A Season in Hellville: The Dolans March in, But Please, No Press!
MORE
Off the Record
On the afternoon of May 10, when word got out that Rupert Murdoch was dropping his bid to buy Newsday, the writing was on the wall: For a likely $650 million, the odd-couple father-and-son team of Chuck and Jim Dolan would be the paper’s new owners.
So on May 11, Newsday’s business desk dispatched reporter Ellen Yan to the Dolans’ compound in Oyster Bay Cove to try to buttonhole the new owners for a story.
She looked for their house, having bought a flower in case it, in turn, might buy a little goodwill—it was Mother’s Day, after all!
But when she couldn’t find the house of her newspaper’s new owner, she had to start working the phones.
Pay dirt! She scored an interview with the notoriously press-shy Charles Dolan.
He didn’t give up much: There were still “minor details” to be hashed out before his deal to buy the newspaper could officially close.
By the time the story appeared on the Newsday Web site that evening, a press release had been put together, and was sent out at 8:01 a.m., May 12, officially announcing the sale.
Only a few hours after the print editions hit newsstands, the quote Ms. Yan got was rendered useless.
To make matters worse, the business desk got in trouble from the new owners for assigning the piece, according to several people at the newspaper.
Cablevision spokesman Charles Schueler spoke with reporter Mark Harrington, formerly the Cablevision beat reporter who was working this story, and business editor Eli Reyes and “screamed at them” and “was very pissed off” for sending a reporter to look for their house, and for dropping phone calls to the Dolans, according to several staffers (though Mr. Schueler disputes this account—he said he didn’t scream).
The Dolans haven’t been known for their warm embrace of the media. Ask any Knicks beat reporter about life at Madison Square Garden (as we did for a November article in these pages), and you’ll get your share of war stories about Cablevision’s Moscow-like media policies.
But to many on the Newsday staff, the attempt by the paper to introduce itself to the Dolans the best way it knows how was pretty roundly rebuffed, and that didn’t look good.
“It’s made for an interesting start,” said one staffer.
“They’re the only owners who could make you wish for Murdoch,” said another.
“I did call the reporter and reminded him as I would any press outlet that it is the company’s practice that if you would like to speak to the Dolans or any other executive, you call the communications department, and we will be happy to arrange it if it’s possible,” Mr. Schueler said. “From time to time, I have had to make that call to News 12, the Post, The Times and others. It has nothing to do with Newsday—it’s the practice of the company and the same rules apply to everyone.”
But isn’t that part of the point—that Newsday isn’t just any ordinary press outlet for this story? Couldn’t the Dolans throw an interview their way to broker some goodwill?
Rupert Murdoch, after all, gave interviews to The Wall Street Journal, both throughout the negotiation process with Dow Jones, and then an exclusive after his bid was accepted last August.
John Mancini, the paper’s editor, doesn’t see it that way.
“There’s no acrimony over a corporate spokesman getting upset at us contacting someone—that’s his job,” he said.
But when the time finally came for the officially sanctioned interview of Chairman James Dolan, it appeared not in Newsday but on the Cablevision-owned News 12 channel.
“Dolan did a 10-, 15-minute interview with News 12, which is what we had to use in the story, and that’s a slap in the face,” said one reporter. “They could have made him available!” Next Page >
What does "dropping phone calls to the Dolans" mean? In English.
Ah, the Dolans are such a breath of fresh air, aren't they? The class, sophistication and erudition displayed by James during the lawsuit brought against MSH and Isiah is evident once again.
G-d help the remaining staffers at Newsday.
I think the Dolans bought Newsday to burnish the Dolan height-challenged image and make this dysfunctional family loveable in the burbs. So we are off to a really good start, aren't we. I pity the poor reporters here, because Dolan carries a grudge to his grave, he isn't interested in hearing how other people are supposed to do their jobs, and he's not going to forgive Newsday for the wave of negative coverage he's going to get.
I mean, really, they couldn't buy the Post, News or Times. Is there any doubt that this is an attempt by the Doltans to buy a lapdog to further their interests? They won't need to hire some overanxious PR staffer to monitor a Newsday reporter in the Garden lockeroom. That poor scribe will self-censor like crazy or be banished in no time. Not to mention the business writers who'll find a way to rationalize any new shameless Cablevision fees.
Schueler's tactic is just the beginning of what the employees of Newsday can expect from the Dolans. While Chuck tends to exhibit some class and professionalism, he's not the one who'll be running the show, and Jimmy will treat the folks at Newsday the same way he's always treated those at Cablevision and MSG. The women should start polishing up their resumes ASAP because the incidents between Anucha Browne Sanders and Isiah Thomas--and the subsequent reactions from the company--were just another day at the Cablevision office.
The bottom line is Newsday just purchased $70 million more in grief and despair than what Rupert Murdoch - a REAL newspaper man/barron - would have done. Say what you will about Murdoch, but everything he touches turns to gold. Both the Post and Wall Street Journal's circs are up from 6 months ago (albeit, bery small) while Newsday's is tanking. The frosty reception by the Dolans should surprise NO ONE. Here's an obit: Newsday: 1940-2008.
This is great! It couldn't have happened to a more deserving group. Newsday has been garbage for years and it deserves the contempt that it is going to receive. Every dog has it's day and it's your turn now--loosers!
Having met Jim Dolan on several occasions I can say he is one of the dumbest people on Long Island. The gene that helped his father, a classy guy, certainly took a flying leap over Jim. He is a megalomaniac. I would rather work on the Paris Hilton desk at People then get stuck in Hellville.
In my experience over many years, while newspaper owners or their pr people don't scream at or mistreat reporters who try to interview them, to be fair to the Dolans, most other newspaper owners are not very easy to approach either -- unless they want to be interviewed -- which is not very often...And,of course, as the owner, they have a chance to see in advance what the reporter has written and can order that the quotes be removed or edited...
There is an upside to to Dolans, rather than Murdoch or Zuckerman, buying Newsday. Depending on which Dolan gets to set editorial policy, it could keep the paper in liberal hands. While the elder Dolan is a conservative Republican, Jim is definitely left-of-center and has contributed considerable sums to Democratic politicians.
While there could be disturbing implications for how the historically ornery Newsday can credibly cover the next Cablevision rate increase, who really cares how Newsday covers the Knicks? It's basketball for chrissakes, not Darfur.
Besides there's a puncher's chance that the Dolans know the paper would be a laughing stock if it tip-toed around the Knicks' obvious problems while every other media outlet in the region was telling it like it is.
As to working FOR the Dolans, well has anyone ever talked to a newspaper reporter who wasn't disgruntled or complaining? Print reporters are the most miserable lot of working stiffs on the planet -- for good reason of course: They are underpaid, overworked, despised by most of the public and been devastated by the epic media consolidation of the last 30-50 years.
I mean, despite the comment about preferring to work for Murdoch, does anybody in the Newsday newsroom really believe the Post's staffers are any happier?
Besides, does the reading public really care if reporters are happy in their jobs? It reminds me of that old Daily News commercial where Jimmy Breslin would intone, "Can you imagine how much fun it would be to work at the Daily News?"
Yeah, that sold a lot of papers.
A bit less than a year ago, taking advantage of newly available public records, Newsday published details of the extensive perks that Cablevision gave to Dolan family members. Don't expect a follow-up story this year.
But the Dolan individuals' press skirmishes, entertaining as they may be, aren't as important to Newsday's future as whether their business plan works. Adding Newsday to the Triple Play is a compelling notion -- for stabilizing the paper's circulation, for selling ads, and for helping Cablevision fend off Verizon.
One must grant that the Dolans' acquisitions have been creative, if not always successful. For Newsday's sake, let's hope this one isn't a repeat of the Wiz -- the bankrupt retailer that Cablevision couldn't transform into something of greater value. On the other hand, the Clearview Cinemas neighborhood theaters might well have been extinct years ago if Cablevision had not kept them on life support.
Where is the the FCC on this? It is difficult to believe that this buyout abides by FCC rules.
Please cancel my Newsday subscription........yesterday.
Bulgarian spa projects boost property prices
Sofia Echo Bulgaria State Agency for Tourism says that the number of tourists visiting spa resorts will increase by 75 per cent in the next three or four years.
Investors have been working on spa tourism projects for a long time, Kapital daily reported.
There are spa centre and hotel construction projects in, among other places, the well-known destinations Sandanski, Kyustendil and Apriltsi. These regions boast favourable natural resources and, unlike other traditional resorts, are not burdened by overbuilding.
Major spa projects have already influenced the property market, in certain regions further boosting property price increases.
The regions of Bansko and Razlog have emerged as the most popular among investors.
According to real estate agency Address, eight vacation complex projects with a total built-up area of 50 000 sq m are underway in the village of Banya. The village is near Bansko and has 70 mineral springs.
As a result, average land prices in the region went up, reaching 40 to 100 euro a sq m, Address said.
A major spa project in Kyustendil will result in a hotel and apartment complex of 32 055 sq m area. The centre will target wealthy clients.
National Statistical Institute (NSI) data said that residential property prices in Kyustendil increased by 11 per cent in the first quarter of 2007.