Monday, April 15, 2013

USAT | Wolff writes about media -- but not here

USA Today media industry columnist Michael Wolff wrote about media today -- but for the UK's Guardian newspaper. His USAT column, meanwhile, was about dementia. Huh?

16 comments:

  1. It's like he's completely unsupervised.

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    1. That's the problem with the entire operation, Jim. Seriously,mthis shouldnt come as much of a surprise. This is why it makes no sense to hire friends of the publisher. Or have as many editors as there are now.

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  2. Wow you're brutal. His own Mom died I'd the same disease. He wrote a column about its impact on a wid figure but its really about the pain he feels about his Mom. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I'm going to hug my Mim now. Please go back to your bashing

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    1. Yes, go back to your Mim, dude. Hate to be harsh, but one of my parents died from complications related to the disease. If I want to read about that, I would seek it elsewhere.Wolff's columns have been mostly bombastic, off the cuff opinion pieces retreading old ground. He is lazy and pretentious.

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  3. Guess you all didn't hear. Wolff is now our Chief Medical Correspondent.

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  4. wow Jim, what do you have against this guy? Did he give you the brush off?

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  5. It's nothing personal. I just don't think he's putting much effort into his job, given the prime real estate he occupies. Hes a media writer; this column isnt on topic.

    Answer this: Outside USAT, who's talking about anything Wolff's written since he started in September? To use a favorite USAT expression: Where's the buzz?

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  6. This guy is ALL WRONG for USAT. His column just doesn't fit here. I have to think we give him the space as a quid pro quo for the content his company gives us. Or do the kickbacks go even deeper?

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    1. You are right 12:13. I am sure you agree that the guy that writes about his dog and ice cream parlors in New England is a much better national voice than this guy!

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    2. Very true. 25 years ago, he would have mattered. Now? He has nothing to say of value.

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  7. 4:29, that guy is a general interest columnist. He is awful, but at least he is trying to do his job. (I think.)

    If you are going to make dumb comparisons, you should know what you are talking about.

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  8. 7:23 really. The dude phones it in, has for years. The only one who works less is the person who used to go to Cannes and then disappear.

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    1. 9:57,
      You'll have to be more specific. There are lots of people around here now and over the years who would go to Cannes and then disappear. It's the extra week of vacation no one likes to talk about. Notice how our Cannes investment has survived several new regimes over the last 5-6 years. Everyone likes a week in the sun.

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    2. True 9:30. Just think of all the management turnover in the last few years, including publishers, editors, marketing people, senior sales management, etc who have looked at our Cannes participation and asked, "you mean I get to go, too?" and then rubber stamped that sucker faster than you can say "this girl is on fire!"

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  9. He's taking the buyout. Here's hoping Uncle Larry will hire another windbag like The Lone Wolff.. Donald Trump, anyone?

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  10. The only guy who phones it more than Wolff is Will Leitch, the supposed big hire in sports. USAT has a bad habit of picking up supposed "big name" who are on their way down and out and no longer relevant any more. Leitch has been living on the fumes of his Deadspin blog for years.

    In his incredibly incisive columns for Sport on Earth, our intrepid correspondent went to a NY Rangers game and discovered hockey fans are really passionate. Really?

    He also wrote an embarrassing ode to Dick Vitale that he would have made fun of 5 years ago. Let's not forget his juvenile column on Darren Rovell. It read like one catty cheerleader passing hate notes about a more successful one.

    Yes, these are the the kind of voices who now represent USAT: self-important, overrated windbags who lost their relevancy years ago.

    Just think about how many people who actually contributed something lost their jobs to pay for these frauds.

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