The following was represented to me as an email the went out yesterday afternoon from Observer publisher Ann Caulkins to all staff at the paper. Last night I emailed editor Rick Thames asking if in fact such an email was sent and he has yet to respond. So make of this what you will:

To: @Charlotte All
Sent: 6/5/2008 3:37 PM
Subject: Message from Ann Caulkins
Please note that the following message is being sent to you on behalf of publisher, Ann Caulkins.
– – – – – – – – – – –
To All Observer Employees,

I want to take a moment and give you an update on the current state of our company and the voluntary separation program. We had thirty-two employees who have left or will be leaving The Observer under the provisions of the voluntary buyout offer.

Unfortunately, the business climate continues to worsen and advertising revenue is lagging. We are evaluating all measures to cut costs as our cost structure must be in alignment with our current revenue projections. This is critical, going forward, so The Observer can continue its mission of providing news and information for Charlotte and its surrounding communities.

The Leadership Team is working very hard to devise plans to reduce expenses in order to operate our newspaper company more competitively and efficiently. As I have stated on several occasions, we continuously review our operations and business model. Our plans for additional cost cuts should be complete and ready to announce in upcoming weeks.

I know this current environment of uncertainty is very stressful for you. I appreciate your hard work and commitment to The Observer through these very difficult times.

Ann
Ann Caulkins
President & Publisher
The Charlotte Observer

Now for some perspective. Every “new” path the Observer is running down has been tried before. And failed. The “hyper-local” Neighbors sections? The mighty WaPO tried that and failed. Failed because no one wants that.

Check out what former Observer columnist Jon Talton, now in San Diego, has to say about the trends, which he says add up to newspapers committing suicide:

As a news manager and editor, I sat in countless focus groups where regular readers reacted with disdain to these schemes, while non-readers said “gee, kewl,” but would still refuse to buy the paper. Yet the corporate bosses plunged ahead, and most of these “local-local” ventures by major papers have failed.

The cost has been high. First, expert, highly skilled journalists were demoralized and pushed out the door.

Gee, sound familiar to anyone? There’s more:

And newsrooms were discouraged from compelling, high-impact coverage of local news. I know of one of the largest papers in the country, in one of the largest cities, with one — one — reporter covering City Hall. … Even now, aggressive new ideas seem beyond newspaper companies. Scripps shut down the Cincinnati Post rather than try something like an Internet newspaper, with a staff of 10 top-notch journalists and propellerheads on a mission to cover real news in a fascinating but secretive city. … The key is the same as always: get interesting news and put it in “the paper,” whether online or on dead trees. Local news is important, but no more important than that from a world that everyday affects the lives of those “average readers.” But the local news must be interesting. Especially peculiar has been newspapers’ aversion to creating first-class cops beats with veteran reporters.

Hammer. Nail. Done. Each week several fascinating news stories go begging in this town, ones that are sincerely interesting to anyone with any civic sense and do not hinge on a particular world view. A couple in no particular order of importance:

  • Hushhush.com — Where’d that go?
  • CMS legal goons — Why were CMS attorneys again badgering Independence football star Devonte Holloman’s parents this week? How many hours have been billed investigating Indy football coach Tom Knotts and why?
  • Judge with tax trouble — For over a year I’ve been trying to nail down the apparent seizure of a Mecklenburg County judge’s property by the IRS for non-payment of taxes. But some of the corroborating documents have mysteriously disappeared from state databases. Anyone else interested?
  • Who wanted to extradite Michelle Young and for what? Remember the CMS teacher arrested the other week? You must be lonely.
  • What is the hold-up with state on the Ira Yarmolenko case? Straight-up good government story there.
  • Last year the city of Charlotte quietly filed an environmental impact statement on building $400m. worth of streetcars in West Charlotte. What does it say and does it take into the account the carbon footprint of the construction work? Does the project ever offset that?

And I got more. Much more. Just wait and see. The Uptown paper of record could do the same. But won’t. As such, its fate is sadly sealed.