WICK SHUTS DOWN TUCSON PRESS OPERATION
Wick Communications, the Sierra Vista-based company responsible for numerous newspapers, including the Tucson Weekly, is shutting down its Tucson press. The move will cost nine employees their jobs.
"We have two (nearby) pressrooms: one in Tucson, and one in Sierra Vista. They're an hour and 20 minutes apart, and having two pressrooms being that close together is extremely inefficient," said Territorial Newspapers/Tucson Weekly publisher Tom Lee. "Closing this press and moving the printing to the much-larger press in Sierra Vista, which is twice the size of the one up here ... is a lot more efficient."
The Tucson pressroom printed a number of Wick publications and commercial jobs. The press is in the same location as not only the Weekly and Inside Tucson Business, but also The Daily Territorial, noted as a main source for legal documentation—notices of trustee sales, bankruptcies, business licenses, etc.—within the community.
"When (that information goes) in print, they're also uploaded: Everything that is in print is uploaded, and everything in print is online through a searchable database at (the Arizona Newspapers Association's) ananews.com," Lee said about these public notices.
However, the print publication continues to serve a purpose, Lee said. The necessity of legal documentation in print form remains in numerous contracts, so the announcement-driven publications might remain intact for some time to come.
"I hope so," said Lee. "There's a good reason to keep them in print, because a lot of people want the actual printed version so they can prove they did, in fact, publish something. In cases where they're required by law to show an affidavit of publication, it's kind of hard to say, 'Well, it was on the Internet.'"
If there were such a thing as a legacy publication for legal notices, it would be The Daily Territorial, although Lee says there are four or five competitors in Pima County that also publish legal notices.
KOLD ADDS MORNING HOST, REPORTER; PARTS WAYS WITH SALES MANAGER
CBS affiliate KOLD Channel 13 has added a morning co-anchor alongside Scott Kilbury on News 13 This Morning: Kayna Whitworth. Whitworth most recently occupied an anchor chair at KBOI TV in Boise, Idaho—coincidentally, the home state of her predecessor, Jenny Anchondo.
KOLD has also added reporter Ana Campos to the fold; she formerly worked at KTVW, the Univision affiliate in Phoenix. Her resume includes Rocky Mountain Emmy awards in reporting.
Meanwhile, citing a change in sales philosophy, KOLD has parted ways with Mark Arminio, who spent three years as the station's local sales manager.
"I want to let you know that I have decided to make some changes in the sales department, and Mark Arminio will be leaving us," said general manager Debbie Bush in an e-mail sent to the KOLD staff. "I want to thank Mark for all of the hard work he has given to KOLD for the last three years. Mark is a true gentleman."
BUCKMASTER HOPES TO REMAIN ATTACHED TO ROUNDTABLE
Bill Buckmaster has not disappeared from KUAT Channel 6 completely, and said he would like to continue an affiliation with Arizona Illustrated—specifically, the politically focused Friday Roundtable.
"I have agreed to stay on as host of the Friday Roundtable until the end of the year, and perhaps into the new year for awhile until a national search for a new host is completed," said Buckmaster via e-mail. "I have offered to do the Friday Roundtable in 2011 on a permanent basis. It is what I enjoy most on Arizona Illustrated, and I am deeply identified with the Roundtable, so I believe this would be a win-win situation for (Arizona Pubic Media) and the University of Arizona and for me."
Chris Conover and Tony Paniagua are stepping in as anchors on Arizona Illustrated Monday through Thursday until a permanent replacement is named.
Buckmaster, who spent 23 years as host of the PBS affiliate's local news program, begins his radio venture on KJLL AM 1330 on Jan. 3. He continues work on his website, buckmastershow.com.
TUCSON WEST LAUNCHES UA SPORTS PUBLICATION
Tucson West Publications and wildcatsportsreport.com have launched a publication devoted exclusively to UA athletics.
The ad-heavy 16-page premiere edition (October 2010) of Wildcat Sports Report includes features on football, recruiting and softball, and a brief Q&A with athletic director Greg Byrne.
Brad Allis is the publication's editor. He works for Tucson West as sports editor of the Marana Weekly News and also operates the website to which the project is connected, wildcatsportsreport.com, a member of the 247sports.com network.
Allis also co-hosts the pregame and postgame broadcasts for UA football and men's basketball alongside Rob Lantz and me on KCUB AM 1290.
"I believe we will be releasing a great product for Wildcat fans to enjoy," said Allis. "It has been a number of years since there has been a print publication devoted solely to Wildcat athletics, and I feel it fills a void, even in this age of the Internet."
Allis worked at Cat Tracks, Doug Carr's long-running privately operated UA sports-based publication, for much of the 1990s through 2006. Anthony Gimino, the best football beat writer in this market, contributes to the publication. Gimino currently works at tucsoncitizen.com, but has experience covering the Wildcat football beat with the Arizona Daily Star and the Tucson Citizen. Former Star sportswriter and current tucsoncitizen.com contributor Javier Morales is participating as well.
Wildcat Sports Report is available at local businesses, as an insert to the Marana Weekly News, via subscription and at specific sporting events.
