Just so you won’t think I make this stuff up, let me quote from
the Antigo Daily Journal’s own web page -
http://www.antigodailyjournal.com/full.php?id=7403 ….
“Massive Servco FS building takes shape
“Dec. 9, 2008
“One of Antigo’s more unique—and hidden—building projects is
quietly rising from the rubble of the former Langlade Lumber
Company boiler house.
“Servco FS, which owns the complex that long-ago was home to
the company and its massive boiler house, is in the midst of
constructing a massive fertilizer storage building, one of three
projects underway at the sight.
“In his monthly report to the Antigo Common Council, Building
Inspector-Assessor Jerry Wilhelm detailed a number of
commercial projects underway, including the truly massive FS
structure.”
And the cutline (description) for the accompanying picture:
“Servco FS is continuing work on a massive fertilizer storage
building, which will be six stories tall when completed….”
I would quote more, but I have tears “underway at the sight”, and
consequently can’t read the rest of this massive story. So I’ll
never learn how a “more unique” construction project can be
“quietly rising from the rubble”. And in case you’re wondering
what else might be massive in Antigo, “massive” appears in
another headline, and in the cutline for a deerhunter-with-deer
picture, in that same December 9 issue of ADJ. Was “massive”
the “word for the day” on the ADJ desk calendars?
Who pays the Antigo Daily Journal’s alleged “writers”? And, why?
====
Definitely sounds like the “Word of the Day” at the old ADJ.
The amazing thing is that “massive” is used twice in the same sentence – once to describe something that no longer exists, and again to describe something that does not yet exist. Let’s see here…. Oh yes – “massive (adj.) – Consisting of great mass; containing a great quantity of matter”. All this mass, for non-existent objects?
To borrow some bad English from the story’s opening, this is one of the more unique applications of “failure to grasp concept”. In fact, it is uniquer than most I have seen in ADJ, and in its clustered multiple misuse of a single term, may be the most uniquest of all… so far.
Uniquer? Good one, must have found that one in the Journal as well. Maybe you could get a job working for Fred to show your fine talents and abilities to produce sentences that have a multitude of commas and never end.
I could work for Fred no more than Obama could work for George W. Bush.
Come on all, the antigo daily urinal is a fantastic piece of journalism. Often you can find the same article reprinted on a later page to take up space.
Yeah, I saw that article about the Green Bay Packers fan with the motorized couch getting ticketed for having an unlicensed vehicle printed twice in the same issue of ADJ. Maybe it was done that way because the Packers are an important factor in the Northwoods economy, and deserve to be promoted in any way possible. In fact, it’s so important they really should have printed it twice on the same page, as occasionally happens with comic strips. I never thought of it as yet another an instance of journalistic ineptitude, careless incompetence, or mismanaged production. Nope, never once did I think that. Not hardly at all. Never occurred to me….
Well, what do you know? I just read in the Rhinelander Daily News that the first baby born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rhinelander was born to unwed parents and awarded prizes from Northwoods Media. Could it be true that Oneida County has entered the 21st century and not Langlade County? The Antigo Daily Journal got lucky this year when the actual first baby WAS born to married parents…not like last year when ADJ prizes weren’t given to the single mother who bore the actual “first baby of 2008.”
To paraphrase a possible George Bush saying, “The celebrification of a person’s bornfulness is a rightitude much cherished in this great country of ours.”
Agreeing on Antigo’s “first baby of the year” candidate this year by bowing to the actual facts of the matter could have been a “mishap”, Sherry. There’s a lot of those in the ADJ. Some “mishaps” occur external to the writing and assembly of the paper itself, even, like on the county’s highways and byways instead of on the ADJ’s pages.
To be semi-fair, the ADJ does state up-front (at least, this year) that the rules for the first baby award stipulate that the winner must have married parents. However, they don’t say whether the parents have to be married to each-other, so there’s always a chance for a little more controversy and excitement in the future, given the fluid nature of marital relationships around here.
Does anyone know why there will be an obituary in the ADJ & then the next day same exact thing? I’m not talking a notice, then the full obituary the next day. I’m talking both days are entire obits. Why does this happen ??? Does Freddy just forget or is someone else who is responsible for obits hittin’ the sauce?
I would assume that happens when there has been an error printed in the first one or an omission of information…go figure!
I also think that it’s horrendous filling pages of the Antigo Daily Journal with delinquent property tax names. How important is it for family and friends of families struggling in the economy to know that someone they love is behind on their tax payments??? I think it’s an outrage for Fred Berner to fill up his newspaper with such foolishness and unnecessary information. After all, it’s supposed to be a newspaper…not a tabloid publication.
As for the obituaries – someone I know well who lost a loved one had that persons obituary put in like 3 times because ADJ kept messing it up. Happens all the time and if you look closely, I am sure you could find the errors, etc.
i must endeavor from here on out to sequester a few more copies of this purported rag so that i might also be enlightened to the travesty of its mismanaged news and unethical print. i must admit that i despise the layout of the bits and pieces column as it seems more like the sputterings of a failing mind before it ceases to spew forth anything comprehensible whatsoever. i think the greatest flaw is hiring journalists on the pretense that a degree of any sort determines one’s ability to write well despite a complete lack or originality or, as alluded to above, a thesaraus. mr. burner seems to be a fantastic bussiness man as far as handling finances goes but directing a paper is an incredibly demanding task and i fear that perhaps it’s not he himself who is always doing the final reviews on columns and layout. considering the importance of such matters i cannot help but feel that i would, in his place, make that my priority for each and every issue. how about a column for area amateurs there Fred? you’d be quite impressed how much writing talent exists in the area and you could find yourself with truly excellent stories about snowmobile trails (i don’t do this myself but realize how big it is in this area), local self defense classes, dieting and nutrition, fishing hotspots, fashion tips, technology and more. speaking of technology, as much as it’s a part of 98% of everyday life for the average citizen, why isn’t there a technology column in the journal? having worked as an editorialist in the past i know much about publications such as the journal and i see some large flaws in the layout. Such as? Why is it so difficult to find the current weather or movie show times? Figure out what’s relevant to your readers and prioritize that, even if you’re not making a 10,000% increase in profit vs the 5,000% you’re making now on a simple monochrome ad. i’m spouting fictitious numbers, please realize, but the point is the important factor and i believe i’m finished making it.
I love the Antigo Daily Journal. I grew up in a big city with a big city newspaper and well, the whole small town paper thing just seems so charming to me. In my hometown paper, you would never see stories about a local church supper, a little boy who caught a huge fish, or children caroling at a nursing home. I love “Bits and Pieces, “Hidden Places” and “Peeps At Our Past” too. I think Fred is great! He knows everyone and obviously loves Antigo. In my opinion, it really shows in the paper and that’s what makes it so fun to read.
What REALLY makes it fun to read is story lead-ins like this from Feb 23, page 9:
“The town of Langlade Fire Department held the second in a series of ice races at the Lily Snowbirds racetrack Saturday with an excellent turnout of drivers and a constant movement of fans during the day of events.”
Beg pardon? “…constant movement of fans…”? What the hell is THAT supposed to mean? Maybe the fans were frozen to immobility at the first of the wintry “series of ice races”, so their ability to move this time is a newsworthy item. Or maybe the drivers race through the crowd, so fan movement is critical to the success of the race and reduction of injuries.
Or maybe it signals that the ADJ writers and editors need more constant movement of blood flow above the neck to provide a boost to oxygen-starved brain cells.
I used to be the biggest fan of the ADJ, still am as far as reading it when I can…but am very disappointed in what I hear in the community about their staff, mainly Fred Berner & Lisa Haefs. These “journalists” are the absolute snootiest two people I have ever met in their line of work and it must be the small-town excuse that they are better than anyone else who live here. I have met some wonderful media people involved in TV, radio and other newspapers and can’t compare them to these unfriendly two. If it wasn’t for all of us, THEY wouldn’t even have a job so maybe they need to come down off of their high horses and realize that we live in Antigo, Wisconsin…not New York City!
Sherry, I’ve had some interactions with the individuals you mentioned. Averse as I am to personal attacks (I prefer to limit attacks to behaviors rather than persons), I’m afraid I have to agree with you. The “I’m right, you’re wrong. Now, what’s YOUR problem?” approach they take to dealing with points of contention leaves much to be desired as a mode of social conduct. You raise an interesting point regarding location. It’s amusing (and encouraging!) to contemplate the consequences of their living in New York while we stay in Antigo.
Concerning the double print of an obituary, My grandmothers was printed in February, twice, The frist one from the Funeral home, and the second one was paid by the family. My grandparents knew many people and they thought it was ok to print it twice? Im not sure, but I think Freddy Screwed up the wording in it and left some stuff out also. Thanks a lot Fred. I think you’d better find a replacement soon!!