Michael Kimball Is Really Good!

[G.Walker]

I am really starting to be a fan of Michael Kimball. He is a great reporter and columnist, and I enjoy reading his articles. He gives great up to date coverage of MAPS3 in Oklahoma City, public issues, and office development. I hope he expands his following soon with a blog, good job Michael!

Oklahoma City 2013: Oklahoma City prepares for critical year | NewsOK.com

[Steve]

I agree. Michael is my favorite news reporter at the paper. Bad news: Michael is leaving the journalism profession this week to take over a family business in Houston. This is a big loss. To understand what this means, and why such a talented young journalist is leaving the profession just as he's really hitting some high marks, watch this video, at least at the 14 minute mark: Danny Marroquin Show, Episode 6 - YouTube

[G.Walker]

I agree. Michael is my favorite news reporter at the paper. Bad news: Michael is leaving the journalism profession this week to take over a family business in Houston. This is a big loss. To understand what this means, and why such a talented young journalist is leaving the profession just as he's really hitting some high marks, watch this video, at least at the 14 minute mark: Danny Marroquin Show, Episode 6 - YouTube

Wow, talk about timing, I guess I spoke too soon, but Zeke Campfield has great potential, will he be taking over Michael's coverage area?

[Pete]

Yes, he is very good and his leaving will be a loss for all of OKC.

[Steve]

I think Michael's decision to leave journalism should give everyone pause... to be honest, if I were still in my 20s, I'd have left by now as well. And being in my mid-40s, it's still a possibility. But for now, I'm still fighting...

[soonerguru]

I think Michael's decision to leave journalism should give everyone pause... to be honest, if I were still in my 20s, I'd have left by now as well. And being in my mid-40s, it's still a possibility. But for now, I'm still fighting...

Teachers and print journalists are two of the most underpaid -- yet important -- jobs we have in our society.

[Spartan]

I think Michael's decision to leave journalism should give everyone pause... to be honest, if I were still in my 20s, I'd have left by now as well. And being in my mid-40s, it's still a possibility. But for now, I'm still fighting...

That's where I'm at. I've been published extensively in a small handful of college and small-time papers, which I don't really want anyone on here to know which ones, but I do love journalism and writing a lot. I just don't feel like I can do it. When sports journalism broke off at most colleges and formed its own curriculum, the writing was on the wall for real journalism.

Here in Cleveland the amazingly storied, and always-salient and hard-hitting Plain Dealer is close to going out of business. Starting next year they're going to try a 3-day newspaper and bolster the online content to see if that helps them hang on. It's such a shame that if a storied institution like the Plain Dealer can go under, what does that say for something like that Oklahoman that only really has 3-4 good journalists at a time IMO. No offense to the good ones, and we all know who they are.

A lot of us despise the conservative ragging that the Oklahoman does. And while their editorial section has no real credibility whatsoever, IMO if the irrational conservative line-toting can appeal to the masses and attract enough eyeballs to keep a good thing (a print newspaper) going, power to em. And you guys know what I mean..the Oke has left the moderate "country club" Repub camp and descended full-time into Tea Bagging nonsense. They did an editorial on the HP tax credits a few months ago that was truly shocking, as an example. And probably quite damaging.

[SoonerDave]

I think Michael's decision to leave journalism should give everyone pause... to be honest, if I were still in my 20s, I'd have left by now as well. And being in my mid-40s, it's still a possibility. But for now, I'm still fighting...

Steve, my 16 year old son is expressing interest in sports journalism as he goes further in HS, but I'm very afraid his opportunities are going to be very limited given the way the field is changing. He thoroughly enjoys sports as an observer, has a pretty sharp analytical mind, and I think with some polish he could cultivate a creative writing style that might be useful, but I'm not quite sure how to advise him in the current tough journalism environment. I wrote some HS sports years ago and loved it, but hesitated even then to think I could make a living at it. Any suggestions?

[catch22]

Steve, my 16 year old son is expressing interest in sports journalism as he goes further in HS, but I'm very afraid his opportunities are going to be very limited given the way the field is changing. He thoroughly enjoys sports as an observer, has a pretty sharp analytical mind, and I think with some polish he could cultivate a creative writing style that might be useful, but I'm not quite sure how to advise him in the current tough journalism environment. I wrote some HS sports years ago and loved it, but hesitated even then to think I could make a living at it. Any suggestions?

Have him talk to actual journalists.

I got scared out of a career by talking to many of those in it, who spoke the truth and harsh realities of that specific field.

[Steve]

Steve, my 16 year old son is expressing interest in sports journalism as he goes further in HS, but I'm very afraid his opportunities are going to be very limited given the way the field is changing. He thoroughly enjoys sports as an observer, has a pretty sharp analytical mind, and I think with some polish he could cultivate a creative writing style that might be useful, but I'm not quite sure how to advise him in the current tough journalism environment. I wrote some HS sports years ago and loved it, but hesitated even then to think I could make a living at it. Any suggestions?

If he loves it, and he's good, don't get in his way. Contact The Oklahoman about getting him into our annual Newsroom 101 summer program if he's in a metro area school. I personally believe that newspapers still have a chance at re-invention, and if I thought those odds were truly too great to overcome, I'd be gone. The Oklahoman, blessed with new ownership and leadership, is plotting some changes that I think will give us a great fighting chance of catching up to how news and information can be made a good business model for the 21st century. It's still an uphill battle, but we can win it. In the broader sense, sports and business journalism are well suited for pay-to-read or sponsored content for decades to come. There will still be value in having trained, experienced, full-time journalists with built up source networks covering these topics compared to online bloggers, etc., who simply go with rumors, commentary and documents they scour from various government agencies (not that there isn't an appetite for that as well). I've found that online sites like this tend to be overly pessimistic toward the news industry while the people in charge of established news organizations have tended to be bit stubborn and blind to the obvious changes needing to take place. And all this brings us back to comments Michael Kimball makes in the You Tube video, where Michael, a 20-something, demonstrates a wisdom and experience far greater than his years might suggest.
I'm truly saddened by my paper's loss of this very talented writer and reporter. But I'm not disheartened.

[Dubya61]

If he loves it, and he's good, don't get in his way. Contact The Oklahoman about getting him into our annual Newsroom 101 summer program if he's in a metro area school. I personally believe that newspapers still have a chance at re-invention, and if I thought those odds were truly too great to overcome, I'd be gone. The Oklahoman, blessed with new ownership and leadership, is plotting some changes that I think will give us a great fighting chance of catching up to how news and information can be made a good business model for the 21st century. It's still an uphill battle, but we can win it. In the broader sense, sports and business journalism are well suited for pay-to-read or sponsored content for decades to come. There will still be value in having trained, experienced, full-time journalists with built up source networks covering these topics compared to online bloggers, etc., who simply go with rumors, commentary and documents they scour from various government agencies (not that there isn't an appetite for that as well). I've found that online sites like this tend to be overly pessimistic toward the news industry while the people in charge of established news organizations have tended to be bit stubborn and blind to the obvious changes needing to take place. And all this brings us back to comments Michael Kimball makes in the You Tube video, where Michael, a 20-something, demonstrates a wisdom and experience far greater than his years might suggest.
I'm truly saddened by my paper's loss of this very talented writer and reporter. But I'm not disheartened.

Don't go giving away the Oklahoman's plans or future leverage, but how? How can a news entity survive or become commercially relevant? Will it be anything that we recognize without it hitting us over the head?

[Spartan]

Don't go giving away the Oklahoman's plans or future leverage, but how? How can a news entity survive or become commercially relevant? Will it be anything that we recognize without it hitting us over the head?

People still want news

[Steve]

Don't go giving away the Oklahoman's plans or future leverage, but how? How can a news entity survive or become commercially relevant? Will it be anything that we recognize without it hitting us over the head?

Give us about six months... I think you'll see some hints of what's to come. But basically, it involves the same sort of effort taken with social media, the live chats, etc. - making journalists like myself more accessible to readers, creating a closer connection to the community (that doesn't involve holing up in a black tower with gated access off the highway)

[SoonerDave]

If he loves it, and he's good, don't get in his way. Contact The Oklahoman about getting him into our annual Newsroom 101 summer program if he's in a metro area school. I personally believe that newspapers still have a chance at re-invention, and if I thought those odds were truly too great to overcome, I'd be gone. The Oklahoman, blessed with new ownership and leadership, is plotting some changes that I think will give us a great fighting chance of catching up to how news and information can be made a good business model for the 21st century. It's still an uphill battle, but we can win it. In the broader sense, sports and business journalism are well suited for pay-to-read or sponsored content for decades to come. There will still be value in having trained, experienced, full-time journalists with built up source networks covering these topics compared to online bloggers, etc., who simply go with rumors, commentary and documents they scour from various government agencies (not that there isn't an appetite for that as well). I've found that online sites like this tend to be overly pessimistic toward the news industry while the people in charge of established news organizations have tended to be bit stubborn and blind to the obvious changes needing to take place. And all this brings us back to comments Michael Kimball makes in the You Tube video, where Michael, a 20-something, demonstrates a wisdom and experience far greater than his years might suggest.
I'm truly saddened by my paper's loss of this very talented writer and reporter. But I'm not disheartened.

Thanks for the input, Steve.

[Pete]

Thanks for linking that interview, Steve. I enjoyed listening to all of it.

Michael makes a good point (and one I've often shared here): There is a strong need for traditional journalism and always will be.

There are more outlets and distribution channels for 'news' than ever before yet the number of people actually doing real reporting is shrinking by the day. So, what you get is mostly commentary and not reporting.

Commentary and opinion is great but it has to be bolstered by fact-checking and investigative reporting. Unfortunately, that vital part of the equation is fading just as it's needed most.


However, the Oklahoma and other traditional news sources have to find a way to make their business model work and after all this time, that doesn't seem to be happening.

Some of that is backlash against what once was a true monopoly and the resultant long-term abuses. For the younger generations in particular, it's very difficult for newspapers to distance themselves from their pasts.


As newspapers continue to fail, I'm sure there will be some other news delivery system that will make it possible for reporters to make a living. And it may take the complete failure of the newspaper industry for that to happen.

[BoulderSooner]

Thanks for linking that interview, Steve. I enjoyed listening to all of it.

Michael makes a good point (and one I've often shared here): There is a strong need for traditional journalism and always will be.

There are more outlets and distribution channels for 'news' than ever before yet the number of people actually doing real reporting is shrinking by the day. So, what you get is mostly commentary and not reporting.

Commentary and opinion is great but it has to be bolstered by fact-checking and investigative reporting. Unfortunately, that vital part of the equation is fading just as it's needed most.


However, the Oklahoma and other traditional news sources have to find a way to make their business model work and after all this time, that doesn't seem to be happening.

Some of that is backlash against what once was a true monopoly and the resultant long-term abuses. For the younger generations in particular, it's very difficult for newspapers to distance themselves from their pasts.


As newspapers continue to fail, I'm sure there will be some other news delivery system that will make it possible for reporters to make a living. And it may take the complete failure of the newspaper industry for that to happen.

the sad thing is that while the need is very strong ... the majority of the population doesn't care .. and for that reason non entertainment (sports coverage for example which has only gotten better) news coverage will continue to die a slow death ..

[Pete]

the sad thing is that while the need is very strong ... the majority of the population doesn't care .. and for that reason non entertainment (sports coverage for example which has only gotten better) news coverage will continue to die a slow death ..

It should be noted that there is still healthy demand for national and world news, hence the big popularity of CNN and the like.

What is dying is local news and while it has evolved to some degree, it's still being done in a very, very old model: reporters at one dominant community newspaper and a few local TV stations.

When you pare down the Oklahoman to just the stories they are actually authoring, it's not a heck of a lot. Most of what they publish can be found elsewhere or is inferior information. For example, I almost never read their sports section any more, as there are tons of websites that do a better job, even covering OU & OSU stuff.

IMO, they have a handful of people worth reading (Steve, of course, being among them) so if and when OPUBCO dies, there will likely be a new business model that fills that specific need much more efficiently.

Newspapers are still trying to merely adjust what they have always done; to evolve rather than completely reinvent. Considering their business model is several hundred years old, it's not a surprise this approach isn't working.

[SoonerDave]

...For example, I almost never read their sports section any more, as there are tons of websites that do a better job, even covering OU & OSU stuff.

This sure resonates with my experience, Pete. One of the great joys of newspapers in the 70's was the great depth of sports reporting, and part of my personal joy in attending OU games was looking forward to the Sunday recaps, pictures, game stories, quotes, and analysis. Over time, the depth, quantity, and quality of those articles shrank, shrank, and shrank more, to the point where there was, well, no more point. I finally cancelled the paper and haven't missed it. I found better OU coverage in the Dallas Morning News, unfortunately. The game stories weren't even game stories any more. And what passes for special interest sports J at the Oklahoman these days just makes me want to turn my head, but I'm not going to name any columnists...

That said, I will say that I think Tramel is a good sports writer, which is like being the best violin player in the band on the Titanic.

[Bellaboo]

I am really starting to be a fan of Michael Kimball. He is a great reporter and columnist, and I enjoy reading his articles. He gives great up to date coverage of MAPS3 in Oklahoma City, public issues, and office development. I hope he expands his following soon with a blog, good job Michael!

Oklahoma City 2013: Oklahoma City prepares for critical year | NewsOK.com

Michael also writes for a blog, but has to use a trade name per not to conflict. This may change since he is leaving the DOK.

[BoulderSooner]

could we keep politics to the politics forum

[Spartan]

could we keep politics to the politics forum

Sorry boulder, it's related. You can't expunge politics from a discussion about the Oklahoman. Especially considering I wasn't even really complaining about the Oke's political views.

[Spartan]

I'm reading between the lines and seeing town halls and more book signings.

Maybe Berry will sign yer sports section... I wonder what a certain way-back column autographed by Jenni Carlson would go for on eBay these days :P

[Steve]

FYI - my book work is totally separate and unrelated to The Oklahoman.