ACor58 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I cannot believe how bad that the Bills coverage, the sports section, and the whole paper is in general. The Rochester D and C is like the NY Times compared to the Buffalo News. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockpile Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I cannot believe how bad that the Bills coverage, the sports section, and the whole paper is in general. The Rochester D and C is like the NY Times compared to the Buffalo News. 735240[/snapback] Which is REALLY sad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 They started their downhill slide when they failed to retain my paperboy services. I was a free agent, and was signed by Loblaws to a lucrative 4-year deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Gal Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Definiitely. One of the amusing things for me is that I am a big time lover pf newspapers and magazines (The Economist is one of my favorities) and a few years back my lovely partner started complaining about too many Buffalo News and USA Today's stacking up around the house wirh an aspiration to recycle them (which always happened but sometimes I failed to read the articles that had me saving them). At any rate, i suggested as an alternative that we turn our Buff News subscription into Sundays only and I would read it online on a daily basis. She agreed as it meant less stuff from her perspective (her brother still laughs because he returned some Bills tapes to me and I said just keep them as his sis wanted us to have less stuff. He suggested I just hide them in my home office and she would never know, to which I replied, ho no she weighs the house every morning and can detect when even extra snall stuff appears). At any rate, i did this for about a week or two then I found that life intruded and I was not doing the reading of the News I aspired to do. The interesting thing to me was I found I did not miss it. Between resources like TBD that tells me about Bills stuff, my local work which tells me about local relevant stuff and resources I see in passing from CNN to the Daily Show, I actually get a feeding of news from several sources (I even watch my friends at Fox News religiously- it is definitiely not fair and balanced, but then no one is and the key is to not get your info from one single source) . WNED, etc. I see and hear a lot of stuff. I found i was not meeting my aspiration to read the Buff News daily but i found that outside of the comics I really was not missing anything by not reading the Buff News. The good news is my recycling piles dropped way down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 They started their downhill slide when they failed to retain my paperboy services. I was a free agent, and was signed by Loblaws to a lucrative 4-year deal. 735272[/snapback] Did you work directly for Bob Loblaw? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Did you work directly for Bob Loblaw? 735293[/snapback] Can't say I recall the name. Before Loblaws left the NYS market, their stores changed their name to Star, then Food Arena. I was a stock boy at the Delaware Ave. Food Arena across from the Delaware YMCA. It was a good job - the stock boys ordered the products for their assigned aisles, since they knew what was selling and what wasn't. You were allowed to put excess stock or slow movers on the aisle ends next to the weekly specials. Management trusted you, and were pleased if a good worker made a career out of the grocery business. They taught me a lot - work habits, responsibility, proper retailing practices, how to deal with the public and so forth. That paternal aspect is long gone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasper13 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I got a free Rochester D&C at camp last Saturday and was amazed by the difference. Buffalo News is pure crap- just like everything else is these days in Bflo. I suppose Warren Buffet needs to save pennies since he gave away his multi-billion dollar fortune (He owns the Buffalo News). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 I cannot believe how bad that the Bills coverage, the sports section, and the whole paper is in general. The Rochester D and C is like the NY Times compared to the Buffalo News. 735240[/snapback] The old saying, "act like you've done it before, kid" applies. The News doesn't have to get excited about guys running around in their underware in July/Aug like the D&C does, since they've got the regular season to look forward to for wall-to-wall coverage.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Gal Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 I got a free Rochester D&C at camp last Saturday and was amazed by the difference. Buffalo News is pure crap- just like everything else is these days in Bflo. I suppose Warren Buffet needs to save pennies since he gave away his multi-billion dollar fortune (He owns the Buffalo News). 735684[/snapback] As best as I can tell from a conversation with a fellow who managed a signifocant chunk of stock holdings for Buffet who talked with me a bit about the Biff News when he found out I was from Buffalo, the News as always provided for Buffat exactly what he was looking for when he bought the paper. Tons of profit for the investment. THis may not be true anymore because the newspaper business has changed so radically the past few years and it was a few years back that I had this encounter. However. what impressed him about the News from an investment standpoint is that had essentially obtained a monopoly in print advertising in this market serving a bunch of advertisers such as Tops Friendly Markets which had gained a close but not total monopoly in their sectors of the market. In this situation the Buff News was the only large source of print advertising in the market and the advertisers actually liked keeping advertising costs somewhat high because it provided a market barrier which kept competition in their sectors out of the marketplace. Tops could not dictate advertising marketing rates as it controlked over 2/3 of the marketplace for grcery stores but not all of it as if they got to upity with the News it could do things to support Wegman's, Bells or others invading the marketplace so it in essence colluded with the Buff News to dive them a consistent hefty profit. The media market has changed so radically, the Buff News has had to do other things to maintain a huge profit margin. It milke what it could out of salary costs by beating down the unions and now has moved into lowering their spending on content and profit making services which is reflected in folks seeing the paper for the first time in awhile and realizing it looks like crap in terms of content. The internet and its role in providing serice to customers but also tuirning the historic huge profit margind has been interesting. The Buff news was far slower in providing an online edition than most other newspapers for cities because it did not want to do it unless it could gain its typical profit margins. Thus you saw and see the News handling the net differently than their peers in the newspaper business. 1. The Buff News really led the charge in only providing access to it articles fpr tem days over the web and then one must subscribe and pay to have access. Free articles are available at the public library, but any thought of the News acting as the paper or record with easy access by the public to a history of its writing is someting only easuily available if you have the wealth. 2. The S and C is owned by the Gannett chain and thus it became the lead sponsor of a a Buffalo Bills bulletin board in the late 90s. However, it gained the expertise to build it but not the expertise to moderate it. The papers commitment to free speech initally had it refusing to alter of limit postings beyond the bruadest definitions of decency. When it decided to crack down a bit as the conversation headed off more and more toward the rancor being popularized by folks like Rush Limbaugh amd porn stuff (which really has been a major driver of the spread of the web- the ability to pay for things securely and also maintain anonymity has been pioneered in many cases by folks who wanted to buy and sell porn and place bets for gambling with some sense of security and anonymity. The detath knell for the D & C board was when its crackdown efforts resulted in individuals they angered baraging it with spam and foul language. Fortunately the free market and folks like Scott stepped in an created TSW and the nascent D & C community found its way to the for profit board which had the ability and the knowledge base of Scott to be draconian and kick folks it deemed negative or attacking influences off TSW and to defend it from internet attacks. The Buffalo News being unwilling to invest in the web until it figured out how to turn a profit sat on the sidelines and allowed others to serve the community in towns like Rochester and folks like Scott. 3. For years the News refused to undergo the capital costs of using modern and computer based printing technology. In fact the company which built the BN's printing press went out of business. Rather than invest in a new more modern system, the Buffalo News actually hired the folks from the company and then eventually turned servicing the remaining printing presses limping along or handed down in other cities into another profit center. Eventually, the paper moved later than many others to printing color photos and had to buy new presses. and so on and so As best as I can tell the folks that Buffet has managing his investment recognize that the newspaper business as we know i is dying and dead. Their strategy seems to be to cut off the parts that do not turn their historic level of huge profits even if they serve the community and to replace them with new technologies as long a s the capital imvestment is low enough or proven by someone else taking the risk of being the first person into the pool that a new approach turns a profit This is a legitimate and fine way to run a business. it just is really only in certain coincidences a good way to serve a community. Yhe Niff News has never been primarily about serving the WNY community. it does that from time to time and in significant ways but it almost always is a coincidental effect of turning maximum profit gor its investors. I'm sure Warren Buffet has been quite pleased that his investment is doing what he invested in it for it to do. Serving the WNY community or the Bills community is a secondary byproduct for the investors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oneonta Buffalo Fan Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 Which is REALLY sad! 735260[/snapback] NO WAY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 Can't say I recall the name. Before Loblaws left the NYS market, their stores changed their name to Star, then Food Arena. I was a stock boy at the Delaware Ave. Food Arena across from the Delaware YMCA. It was a good job - the stock boys ordered the products for their assigned aisles, since they knew what was selling and what wasn't. You were allowed to put excess stock or slow movers on the aisle ends next to the weekly specials. Management trusted you, and were pleased if a good worker made a career out of the grocery business. They taught me a lot - work habits, responsibility, proper retailing practices, how to deal with the public and so forth. That paternal aspect is long gone... 735326[/snapback] Weren't they out of Canada (actually they are still there)? Some of my family worked with them at the warehouse (on Bailey)... Later to be PJ Schmidt (Sp)... There lies the "Bells" connection right??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 Weren't they out of Canada (actually they are still there)? Some of my family worked with them at the warehouse (on Bailey)... Later to be PJ Schmidt (Sp)... There lies the "Bells" connection right??? 735988[/snapback] I believe they are Canadian. No idea if they still exist. I recall the Schmidt name, although I think they showed up after I left town in 1978. There was a food distributor named Flickinger's (sp) in Cheektowaga. Bells? - dunno... IIRC, in Bflo., they started out as part of the IGA thing (which I think stood for Independent Grocer's Association - or "I Gyp Anyone" - take your pick ). I know that the local, small grocery - Betzer's, located on Kenmore next to Koehler-Redden drug store corner of Colvin, moved to the Kenmore side and opened a Bell's not far from the Colvin theater. Bob Betzer - I don't remember the wife's name. Having some sort of personal relationship with merchants was fairly common when I was a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluenews Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 ...but they have Allen Wilson (not relation to Ralph) writing for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACor58 Posted August 5, 2006 Author Share Posted August 5, 2006 The old saying, "act like you've done it before, kid" applies. The News doesn't have to get excited about guys running around in their underware in July/Aug like the D&C does, since they've got the regular season to look forward to for wall-to-wall coverage.... 735943[/snapback] The Bills coverage for the D and C in the regular season is outstanding, and I wasn't just talking about the Bills coverage. The whole paper sucks. It is about half the size of the D and C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 I believe they are Canadian. No idea if they still exist. I recall the Schmidt name, although I think they showed up after I left town in 1978. There was a food distributor named Flickinger's (sp) in Cheektowaga. Bells? - dunno... IIRC, in Bflo., they started out as part of the IGA thing (which I think stood for Independent Grocer's Association - or "I Gyp Anyone" - take your pick ). I know that the local, small grocery - Betzer's, located on Kenmore next to Koehler-Redden drug store corner of Colvin, moved to the Kenmore side and opened a Bell's not far from the Colvin theater. Bob Betzer - I don't remember the wife's name. Having some sort of personal relationship with merchants was fairly common when I was a kid. 736038[/snapback] My father worked at Peter J. Schmidt for 28 years. The Bells stores were independently owned (franchises) and Schmidt was the warehouse on Broadway near the Thruway. Loblaws was a Canadian chain with a warehouse on Genesee across from the airport (my uncle worked there > 30 years). The Canadian who owned Loblaws bought Schmidt, made the Loblaws in the US Bells and merged the warehouses on Genesee Street. Eventually theye were sold to other people and they ran it into the ground (more people in the office than in the warehouse) around 1991. Flickinger's was the warehouse for Super Duper. When Burt Flickinger (the one you see mentioned in the paper from time to time) was in college, his father told him to work in the warehouse for a summer, so he would know what it was like. Flickinger's had a strict no nepotism policy and he couldn't work at his father's warehouse. He got a job at Peter J Schmidt loading trucks and unloading boxcars on third shift for one summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 My father worked at Peter J. Schmidt for 28 years. The Bells stores were independently owned (franchises) and Schmidt was the warehouse on Broadway near the Thruway. Loblaws was a Canadian chain with a warehouse on Genesee across from the airport (my uncle worked there > 30 years). The Canadian who owned Loblaws bought Schmidt, made the Loblaws in the US Bells and merged the warehouses on Genesee Street. Eventually theye were sold to other people and they ran it into the ground (more people in the office than in the warehouse) around 1991. Flickinger's was the warehouse for Super Duper. When Burt Flickinger (the one you see mentioned in the paper from time to time) was in college, his father told him to work in the warehouse for a summer, so he would know what it was like. Flickinger's had a strict no nepotism policy and he couldn't work at his father's warehouse. He got a job at Peter J Schmidt loading trucks and unloading boxcars on third shift for one summer. 736082[/snapback] Thanks for the info. I'd forgotton all about Super Duper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 The Bills coverage for the D and C in the regular season is outstanding 736072[/snapback] Bob and Leo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leper65 Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 They started their downhill slide when they failed to retain my paperboy services. I was a free agent, and was signed by Loblaws to a lucrative 4-year deal. 735272[/snapback] What kinda signing bonus/guaranteed money did you get ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offside Number 76 Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 Bob and Leo! 736286[/snapback] Unfortunately, after a fifteen-year decline, the Buffalo News is no better and no worse than most newspapers in this country. Fewer staff reporters mean more wire stories and syndicated features. The US is down to two great newspapers--the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal--and a small collection of good newspapers--the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe and maybe the LA Times. Everything else is fishwrap. Agreed that the D&C Bills coverage is better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike32282 Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 The Bills coverage for the D and C in the regular season is outstanding, and I wasn't just talking about the Bills coverage. The whole paper sucks. It is about half the size of the D and C. 736072[/snapback] The Monday morning edition is the best I have seen for Buffalo Bills and NFL coverage during the season. I love how they get into other games and do the detailed rankings and info, plus of course the gameday grades! It's excellent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts