Ellen Back Again: Arnie Robbins steps down as editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and RFT checks in with his predecessor

Comments (0) By Tom Finkel Thursday, May 17 2012
...continued from page 2

We tore up the newsroom organization within the first few months, and the new structure was a more traditional one. But nothing was to move backward, as far as I was concerned.

There were respected veterans who would note that the P-D was no longer read in the White House, as it was reported to have been by President Kennedy. The implication was that if in 2001 we re-created the newspaper of 40 years earlier, we would be great and successful again — as though times had never changed.

Related Content

More About

About how many reporters and editors were working in the newsroom when you took over?

I think it was 290-something. Later, we were able to add a few staffers to expand Business and start the Health & Fitness section. [According to the stltoday.com website, the newsroom population now numbers 150.]

Does that include the Suburban Journals staff? How much content migrated from those bureaus into the pages of the Post?

No, the Suburban Journals' operations were kept strictly separate. As part of the regional strategy we developed, I hoped to make use of their community reporters as P-D stringers, but no one in top management would touch this. They were afraid it could create an opportunity for the [St. Louis Newspaper] Guild. The Journals' pay was considerably less than the P-D's, as you might imagine.

You were at the helm for nearly five years. What, would you say, were the Post's five proudest moments during that time period?

I can't say there were five "moments." There were many good moments. I loved working there for most of my tenure.

Certainly, I was proud of the changes we were able to bring about in the focus of the paper — making it more timely, interesting, competitive and relevant to readers. This culminated in the dramatic reshaping of local-news strategy, and the design finally launched in 2005. This initiative, combined with a smart marketing push led by circulation director Steve Helms, showed that it was still possible to gain readers and advertisers with a strong, relevant product. That effort gained the P-D nearly 14,000 new home-delivery customers, many on the East Side, which is the most competitive part of the market.

I am also proud of how we were able to increase diversity among the news staff: Minority-group representation grew by 30 percent. The staff also became more diverse in terms of age, interests, background, expertise.

The business sections became a source of pride under Andre Jackson and a talented staff, many of them new hires. Kathy Best and Adam Goodman brought aggressive enterprise to metro news.

We had some real high points in public service, such as Deb Shelton's and Greg Freeman's work on organ transplants; Elizabethe Holland's and Susan Weich's work uncovering manipulation of suburban fire-department salaries and taxes; investigations of nursing homes, Madison County courts, dangerous floodplain building and many other good projects. The new Health & Fitness section was a big success. The photo work was consistently excellent. Our guys who went to Afghanistan, Iraq and other danger spots did a superb job.

Overall, we learned how to put the readers first and to understand more of the region, especially St. Charles and our Illinois territory. The staff brought to bear energy, creativity and enthusiasm.

The Post experienced enormous changes — as did the entire newspaper industry — during your tenure. Some of those changes — the newsroom's courting of its (nonpaying) online readership, an extensive print redesign completed not long before you left — you spearheaded. What are your thoughts regarding what has transpired since you left, and about the ongoing evolution of the daily "newspaper"?

I don't know what the Post-Dispatch will become over the long term, given its ownership problems and the continuing overemphasis on short-term returns versus long-term investment. This emphasis was not new to Lee, but it has intensified.

I am worried overall about the future of metro newspapers. They are like the big department stores that used to be one of any newspaper's cash cows: Both businesses were big something-for-everyone, one-size-fits-all operations. A lot of people don't want or need that anymore.

I think that the handful of national newspapers — like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal — will survive as solid journalism entities for a long time to come, in whatever formats come along. Small-town news media will, too, where no one else offers the information they can provide.

It's the traditional metro newspapers such as the Post-Dispatch, the Miami Herald and so on that worry me going forward. I hope I'm wrong.

Newspaper companies (TV, too) got very spoiled. They were such dominant, lucrative operations for so long. They and Wall Street got addicted to ever higher, outrageous profit margins. These margins are no longer attainable because of the collapse of the news media's traditional revenue cash cows — department stores, help-wanted ads, real estate and car dealers — combined with their inability to replace these revenue levels with significant digital-media income.

I'm "platform agnostic." Give folks good journalism in whatever media format they prefer. Digital media allow us to do some very creative things. But we have to find new ways to pay for the journalism. Hey, I'm a kid from East St. Louis — I can't afford to work for free.

<< Previous Page | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | All | Next Page >>

Related Content

Check out this week's featured ad for Services
More Ads >>
 
My Voice Nation Help
11 comments
  Livefyre
Newest | Oldest
Johnyiyi
Johnyiyi

My Name is JANE.I will love to share my testimony to all the people in the forum cos i never thought i will have my girlfriend back and she means so much to me..The girl i want to get marry to left me 4 weeks to our wedding for another man..,When i called her she never picked my calls,She deleted me on her facebook and she changed her facebook status from married to Single...when i went to her to her place of work she told her boss she never want to see me..I lost my job as a result of this cos i cant get myself anymore,my life was upside down and everything did not go smooth with my life...I tried all i could do to have her back to all did not work out until i met a Man when i Travel to Africa to execute some business have been developing some years back..I told him my problem and all have passed through in getting her back and how i lost my job...he told me he gonna help me...i don't believe that in the first place.but he swore he will help me out and he told me the reason why my girlfriend left me and also told me some hidden secrets.i was amazed when i heard that from him..he said he will cast a spell for me and i will see the results in the next couple of days..then i travel back to US the following day and i called him when i got home and he said he's busy casting those spells and he has bought all the materials needed for the spells,he said am gonna see positive results in the next 2 days that is Thursday...My girlfriend called me at exactly 12:35pm on Thursday and apologies for all she had done ..she said,she never knew what she's doing and her sudden behavior was not intentional and she promised not to do that again.it was like am dreaming when i heard that from her and when we ended the call,i called the man and told him my wife called and he said i haven't seen anything yet... he said i will also get my job back in 3 days time..and when its Sunday,they called me at my place of work that i should resume working on Monday and they gonna compensate me for the time limit have spent at home without working..My life is back into shape,i have my girlfriend back and we are happily married now with kids and i have my job back too.This man is really powerful..if we have up to 20 people like him in the world,the world would have been a better place..he has also helped many of my friends to solve many problems and they are all happy now..Am posting this to the forum for anybody that is interested in meeting the man for help.you can mail him to johnyiyi@rocketmail.com I cant give out his number cos he told me he don't want to be disturbed by many people across the world..he said his email is okay and he' will replied to any emails asap..hope he helped u out too..good luck:johnyiyi@rocketmail.com.ONCE AGAIN HIS EMAIL ADDRESS IS: johnyiyi@rocketmail.com

Johnyiyi
Johnyiyi

My Name is JANE.I will love to share my testimony to all the people in the forum cos i never thought i will have my girlfriend back and she means so much to me..The girl i want to get marry to left me 4 weeks to our wedding for another man..,When i called her she never picked my calls,She deleted me on her facebook and she changed her facebook status from married to Single...when i went to her to her place of work she told her boss she never want to see me..I lost my job as a result of this cos i cant get myself anymore,my life was upside down and everything did not go smooth with my life...I tried all i could do to have her back to all did not work out until i met a Man when i Travel to Africa to execute some business have been developing some years back..I told him my problem and all have passed through in getting her back and how i lost my job...he told me he gonna help me...i don't believe that in the first place.but he swore he will help me out and he told me the reason why my girlfriend left me and also told me some hidden secrets.i was amazed when i heard that from him..he said he will cast a spell for me and i will see the results in the next couple of days..then i travel back to US the following day and i called him when i got home and he said he's busy casting those spells and he has bought all the materials needed for the spells,he said am gonna see positive results in the next 2 days that is Thursday...My girlfriend called me at exactly 12:35pm on Thursday and apologies for all she had done ..she said,she never knew what she's doing and her sudden behavior was not intentional and she promised not to do that again.it was like am dreaming when i heard that from her and when we ended the call,i called the man and told him my wife called and he said i haven't seen anything yet... he said i will also get my job back in 3 days time..and when its Sunday,they called me at my place of work that i should resume working on Monday and they gonna compensate me for the time limit have spent at home without working..My life is back into shape,i have my girlfriend back and we are happily married now with kids and i have my job back too.This man is really powerful..if we have up to 20 people like him in the world,the world would have been a better place..he has also helped many of my friends to solve many problems and they are all happy now..Am posting this to the forum for anybody that is interested in meeting the man for help.you can mail him to johnyiyi@rocketmail.com I cant give out his number cos he told me he don't want to be disturbed by many people across the world..he said his email is okay and he' will replied to any emails asap..hope he helped u out too..good luck:johnyiyi@rocketmail.com.ONCE AGAIN HIS EMAIL ADDRESS IS: johnyiyi@rocketmail.com

Johnyiyi
Johnyiyi

My Name is Mrs. peter blassing, I was married to my husband for 10 years and we were both bless with three children, living together as one love, until 2011 when things was no longer the way the was [when he lost his job]. But when he later gets a new job 6 months after, he stated sleeping outside our matrimonial home. Only for me to find out that he was having an affair with the lady that gave he the job. since that day, when i called him, he don't longer pick up my calls and he nothing since to come out good. Yet my husbands just still keep on seeing the lady. Until I met a very good friend of my who was also having a similar problem, who introduced me to a very good love spell caster. But i told her that if it has to do with things that i am not interested, but she said that it has nothing to do with pay first. but the only thing he was ask to do was just to go and buy the items to cast the spell, and that was what she did. And she gave me the spell caster e-mail address and phone number. When i contacted him, i was so surprise when he said that if i have the faith that i will get my husband back in the nest three [3] day, and off which it was really so. but i was so shock that i did not pay any thing to Prophet Osula Ogwa but my husband was on his knells begging me and the children for forgiveness. This testimony is just the price i have to pay. This man Prophet Osula Ogwa is good and he is the author of my happiness. His e-mail address: johnyiyi@rocketmail.com

CARISSA
CARISSA

I can’t thank you enough for all that you have done for me. About a year ago I and my partner split up, we had both made BIG mistakes in our relationship. He ended up moving away from me to pursue a new life. I knew in my heart that he would be the only one to make me happy. I was relieved when I found your Email: antogaispelltemple@yahoo.com and what you had to offer. I requested 2 to 3 day casting of the reunite us love spell and within 3days harry company had relocated him back to our hometown where I still lived. We immediately reconnected and move in with each other. it was just like a dream to me i can thank you enough Doctor.

Stevepohlman
Stevepohlman

there is a special on Reynolds Wrap for those of you who need to spruce up your tin foil hats.

Arthur
Arthur

This is the same leftist-leaning rag that cancelled Mallard Filmore. I only bother with the crosswords now. This isn't news anymore. It's one long EDITORIAL with "reporters" who ignore the basic rules of journalism each time by NEVER presenting a balanced story. Pravda anyone?

Eric
Eric

Watch out everyone, they cancelled Mallard Filmore, so it isn't news anymore.

Arthur
Arthur

Do you think that maybe now they'll correct their spelling and grammar errors? This sis very sorry excuse for a newspaper.

Egolterman
Egolterman

What do they all have in common-Cole to Terry to Lee to Mowbray to Ellen to Arnie to Gil?Riding 2 horses: Champion of the people against all injustices and promoting Civic Progress' initiatives. This is an election year so the Post rides the first horse hard. We wont see the second horse clopping along toward the edge of a cliff, or into the River. .

Jacquebquique
Jacquebquique

Arnie Robbins was left of center. Ellen Soeteber was far to the left of that. Gilbert Bailon takes it way beyond that and far to the left of "Attila the Nun". Since the media believes that they run the country as do all disciples of Joseph Goebbels, the stage is being set to prime the run to manipulate the unwary for the run up to November. This is part of a national concerted media policy. The article talks about JFK reading three newspapers every day and the Post-Dispatch was one. The other two were the NY Times and the Washington Post. Those were heady times and once JFKs head was gone, the Dems slithered downhill toward radical socialism. His business sense was replaced by redistribution of wealth scenarios. The Dems want to retain power and the shipping of Arnie "off to the home" is only stage one among about one hundred stages of "fooling the fools".

Holowiak
Holowiak

Ranting about socialism, which only happens on the right with the endless transfer of working people's tax dollars to the rich, you sound like a right-wing nut, and you are.

 

Now Trending

VOICE Daily Deals

Slideshows»

More News Stories >

Special Reports

©2013 Riverfront Times, LLC, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places St. Louis

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city