News media have taken quite a battering of late. The exponential growth of the internet, servicing of heavy debt loads and a severe advertising downturn have hit media pretty hard.
And while print journalists are more prone to self-flagellation in explaining the dilemma, TV and radio have done a fairly good job of pointing to newspaper woes while ignoring their own economic stress.
Example locally? Twin Cities' TV station KARE-11 aired an interview Tuesday night with Star Tribune sports columnist Sid Hartman the context of which was to show Sid is surviving while all his friends are suffering from cutbacks at newspapers that are in "serious financial trouble."
However, during the same broadcast, the anchors cheerfully talk about the departure of their colleague, veteran TV anchor and reporter Rick Kupchella whom they said was leaving to "pursue other interests."
At no time did they mention anything about the financial stress that is afflicting the station nor its parent company, Gannett. For that we had to turn to Kupchella's version via MinnPost
or the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal or the Star Tribune to learn the station wanted Kupchella to sign a contract for less money due to the economic stress of the time.
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