Comments on: Merry Christmas from Transcontinental (P.S.: You’re fired)

By: Can the West Island Chronicle be saved? – Fagstein

Can the West Island Chronicle be saved? – Fagstein — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 08:20:49 +0000

[...] is struggling to get back on its feet editorially. Just before Christmas, news came down that its editorial staff of two would be reduced to one with the dismissal of reporter Raffy Boudjikanian. Editor Albert Kramberger refused to be demoted [...]

By: West Island newspaper editors give up on former jobs – Fagstein

West Island newspaper editors give up on former jobs – Fagstein — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:04:21 +0000

[...] month after their positions were eliminated, and after surprising their bosses by saying they would not accept demotions, the editors of the [...]

By: PHYLLIS CARTER

PHYLLIS CARTER — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:26:01 +0000

NDG NEEDS A FREE PRESS - WE ARE BEING SMOTHERED

A great way to smother a community is to shut down its library and community centre and deprive the community of a good local newspaper.

NDG's best library and community meeting place - the Fraser Hickson Library - was shut down years ago, thanks in great part to Michael Applebaum and his friends on council. We have been deprived of decent library services for well over a thousand days now.

At the same time, Transcontinental discontinued The Monitor in real copy, so we are grateful that it is still available online at the moment - February 1, 2010.

Concerned citizens of NDG are aware of how vital is community news and the NDG Free Press is a very welcome new neighbour. Under the experienced editor, David Goldberg, we expect the paper will give us a window on what the borough council is up to and also provide a forum for the community to air our concerns.

By: Chronicle, Cités Nouvelles editors refuse demotions – Fagstein

Chronicle, Cités Nouvelles editors refuse demotions – Fagstein — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 04:54:09 +0000

[...] Layoffs announced just before Christmas of the papers' reporters (Raffy Boudjikanian for the Chronicle, Olivier Laniel for Cités Nouvelles) took effect on Friday. Technically they're not permanent, but for an indeterminant period. But Boudjikanian doesn't expect to return to the job and is now unemployed. Laniel was a temporary worker, replacing a reporter on maternity leave. Albert Kramberger [...]

By: David Price

David Price — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:06:34 +0000

Hi, Steve.

I know that weekly papers are under pressure in Quebec and elsewhere in North America, and your piece here provides more evidence. It is one of the reasons that I am so proud of the Westmount Independent and NDG Free Press. Both are traditional, print-based papers with very modest websites, but they have been very well received by their target communities. In the case of the older paper (the Independent) it is nearing its third birthday and has been a clear commercial success, by achieving, among other things, weekliness (in August 2008). (The Free Press is barely a season old and has only had eight issues so far, but the reaction from readers has been great.)

At both papers, we aim for quality much the way an editor would have in 1950, 1970 or 1990: accuracy, relevance, variety and "newsiness."

Maybe there is cause for cautious optimism?

David Price
Publisher, Westmount Independent & NDG Free Press

By: Singlestar

Singlestar — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:09:39 +0000

The Monitor (NDG) which used to say that it was founded in 1925 used to charge, In the 50s, it cost 7 cents a week (the carrier came around for 28 or 35 cents a month)but for that you got the details of every Pee-wee hockey club standings in the local house league, a detailed breakdown of NDG Community Council activities and the results of the NDG Arts and Letters Festival, and a weekly British supplement including a full 8 or 12 page comics section.
In later years, there were still a couple of journalists.
Now their on-line edition has about 2 articles a week. Hardly worth clicking on.

By: Dave Stubbs

Dave Stubbs — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:28:24 +0000

I cut my teeth in journalism at the News & Chronicle from 1976-79, hired from radio station CFOX (R.I.P.) as sports editor to learn every element of the business from the ground up. It was a marvelous, enriching experience that sent me on my way in my career.

I can't imagine what the paper's late founder, John Freeman, would think of the way the paper has been beaten into the ground by bean-counters and a company that hasn't much of an idea what solid community journalism is all about.

My best wishes to those being let go, and my condolences to the paper itself.

Dave Stubbs
The Gazette

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:53:30 +0000

they've been taking interns between 1997 and now, there is even one Con. U. student coming in February... so there!

By: Michael J.

Michael J. — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:16:12 +0000

It's sad, The Chronicle used to be a real community paper with decent articles.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:33:32 +0000

20-25 years ago, back when the Chronicle was a real newspaper, my brother used to deliver it. Everyone in our neighbourhood used to pay for it because it actually contained real news. Not necessarily the nitty-gritty crime of the day, but information you were actually interested in.

Heck, even while I was doing my BA in the mid-90s, Concordia journalism students used to intern at the Chronicle.

Then I left the province for a decade, and the Chronicle became thinner than my weekly Canadian Tire flyer.

Last time I bothered picking one up it ran all of 8 pages.

WTF happened? Which idiot had the notion that going from something you paid for to something you handed out for free would actually lead to an income stream?

By: Dominique

Dominique — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:06:29 +0000

Last I checked Transcontinental paid $40 for freelance work. Probably not a huge part of their budget. But if you can get it for free, why not?