News-Press Cutting Columnists
Promises of more local coverage result in the release of five community columnists.
“To further emphasize her commitment to provide more local news
in her rapidly shrinking bird-cage liner, Wendy (McCaw) has canned
her five community columnists,” reports
Bill Macfadyen, an editor who departed the News-Press a few
years ago but keeps close tabs on the current meltdown. They are
Bill Etling of the Santa Ynez Valley and father of NP reporter
Leah Etling,
Stephen Murdoch of Montecito,
Amy Orozco of Carpinteria,
Rochelle Rose of Goleta and
Helen Ann Thomas of Santa Maria, Bill says. All,
coincidentally, were hired by former editor Jerry Roberts, who tops
Wendy’s
hate list. Contrary to her bogus assertions that Jerry somehow
resisted local news, the community columnists he hired wrote over
1,000 local articles, according to Macfadyen.
The once-steamy love affair between the NP and KEYT is also on the rocks. At one time
Wendy and the late Channel 3 owner Bob Smith were pals. But since
the NP editorial page “accused KEYT of conspiring with the rest of
her 200 million enemies to rain on her parade,” Bill points out,
dark clouds have formed. The Sky Tracker forecast has disappeared
from the
NP weather page and will reappear on the upstart, heads-up,
Santa Barbara Daily
Sound free daily.
