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Rick says good bye
Well, it seems that I forgot to mention that I was going on vacation. My apologies, especially to those who spent the holiday weekend wondering why their comments had not yet been posted. Rest assured that I am now back at work, and have posted all of the comments I found pending upon my return.
Although I did not attend last night's City Council meeting (I was enjoying the final hours of my time away), it seems as though it was business as usual, with members of the council arguing over the adequacy of the budget cuts, and members of the public yelling at the council over the need to install a water main on Gilbert Road.
See, I leave for a few days and everything stays the same! Well, not quite everything is the same. Chief Photographer Rick Gargiulo has moved on to greener pastures, namely Ellis Hospital. Rick has been a part-time X-ray tech at the hospital for quite some time, and he recently accepted an offer for a full-time gig at the hospital, which will leave him with a slightly more-favorable schedule, and more time to pursue freelance photography.
Although Rick and I often differed on matters of politics, citizenship, and economies of scale, he was a fun presence in the office and a talented photog. We'll sure miss him!
For the time being, Rick's departure has left us with only one full-time photog, Ed Burke, although I've heard that we're going to replace Rick in the near future.
That's all for today.
Although I did not attend last night's City Council meeting (I was enjoying the final hours of my time away), it seems as though it was business as usual, with members of the council arguing over the adequacy of the budget cuts, and members of the public yelling at the council over the need to install a water main on Gilbert Road.
See, I leave for a few days and everything stays the same! Well, not quite everything is the same. Chief Photographer Rick Gargiulo has moved on to greener pastures, namely Ellis Hospital. Rick has been a part-time X-ray tech at the hospital for quite some time, and he recently accepted an offer for a full-time gig at the hospital, which will leave him with a slightly more-favorable schedule, and more time to pursue freelance photography.
Although Rick and I often differed on matters of politics, citizenship, and economies of scale, he was a fun presence in the office and a talented photog. We'll sure miss him!
For the time being, Rick's departure has left us with only one full-time photog, Ed Burke, although I've heard that we're going to replace Rick in the near future.
That's all for today.
posted by The Saratogian City Desk at
4:03 PM
7 Comments:
It's too bad that talented artists have to leave to go somewhere else to make $$. If I had a company I would never allow talent to walk out the door, but companies don't value the talent they have.
That's a very naive comment, Nancy.
While everyone at the paper would have liked to see Rick stay, because we do know the value of his talent, times are bad in media. Newspapers simply don't have the funds to say "Oh no, Rick, you can't leave, will an extra $10 grand get you to stay? $20 grand?"
Sure, that would be nice, but you're living with blinders on if you think that any media outlet has that kind of cash these days.
I, for one, am happy for Rick, that he was able to find a job that will pay him more, give him more paid time off, and provide a better schedule -- and still leave him free to pursue photography on a freelance basis. Nothing wrong with any of that.
Yes, Andrew, you have me figured out. I am frequently accused of being naive and idealistic. Guilty as charged!! LOL
Your comment about how newspapers don't have the funds reminds me of a Tupac Shakur quote:
"We have money for wars but can't feed the poor."
You are no doubt correct about that however in this country its all about priority, and clearly we do not prioritize well. That is all.
Actually, there's a bit of nativity in what you're saying Andrew. Certainly, there isn't a lot of money to be doled out in newspapers these days. But if you take a look at the product that's being produced, you can clearly see why.
The Saratogian occasionally hits paydirt with good workers. Other times, they don't. As with any business, it's a benefit to keep good workers around. And if they require a bit more pay --even if its in the form of annual raises --they're going to save more money in the long run. See, they can grab a reporter or photographer from college and give him or her a job. But the time it's going to take to bring that person up to speed --and the reputation that the Saratogian will suffer as they make rookie mistakes --will ultimately cost the company more money in the long run.
Now I've noticed you guys had a talented free-lancer. Maybe this opens the door for her, in which case, Rick's departure won't be that troubling I suppose. But I can tell you, the paper takes a hit with its readership and ultimately loses circulation every time they go through a volley of reporters. Just think about how long it took you to learn your beat; think about the errors you made and the people who screamed. Now think about the poor fucker who will eventually takeover for you once you inevitably move to greener pastures because the Saratogian won't pay you a decent wage.
It's a cache-22, friend. There's no right answer. But turnover in the newsroom is never good. That is, unless it's the most recalcitrant, money-sucking, cruising-to-retirement position...
Horatio: The value of keeping talented staff on hand is not lost on me, and, as you say, I've experienced the growing pains of new employees several times (myself included).
BUT, the point that I was trying to get across, is that even if we at the paper recognize the importance of retaining talent, if the checking account is tapped, there is nothing that any amount of good will can do to refill it -- no mater how strong our desire.
Andrew:
I understand the problems (at least generally) the newspaper industry is going through, but to bolster Horatio's point, JRC and the Saratogian may have amplified those problems over the years by not investing money in The Saratogian. If they (JRC) simply gave minimal effort and money over the years and sucked out any profits available, which seems to have happened, then tougher economic times resulted in even deeper problems. Believe it or not I actually do enjoy The Saratogian, I just get frustrated by what I feel is a lack of consistency, numerous mistakes, and missed stories - I feel my hometown paper should not get scooped on by - yes larger papers - but ones based 30 miles away. JRC and The Saratogian's management should be addresing those quality issues in good times and in bad. Just my thoughts.
Shanghai Dandy: Please see my first-ever post on this blog for an explanation of why I am not posting your comment: http://saratogacitydesk.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-is-city-desk.html
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