Two Wrongs To Get It Right

Sometimes, as in this not yet published cartoon, Bob screws up! You’ll notice the word “culteru” in the dialog balloon (or whatever it’s really called).

Yes, that’s a misspelling no one would ever make subconsciously. Bob’s no exception.

I’ll bet my workplace has something your workplace doesn’t have. We have a cartoonist, Bob Englehart.

Sometimes, as in this not yet published cartoon, Bob screws up! You’ll notice the word “culteru” in the dialog balloon (or whatever it’s really called).

Yes, that’s a misspelling no one would ever make subconsciously. Bob’s no exception.

He actually realized the error when he got to “culter.” He continued lettering the “u” so it would be there for a swap!

Bob’s cartoons get scanned into the newspaper workflow. He’ll fix it in Photoshop as if it was too plump a thigh on a supermodel!

It’s funny the way to fix this error is by making another!

You’ll find the corrected version of this panel in tomorrow’s Sunday’s Hartford Courant. Now you know the backstory.

My Aimless Walk In The Basement

I was down in the basement tonight walking under the massive presses that produce the Courant, Advocate and other publications. It was quiet when I walked in. It wasn’t quiet for long.

Every once in a while I get ambitious and do a little exploring here at the TV station/newspaper. This is by far the largest facility I’ve ever worked in! The logistics of putting out a newspaper are complex. Nothing is dainty. Nothing is small.

I was down in the basement tonight walking under the massive presses that produce the Courant, Advocate and other publications. It was quiet when I walked in. It wasn’t quiet for long.

Though the presses don’t start until midnight or so there’s lots of setup work. Massive rolls of newsprint, each large enough to be used by Scorsese for a cinematic mob hit, get moved from storage to their feed points. They’re aged to adjust to the indoor temperature after being trucked in from Canada.

Strategically placed nozzles spray a very light mist to keep the humidity up. You’ve got to be nice to paper that’s about to speed through presses and processes.

Mark, an old hand in the mechanical end, saw me walking aimlessly and asked if I really wanted to see the bowels of the operation. This is where I become sixteen again!

I’ve worked here eight months. Mark showed me places I’d never seen nor even guessed might be here.

Is it possible to fall in love with a building?

I’ll Take The Stairs

Last week I was huffing and puffing when I got to my desk. Today just puffing.

This work thing has sliced a pretty large chunk from my pajama time! That in turn has reduced my ability to work out. Helaine and I had been very dedicated, but now we’ve (OK – it’s me who’s responsible) sloughed off a little. That’s why I’m using the stairs at work exclusively.

The newsroom/studio complex is on the third floor, but this is not an office building. This is a plant! The presses for the Hartford Courant are underneath my feet. The ceiling in the studio is high enough to hang TV lights. Each floor of stairs looks to be more like a floor and a half… maybe two.

I’ve been up and down twice so far today. That’s two round trips in the blue bricked staircase. Last week I was huffing and puffing when I got to my desk. Today just puffing.

The elevator is very slow anyway!

A Quick Look At Where I Work

Here’s a really quick look at where I work. It’s difficult to fully describe, but the studio and newsroom are well integrated. Everything seems to be in the right place.

I brought the camera to work tonight. Here’s a really quick look at where I work. It’s difficult to fully describe, but the studio and newsroom are well integrated. Everything seems to be in the right place.

Will I feel that way in three weeks? Stay tuned.

Reductions At The Courant

It’s a sad day for journalism, for print media, for Connecticut.

Someone just passed a memo to me, no more than an hour old, from the publisher of the Hartford Courant to his staff. News pages will go from 273 to 206 per week. Subscribers will only be getting 75% of what they get now in quantity. The newsroom will go from 232 to 175. The reduction there is also to 75% of current levels. There will be voluntary buyouts and forced layoffs.

All this comes on the heels of the heavily leveraged purchase of the Tribune Corporation, the Courant’s owner, by Sam Zell. It’s a sad day for journalism, for print media, for Connecticut.

There is little public support for newspapers or print in general. The problem is, newspapers still perform an extremely valuable service. No one else provides the depth of reportage papers do.

The Courant’s memo follows after the jump.

Continue reading “Reductions At The Courant”