Articles for May, 2009
New Blog Tracks Cuts At DBJ Parent
Aping a similar effort about DMN layoffs, an anonymously written blog has popped up tracking job turmoil at American City Business Journals, which owns four Texas papers including the Dallas Business Journal. It contains these nuggets: 5 percent pay cuts have been mandated starting June 1 for ACBJ employees making more than $35,000, and existing salaries will be frozen. Also, staffers at the business journal in Seattle reportedly were threatened by the publisher with firing if they talked or blogged about the company’s cutbacks.
A.H. Belo Tightens Reins On Hat
There are several things you don’t want to hear the words “widened” in relation to. These include, but are not limited to, your thighs, that “mysterious rash” on your belly, and first-quarter results. Which leads us to more bad news from the Dallas Morning News‘ parent company. To me, the worst part of the WSJ excerpt below: the decline in Internet revenues.
The publisher posted a loss of $103.1 million, or $5.03 a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $8.7 million, or 43 cents a share. Excluding write-downs and restructuring costs, the loss would have been 91 cents a share.
Revenue decreased 20% to $128.5 million as advertising revenue slumped 28%, worse than the fourth-quarter’s 22% decline. Internet revenue — seen by publishers as a way to offset the print-ad decline — fell 24%, while circulation revenue rose 9% on increased prices in Dallas and Providence.
Pete Delkus Will Have None of Jerry Jones’ Weather Smack
When Jerry Jones was discussing the roof-collapse with Bob Costas at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, he said the team “did not get good warning” about the storm danger. In his Tweets over the weekend, Channel 8’s weather czar Pete Delkus (@wfaaweather) took issue:
I heard Jerry Jones say that they didn’t get any warning. NOT TRUE. The warning was out — they choose not to take action. That is a shame.
Ryan v. Margolin, Part 3,458
Brint Ryan dropped his suit against Ann Margolin, in exchange for her agreeing not to talk about his tax lien anymore. So that’s done.
The battle for District 13, however, still has a few more days left in it. Given the way they’ve been slugging it out thus far, who knows what will pop up next? I think we have to take a hard look in the mirror, and say the two words we’ve been avoiding this whole time, the phrase that would push this race from nasty to surreal.
That’s right: “paternity suit.”
Leading Off (5/4/09)
1. Rich Behm, a 33-year-old scouting assistant for the Cowboys, is permanently paralyzed from the waist down after severing his spinal cord in the Saturday afternoon collapse of the team’s practice facility. Two other staffers are in the hospital. As bad as that is, based on the video from inside, it’s kind of miraculous it wasn’t even worse.
2. The DMN is looking into the manufacturers of the practice facility, Summit Structures and Cover-All Building Systems. All that’s turned up so far is that commenter Chris so believed in this joke — “Why did the facility collapse you ask? I think the answer is painfully obvious…..God is NOT happy with this draft!” — that he issued it three times in a row.
3. Smoking ban update: business is up, down, and more or less the same, depending on where you go. And I haven’t smoked in a little more than three weeks.
Love And Machismo At A Movie Premiere
Mexico may have been in the throes of a swine-flu scare. But that didn’t keep one of its leading writers, Angeles Mastretta, from attending last night’s USA Film Festival showing here of a film called Arrancame La Vida (Tear This Heart Out), which was based on her 1985 novel. Indeed, Mastretta said she holed herself up in her Mexico City home for a week before coming to Dallas, taking no chances with the outbreak. She joined the flick’s director, Roberto Sneider, for a Q&A at the Angelika Film Center following Arrancame’s regional premiere and, later, for a packed reception at the Sunnybrook Lane home of Harry and Cristina Lynch. Jump to learn how the writer (pictured) and director gently tussled during the evening over the cultural implications of machismo, one of the flick’s central themes.
Kristine Kahanek Ousted From Channel 11
You can read Kristine Kahanek’s blog post about it here. The short version:
Since the decision was made earlier this week, I am still pinching myself wondering if all that’s happening is real. My co-workers will be surprised by the announcement made today, and it will be difficult to say good-bye to the people at the station whom admire and respect..my work family.
Broadcast television is a tough place right now. Like so many industries, with the economic downturn, revenue in down, and companies are restructuring and downsizing. This all needs to happen, and my position at the station is a casualty of the times.
I haven’t looked at Uncle Barky yet. I’m guessing he had this two weeks ago.
Update: Yup.
Screaming Frog Attacks Dallas Suburb
At about 1 o’clock this morning, I awoke to something that sounded like a woman screaming in my backyard. The noise was coming from the bushes, so I roused my trusty dog to solve the problem. The dog freaked out (so much for a guard dog) but the screaming stopped. Until I got back into bed. Had to sleep with headphones on. It sounded something like this.
The Convention Hotel, Ctd.
An alert FBvian makes the point that Eric and I were just discussing:
Why are you saying it’s a pretty compelling argument?
It’s ASSUMING the hotel will make money. His entire point is moot if the hotel LOSES money. Then there is a tax on the property tax payers of Dallas, via money taken out of the general fund to pay for the losses. Then, the City will be in the hotel business.
No one has ever produced numbers showing the hotel will be profitable, even the City’s own consultant’s report.
Every hotel needs major renovations every seven years or so. Where will the money come from, about $20 million, in 2020 to pay for the renovation? The owner of the hotel. The City of Dallas. No one has ever talked about this issue that I’ve seen.
The issue, just like the arena in years past, is not the hotel, it’s the DEAL!
Why John Scovell Backs the Convention Hotel
The president and CEO of Woodbine has sent out a letter explaining his position (full text after the jump). It begins:
If there is anyone who should be against a new convention center hotel, it’s us — Woodbine and Hyatt Regency Dallas. We opened Hyatt Dallas in 1978, and it has served as the de facto convention center hotel ever since. FACT: A new hotel close to Hyatt Dallas will take business from our 31-year-old property, but we’re still in favor of a new convention center hotel.
It’s a pretty compelling argument.
Ryan v. Margolin, Friday Edition, Ctd.
A politically minded FrontBurnervian comments on the Ryan-Margolin legal flap:
I understand that suing someone during an election is a little out of the ordinary (at least from what I’ve seen), but it is a really great way for someone like Ryan to get their side of the story out quickly and cheaply, all the while painting the opponent in an unflattering light. Now, the obvious downside is that this can easily backfire and make Ryan look like the kid on the playground who gets knocked off the monkey bars and goes and cries to the teacher. From the comments that I’ve read … there has been more defection from the Margolin camp than the Ryan camp. So, it may be working for him.
Interesting points.
Ryan v. Margolin, Friday Edition
Man up, Brint Ryan. If you’re going to play in the political arena, you don’t go runnin’ to the courthouse because somebody called you a bad name.
Dogs in East Dallas Stage a Daring Daylight Attack, Ctd.
For the record, I totally agree with Councilwoman Angela Hunt, who sent this missive just before I went night-night:
Caught Dreher’s post as well as yours about vicious dogs. Today coming back from dinner, we drove past a guy with two pit bulls off-leash. So whom do I call to report this? 911? Nope; no one was being mauled (yet). 311? So someone from animal services can come out two days later when the guy’s long gone? I ended up pulling up to the guy and (nicely) explaining the leash law. He complied (while we were watching), but [expletive deleted]: Do these people think their dogs are somehow exempt from the leash law? That their dogs are special and non-dog-like? And won’t chase and maul a small child that darts around like a squirrel?
I’m going to talk with Mary Suhm about this tomorrow. I mean, seriously, whom do you call at the city? It’s like someone waving around a loaded gun.
Leading Off (5/1/09)
1. Mayfest in Fort Worth and Dallas’ Cinco De Mayo celebration have been canceled due to concerns over swine flu. It seems large crowds help spread the disease. Other things to avoid besides crowds: touching, breathing, existing.
2. Tom Hicks, under a money crunch, sold the Mesquite Championship Rodeo to a group of investors. Raise your hands if you knew Tom Hicks owned the rodeo. Now put your hands down, because I think raising your hands spreads swine flu.
3. High-end luxury hotels in North Texas are reducing their rates to attract customers. After reading the story and seeing the new cheaper rates, I had the reaction Homer had when Marge’s therapist told him that she charges on a sliding scale and can accept as little as $100: “Keeeep sliding.”
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