Times-Picayune Citizens’ Group Speaks out on Proposed Changes to The Times-Picayune

NEW ORLEANS | JUNE 4, 2012 — A group of concerned civic and business leaders have come together in the wake of the recent announcement by the owners of The Times-Picayune to move to a three-day a week print version in addition to the current web-based nola.com product.

The group’s purpose is to ensure the continuation of the delivery of a high quality, seven-day-a-week newspaper, with access to the entire community. The group intends to open discussions with the current owners as well as other interested parties to achieve its purpose.

Citing the unique New Orleans regional landscape, which has steadily and successfully rebuilt itself since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to become a beacon for economic resilience and innovation, the group is reviewing all options and opportunities to influence the current plans, as is consistent with desires of the papers’ customers and wider community.

As the daily news vehicle, The Times-Picayune has represented the Greater New Orleans community for more than 175 years, serving three critical functions: ensuring news access for all citizens; providing serious coverage that protects the public; and, creating a common conversation and cultural cohesion amongst all New Orleanians.

With this history and service in mind, the Citizens Group believes that it is important to clearly state its desire for The Times-Picayune to remain a daily newspaper, and that any possible future change be conducted in a more effective and considerate transition than what was announced to take effect beginning in September.

“In the next several years, the city will host an unprecedented amount of national and international visitors and media, including the NFL Super Bowl, NCAA Women’s Final Four, NBA All-Star game, commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and celebration of the city’s 300th birthday,” said Scott Cowen, president of Tulane University. “These events, along with the downtown opening of two new $1 billion-plus hospitals, deserve a more robust approach to news delivery.”

“Now is not the time to switch suddenly to a three-day a week publication,” stated Anne Milling, Founder of Women of the Storm. “A daily Times-Picayune has been the backbone of the community in our post-Katrina environment and provides the foundation for all civic dialogue and discourse. It is our hope that the owners will respect the voices and desires of the community which has been so loyal to the printed newspaper for generations.”

“I can and have accepted change in my life. But I do not think this is a good change,” said Leah Chase, Chef at Dooky Chase. “People like Sheila Stroup, Judy Walker, Doug MacCash, and Brett Anderson provide me with information about the things I love, and I can relate to what they write about. For people my age, this will be a terrible loss.”

“New Orleans was recently named the ‘#1 Fastest Improving Economy in the Nation’ by the Wall Street Journal,” said Michael Hecht, President & CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “The drastic reduction of our paper is not only inconsistent with this economic renaissance, it also sends a negative – and erroneous – message to the rest of the world about our resurgent community’s viability.”

Signed,

Times-Picayune Citizens’ Group

This release can be downloaded here.

Additional Signatories

Deborah R. Lea
Interim Chancellor
Delgado Community College

William S. Wainwright, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Northshore Technical Community College

Guy Williams
President & CEO
Gulf Coast Bank and Trust Company

Shelly Waguespack
Owner
Pat O’Brien’s Bar and Restaurant

Beth Galante
Director
Global Green New Orleans

Taylor Beery
Chief Executive Officer
VoteIt

Christine Hoffman
President
Rotary Club of New Orleans

Paul McIlhenny
Chairman & CEO
McIlhenny Company

Laura Claverie
Secretary
Saint Charles Avenue Association

Cokie and Steve Roberts

The Honorable Lindy Boggs

Kim Rosenberg
Chairwoman
French Quarter Management District

Adolfo Garcia
RioMar, La Boca, and A Mano

Adrienne Thomas
President
French Quarter Business Association

Shelby Russ
President and CEO
Associated Office Systems

Mignon Faget
Mignon Faget, Ltd.

Ray Brandt
Ray Brandt Auto Group

Zeb Mayhew, Jr.
Executive Director
Oak Alley Plantation

Preservation Resource Center

2003 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient
Allen Favrot

Lea Young
President
New Orleans League of Women Voters

Robert Fresh Market

Lakeview Grocery

Chad Berg
Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry

Jack Brancewicz
President
Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans, Inc.

E. Tiffany Adler
Coleman E. Adler and Sons

Mitchell Mintz
CEO
Hurwitz Mintz

D.W. Rhodes Funeral Homes, Inc.

Rhodes Family of Businesses

Latter & Blum

Ralph Brennan
President
Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group

Sandra Slifer
President
League of Women Voters of St. Tammany

Kyle Wedberg
President & CEO
NOCCA – New Orleans Center for Creative Arts

Bureau of Governmental Research

Al Robichaux
Executive Director
Jefferson Council on Aging, Inc.

June Leopold
President
National Council of Jewish Women, New Orleans Section

Jim Pate
Executive Director
New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity

The Louisiana Women’s Network

The Women’s Health Access Project

The Louisiana Medicare Rx Access Network

The Louisiana Partnership for Prescription Assistance

The Louisiana Health Access Network

Second Harvest Food Bank

Louisiana Children’s Museum

Ogden Museum of Southern Art

(New signatories added in order of response)