Friday is Tim Cuprisin's Last Day!

[Tom Snyder]

This just posted on Twitter:

@Cuprisin: Since people are asking, I'll confirm: I've taken a buyout, & I'm leaving the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Fri. is my last day.


We've had our moments of disagreement with Tim, but I can honestly say I'm sad to see him go. Somehow I think we'll still be hearing from him... somewhere, somehow.

[Stanley Kritzik]

This just posted on Twitter:

@Cuprisin: Since people are asking, I'll confirm: I've taken a buyout, & I'm leaving the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Fri. is my last day.


We've had our moments of disagreement with Tim, but I can honestly say I'm sad to see him go. Somehow I think we'll still be hearing from him... somewhere, somehow.

Tom Strini, the performing arts reviewer for JS is leaving, too.  Tom, very ably reviewed classical music (MSO, etc.), Milwaukee Ballet, etc.  He was and is a very able reviewer, a nice guy, and not that old.  So, I wonder what the story is on him -- voluntary, a cost-cutting buyout, or other.

Whoops -- I just Googled "Tom Strini Leaves the JournalSentinel, and he got a buyout "without bitterness".  Damn -- he is one swell guy with great taste, very fair, etc.  But, the print media are going bye bye -- even the Wall Street Journal and the NY Times are (no pun) paper thin.

Stan

Stan

[duncantuna]

From the BizJ:

An estimated 30 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newsroom staffers have taken the latest buyout proposed by the newspaper, including broadcast media columnist Tim Cuprisin, theater critic Damien Jaques, books editor Geeta Sharma-Jensen, education reporter Alan Borsuk, pop music writer Dave Tianen, music/dance writer Tom Strini and business columnist Tannette Johnson-Elie.


.. would the last employee turn out the lights?

[Jack 1000]

Sad to see Tim Go,

He was far better at any channel news and updates for TWC services than TWC ever was or will be!

Jack

[ArgMeMatey]

We're seeing a morph down to the police blotter, Wisconsin AP, and for those still subscribing to the print edition (like me), wire service stuff.  I was disappointed to see the Road Warrior disappear a few years back.  A few weeks ago the Sunday Real Estate section was replaced with something that looks like the car ads.  The Sunday paper is now nothing more than the daily paper, plus one investigative project and a lot of ads.  

They still have a lot of good reporters but if this much reduction is happening on the bylines, the back office and editing trenches must look like bowling lanes.

I'll miss Tim.  He did a pretty good job of cutting through the local station and Time Warner spin.  I didn't bother him too much but when I did he would actually call me or get right back to me by e-mail.

[LoadStar]

Wow. While I was a daily reader of Tim's column and his blog, I'm even more bummed to see that Dave Tianen is leaving the paper. I really enjoyed reading his reviews of area concerts. Many other reporters working for the paper would slam a concert if they weren't partial to the type of music, but Dave seemed to focus less on that, and more on how well it was performed and produced. You could have anything from gangsta rap to contemporary Christian music, and if it was performed and produced well, he would give it a favorable review.

But back to Tim... it really is disappointing to lose the one TV and Radio reporter they had left. Joanne Weintraub was also on the TV/Movie beat, but she too segued into an occasional op-ed piece outside the entertainment realm. I can definitely get not needing a radio reporter these days; after all, with only a couple of rapidly failing radio conglomerates left, but TV is still an area that deserves some attention, I think.

[RLJSlick]

That's too bad, Tim was a great writer! Cya Tim!

[Bluto]

From the BizJ:

An estimated 30 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newsroom staffers have taken the latest buyout proposed by the newspaper, including broadcast media columnist Tim Cuprisin, theater critic Damien Jaques, books editor Geeta Sharma-Jensen, education reporter Alan Borsuk, pop music writer Dave Tianen, music/dance writer Tom Strini and business columnist Tannette Johnson-Elie.


.. would the last employee turn out the lights?

Yowza.  That's a lot of significant 'print' listed there.

[Stanley Kritzik]

When one looks at who is leaving, one has to wonder about the Journal's readership.  Is it just down in quantity or are they losing the quality market, too.  Are they just left with people interested in the police blotter and conspiracy believers, or is it a shrinkage across the board?

Stan

[gb4fan92]

Sad to see Tim Go,

He was far better at any channel news and updates for TWC services than TWC ever was or will be!

Jack

And as we all know there are no new HD addtions at TWC unless Tim reports it. So I guess there will be no more new HD channels at TWC!! :rolleyes:

[gparris]

And as we all know there are no new HD addtions at TWC unless Tim reports it. So I guess there will be no more new HD channels at TWC!! :rolleyes:

I had mentioned this awhile ago:

"You and I both know, like so many other TWC Milwaukee subscribers, that if you want to know what is coming for new HD channels, it's either one of two things:

1) Tim C. in the JS informs us in advance - that hasn't happened for a long time.

2) We see it on our channel guide when we turn our boxes/HDTVs on."

Now we will have to just go by #2 as TWC always (seemed to) tell him first as their website stinks with notice updates.:bang:

[duncantuna]

Guys .. let's remember .. Cuprisin wasn't some crack reporter digging up stories at TWC, radio and TV stations.

When TWC wanted to inform Milwaukee of a new channel, new policy, whatever .. they called him up and told him about it, prompting him to write a story.

I imagine the JS will find someone to write that fluff column again, and TWC will be given that guy's number.  

I read the column every day, but admittedly, it's not like the guy is taking 8 hours to write it.   Most of it was his take on the news feeds he got each day.   That would NOT be hard to replicate.  -- Did you ever notice how whenever the radio ratings would come out, he'd blow an entire column on the numbers?  No real analysis, just a few tables and presto, he's done for the day.

-- Now, perhaps he'd cultivated relationships with 'leakers' at a few stations in town, but you know what?  Those leakers will still leak, just to a different JS writer.

(This assumes the JS realizes that a lot of people read the column and believe it should continue.)

[vegasvic]

Were all these people full time employees?  I can't imagine a drama critic or TV/Radio column guy would have to be full time.  No offense to Tim but he pretty much just reprinted press releases from various radio and TV stations.

[brewguru]

Cuprisin just announced on his Facebook page that he'll be writing a Mon-Fri column at onmilwaukee.com

[techguy1975]

More details and official announcement posted via Tim's twitter account:

http://tinyurl.com/nrytk9