Ackerman (credit: Swift)
Schmall (credit: Appeal-Democrat)
Roseburg is a conservative lumber town — home of Roseburg Forest Products, one of the nation’s largest privately held lumber companies. The city is 94 percent white. And the newspaper — securely planted behind a pay-wall — is a monopoly.
While tucked away in the Pacific Northwest, Roseburg’s tea party recently made national headlines for its bullying tactics. Last summer tea partiers invaded a quiet MoveOn picnic, breaking it up — and the video went viral.
“The Tea Partiers themselves proudly posted the video of their invasion of the MoveOn picnic,” according to Crooks and Liars. “Moreover, it clearly documents how they effectively broke it up — by threatening the attendees with intimidating speech and making it clear they wanted the group to clear out.”
The video is here. You’ve got to watch it.
In short, Roseburg is in a “time warp” in one of the nation’s most progressive states.
SWIFT’S MUSICAL CHAIRS
Rumors have been circulating for months that Ackerman was going to be leaving The Union. This was passed onto me by former “Swifties,” who work at other papers now.
Raymond, former Roseburg News-Review publisher (credit: Swift)
Swift’s chief executive is Bill Toler, a former Procter & Gamble executive with no newspaper experience. He replaced longtimer Arnie Hoel, a friend and ally of Ackerman. Swift’s leadership team is here.
WHO IS THE UNION’S NEW PUBLISHER?
The Union’s new publisher is Dave Schmall. He had quietly joined Swift earlier this year after being hired by Bob Brown, Swift’s president and Ackerman’s boss. (Schmall and Brown seem rather similar in their styles and experience — lots of “bells and whistles” but you need to monitor the execution).
Schmall, 53, had been publisher of the Marysville Appeal-Democrat until last December. He’s been involved in innovative projects over the years — in print and online.
Schmall had been publisher of the Marysville newspaper since 2008 and “resigned to explore other opportunities,” according to the newspaper.
He was profiled in the newspaper in 2009. He showed a sense of humor: “If you were in charge, what would you change about the community? I would combine both cities and call it Yubaville, Marys City or perhaps, Bensonhurst.”
Schmall has a wife and two children. His favorite sports team is the Chicago Cubs, and his favorite television show is “Two and a Half Men.” His hobbies include a “lifelong pursuit of wine and better cheese.”
“What were your favorite/least favorite subjects in school? I enjoyed my political science curriculum in college. My favorite class was “The Effects of Global Thermo Nuclear War.” My least favorite was physics.” (Oh no. Wait until Dave meets our local “wingnut” bloggers, such as Dr. George Rebane).
“Favorite book: I refer to Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” a lot.” (Grass Valley gadfly and former council member Steve Enos likes that book too!)
Schmall is from Atlanta. He has more than 25 years of experience in the media industry, having served in key publishing and sales management positions, according to a press release.
“He most recently served as publisher for Creative Loafing in Atlanta, Ga., where he led the execution and business strategy of Atlanta’s largest weekly publication. Under Schmall’s leadership, Creative Loafing increased audience share and sales revenues beyond the core print product by introducing new online and mobile applications, including podcasts, video and blogs.”
All told, Schmall respresents the transition that is going on in our community and is discussed here regularly. He will be more of a uniter than a divider.
Here’s Schmall in a silly promotion with the Marysville baseball team:
Filed under: Uncategorized
Sounds like Jeff A will be very comfortable in his new community.
The break up of move on picnic is incredible. The people probably did the correct by just leaving. I am not sure how I would have handled the situation, my # 1 hated thing on the planet are bullies. More than likely I would have debated the fools on their anti-constitutional bullying and cited the first amendment along with historical groups throughout history that used intimidation to suppress political free speech.
This is one the options I could see myself doing.
Bullies believe in dictatorship. Anyone who supports the tea party isn’t interested in democracy or willing to participaate in it’s process. To them working toward consensus is a waste of time. I’m glad to see Ackerman go. I like Roseburg but as my son who grew up here and now lives in Oregon says, maybe we can get all those haters in Roseburg and they’ll burn down their own community.
You can almost hear the anti-California screeds which are surely to make their appearances in the RN&V.
Here’s a somewhat longer version of the video (from YouTube) with additional captions, and this postscript:
“The Tea Party members then followed the MoveOn.org members to the private home and had to be blocked form entering a private drive. When the Tea Party members refused to leave, MoveOn.org members inside the house called the police. The police never came. The Sheriff of Douglas County is a Tea Party member.”
I suggest that the Roseburg Chamber of Commerce feature this video on their web page.
Check out some of the YouTube viewer comments.
This video shows the kind of really ugly group behavior that breeds individuals like Anders Behring Breivik.
When I was 12 or so, a trio of Italian kids were constantly bullying me. It went on for a long time. Finally I had enough. During recess, one of them started up with me and the fight was on. I beat the SOB bloody, and I do mean bloody. The next day, another one wanted to fight; so I beat him bloody, too. The third guy never stepped up to the plate. (Good thing–he was dumber than a box of rocks, but now lives behind a walled estate, Soprano like, in Greewich, CT) But this is the Reublican base at its worst, and there’s lots of them.
Ben, I admire your restraint, but those invaders were looking for a fight and their knowledge of the Constitution probably is limited to a foggy inkling that the 2nd amendment endows them with the right to own any
weapon of their choice. A reasoned, intelligent and correct recitatation of 1st amendment rights, IMHO, would be as fruitless as ordering a sty filled with pigs to keep the place neat. This was a Brownshirt tactic, the perps begging for a spark to get those facist commies.
When I canceled the Union recently, I was transfered to a more senior staffer who asked, why? I told her I was tired of Ackerman and all the Tea party slanting of the paper–and that I had been lied to my someone, and in fact, my favorite columnist carried by the Union, Gene Lyons, was in fact dropped, not just printed when space was available. Amy Goodman can be seen on TV. I’ll bet lots of people did the same. Maybe the new guy will turn it back into a paper with broad appeal and we’ll have a vehicle for unifying, not dividing.
Ed,
That is why I said one of the options. I grew up a fighter in a fighting neighborhood . I can tell you some stories. I don’t know how many fights I have been in but it is easily dozens and dozens.
I had a life altering family accident that led to a series of events that caused me to take a vow of non violence over 20 years ago. I haven’t always been true to the vow but after the first decade or so it has become much easier. I guess it probably has more to do with getting older rather than becoming morally stronger but either way I am glad to have made the change.
Ben, I guess we have much in common. I’ve had plenty of narrow escapes, too. But age, injury and illness take a toll on the ole body and it’s easy to forget how strong guys are in their late teens. Being around 50 and having to get in the middle of fights among hard core gang kids to break the fight up was a great reminder.
I do battle now with words, occaisionally with one blogger. I like being a mosquito buzzing around his ears at night.
The more of these sorts of videos are posted the better. Show an ignorant, poorly educated bully as he really is and you don’t have to make any further comment. The Tea Baggers continue to self marginalize and alienate themselves from main stream America daily. I predict that as the election grows closer the GOP will do everything it can to distance itself from this fringe element in the hopes that the independents and great middle will forget how close the two movements have been.
And what is needed is good people opposing the Tea thugs, to turn that video, and other situations like it into polished TV ads. I’ve always felt the Republicans have been better at that sort of thing.
Called the phone number at the end of the video and told them that effectively, their town and tactics deserved the demote Ackerman we are sending them, and that he would smile and make nice, but that, even for him, they are a bit too much.
The poor Swift people still haven’t removed the job posting for publisher of the Roseburg News-Review from their website. It is here:
Publisher – The News-Review – Do you have passion for excellence and a drive for success? Do you enjoy looking for new and exciting ways to grow a business? If so, The News-Review Publishing Company, part of Swift Communications, is looking for you to join our team. The Publisher is responsible for the business and operational success of the six-day daily newspaper serving Douglas County Oregon. In addition to the 16,600 paid circulation newspaper the publisher is responsible for shopper publications, a phone book, and the website, nrtoday.com. This is the senior management position at the NRPC. Responsibilities include: strategic planning and implementation, personnel management and financial and legal well-being. The publisher has operational oversight for all departments. Qualified candidates should have a minimum of seven years management experience in a media organization with expertise in print and digital products; a documented track record of improving financial results by increasing readership and/or revenue; and the demonstrated ability to develop and inspire a high-performance team. The Publisher will collaborate with other Swift publication leaders and become an integral part of this family-owned, progressive company. Candidates are invited to submit an introductory letter and resume to recruitment@nrtoday.com.
No story like this is complete without hearing from Todd Juvinall, a former supervisor in our county:
I have the deepest respect for Jeff Ackerman. When he took over the paper it had been run by a bunch of lefty publishers who were running the paper into the ground and were friends with those who had no respect for our county and its traditions. Sure he he had content some found lacking, I think AP is trash most of the time, but overall it is a paper I still subscribe too as did my folks and grand folks because it is local. Jeff succeeded in making the Swift folks profit every year and the community was relatively peaceful. Having been the recipient of previous nasty publishers and editors I appreciate his even handedness. Besides, no more Seelmeyer and no more Pelline. So all the success in Oregon to JeffA and his wife.
I once met this fellow Seelmeyer at a Swift company picnic in Reno. He told me that being editor of The Union was like “being a bouncer in a wild bar.” I laughed at the time, but found it to be an apt description. (I don’t want to comment on any details about The Union’s profitability strategy, since I have some inside knowledge).
Good, representaitive–but mild–example of said bloggers seemingly belief that assertion is fact, i.e., the AP is trash, thus he is smarter than them all. But, as usual, he misses the point; journalism is about providing the news as unbiasedly as possible, hopefully making a profit in the process. A man blinded by bias, who substitutes distracting name calling when debating issues rather that ascending to the necessary synthesis and analysis required to arrive at solutions of multifacted disputes.
Though “Facts are stubborn things,” they’ve met theit match when confronted by stubborn ideologues.
Upon hearing the news, a former Union writer told me “I feel sorry for the Union staffers who got transfers to Roseburg to get away from Ackerman.”
Ackerman made the paper better? So someone who is so slanted and divisive makes a newspaper better? Jeff P. if it wasn’t for your short time there the paper would have already been in the ground and pushing up daisies. It appears it started heading that way after you left. If the Union is so profitable, why the increase at the stands and the cost to read it online? Sounds like they were losing money.
Our community just got better. Thanks for leaving Jeff A.!!
While my experience in journalism is limited to time spent at the Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, in their Masters degree for Journalism program, I never finished, as the long convoluted process of getting title to my land in VT finally ended and I returned East to build a project in ski country–my partner, though, was a journalist with the New York Times. it seems to me, though, falling revenues, via canellation of subscriptions to the Union (perhaps for the same reason as I canceled–the Tea Party slant) and maybe even less advertising sales, surely counted most in Ackermans transfer.
So many of the Other Voices pieces that were published were poorly written, filled with factual errors, penned by the same authors, consistantly expressing extreme right wing views. And, the writers probably toiled for a major portion of a day crafting their opinion piece into a praise worthy column. IMHO, the spontaneous opinions expressed on this blog, by an eclectic bunch of regular “next door people types,” easily outshine the writings of the right in factual reliability, smoothness of the read and insight into the nature of critical issues facing our long term existance on an increasingly abused Mother Earth.
It seems the decision makers at the Union could only see Red and White, but never Purple or Blue. So, Ackerman, farewell and Adieu!
Exit question for Ackerman: so, your plan in Oregon will be to wield your editorial power in a conscientious manner so as to pacify the local tea party’s picnic-breaking-up-temper-tantrums, right?