Matt Brown's idea of a N&R editors meeting
This arrived via e-mail today from Greensboro Coliseum Director Matt Brown. The heading: "One Man's perception of a News & Record Staff meeting on 1/17/07."
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Ok folks let’s settle down please. We have only a two remaining items on our agenda today. The next item is from the Lifestyle Editors. They need to decide on what to put on the cover of Go Triad magazine this week.
"What options are they considering"?
Well we could either put an unknown jazz artist who is playing in a small 400 seat venue in our competitor’s home town or we could put the legendary Country artist who is performing his only North Carolina date here in our hometown Coliseum in front of over 19,000 patrons.
Well, have you considered any other information to help you make your decision?
Well sir, the Country star’s promoter has already spent a lot of money with our paper promoting the show here in our community as he has done every time he brings a show to Greensboro and he has another major concert scheduled for April. Also our Marketing/Branding/Advertising Department is currently in sensitive and difficult negotiations trying to convince the Coliseum Management to renew their $150K annual advertising deal with us to advertise Coliseum events in our weekly Entertainment tabloid even though we don’t highlight Coliseum events on the cover or feature their events in our magazine.
Well have you reached a decision?
Well sir, we think its a no-brainer, we should definitely go with the unknown Jazz musician that know one has ever heard of who is playing a small venue who will likely only draw a couple of hundred patrons in our competitors market and who did not spend a dime with our paper. Duh?
The last item on our agenda?
Sir, Local News wants to put a story on A1 about the possibility that our local Baseball Team “may decide 10 years from now” according to the principal owner to buy the Stadium they play in and Local News thinks that since the print version of our newspaper industry may not be in business 10 years from now that we should reports this story now on A1.
That’s settled, START THE PRESSES!
(The author, a frustrated local Coliseum Manager trying to bring economic vitality and a Hockey team to his community, is considered by many to be a cynic, although he tries sometimes to get his point across with humor, many people don’t seem to appreciate it. Mr. Brown, who is a frequent but often unwelcome guest contributor to this Newspaper, invites your suggestions and comments. He can be reached via email at matt.brown@greensboro-nc.gov)
Comments (11)
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$150K annually? Mr. Brown, 4% of that can get you a year's worth of advertising on local blogs.
Posted on January 18, 2007 10:39 PM
One word: TOOL
Posted on January 18, 2007 11:11 PM
Matt, Matt, Matt...
I hope this doesn't mean you're having trouble selling tickets for the George Strait show (BTW, did you see A2 in today's paper?). If that's the case, it's certainly not because of the GoTriad cover. Your ads have been everywhere; the paper, TV, and radio (from the mercifully few minutes I'm forced to listen to country radio each week).
Buying large blocks of advertising is not supposed to get you preferential treatment in the body of the paper. That goes against what most of us consider ethical journalism. (I know, I know, oxymoron..)
When I pick up an Arts & Entertainment weekly, I want to discover something I had not heard about previously. And I want to hear about artists and performers from this area. Your comments about "our competitor's market" come across as so much hot air. Martha Bassett lived in Greensboro for many years and still performs here regularly.
Best of luck with the Strait show, Matt. And I wish you success on bringing hockey back.
Posted on January 19, 2007 7:41 AM
I like seeing Matt get publicly smug. Isn't it about time you found greener pastures, Matt?
Posted on January 19, 2007 9:18 AM
Mr Brown's contributions to this publication are not unwelcomed by me. But who am I? Oh yeah... a customer.
MS Banks,
Do you not feel Mr Brown should contribute? I would think many would like to read what he has to say about CVM complex operations as well as his opinions and views about public relations. I would think at $150 Grr a year you might want to be a little kinder. Not very "salesman" of you.
Posted on January 19, 2007 10:05 AM
Matt, you GO for it! It's a big old-fashioned breath of cool air to hear some humor (draped in sarcasm) instead of who's suing who(m) and that a different divide in Greensboro concerns country music.
Fresh air. Fresh air. You are da man today, Matt, at least in my very short book!
Posted on January 19, 2007 11:44 AM
Matt:
You could reach most of Reidsville and Rockingham County for a pittance of that price over at the Reidsville Free Press.
We will treat you well.
Jeff
Posted on January 19, 2007 2:39 PM
Matt:
You could reach most of Reidsville and Rockingham County for a pittance of that price over at the Reidsville Free Press.
We will treat you well.
Jeff
Posted on January 19, 2007 2:40 PM
Brown isn't very bright, to say the least. He keeps spouting off his political/personal beliefs in public while representing the City. He should be fired, as would any other City employee. His continued employment is a testament to the ignorance of the City Manager and Council.
Speaking of the Manager, did you know he received the full allowable raise while the budget was cut so departments had to ration out raises?
Posted on January 20, 2007 2:05 AM
Way to go dh, I could not have said it better myself. Matt is simply a City employee. Period.
He needs to keep his personal opinions to himself and manage the building.
We will dictate policy, he just carries it out as a Department Head.
Posted on January 20, 2007 2:48 PM
Whatever people's opinions of Brown's stewardship of the Coliseum, he is making a valid point. Human nature makes people in the media believe the rest of the world is interested in what they are interested in, so you end up with lifestyle and entertainment sections geared toward a small segment of the community. Just because George Strait isn't a big deal to the editors of that section doesn't mean he doesn't have a large number of fans who consider his local appearance a pretty big deal.
I'm not a George Strait fan and wouldn't know him if he came up to me on the street, but until they rename "Go Triad", "Go Yuppie Wannabees" it might not be a bad idea for the paper to consider a little diversity of interests. There is a reason newspapers are dying, and elitism is a part of it.
Posted on January 23, 2007 5:14 AM