tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post7617789070746574675..comments2024-03-19T22:06:41.165-04:00Comments on fromtheeditr: Ben Beagle's Dismissal Means Loss of Still More Institutional MemoryAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04217963475185024609noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-50033347414034122772015-04-17T15:53:29.443-04:002015-04-17T15:53:29.443-04:00Right! I wouldn't buy it at a fire sale withou...Right! I wouldn't buy it at a fire sale without Ben Beagle! Beagle had a God given talent to educate, inspire and give enjoyable memories.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-18989252526675685572013-07-31T01:37:53.808-04:002013-07-31T01:37:53.808-04:00I stopped buying the Roanoke Times after Ben Beagl...I stopped buying the Roanoke Times after Ben Beagle left. I loved his column and I hated the left-leaning editorials because they usually failed to present a valid enough argument to satisfy me. Actually, after one especially heated argument with Tommy Denton over the phone one afternoon, my parting shot to the man was to ask him how one went about subscribing to the Extra section. The response was an audible click as I hung up laughing. Exnihilohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02326459495276920151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-36530370946654462602013-06-09T03:33:05.167-04:002013-06-09T03:33:05.167-04:00Well said. Well said. Exnihilohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02326459495276920151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-29888883389519108562013-06-09T03:32:34.269-04:002013-06-09T03:32:34.269-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Exnihilohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02326459495276920151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-53886436261237889512013-06-09T03:30:51.873-04:002013-06-09T03:30:51.873-04:00Three years later you're still an idiot.Three years later you're still an idiot.Exnihilohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02326459495276920151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-86828888444617278792011-01-03T16:29:30.505-05:002011-01-03T16:29:30.505-05:00Hoylier: I'd love it if you'd use your nam...Hoylier: I'd love it if you'd use your name when you criticize. People of integrity do that. People of courage do that. When I see a criticism from somebody hiding behind anonymity I have to say "consider the source" and go on to what's next. If you have specific criticisms of our magazine, I'd love to hear them, but you are obviously too frightened to speak publicly.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04217963475185024609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-12337147516991394792011-01-03T16:18:39.715-05:002011-01-03T16:18:39.715-05:00Dan, I was not referring to the paper quality. I ...Dan, I was not referring to the paper quality. I was referring to the writing quality of your "publication." My guess is you already knew that and was trying to be funny. Nice try.Phil Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16773662011529297712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-83973339989024347372010-12-29T17:32:29.952-05:002010-12-29T17:32:29.952-05:00Hoylier: Actually, we do not produce a "rag,&...Hoylier: Actually, we do not produce a "rag," which is low-grade paper. The quality of the paper we use is pretty high (and very expensive). Ben's column would not fit with our format and, as I said, I'm not a fan of the column. I'd love to have him write features for us, but my guess is that at his age, he'd rather not get involved.<br /><br />Chuck: Big Corporate America never pretended to be the hedge against Big Corporate America the way newspapers have. Some papers actually were and I recall a time not so long ago when the RT--with people like Beagle reporting--was just that. <br /><br />Beth: my most recent wife is 50 and loves Ben, but she's not "younger than 50" which was my cutoff.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04217963475185024609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-29800624836308102742010-12-27T21:13:21.566-05:002010-12-27T21:13:21.566-05:00Dan, if you think the old coot is so valuable you ...Dan, if you think the old coot is so valuable you should hire him for your rag.Phil Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16773662011529297712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-24258015892626861802010-12-27T16:59:53.933-05:002010-12-27T16:59:53.933-05:00Tim sent me a link to this. Actually, I have it o...Tim sent me a link to this. Actually, I have it on good report that Ben connected to readers younger than 50...Beth Wellingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13318537209567202826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-88117170614491965502010-12-27T11:25:22.372-05:002010-12-27T11:25:22.372-05:00I've been a fan of Beagle for many years. Fran...I've been a fan of Beagle for many years. Frankly I'm surprised the paper was still using his work given his age. I've been in the newspaper industry on and off since I was a kid. I can remember when my family fought over the sections of the Sunday paper, and my family subscribed to three papers--morning, evening, weekly.<br />The industry likes to blame TV, Internet, etc. for it's decline. But the truth is much deeper. Like many others, I think the business model changed years ago, and the current owners/stockholders/managers forgot that <b>content is king.</b> Except for a few celebrity type reporters and columnist, nobody ever made much money working in the newsroom.<br />I've had veteran newspaper owners tell me people actually buy their paper for the advertising, and read every ad in the paper, and they actually believe that. But the numbers so otherwise.The business model for all the declining newspapers treat readers/subscribers as marks. The goal of the paper has become nothing more than to make money for the owners, and win some awards given by professional organizations made up mostly of other newspapers going down the drain. It is a sad and terrible loss. A loss no other media is currently replacing. Ben deserves some time away from his typewriter. I wish him and all the other people who love journalism, but have lost their jobs to bean counters, well. <br /><br />Charles<br />(An award winning writer and photographer).Charleshttp://www.grayowl.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-38123671049543799152010-12-27T08:39:03.001-05:002010-12-27T08:39:03.001-05:00Welcome to the rest of Big Corporate America, Dan....Welcome to the rest of Big Corporate America, Dan. It doesn't help the fact that your industry is going the way of Kodachrome film and the horse-drawn buggy. But what you're witnessing is what other big corporations have been doing to their employees for years.Chucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077386656187888581.post-37342540444775174332010-12-26T16:11:56.887-05:002010-12-26T16:11:56.887-05:00You mean Beagle was actually still writing those c...You mean Beagle was actually still writing those columns the last 10 years or so? I thought they were just recycling his old columns (I guess, I stopped reading them years ago) because they pretty much were the same thing and theme over and over.<br /><br />I do agree, though, that Beagle was a top-notch reporter and writer who could turn out a very, very good news or feature story on just about anything he was sent out to cover. Too bad there aren't any more like him left in the newsroom.<br /><br />Chris Winston commented the other week that the New River Current is alive and well, and he can push that idea real hard, but when a lot of the editions are close to content free (with maybe one staff-produced article), that's a hard idea to swallow. One wonders how much longer it will be before the RT is picked up at a fire sale by someone looking for a bargain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com