Owens’ Country Sausage

Guess whose fault yesterday’s T.O. extravaganza was. Wait for it, wait for it… No fair. You peeked. Yup, it was all because of the media. Says who? The media, duh. Or at least Jay Hart in The Morning Call, a Pennsylvania paper. He writes about “the suicide attempt that wasn’t”…

Look at the Big Brain on Brad

Brad Hawkins: Why isn’t he the biggest star in local TV news? Seriously. He’s a genius. Sad to say I was watching local TV news at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night; used to be I didn’t remember Saturday nights. (Actually, not so much.) Anyway, after USC beat Arizona 20-3, or whatever,…

No Newy. But There’s Always Dr. Mona.

The Lone Star Emmy Award nominations came out this morning, and at least three of the local network affiliates did pretty well–especially WFAA-Channel 8, which got some 53 nods in pretty much every category (including two for a piece called “Inspirational Songs For the Entire Family To Sing,” which sounds…

Re: Damn the Man

In case you missed it yesterday, Richie Whitt wrote about how KTCK-AM (1310, The Ticket) management yanked a replaying of an on-air exchange between the “Dunham and Miller” morning show and Norm Hitzges, who hosts the 10 a.m. to noon slot. It had to do with Hitzges’ dismal showing in…

Lost in Translation

DMN Sunday editor Thomas Huang says working at Dallas’ Only Daily feels like this picture looks. Very deep stuff here, people. I can’t make heads or tails of this thing myself; sounds like Thomas T. Huang, the former Texas Living editor over at The Dallas Morning News, needs a good…

Goodbye Girls

Bible Girl will not appear today; from now on it will be posted on Thursdays. The other girl–Girl on Top–will appear next week in the Dallas Observer. If you’re wondering what Andrea Grimes is up to this week, read her cover story: “The Reverend Freak.” At a newsstand near you…

Re: Shalom, Jerome

Jerome Weeks sends this comment concerning yesterday’s posting of his farewell address. It’s been posted in the item’s comments sections, but to make sure it’s seen by those who scroll past the day’s news and move onward and upward, I am including it here. “My apologies to Mr. Wilonsky for…

Shalom, Jerome

Since Dallas Morning News management refused to publish book critic Jerome Weeks’ farewell column last week–he was among the 111 who took the paper’s buyout, about which we can find little else to say at this late date–it has been posted today on Critical Mass, billed as “the blog of…

Re: Man Bites Dog

My idol and role model Ed Bark, the writer I will probably miss the most in The Dallas Morning News now that he’s been cut loose and allowed to roam the streets unattended, sends this ready-to-post missive concerning my (maybe very drunken?) Sunday-night scented-oil massage: “Now that I’ve toweled off…

Can’t…Stop…Writing

Former GuideLive editor Rick Holter has begun a blog. I still don’t understand why journalists do that when they don’t have bosses forcing them to. Anyone starting to notice the irony yet? Smells a little like…uh…bacon. By which I mean, for months Belo management has been insisting its buyouts at…

Man Bites Dog

Ed Bark says of Belo bossman Robert Decherd: “Many veteran employees at the newspaper have never even seen him. He’s not known as much of a ‘people person.'” Uh, Ed, we’re still not sure he’s a real person. Turns out, his bite is worse than his Bark. That’s Ed Bark,…

Radio is a Sad Salvation

I remember my grandparents talking about something called “radio.” Gosh, it sure sounded like a good idea. Broadcast radio’s about to die. No, seriously. Says so right here, in The New York Times today. Gonna happen; just a matter of time. CBS is selling off stations; Clear Channel might have…

Mong Hit

I don’t know what Dallas Morning News editor Bob Mong’s like; never met the man, outside of a couple of phone calls over the last few months to talk Belo buyout. He always picks up his phone or calls back, and he never dodges a question he doesn’t like; so…

Gina Miller Changes Channels. Sort Of.

Gina Miller’s going to be the sole familiar face on Channel 21’s new news show debuting next week. So, that’s one reason to watch. But will it be the only one? We’re reserve the right to reserve judgment. TXA 21–the former UPN affiliate stranded by the merger with WB that…

When Bad News is Good News!

This morning, Dallas Morning News publisher Jim Moroney sent this missive to the remaining, what, 450 folks helping their pals pack their desks at Dallas’ Only Daily. Turns out, when 111 people are asked to git, it’s sad…and exciting! “This week, we say farewell and thank you to a number…

The 411 on The 111

Some Morning News staffers we know have taken to calling Belo CEO Robert Decherd “Howard Hughes” because he’s been kinda absent of late. Well, we assume that’s why. Nothing to do with jarring, we don’t think. Well, at least there’s no more guessing to be done about the final number…

Grief Counseling

Just ran into a Dallas Morning News staffer who took the paper’s buyout, and said writer had this tale to offer before departing for the world of freelance. Before they leave at week’s end, staffers are supposed to attend a handful of meetings, where, they believed, they were going to…

Been Good to Know You

I guess I normally read the paper with two hats on. One is the sort of media critic hat, because I’m in the business, and I’m here at the Dallas Observer where we beat up on the mainstream media a lot. And they deserve it. But the other one is…

Mourning News

We are not the only ones who get a little sick at the thought of a Dallas Morning News without Ed Bark in it. On Friday, all those who have taken The Dallas Morning News’ buyout offer will be ushered out the door. I have no doubt it’ll be the…

Re: Bye. Out.

A superior staffer at The Dallas Morning News who is not taking the buyout sends this missive regarding this morning’s post about the list posted here. It says, as follows: “1) That’s an incomplete list. A lot more good people are leaving. 2) Speaking as one of the 85% of…

Signing Off

Saw this story this morning in The Cincinatti Post about the shuttering of woxy.com, the acclaimed Internet-only statio, that offers a pretty hip playlist of alternarock and Amerindie–which is to say, Midlake gets played alongside Yo La Tengo and R.E.M., while Tom Waits and Johnny Cash can even find their…