This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Laid off, now what?

I've been laid off by The Idaho Statesman, the principal newspaper in Boise, for whom I wrote a (mostly) weekly garden column for 9 years and 10 months. It's a Gannett paper, attracting the usual rancor townspeople have for Gannett newspapers. They seem to be going full bore after the 25-35 age people, very few of whom read newspapers. The Statesman started an "alternative" (free) paper, using semi-literate slang for text. It's chock full of ads (I suspect charged on reduced rate card), and printed on high quality newsprint such as Gene Cervi used for his paper in Denver after he learned that each paper was read by more than 5 people. The Statesman's newsprint stock is "recycled" near-tissue paper. I know they lost subscribers when they started charging for obituaries. I suspect they lost subscribers when they started charging for 50th anniversary and wedding photos.

There is a perception among the general public that gardening is for the retired elderly because only they have the free time. Hot-to-trot MBAs concerned with demographics are not interested in the retired elderly. I wrote my columns mainly for beginning gardeners, pointing out the advantages of drip and soaker hoses, timers, weed suppressing mulches, and everything else that simplifies gardening. Most of this 25-35 year age group have huge mortgages, so large house and car payments, sapping two full-time incomes. Many also have children, requiring ferrying here and there for after school lessons, etc. Those young women are up at 4 a.m. running the washing machine, cleaning house, making sandwiches for lunches, getting kids dressed, teeth brushed, etc., and have zero time to read newspapers. They do have a moment to step outside and turn on a faucet. Perhaps garden writers should emphasize the ease of gardening now, lest our readers die off.

Money is not an issue with me, but I do have something unpleasant that I'll probably have to face, if history repeats itself. Years ago when they cut me back to two columns per month, they used a staff writer to write garden articles. Where did she get her information? She called me. I told her to contact someone else, and submitted my resignation. The then editor knew I had great readership numbers (doesn't impress the new publisher here), so persuaded me to stay, promising me weekly, front page of the features section. When this woman calls for garden information, what would you do? Margaret Lauterbach


_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
"Organic-Gardening" <organic-gardening@lists.ibiblio.org>

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters

Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index