Sat
Apr 20 2013
02:38 pm
RIP Al Neuharth
By: bizgrrl

Born in Eureka, S.D., in 1924. At nearly 60 years old he started one of the nation's most-circulated newspapers. Some called USA Today "McPaper". It may have been the case, but I always looked forward to USA Today when traveling.

"I got lucky. Luck is very much a part of it. You have to be at the right place at the right time and pick the right place at the right time."

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Georgiana F. Vines's picture

Al Neuharth

Submitted by Georgiana F. Vines (not verified) on Sat, 2013/04/20 - 10:13pm.

Al spoke in Knoxville once at a meeting of the East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. I'm pretty sure it was a Golden Presscards awards program, which recognizing outstanding journalism in East Tennessee. Then I heard him again at a national convention of SPJ. He kept his speeches short -- just like USA Today had short stories -- but always was open to questions and debate with his audience. Sorry to learn of his fall -- and then death.

michael kaplan's picture

Wasn't USA Today the first

Submitted by michael kaplan on Sun, 2013/04/21 - 9:35am.

Wasn't USA Today the first national newspaper, kind of a daily version of Time or Newsweek? Both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have become that now.

Bbeanster's picture

USA Today has had a

Submitted by Bbeanster on Sun, 2013/04/21 - 1:59pm.

USA Today has had a pernicious effect on newspapers. Based on the premise that print news had to ape broadcast news in order to survive in the TV age, it drove the dumbing down of the product.
And although learning to be succinct isn't a bad thing, the "tight and bright" mantra put a lot of good reporting on the chopping block.

Andy Axel's picture

Not to mention what it did to

Submitted by Andy Axel on Mon, 2013/04/22 - 12:20am.
(in reply to Bbeanster)

Not to mention what it did to Gannett's resources, even before the Internet was a burgeoning threat to local print media.

Hayduke's picture

Television you can wrap fish

Submitted by Hayduke on Fri, 2013/04/26 - 6:08pm.
(in reply to Bbeanster)

Television you can wrap fish in.

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