Media: IndyBlog, Colorado Springs Independent

Life according to @OnlyAtUCCS

Edie Adelstein — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:13:00 -0600

As our Ralph Routon wrote about in this week's Between the Lines, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is expanding heavily and rapidly.

This means lots of local money and, naturally, lots of students, with plenty of charming college complaints and observations.…

Fun with electronica, skin-whiteners and death cults

Bill Forman — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:41:36 -0600

Assuming you haven’t been completely put off by viral marketing campaigns like Dove’s genuinely offensive “Real Beauty” ads — hey, there’s nothing like taking body-image advice from a company that sells skin-bleaching products in India — then you might want to check out the decidedly quirky campaign currently being run by Boards of Canada.

Actually, if there are any hardcore electronic music fans on your Facebook timeline, you probably have already seen their obsessive posts this week about “BOC,” which normal people would assume stands for Blue Oyster Cult.…

Recent series from KRCC shows burning homes, looks at 'living with wildfire'

Bryce Crawford — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:01:00 -0600

In case you've missed it, Andrea Chalfin and Michelle Mercer at KRCC have been doing good fire reporting of their own in a series called "Flash Point," which explores "how wildfire is changing life in Colorado."

And though it's radio-centric, of course, the web reports have some cool features, like a timeline of major events in the history of forests and wildfires, or the intense video of live footage shot at the time by the Colorado Springs Fire Department.…

Independent reporter wins national honor

Bryce Crawford — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:09:00 -0600

Today, the Independent learned senior reporter Pam Zubeck has been awarded a Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists for her reporting on the Waldo Canyon Fire. (Click here for the winning entries.)…

UPDATE: Gazette hires new City Hall reporter

Bryce Crawford — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:29:00 -0600

Update, 5:30 p.m.: We just heard back from Gazette editor Joe Hight:

"Yes, we have hired Monica Mendoza as our city hall reporter," he writes. "We had a great pool of candidates, but thought Monica’s experience at the business journal as well as major metropolitan dailies provided a great fit for the Gazette and this important beat."

———

Fran Zankowski, CEO of both the Independent and the Colorado Springs Business Journal, has confirmed that Journal reporter Monica Mendoza will be leaving the paper to cover city politics for the Gazette.…

'Reality' check: The Gazette's embarrassing cartoon

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:50:00 -0600

If I were at the helm of a daily newspaper recently accused by prominent community members of making staffing decisions based on the whims of Mayor Steve Bach — a newspaper that also appears to be in the throes of an apology tour for being nearly worthless for the past decade — I might be a little more careful.

If I were the Gazette, I might try to gain back a little more of the professionalism and expertise lost during years putting bylines on press-releases; reprinting Denver Post stories on the front page; and covering the community so badly that the only readers left for the few remaining advertisers to target all had false teeth — just like the reporting.…

The state of the Gazette is ...

Bryce Crawford — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:38:00 -0600

Last Wednesday, the Gazette held an evening reception at the Broadmoor, attended by 50 or so community leaders, on the health of the newspaper. We requested more details in hopes of attending and reporting on the event, but were told it was "a private, invitation-only reception, rather than a meeting," in an e-mail from editor Joe Hight.…

SNL angers Christian extremists, some advertisers flee

Bryce Crawford — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:02:02 -0700

If you don't tell somebody how offended you were, did it still happen? We'll never know; even before social media, the government had long solicited comment from the affected.…

Gazette continues its resurgence among criticism

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:45:16 -0700

For decades, a good portion of the white and brick building at 30 S. Prospect St. has been taken up by printing presses churning out Colorado Springs' daily newspaper every 24 hours. The current machinery was put in place in 1978, but as of April 15 it will be shut down and all printing will be done in the capital by the Denver Post, the Gazette announced on Tuesday.…

UPDATE: Colorado Springs police feud with local TV station

Bryce Crawford — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:50:01 -0700

Update, Monday, Feb. 4, 3:12 p.m.: We heard back from Barbara Miller, CSPD's public-information officer, who said she'd call us back later with a more detailed response. In the meantime, anchor James Jarman says he understands the department's concerns about how SWAT was depicted, but wished it had been communicated differently.…

UPDATE: Community questions reporter change at The Gazette

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:16:49 -0700

Update, Monday, Jan. 28, 10:06 a.m.: Editor Joe Hight sent a follow-up e-mail saying he is specifically denying rumors that the reassignment of reporter Daniel Chacón was done due to pressure from the mayor's office.

———

The Gazette's been in the hands of Philip Anschutz's Clarity Media Group for a couple months now, and there have been a few changes, some more noticeable than others.…

Denver billionaire buys the Gazette, plans to boost content

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 13:05:00 -0700

Multiple media outlets are reporting that, as we've been hearing, Denver's Philip Anschutz, via his Clarity Media Group, has bought the Gazette from Freedom Communications. The move adds the 140-year-old daily to his portfolio of Colorado Springs-based assets that includes the Broadmoor.…

Help us send 2012 packing, with pics

Kirk Woundy — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:43:22 -0700

If you've got some high-resolution pictures from 2012 that simply NEED an audience, please read below. Then load up an email to newsroom@csindy.com.…

Ken Salazar threatens to 'punch out' Gazette reporter

Bryce Crawford — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:15:05 -0700

You know who hates being asked relevant questions about a pressing topic before he's had a chance to craft a canned answer? Secretary of the U.S Department of the Interior Ken Salazar, that's who.…

FOX News personalties love the GOP

Chet Hardin — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:09:21 -0700

This one should come as no surprise.

Media Matters for America, the left-wing media watchdog group, has put together a neat map detailing the pro-Republican campaigning by FOX News personalties.…

Even more jobs to be found at the Gazette

Bryce Crawford — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:07:27 -0600

Whether or not there are further developments regarding a possible sale to Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, the Gazette continues to beef up its staff in surprising and laudable ways.

Of course, if one continues to draw a line from California to Colorado, maybe it shouldn't be so surprising.…

Ethics Watch a 'liberal' organization? Umm ...

J. Adrian Stanley — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:08:44 -0600

Today, the Denver Post proved that it's not above political spin in its news section.

It came in an article detailing Colorado Ethics Watch's push for a criminal investigation of Secretary of State Scott Gessler for spending taxpayer money on trips to the Republican National Convention and a GOP election-law training event.…

Gazette seeking new restaurant critic

Bryce Crawford — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:02:00 -0600

It's been almost a year to date since local freelancer Kate Jonuska was announced as the Gazette's new restaurant critic, replacing Dave Philipps (who contentiously wrote under the pseudonym Nathaniel Glen).

Word came from Twitter today, though, that it's all over: Jonuska is on her way out, and "someone with writing exp & a solid food background, pref back of the house" is wanted.…

Firefighters say thanks for the support in radio ad

Bryce Crawford — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 13:51:47 -0600

The days surrounding the Waldo Canyon Fire saw buildup of all kinds of pressure in the community. The best thing, though, was where much of that energy went: to helping, to thanking, to caring for the people affected.…

KRCC unveils solar-power system

Bryce Crawford — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 09:03:52 -0600

Via press release comes word that public-radio station KRCC 91.5 FM has added a 1.72kW photovoltaic power grid to its rooftop — a first for a radio station in Colorado Springs, apparently. It's hoped it will produce around 3,191 kilowatt hours annually, or 10 percent of the building's electricity needs.…

What's good taste in tragedy, or does it matter?

Bryce Crawford — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:55:44 -0600

Tragedy always provides an opportunity for journalists to write (even more than they normally do) about themselves, so allow me to continue this hallowed tradition. Today, we're talking about whether or not it's a sensational play for outraged eyeballs to run graphic pictures of death with an accompanying story — or if the pictures, like the words, are just part of covering terrible things.…

UPDATE: Colorado Springs to get our 60 Minutes of fame

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:53:58 -0600

City Council President Scott Hente says he too spoke with the folks from 60 Minutes.

According to Hente, the interview took place at his fire-damaged home in the Mountain Shadows area.…

Pueblo Chieftain develops in the digital age, adds pay wall

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 09:03:28 -0600

Last week, the Pueblo Chieftain enacted a pay wall for much of its online content, becoming the largest newspaper in the state to have done so. The 145-year-old southern Colorado staple will charge $5.75 for every four weeks of access — around $75 a year.…

Denver billionaire might buy Gazette

Bryce Crawford — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:04:15 -0600

The big news today comes via a story by the Denver Business Journal, saying conservative Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz — who bought The Broadmoor a year ago — is either interested in acquiring the Gazette, or starting a competing daily newspaper.

It wouldn't exactly be a first for Anschutz: In the deal that brought The Broadmoor, he also acquired the Oklahoman, in Oklahoma City, and already owns Clarity Media Group, which operates content-farm examiner.com, among other properties.…

The Gazette is actually hiring

Bryce Crawford — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:46:47 -0600

You read that right: not firing, but hiring.

After Freedom Communications was purchased in June by East Coaster Aaron Kushner and his business partners, he began ramping up the staff at its flagship paper, the Orange County Register.…