SBIFF, BHatch, ***@275, Madonna's kids, homeless, KPerry, PicTVFund,
eringer, images, FamPlan, SBBotGarden, Monarch, SanYsidro, ZsaZsa,
propaganda, Tea Fire
][
Which Oscar-nominee declined a car and driver and drove his own pickup
to the Santa Barbara Film Festival?
(01/28/09)
Which Oscar-nominee declined a car and driver and drove his own pickup
to the Santa Barbara Film Festival?
ROAD WARRIOR: Josh Brolin, a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee for
Milk, arriving to the annual film fest behind the wheel of a "huge"
truck. Says a source, "For some reason, people couldn't stop talking
about it. They were genuinely surprised."
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/marc_malkin/b81000_sightings_reese_jakes_quickielunch.html
][
Betty Hatch Joins Collaborative Communities Foundation Board
http://www.noozhawk.com/briefs/article/0124_betty_hatch_joins_collaborative_communities_foundation_board/
By | Posted on 01/24/2009
Hatch founded La Belle Model/Talent Agency & Professional Training
School in Santa Barbara in 1963 and retired in 1991 after serving as
president of the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce. She is a
past president of the National Association for Self-Esteem and is
involved with several organizations that provide opportunities for
young women to promote self-esteem and confidence.
][
The Santa Barbara School Board agreed to spend $56,000 on a consultant
to investigate the problems that have plagued the special education
program.
http://www.thedailysound.com/012809scchhol
(01/28/09)
][
Laura Schlessinger affiliate stations had dropped to 275
The Laura Show is, as of 2008, ranked as the 3rd highest-rated
commercial radio show after Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.[6] At its
peak, it was the second-highest-rated radio show after The Rush
Limbaugh Show, and was heard on 471 radio stations. In September 2002,
the industry magazine Talkers named Laura Schlessinger as the seventh
greatest radio talk show host of all time.[7] However, by November
2003, the number of Laura affiliate stations had dropped to 275.
The dropoff in listenership to Schlessinger's show has been attributed
to multiple factors. Over time, she became more conservative, and her
stance on homosexuality and gay rights was offensive to many (see
"Views on homosexuality," below). Additionally, following the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, talk radio became less
relationship-oriented, and decidedly more political. Many stations
replaced Dr. Laura with political hosts like Glenn Beck and Sean
Hannity. Hannity's show debuted nationwide in 2001 in the same time
slot as Dr. Laura (3 p.m. EST, 12 p.m. PST).
][
In September 2004, Schlessinger announced that she was closing down
the foundation by the end of the year. Her reason for ending the
foundation's work, as given on her website and in an announcement to
listeners, was to support adoption and abstinence.
][
Dr. Laura: What about Madonna's kids?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/21/dr-laura-what-about-madonnas-children/
Another Overlooked Form of Sex-Trafficking That's Labor Trafficking As
Well
http://www.realadultsex.com/archives/2008/06/another_overlooked_form_of_sextrafficking_thats_la.html
By figleaf on June 8, 2008
A count of homeless people in the city will take place Tuesday. The
data is used in the quest to secure federal funding.
http://www.keyt.com/news/local/38409994.html?linkSource=edhat.com
(01/27/09)
http://tiny.cc/dlCHILDhUNGER
][
Katy Perry is thrilled that someone paid $3,500 for a mold of her
ample breasts.
http://www.popcrunch.com/katy-perry-breast-mold-sold-for-3500/
January 27th, 2009
][
"London Britches" Won't Fall Down
http://craigsmithsblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/london-britches-wont-fall-down.html
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Richard Mineards, who was abruptly dropped a few weeks ago as the
gossip columnist at the Santa Barbara News-Press has landed on his
feet.
Starting February 5, his column will start appearing in the Montecito
Journal.
][
EXCLUSIVE! SBIFF PHOTOS!!
Too much of nothin'
http://santabarbaranewspressblogcom.blogspot.com/2009/01/exclusive-sbiff-photos.html
I decided to go to the SBIFF and take in some stars
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
SB Film Fest 2009
http://picasaweb.google.com/CSmithofsb/SBFilmFest2009?feat=directlink#
2009
sbiff
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&q=sbiff+2009 .
2009
][
See Ya, Gramps: Motion Picture Television Fund Offloads Old Folks
Lisa Derrick Monday January 26, 2009
As all of Hollywood gears up for the uber-expensive glitter of the
Academy Awards, plus the oh so fancy pre- and post- parties, 100
aging entertainment industry veterans face eviction as the Motion
Picture & Television Fund long-term care nursing home and the acute-
care hospital close down over the next few months. The closure will
also cost 290 employees their jobs, representing roughly a third of
all MPTF’s hourly workers and a third of its managerial staff.
Thursday residents who were able to leave their rooms, some in
wheelchairs, joined nurses in scrubs and family members at a union
organized rally outside the hospital located in Woodland Hills. Myra
Torres, who works at the facility said:
Many residents have stopped eating. They're scared in there.
They're scared they won't have anywhere to go to and that they're
going to be separated from their family and friends.
Anger, frustration and despair was leveled at super-producer Jeffrey
Katzenberg, chairman of the Motion Picture & Television Fund
Foundation Board, and other board members who decided to close the
nursing home and hospital after revealing last week they had lost $10
million annually for the past four years. Um, what no one noticed? Oh
wait they undertook
more than three years of study and analysis by MPTF staff and
outside experts
and came to the conclusion that the oldest, frailest patients had to
be cut loose. John Schneider, who played Bo Hazzard on the television
series Dukes of Hazzard fumed:
This decision was indeed a fiscal decision made in a vacuum.We
didn't lose the debate. We weren't even invited to the debate.
Opened in 1948, the facility--
more....
http://lafiga.firedoglake.com/2009/01/26/see-ya-gramps-motion-picture-television-fund-offloads-old-folks/
][
Monday, January 26, 2009
http://aconstantineblacklist.blogspot.com/2009/01/who-owns-dyncorp.html
Who Owns Dyncorp?
][
ERINGER...
Analysis: Why Did Bush Not Pardon Israeli Spy?
http://intelligencenews.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/01-57/
January 26, 2009
][
2 comments:
Damien said...
It should also be noted that a good number of Americans (past/
present) in the intelligence, domestic and foreign policy political
positions of the U.S. government hold dual Israeli/American
citizenship like Mr. Pollard and Michael Cherthoff--head of Homeland
Security. One can only question who these people are really in service
to.
More dual citizenship info at:
www.viewzone.com/dualcitizen.html
Monday, January 26, 2009 11:42:00 AM EST
Joan d'Arc said...
Alright! Thank you for that link. We're getting right to the
heart, or should I say the bowels, of our deep dark love affair with
Israel?
Monday, January 26, 2009 12:06:00 PM EST
][
Poor Jonathan Pollard
http://cryptome.info/0001/poor-pollard.htm
Robert Eringer January 24, 2009
Spare a thought for poor Jonathan Jay Pollard, the U.S. Navy
intelligence analyst who passed national security secrets to the
Israelis two decades ago. He and his supporters had hoped, perhaps
even expected, a presidential pardon or commutation of his prison
sentence as George W. Bush prepared to leave office earlier this week.
Despite a huge lobbying campaign that jammed the White House
switchboard, this notorious spy remains behind bars. Poor Jonathan
Pollard. Never one to show remorse for his dirty deeds, he still
clings to a delusion that he was merely assisting an ally who had the
right to know U.S. defense secrets. He uses this rationalization to
mask a sociopathic mind and 007 complex -- a lethal combination in
intelligence work.
"Pollard is a narcissist," Ronald Olive told The Investigator. Mr.
Olive, a retired Naval Investigative Service counterintelligence
officer, should know. Not only did he write the definitive book on the
Pollard case ("Capturing Jonathan Pollard," Naval Institute Press,
2006), he was intimately involved in the investigation that brought
Mr. Pollard to justice. "He set out to be a spy," said Mr. Olive. "It
did not matter for whom. It was all about him. It just so happened
that Israel took him on."
][
So I asked, how about single moms and single dads? Are they all
supposed to go on welfare?
Here is Ms. Arriaza’s reply:
http://hugyourkids.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/dr-laura-schlessinger-unrealistic-for-many-moms-and-dads/
][
This article from Lay Catholics Dedicated to Proclaiming Truth for
Life, Brown Pelican Society of Louisiana:
Talk Show Host Dr. Laura Schlessinger Expresses Approval of Graphic
Abortion Images
13 Nov 2008 by scribe
is now: I'm Sorry, This Page Does Not Exist :(
Laura Schlessinger of the graphic images of aborted babies that were
trucked around Bradenton, Florida two weeks ago. The Center for
Bioethical Reform (CBR) was responsible for displaying the images. CBR
runs a nation-wide campaign to ...
Brown Pelican Society Commentary - http://brownpelicanla.com/index.php/all
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111214.html
….The radio host compared the effectiveness of the pictures to that of
the pro-abortion “choice” rhetoric. “‘Choice’ or ‘women’s reproductive
rights’ are rather benign ways of describing the death of a human
being,”…. By Jonquil Frankham, November 12, 2008, LifeSiteNews.com
BRADENTON, Florida – “Pictures are worth a zillion words,” said famous
radio host and counselor Dr. Laura Schlessinger of the graphic images
of aborted babies
][
New Right-Wing Stimulus Myth: Progressives Want To Spend ‘Hundreds Of
Millions On Contraceptives’»
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/26/contraceptives-stimulus/
As usual, in addition to throwing out insults, conservatives are
distorting and simplifying the facts. Here is the actual text from the
stimulus package’s summary:
State Option to Cover Family Planning Services. Under current law, the
Secretary has the authority under section 1115 of the Social Security
Act to grant waivers to states to allow them to cover family planning
services and supplies to low-income women who are not otherwise
eligible for Medicaid. The bill would give states the option to
provide such coverage without obtaining a waiver. States could
continue to use the existing waiver authority if they preferred.
][
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Receives the California Glory Award
Source: Botanic Garden
http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid=16961&linkSource=edhat.com
Santa Barbara, CA - The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is honored to be
the proud recipient of the 2009 California Glory Award, presented by
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. This award recognizes outstanding
contributions toward promotion and understanding of California native
plants.
Jan 26, 2009
------------
Cheryl Ladd and Brian Russell have put their Santa Ynez ranch on the
market for an asking price of $5,795,000.
http://realestalker.blogspot.com/2009/01/cheryl-ladd-and-brian-russell-list.html?linkSource=edhat.com
Monday, January 26, 2009
][
LAist at the Santa Barbara Film Festival
http://laist.com/2009/01/25/laist_at_the_santa_barbara_film_fes.php?linkSource=edhat.com
Jan 26, 2009
][
Monarchs
http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid=16934&linkSource=edhat.com
By Lucy Thomas
These pictures were taken on the clear Sunday Jan. 25th and the
Monarchs were impressive indeed. Monarch butterflies cannot survive a
long, cold winter. Instead, they migrate south December thropugh
February to spend the winter. In California, they fly to small groves
along the California coast. The Monarchs can travel up to 3,000 miles.
Amazingly, they fly in masses to the same winter roosts, such as our
own Coronado Butterfly Preserve in Goleta, one of the largest in
California. These pictures were taken on Sunday Jan. 25th and the
Monarchs were truly impressive. For more information go to the
website.
http://www.sblandtrust.org/coronado.html
][
“Dr.” Laura Critiques Britney’s Parenting Skills in Spite of Her Own
Son’s Issues
http://www.hicktownpress.com/dr-laura-critiques-britneys-parenting-skills-in-spite-of-her-own-sons-issues/
January 11, 2008
Obama to GOP: Your Fat Hero Has Fallen
Obama is sort of like Santa Claus: not only did all Americans turn
into giddy children waiting for his arrival, but he also has a list,
checks it twice, and if you happened to be an outspoken right-wing
propaganda-spewing radio host, you better know that you're on the
naughty list this year.
I love how many people will distort this and distort reality. He did
not get "pissed" at a Rush comment, nor does he have thin skin. He is
simply stating that no one (democrat or republican) can get anything
done if they simply-talk-complain-talk- complain. The campaign is
over- Obama won
][
San Ysidro Ranch Named 'America's Best Hotel' By Forbes
http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20090126/AQ6237826012009-1.html?linkSource=edhat.com
Legendary retreat receives highest honor from the world's most
discerning travelers
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual Forbes 400
list which ranks the best luxury hotels and resorts in the world has
just named San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California, as "America's
Best Hotel." The selection was made by a board of elite luxury
travelers including Peter Greenberg, Todd English and Arianna
Huffington, as well as top travel professionals like Matthew Upchurch
of Virtuoso, Ltd. and Benson Cowan from Butterfield & Robinson.
Forbes Traveler emphasizes the elegance of the Ranch's 41 cottages
which feature stone fireplaces, four-poster king-size beds draped in
the finest European linens, and large bathrooms filled with votive
candles and Acqua Di Parma products. The rooms are filled with
carefully chosen antiques, original artwork and each opens onto a
private patio complete with hot tub and rain shower. The 500 acre
property includes lily ponds, "breathtaking" gardens, along with 17
miles of stunning hiking trails in the adjacent Santa Ynez Mountains.
[]
Zsa Zsa Gabor may have lost money in Madoff scheme
http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/entertainment/2009/01/25/D95UIA0G0_madoff_scandal_gabor/index.html
Jan 25th, 2009 | LOS ANGELES -- A lawyer for Zsa Zsa Gabor says the 91-
year-old actress may have lost as much as $10 million invested with
accused swindler Bernard Madoff.
Chris Fields said Sunday that forensics accountants looking into the
missing millions believe they were invested with Madoff through a
third-party money manager.
He says the loss was noticed about a week ago when Gabor's husband
Frederic von Anhalt was checking on the couple's finances.
Madoff is estimated to have duped investors out of as much as $50
billion in a large-scale Ponzi scheme. Potential victims include
several high-profile New Yorkers and Hollywood figures.
The deadline for prosecutors to deliver a formal indictment of Madoff
is Feb. 11.
][
The Himmler Maneuver..
http://santabarbaranewspressblogcom.blogspot.com/2009/01/himmler-maneuver.html
Monday, January 26, 2009
Rancho Monte Alegre, Schwarzenegger
][
Pentagon's terror 'recidivism' claims blasted as 'propaganda'
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Olbermann_debunks_released_Gitmo_detainee_propaganda_0123.html
1/23/09
Ever wonder how many of President Bush's terror war detainees were
released, only to "return to the fight"?
"Their numbers have changed from 20, to 12, to seven, to more than
five, to two, to a couple, to a few, 25, 29, 12, and then 24," quoted
Keith Olbermann on Thursday's edition of Countdown.
The latest figure, 61, which was carried unchallenged by CNN, the
MSNBC host noted, appears to be nothing but "propaganda."
][
Who Killed Cock Robin?
"I," said the Sparrow,
"With my bow and arrow, I killed Cock Robin."
http://santabarbaranewspressblogcom.blogspot.com/2009/01/who-killed-cock-robin.html
Monday, January 19, 2009
Tea Fire Mystery....
hmmmm... News-Press slum lord rumors ? ? ? We've heard similar about
some of McCaw's properties....
][
Armstrong Continues Tirade Against Cabal: KEYT and Palminteri
Skewered
http://blogabarbara.blogspot.com/2009/01/armstrong-continues-tirade-against.html
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Nuke This!
http://craigsmithsblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/nuke-this.html
"Revenge is a dish best served cold," so the old saying goes.
At the Santa Barbara News-Press, revenge is, more often than not,
served warmed over and rehashed.
Take editorial page editor Travis Armstrong's op-ed page column that
appeared in Saturday's edition of the paper. Emerging once again from
Armstrong's microwave oven --for what seems like the umpteenth time--
is, TV station KEYT.
][
Reduce, reuse, recover - Recycling firms cope with drop in demand
http://pacbiztimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=21&Itemid=64
Sunday, 18 January 2009
][
How Israeli Intelligence Fabricated a Frequently-Repeated Myth to
Justify Tel Aviv's Aggression
http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4450
January 15, 2009
][
Scrub Sarah Palin and "dr" Laura Schlessinger...
http://kontar7.blogspot.com/2009/01/scrub-sarah-palin-and-dr-laura.html
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
][
Lance,Oprah,Clint, SBIFF, COAST, Jailed, CARNEROS, union,
LauraUnrealistic, LauraJamming, MagGone, wiki, sbWriters, CarpWarrior
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.royalty/msg/df07f031a374d828
....
Post by IcLance,Oprah,Oprah
COAST is a Santa Barbara County regional organization promoting
environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable transportation
and reduced dependency on automobiles.http://coast-santabarbara.org/
][
Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, and Fabian Cancellara, lead a star-
studded field of cyclists for the 2009 Amgen Tour.http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid=17070&linkSource=edhat.com
(01/30/09)
][
Be prepared for an Oprah sighting. Yesterday (Jan 29) was her birthday
and rumor has it she'll be out in California this weekend to
celebrate.http://cookiesinheaven.blogspot.com/2009/01/oprah-at-her-50th-birthda...
(01/30/09)
][
At the Arlington Thursday night, actor Clint Eastwood looked like the
happiest guy in town.http://craigsmithsblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/clint-clint-clint.html
(01/30/09)
][
Dr. Laura Jailed!http://santabarbaranewspressblogcom.blogspot.com/2009/01/strawberries...
1/30/09http://tiny.cc/LUNDY
][
Travis Armstrong fancies himself a gov't watchdog..at least Nipper
thinks he is anyway. In that capacity,http://santabarbaranewspressblogcom.blogspot.com/2009/01/watchin-dog....
every flea will have his dog...
In the latest twist in the more than two-year-old Santa Barbara News-
Press unionization strife, a federal court has thrown out allegations
that the Teamsters acted illegally when they requested a boycott of
companies that advertised in the daily paper. The paper’s attorneys
had suggested such was evidence of “bad faith bargaining,” but the
National Labor Relations Board — which has already successfully
prosecuted the paper for breaking federal labor law disagreed.http://www.independent.com/news/2009/jan/29/media-1-29/
Thursday, January 29, 2009
][
LAKE LOS CARNEROS OFFERS IT ALLhttp://syvjournal.com/archive/7/5/3759/?linkSource=edhat.com
January 29, 2009
][
Dr. Laura Schlessinger Unrealistic for Many Moms and Dadshttp://hugyourkids.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/dr-laura-schlessinger-unr...
January 20, 2009
][
Some cats really enjoy having their butt scratchedhttp://cajunboyinthecity.blogspot.com/2009/01/some-cats-really-enjoy-...
This cat's "oh" face is fucking hilarious...
][
"Mothers and Sons"http://www.thehour.com/story/464161
THE MUSICAL
Chief among these is Dr. Sarah Masters, a conservative broadcaster in
the mold of Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Dispensing idiotic platitudes to a
gullible audience, she's full of quick answers to other people's
problems without knowing she has a "problem" of her own at home.
Recruited by a smarmy rep from the American Family Council to go
nationwide, she's faced with the horror of finding out her own son is
-- wait for it -- gay! We're talking enlightened Connecticut here,
folks, not benighted Colorado.
][
WARNING!!
China's favorite blog: Laura Schlessinger nude
Shaw's private blog: Dr laura schlessinger nude
][
Virtuosos and Not So Virtuosohttp://craigsmithsblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/virtuosos-and-not-so-virt...
January 29, 2009
My dramatic screen debut that is.
I had been in another film they had made, Much Ado About W, about the
debate in Santa Barbara about public and political art on State
Street. It was shown at the Santa Barbara Film Fest two years ago.
And of course, I had also appeared in Citizen McCaw.......
][
Jamming Laura Schlessinger
January 29, 2009
“Radio counselor and [NOT! NOT LICENSED!] psychologist Laura
Schlessinger experienced big-time jamming during the run-up to her
planned television show. Outraged over a single comment critical of
homosexuals she had made on her radio program, activists launched a
massive intimidation campaign against the television program’s
advertisers. As a result, the new show was stillborn.”http://pearl-diving.blogspot.com/2009/01/jamming-and-conversion-david...
Jamming
][
Social Scene Magazine Gone for Goodhttp://santabarbarasblog.com/?p=2690
Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 5:26 am
Who has the best local coverage of the SB International Film Festival?
][
Uncovering a Home Creepo
As you probably know, one of the most frequently trotted out arguments
against unions is that they take members' dues and use them to lobby
politicians, and the members have no say in what happens. This is a
problematic argument for a bunch of reasons, not the least being
unions lobby politicians to make laws favorable to union workers, so
in essence they shouldn't have anything to complain about. But big
business and employers are all about choice, after all. They own the
company, so it's their choice to hire complaisant people, to pay them
whatever they want, to insist on bad working conditions. That's what
capitalism is all about--freedom is bought by the dollar.http://imnotonetoblogbut.blogspot.com/2009/01/uncovering-home-creepo....
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
][
Post-Tea Fire Conditions a Ripe Breeding Ground for Mosquitoeshttp://www.noozhawk.com/news_releases/article/0128_post_tea_fire_cond...
David Pritchett | 01/28/2009
][
Dr. Laura: Another Talk-Show Shrink Full of Shiz That old hack Dr.
Laura Schlessinger went on Larry King...http://deceiver.com/2009/01/25/anti-fur-posh-covered-in-fox/
01/25/09
][
Wikipedia Editors May Approve All Changeshttp://aconstantineblacklist.blogspot.com/2009/01/wikipedia-editors-m...
Tuesday 27 January 2009
Wikipedia faces a revolt among thousands of its contributors over
proposals to change the way the online encyclopedia is run.
Until now, Wikipedia has allowed anybody to make instant changes to
almost all of its 2.7m entries, with only a handful of entries
protected from being altered.
But under proposals put forward by the website's co-founder Jimmy
Wales, many future changes to the site would need to be approved by a
group of editors before going live.http://zzwt.blogspot.com/search?q=wikipedia
Wikipedia already has fixed editing
][
Economy Puts Santa Barbara Writers Conference on the Shelfhttp://www.noozhawk.com/local_news/article/0128_economy_puts_santa_ba...
Noozhawk Staff Writer | 01/28/2009
Lack of registrations for the June conference forces a one-year hiatus
for the 36th annual gathering.
The economic downturn has claimed its latest victim: The 36th annual
Santa Barbara Writers Conference.
][
Dozens of protesters rallied against Carpinteria's use of the Warrior
as its high school mascot.http://www.ksby.com/Global/story.asp?S=9744548&linkSource=edhat.com
(01/28/09)http://www.petitiononline.com/chspride/petition.html
Warrior Icon’s Historyhttp://www.independent.com/news/2008/may/29/warrior-icon/
photo:http://www.edhat.com/pics/hwy192/580s/hwy192-041.jpg
http://media.independent.com/img/photos/2008/04/25/Carp_Warrior_Rally...
.....
Noozhawk.com a Media Model for California?http://californiauncovered.typepad.com//index/2008/11/noozhawkcom-a-m...
November 13, 2008
Santa Barbara is an unlikely place for the rise of perhaps the most
important on-line newspaper venture/experiment in the state.
The community's mainstream paper, the Santa Barbara News-Press has
attracted national media attention -- because of the war that erupted
in 2006 between its publisher Wendy McCaw and many of its top
journalists. The conflict led to the departure of the paper's
executive editor Jerry Roberts and many other highly regarded
journalists. The warring continues.
But as this was happening, William MacFadyen, the former editor and
publisher of The South Coast Beacon, was working on putting together
Noozhawk, a lively online news engine (the word online newspaper is an
oxymoron) focusing on important local issues like education and
alternative energy. Noozhawk launched into cyberspace a year ago --
and this is the important point -- without foundation funders or the
deep pockets of philanthropists interested in new media models.
Instead he is trying to keep his on-line newspaper afloat the old-
fashioned way -- with advertising from local businesses. So far, he's
succeeding, with a tiny staff (two full time reporters), supplemented
by other freelancers. Over 1400 individuals in Santa Barbara have
submitted items for inclusion on the website.
"I try to keep our reporters focused on things no one else will do or
can do, more complex stories like K-12 education, planning and
development, county budgeting," he told me in an e-mail.
The only comparable effort is the highly regarded Voice of San Diego
Online, which is also running a lean and mean operation (on a total
budget of $780,000). But, unlike Noozhawk, it is a non-profit
organization that has received private foundation support -- and more
importantly, has been hugely helped by a principal investor, San Diego
businessman Buzz Woolley.
In just over a year, Noozhawk has attracted more on-line ads than any
newspaper in Santa Barbara -- and, remarkably, more on-line ads than
the Santa Barbara News-Press.
It's amazing that there are so few on-line news engines tied to local
communities in a state as large and as technologically savvy, and
wired, as California. (Among the handful of others are LBReport in
Long Beach and The Coastsider in Half Moon Bay). I'm sure the main
reason there aren't more is because no one has figured out how to pay
for it. MacFadyen has come closest to developing a self-sustaining
model, based on advertising revenues and community donations. "I am
convinced this hybrid model will work," he says.
So far so good.
If he succeeds, all of California will benefit, because it will open
the door for similar, and much needed, ventures in communities across
the state.
LOUIS FREEDBERG
On Jan 24, 8:17 pm, Ic
...
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