Thursday, January 8, 2009

bitter pill


It seems that when I assumed that because I'm already pretty poor that the economic slowdown couldn't touch me, I was wrong.

Like an old sock, my column got dropped from the Times Union for budgetary cutbacks.

From my editor: "Oy, no easy way to say this: I have to kill the Art Notes column. Our budgets are being cut to the bone, and almost all of our freelance stuff has to go. No more symphony reviews. No more art notes [...] Thanks for all you’ve done, and sorry I have to end the column."

Honestly, each week I wrote 300-500 words about the local scene, it wasn't much, but I took pride and pleasure in it. This setback leaves me feeling pretty damn hollow, and pretty over Jacksonville.

If, on the off chance you want to write in to my editor, his info is here: tom.szaroleta@jacksonville.com. I know this isn't his fault, he's actually a good guy, but I am still hugely disappointed.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Certain phases of mutual analysis represent the total giving up of all force and all authority, on both sides. They give the impression of two children of the same age, who had been terrified, and who tell each other of their experiences. Because they have the same fate, they understand each other completely, and instinctively seek to comfort one another. The knowledge that each has experienced a similar fate permits the partner to appear totally harmless, a person to whom one can safely entrust oneself.

Anonymous said...

who in the hell wants to read a newspaper that is little more than
crime, jaguars and winn-dixie ads?
they are shooting themselves in the foot by reducing the range of topics that are covered.
so many seem to be engaged in a race to the bottom, then are shocked upon arriving there.
Chris

madeleine said...

it would seem that we can no longer raise the diving bell...

Mark Creegan said...

Mr. Taleb? of "The Black Swan" fame?
and madeleine...i am so sorry, and you may be the canary in the mine. My wife, who is a Duval county art teacher says there is a good possibility of deep cuts in the arts in schools next year.