The Argus Lives
By Matt Artz
Thursday, October 27th, 2011 at 2:49 pm in Uncategorized.
Growing up, I was a huge fan of the show Dallas. I’m a little too young to remember “Who shot JR?,” but I can’t forget Bobby dying and then not dying.
It was all a dream, and so apparently was the demise of The Argus. Our parent company has reversed course. Instead of consolidating newspapers and going with a more regional approach, it’s going to keep its mastheads, including The Argus, and focus more on local reporting.
You can already pencil in my Make a Difference Day roundup for Oct. 15, 2012.
We’re also going to be conversing more with our readers – kind of like when I used to hold coffee sessions before council meetings. Also, we’ll focus more on the Internet, including blogging.
So I’ll plan to start up this blog again next week.
To read more about the changes, click here.
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October 27th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
Awesome news. I love your blog Matt and I’ve also developed a fondness for some of the loyal commenters which are like zany relatives to me sometimes.
October 27th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Matt, I am very happy for you. I have a question is San Leandro still considered Local. It seems that it belongs to the Oakland Tribune.
As far as the blog goes most people have lost interest since it has become a “Put Down Blog”.
It still has potential but I think it needs to be more heavily monitered to keep all the hate and put downs.
It would be nice to have a intelligent Blog but with certain heavy users, I do not believe that can be achieved.
October 27th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Sorry, too little to late.
We canceled our subscription last week.
This week I threw out the 5 unread Sunday editions.
JohnO
October 27th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Matt: glad you will still be around, and I’m pleased that they say they heard the feedback. I hope it works out.
October 27th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
Glad to hear it Matt.
October 27th, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Its like they’re getting their instructions from HP. Congrats Matt! Glad to know you’ll be around.
October 27th, 2011 at 7:13 pm
This is good news. What I’d really like is an e-edition Argus that I can read on my iPad. I enjoy the paper, like the local news, and am glad to pay. I don’t like recycling all that newsprint each week (and yes, I realize there is a lot of waste and natural resources going into the iPad).
October 27th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
#4…All of the reasonable voters of Fremont will be “glad” to hear your not running!
October 27th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
Just don’t tell us later that THIS is all a dream.
October 28th, 2011 at 7:36 am
This is great news and, for once, the BANGers made a correct decision.
I am going to cancel my subscription to the Green Bay paper this morning.
October 28th, 2011 at 9:16 am
…the news group still intends to proceed with job cuts that will be implemented Tuesday.
Harvey Keitel had a line in Pulp Fiction:
“Let’s Not Start…”
Google it.
October 28th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
# 7 Greg – totally agree! I am also glad to pay. I understand that reporters and editors need to pay their own mortgages/rent.
I’d like an e-edition even more so now that Argus will not be physically delivered on Mondays starting in November, I think.
I read NYTimes every day on my Kindle, it is so much more convenient.
Also – greatly looking forward to more local coverage. Local coverage is the only thing differentiating smaller papers from the national outlets.
October 28th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
#7 AND #12
I read it electronically every day – easy to set up.
“How many of us live in Fremont, but our minds are somewhere else?”
Alas, I am the opposite Martin
October 28th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
If we divided the announced changes into the two camps of “form” and “content” and then ask whether the announced changes will increase or decrease resources expended in each of these two areas, I think I’m concluding that we’ll increase our efforts on the “form” front, while continuing to reduce resources dedicated to the creation (not the same as delivery) of content.
Perhaps we dodged the greater bullet, but, in the final analysis, I think we’re likely going to spend less time than before on the real value proposition – - – the serious and reputable gathering, reporting, and evaluating of day-to-day events in our local communities
October 28th, 2011 at 8:55 pm
#2…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=FWBUl7oT9sA
October 28th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
#14…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ote0apnGymc
October 29th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
If they focus on the local news, does that include San Leandro.
What has San Leandro have to do with Fremont?
If you looked a map of Alameda County Cities.
http://acgov.org/images/map1024.gif
You will notice to get to San Leandro you would have to go through Hayward, San Lorenzo,, Cherryland, Ashland, Casro Valley.
Why oh why, do we have to get San Leando Local News.
It better fits the Daily Review of Hayward or the Oakland Tribune of Oakland.
Is the reporting of the Tri Cities so light from lack of reporting, they had to find a filler?
Another example of Corperate America screwing us to bolster there bottom line.
October 29th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
What is the purpose of not having the Argus delivered on Monday? If the paper will still be available on Monday in newspaper dispensers, there is no cost saving in composing the paper. The delivery people are the ones who will be hurt.
I want a newspaper to read when I am having breakfast at my home. The value proposition of the Argus is falling rapidly. I will probably have to go back to the New York Times because the other Bay Area papers do not carry the Times crossword puzzles on a daily basis. I can read Dilbert and Doonesbury online.
In summary, the management of the Argus is blowing it badly.
October 29th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
I dont read the hard/paper copy and never will.
I’m more interested in these “media centers”. I hope it’s an opportunity for those cranky bags who are always directing Matt to spoon feed then “investigative journalism” to do some blogging themselves and get some exposure.
It doesn’t take much effort or access these days to uncover information and publish. Perhaps the new online presence can be a place where these opinion blogs can be easily found?
October 29th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
“I don’t read . . . . .. and never will.”
Surprise, surprise . … .
October 30th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
On a different subject, anyone know what the plume of smoke was in South Fremont today? I saw it around 1230 pm or so
October 30th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Box, thanks for fabricating, and of course the ellipses.
October 30th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
#17… You and Vinnie should take your carney act to San Leandro?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=ohgc3VviUpc
October 30th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
#22
Can only be a fabrication for those who can’t or won’t read for themselves, eh, Marty ??? For the rest of us, it’s just a chuckle.
But once again, we’re gettin’ distracted with B.S. and forgetting about what’s important – - – -
Whatdya think ’bout that Washington Hospital CEO total comp, Martee ?
October 31st, 2011 at 7:15 am
Of course we’re geting distracted with B.S. again Bbox! It’s Marty’s JOB to distract us with B.S.
October 31st, 2011 at 7:41 am
Tony, My posts were on topic until Mr Box came through with his usual nonsense, perhaps you should question your reading comprehension.
October 31st, 2011 at 8:39 am
What were you saying?
I got distracted
October 31st, 2011 at 10:24 am
What were you saying?
Tony… posts.. Mr Box..through… reading.
October 31st, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Ahhh…
Thank you
October 31st, 2011 at 9:59 pm
WTF!Marty! You say you’ll never read the Argus in print. Why not? What then do you read daily?
Where do you go and get your news and info before (or maybe after) you come here to the BLOG OF THE ARGUS NEWSPAPER to impress us with your radical B.S.??
Now, i don’t want to distract you from answering that question first and foremost, understand?
but I feel that I’d be amiss if I didn’t point out that
(as YOU so often do)
DID NOT
answer or even acknowledge the question that Mr. bBox
put to you concerning the compensation that the CEO of Washington Hospital receives.
Perhaps, YOU should question your reading comprehension.
You can read and comprehend , can’t you, ?
don’t read the newspaper?
that’s weird.
meatpuppet.
October 31st, 2011 at 10:28 pm
Tony, two points. One, the Argus is available on the web so I don’t read the printed version. And second, most everything Box considers important can wait – usually indefinitely.
Not sure how to address all the emotional garbage and name calling in your post. I’m fine leaving it open, since you are boring faster than usual.
November 2nd, 2011 at 9:49 am
I have just finished reading the NEW ARGUS,
The Front Page was OK, mostly about Occupy Oakland and the Port of Oakland’s exploding containers.
The LOCAL section had stories from Oakland, Richmond, Hercules, Martinez, Antioch, Alameda, Oakly.
On page 3 on the bottom there was two small articles about Hayward and Union City.
I guess the Bay Area News Group has redefined LOCAL as the greater East Bay. I guess they can do as they well damned please since they have a monopoly on all East Bay and Bay Area, Printed news!
Very frustrating…..
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:12 pm
I guess if you can’t beat them with superior coverage, content, and reporting, you are forced to try to beat them on the litigious front.
It’s a shame that a daily with the financial and legal muscle of Media News Group behind them feels it is worth their while to haul the little-old (2X/week) Tri City Voice into a court of law.
Hey kids, here’s a novel idea – - – try redirecting the resource, time and effort you’re CURRENTLY putting into the legal challenges against TCV into the improving of the quality of your LOCAL COVERAGE . .. . and maybe, just maybe, you can begin to garner increasing numbers of customers which result from the delivery of a superior product.