the other anchor of the section -- it's hard to imagine that the Life pages will become anything other than an ugly bunch of wire stories. Wait a few days -- Life works ahead -- and see what I mean.

The destruction of the News-Press is almost complete.

Is Wendy really paying you enough for this, Scott? Souls don't -- or at least shouldn't -- come cheap.

I have no idea what Starshine said during her departure, but I'll bet you a dollar to a donut it was the truth!

Starshine cussed! News at 11!

It probably begins with F and ends in -u-c-k, and it ain't "Firetruck."

What a weenie S. Steepleton is to go on record with such a panties-in-a-bunch, I've got the vapors sensibility. I thought he was the big ol' tough talkin', staight shootin', jes plain folks kinda guy who could withstand that type of assault. Uppity wimmen-folk!

--virtual cryptographer

It's time for the Indy, or the Sound, or KEY3 to profile Scott Steepleton.

He's the top editor of the daily paper.

If the News-Press can cover Debby Davison retiring on page A1 because she's the top anchor, surely some outlet can justify a story on this guy we keep hearing more of arriving. The top editor of the News-Press. Who took the reins after all the problemms.

What are some of his news-gathering philosophies?

What are his passions?

How long has he lived in Santa Barbara? Why SB?

Santa Barbara needs to know who is bringing the town its news. And Scott is now driving the bus, from eveything I see.

I remember his column, but come on Nick! Come on Indy! Who is this guy?

Could somebody please invite him to a public forum to talk about his work??

For the next rally - everyone should wear Benjamin Franklin Masks and tote signs of "Freedom of the Press" - Like in the 'V' Movie, they can arrest 100, but not 1,000!

Fruhstuck? Figtruck? Feauxbuck?

The real profanities are the Orwellian missives of Huff and McCaw.

Tom Storke did not hesitate to found/purchase a newspaper in competition with the dominant one... when he took over the original Independent and the News, the Press was the dominant paper in town. Eventually he took over the Press; that's why its the News-Press and not the Press-News.

Indy, Sound, Investors... do it!

The UCSB Nexus looks good this year... very energetic editor. Jenny Paradise actually reminds that the Independent has turned soccer-mom bourgeois... what happened to the cutting edge material that used to be in the indy press, like the old Berkeley Barb?

http://www.ucsbdailynexus.com/

To Who's Scott?: He never impressed me as being much of anything. He's probably good at saying "Yes, ma'am" and not one to contradict The Wendy. She can't stand anyone with spine enough to disagree with her. Just ask all the editors that have had the job before him!

In response to Who's Scott:
Steepleton is a former LA Times reporter. He covered night cops as part of the old Times Ventura edition and was picked up by the NP a few years ago to fill an assistant city editor's post. He's been a disappointment ever since, according to NP reporters. They complain of his lack of talent, thoughtfulness, tact and high-level editing skills. His column was poorly written and lacked any originality or flair. (My opinion.) He doesn't live in SB, according to my sources, but resides somewhere in Ventura County, which probably helps explain his complete lack of understanding for SB. But really all this matters little. His opportunistic behavior in the NP meltdown is quite disturbing and underscores his lack of morals, ethics and common decency.

Does Steepleton still wear pajamas, surfer shorts and sandals into the newsroom like he did as a stringer at the Times Ventura County, or did he finally have to buy a suit for his editor job?

Just asking...

An indepth profile of Santa Barbara's top daily editor, Scott Steepleton, is a great idea. Especially since he's now whining on the national business wire about suffering from "profanity" from a woman named Starshine. From what little I know, he lives in Ventura.

Don’t know what Starshine said to the editor-in-chief ("Associate Editor"), but the thought of Starshine talking dirty is pretty cool. Does it top Jane Hulse's “f@%k you Travis”?

“Irrespective of challenging events during the last few months, News-Press operations have not been affected .. ," the Baroness’ press release yesterday said. Wendy, we’re stupid but not dumb -- after losing more than 30 of your top people and columnists, “operations have not been affected”? Gimmee a break. The paper is thin, thin, thin, and boring, boring, boring. Subscriptions are receding faster than the Baron von Burger’s hairline.

Wendy, from your press release yesterday, “the focus remains on getting past the issues.” Betchyur expanding ass, baby; no faster way for you to get past the issues than by filing more NLRB challenges, right? The 33-6 vote will be damn tough to break, honey buns, especially when many in town are disgusted with what you're doing. All those employees dancing in the plaza after the vote didn't look too coerced. If you think you’ve really got a shot, then there’s a big orange bridge across San Francisco Bay that Arthur can get you for cheap.

Time to plug the Wendy and Travis songs: they make a great sound track to union creation.

http://www.esnips.com/web/guildedtruthsO...

Hey, I'm just glad Steepleton stopped dyeing his hair freaky colors (lemonade, jet black). That was ... disturbing. Incidentally, Her Wendyness was spotted skulking around the SBNP premises yesterday, looking "old" and "bloated." Prescription drugs? Too many hamburgers? Or just the crushing weight of her bad, bad karma?

To breadandroses: It bothered you too. He never looked cool, just geeky! I don't think I ever talked to Scott but I also never felt I was missing anything. So Wendy is back. Could be prescription drugs or too much French bubbly on the yacht.

Warning to Bread and Roses,

Advisory. Graphic content (snark).

Interesting juxtaposition:

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=...

Star's "man in the mirror": Yikes! I did not need to see that!

If Steepleton wore sandals at the Times, that explains why his little protege, Vlad, is allowed to wear those ridiculous flip flops every day. Hey Vladdy boy, don't you realize how silly you look? Grow up. Nobody's going to take you seriously looking like that.

I thought they don't take me seriously because I do not know the difference between Iya Falcone and Marty Blum. My article last Wednesday about the Veronica Meadows project approval attributed the yoyo quote to Blum, when everyone there heard it clearly from Falcone. "Never mind."

who's Veronica Meadows??

No one has said what happened to Maria Zate, whose commercial real estate column was a highlight of the once excellent business section.

Don't worry, Dave. Maria Zate has been on maternity leave but will be back soon (she's one of The Organized, BTW).