Since I only read the Romenesko blogs about caffeine and idiots, I missed the item about my pal Roger Catlin, TV critic at the Hartford Courant, being offered a buyout. (I couldn't resist posting this screenshot of his blog, with the banner ad from the Connecticut Lottery floating, or gloating, above his mug.)
Roger Catlin is a bit of a legend around these parts, largely because two of the Kansas City Star's best-known journalists — development beat reporter Kevin Collison and columnist Mike Hendricks — went to school in Nebraska and remember Roger from his days as a celebrated rock critic who seemed to know everyone and everything in the local music scene. Omaha, then as now, had quite the scene, and if there was a new act that was playing at some cafe or bar, you would be almost certain to walk in and find Roger there taking it in.
I added a comment to the item he posted on his blog, which you can read (once they approve it), but what I didn't say was that I think Roger Catlin (a) is very good; (b) follows his own tastes when covering the TV landscape, which means paying more attention to reality shows than I ever could; (c) pays attention to locals who are on TV and (d) blogs compulsively. All of which are qualities that should keep him employed as long as he would want to stay employed, or until whoever owns his paper wants him gone.
I doubt the Tribune Company really wants a top-tier TV critic to leave its Hartford paper. But I also doubt anyone at Tribune is really looking at it that way. Roger, not surprisingly, has personalized that buyout offer sent to him -- it's hard not to. But I don't see this as a personal judgment on his qualities as a newspaper critic. It's a business judgment on his impact as a newspaper lifer.
The Courant is calculating that it can substitute wire service for Roger Catlin, knowing that in some respects it would be beneficial if he stayed, but on the whole better if he left. Of course, I would argue the reverse. If Roger is feeling up to it, I hope he stays on at the Courant. Ironically, though, that will be a business decision that he will have to make now. As in, today.
