OKC Media needs some self reflection - WE DESERVE BETTER

[Steve]

'Taint tru. I jus' as doone as I is up.

[Doug Loudenback]

Guys, I want the newspaper to be better too. * * *

Good post, Steve. I wish that you were/are typical, which you are not, but ... but ... but ...

Thanks for what you do.

[jmarkross]

If E.K. Gaylord was still alive...he would take a flit-gun and clear out the executive offices and put Steve in as Publisher and Editor--and as he left he would say--"I'll be back in six months...you better show me somethin'..."

[Doug Loudenback]

If E.K. were that good ... which he may have been (heck, he went back into the early 1900s), I'd say,

YEAH

Put Steve in as Publisher and Editor--and as he left he would say--"I'll be back in six months...you better show me somethin'..."

Beyond that, though, he wouldn't be telling his underlings what or what not to say, on what to report, when to say it, or how to report it.

[Steve]

Not a job I'm qualified for. I'm a writer and reporter. Had a shot at sampling the editor track a decade ago and found out I couldn't stand working with jerks like myself.

[windowphobe]

As a practicing jerk, I have to state the following about my timely Thunder coverage:

(1) It's usually up within half an hour of the buzzer.

(2) It's limited to four or five paragraphs, max. (I do have a day job, and West Coast games just about kill me.)

(3) I don't have anywhere near the experience of Darnell Mayberry or John Rohde, though I'm reasonably up on the game. (Royce's stuff at Daily Thunder is way better and much more detailed, but it takes him longer to write his game coverage.)

(4) I did predict the Sonics move, way back in December '05.

http://www.dustbury.com/archives/005633.html

That said, we thank you for your support.

[Doug Loudenback]

I'll be damned. I hadn't recognized that "windowphobe" was one in the same person as Oklahoma's premier blogger Chas. B. Hill aka Dustbury. As you know very well, Dustbury aka Chas. B. Hill has everyone's support ... or at least one or the other of those identities if it becomes more convenient to divide them.

[HOT ROD]

Congrats window and very well said. I wish the OKC media gave as much content. Steve is one of the FEW who get it, thank GOD he covers downtown.

[jmarkross]

Not a job I'm qualified for. I'm a writer and reporter. Had a shot at sampling the editor track a decade ago and found out I couldn't stand working with jerks like myself.

Trust me--if you continue to do well--they will force you to do it. With cash. It works on everyone--just hold out for the most you can get.

[BigD Misey]

Alrighty...
- Thunder coverage. Good grief people, the game ended about 12:30-1 a.m. I'm amazed anything got in the paper at that hour. It's not fair to compare The Oklahoman to the Oregonian coverage at that point when one considers the time difference and that it was in OREGON. It's always quicker and easier to go big on coverage when its on your home turf. Notice more coverage was posted this morning...

In this digital age, it is instant gratification, instant education that drives things like Fantasy Football, sports betting heck even the topics people talk about every day are because of immediate coverage. I work for an international business, where if I receive something in stock in Miami, Seattle will know 1 second later, just in case the Seattle Company has a project in Miami. Doesn’t matter how often, it just matters that it projects in other states DO happen. We are driven by the business needs.

To suggest that it is 1am and nobody is interested in what happens, or getting the info out pronto, is to imply Thunder fans aren’t up at the end of that fantastic game. Those fans are not going to want to know right away how Westbrook played a fantastic game and all the stats that go with it. Part of Fandom is wallering in a win...knowing the comparisons, reliving that dunk or 'what was the score when Ibaka made that momentum swinging block down low'? If I am up until 1am watching and supporting the thunder...the least the media can do is be up processing the info digitally. How long does a digital patch download take, even for a thorough story, even from a cell phone...3-4min maybe? Even the NBA posts videos up to the half so NBA fans in general can see how the game is developing. Fans dont want OLDS they want NEWS.

Surely the Oklahoman can find a way to be THE SOURCE of information. If not, the paper will be as slow as the patrons that read it. People do not want slow, just ask any auto maker. When the Thunder play, I rarely go to its hometown paper for info. How sad is that! I mentioned this problem last year to the paper and got the reply that more information will be posted in the morning…I see it is still an ongoing problem, sad.

Unfortunately, for news in the digital age, IN PARTICULAR - Sports...time IS money, both for the Oklahoman, but also for many fans of sports.

[jmarkross]

Where is Ray Soldan when you need him? He was the best the Oklahoman ever had.

[TaoMaas]

If we as the public want actual news instead of fluff, opinion, and cats caught in trees reports, then we have to demand it with our money.

You're right. The reporting will follow the money. The problem is...a vote has already taken and the public opted to spend their money elsewhere. They advertised on Ebay and Craigslist rather than the want-ads of the local paper. They cancelled their subscriptions because, by the time the paper came out, they'd already gotten the headlines on the tv or internet. And they refuse to pay a subscription fee for online news. So...what do you get when the public demands that you go cheap, regardless of what kind of product we're discussing? You get McDonald's...not Red Prime.

[Rover]

You're right. The reporting will follow the money. The problem is...a vote has already taken and the public opted to spend their money elsewhere. They advertised on Ebay and Craigslist rather than the want-ads of the local paper. They cancelled their subscriptions because, by the time the paper came out, they'd already gotten the headlines on the tv or internet. And they refuse to pay a subscription fee for online news. So...what do you get when the public demands that you go cheap, regardless of what kind of product we're discussing? You get McDonald's...not Red Prime.

Well said. But they want Red Prime and pay at McDonald's rates. Everyone complains about WalMart, but then make it the biggest retailer in the US because they think it is cheap. They want things made in America, but buy from Korea because it is cheaper. Real choices are made with dollars, not opinions and pontifications. The alternative is publicly financed news which = state run...obviously a bad choice in a free country.

[Steve]

Here's the kicker: with Walmart critics say the dirty little secret is the "cheap" is made possible through slave labor in China. With Craig's List, it's proven that those "free classifieds" come with their own dirty little secret: they are meant to generate huge audiences to deliver to a web site that then mixes into the mix very profitable listings for prostitution (including child prostitution).

Sadly, I never see threads attacking Craig's List.

[soonerguru]

I agree that KOCO is the best of the bunch when it comes to local newscasts, which isn't saying much, unfortunately.

[BBatesokc]

Here's the kicker: with Walmart critics say the dirty little secret is the "cheap" is made possible through slave labor in China. With Craig's List, it's proven that those "free classifieds" come with their own dirty little secret: they are meant to generate huge audiences to deliver to a web site that then mixes into the mix very profitable listings for prostitution (including child prostitution).

Sadly, I never see threads attacking Craig's List.

Not to derail, but I personally never agreed with attacking CraigsList over their 'adult services ads.' Though I did always find it odd you could post a human for sale on the site, but not a puppy.

Steve, you mentioned early on...

I'm incredibly proud and giddy over the NewsOK application for Ipad. Our multimedia folks are brilliant and innovative

Where is that app? I found the NewsOK app but it definitely is NOT an iPad app.

[jmarkross]

No one wants to wrangle and pop around a newspaper anymore. We sit in front of a screen (actually an ersatz newspaper to our training) to shop and communicate and learn what is available to buy, what it's specifications are and what others think of it. You cannot get this in a store of any kind. Try asking any retailer about the specs of a TV you wish to buy. Once decided upon, you order at best price and have delivered or arrange pickup. Infinitely better than before. That is the fact. This transcends demographics and age groups. Newsprint is a goner. And extremely wasteful...it is needless WEIGHT being dragged about the planet to no purpose--anymore. It is an expansion of the Television Age...and that took about 50 years.

[jmarkross]

NewsOK Channel Four would be improved by explaining to the world...WTF the SkyCenter is??? And hire someone even remotely qualified to run the video feeds on news...half the time it is wrong, dis-jointed, does not work at all...or a meaningless curb shot that no human could ever think had anything to do with anything. They just throw it in willy-nilly like no one will notice. Absurd.

[Tritone]

If a local news program can tell you a story is coming up two or three days in advance is it really "news" when it happens? My other gripe is "news that could save your life...tune in tomorrow night." Are we in peril unitl tomorow night?" Just my thoughts.

[jmarkross]

If a local news program can tell you a story is coming up two or three days in advance is it really "news" when it happens? My other gripe is "news that could save your life...tune in tomorrow night." Are we in peril unitl tomorow night?" Just my thoughts.

True--the teasers are a worn-out carnival trick...I think these are the mindless decisions the hucksters make...their days are numbered and their paychecks are shrinking...they appeal only to the remaining feeble-minded that continue to watch the so-called "major" media channels...ABC, CBS, NBC...the wasteland...

[HOT ROD]

Couldn't have said it better, Big D misey

Particularly considering OKC has the league's next MVP and everybody world wide knows Kevin Durant. I have been in China for the past few years - and when I speak to people about the NBA or my hometown(s) (both Seattle and originally OKC) - the first word is 'oh, Kevin Durant.....'

Yet, when I am in China or anywhere - I can't get up to date information on the team; it's always a day late unless it comes from ESPN, SI, or the NBA.

Other markets, even similarly sized - do a much better job of informing and writing on their teams, their events, their news. This is where I think OKC needs to change and the Daily needs to 'hear', look at the global audience because Oklahoman's themselves might not be the BEST guage since all they know (generally speaking) is what they have gotten from the Daily Oklahoman (so much of the same......).

a big league city needs to have big league media too!

[dankrutka]

While there are exceptions (e.g. Steve, Jake Trotter...), the Oklahoman really has some objectivity/fairness issues when it comes to covering politics. I thought it was completely inappropriate for the states most popular new site to ONLY have Fallin ads and pop-up ads for "No on 744." Even if these organizations are paying for the ads, it seems to be a conflict of interests to run ads for candidates and campaigns that they openly support throughout their organization. I also read a recent article discussing local politics saying that "Obama's Democrats" did very poorly. Local Democrats are not the same as national Democrats (and I'm saying this as a card carrying liberal) and they have had to work very hard to make that point, but the Oklahoman ruins their efforts by it's unjournalistic techniques. In sum, the Oklahoman is a complete joke. They often get beat to stories by a weekly newspaper (The Gazette). The Tulsa World actually has investigative journalism (again, apologies to Steve) and makes the Oklahoman look like a complete joke. All of these reasons are why the Oklahoman has been ranked the worst newspaper in the United States. It is sickening and 90% of people can't tell the difference, but the 10% that can just have to put up with it.

[dankrutka]

One other beef: If the Oklahoman is going to have a comments section under their stories then they should monitor it for bigotted and prejudiced comments that regularly dominate any article mentioning Obama or a crime or anything. It is sickening and irresponsible to give a forum to hateful people.

[dankrutka]

Finally, if you want the best coverage of the Thunder go to www.dailythunder.com. Excellent blog site.

[Steve]

OK, I've got one more thing to say: The Columbia Journalism Review article declaring The Oklahoman the worst in America was clearly horse-dung. I worked at The Edmond Sun. I know for A FACT there are worse newspapers.