Mike Strange is retiring

#1
Freak

Freak

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#1
Mike Strange has chosen retirement from the News Sentinel over a demotion cooked up by the foreign ownership group, Gannett.

“My role was being redefined as a non-columnist, helping out on football and being responsible for men’s hoops. I told them that 67 is too old to go back to being a beat writer.

“Their idea of helping out on football is shooting video, doing Facebook Live segments and, by the way, writing a little bit. The game story is going away and that is something I always put great stock in doing.”
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I hope he continues to write about Tennessee sports in some form. I always enjoy reading his work.

http://www.knoxtntoday.com/big-mike-is-moving-on/
 
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#2
#2
Glad he stood up for what's right. Gannett has slowly buried the KNS into a Knoxville version of USAToday. Someday people will belittle you for remembering him.
 
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#4
#4
Wow!

I remember being at UT and I always took 8am classes. I would grab a News Sentinel and read the Adams column then Strange's. He's such a good writer, as was Adams back then.
 
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#5
#5
Witch Doctor say Mike was one of the best in the Knox Sports Media. They others just try to create stories. Mike told it like it was without all the drama ( Rucker )......

BNL
 
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#9
#9
Maybe it was just time ... that is not a reflection on how good or bad he was.

Just a reflection of society today. Most get their news from something other than a newspaper. And most attention spans are like 140 something characters long these days.
 
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#10
#10
He's a good writer and I imagine pretty well respected. I'm sorry to see this happen to him.
 
#11
#11
Boca Vol said:
Wow!

I remember being at UT and I always took 8am classes. I would grab a News Sentinel and read the Adams column then Strange's. He's such a good writer, as was Adams back then.
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I got it every single day! The Pilot on Chapman down from my apartment had it free every Saturday!

I enjoyed his articles. He didn't seem to have a biased approach nor did he swing to popular sentiment. His coverage was accurate.
 
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#12
#12
Congrats, Mike. I'm envious. Got about 3 more years then I get to step away. Can't wait to get serious about dropping that handicap.
 
#14
#14
OrangeByBirth said:
Glad he stood up for what's right. Gannett has slowly buried the KNS into a Knoxville version of USAToday. Someday people will belittle you for remembering him.
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I'm just spitballing here, but think of it from the other point of view.

Newspapers are dying. The dude is 67 years old and after years of raises, etc, over the years, I will assume he is vastly overpaid.

Sportswriters are no different then some of the posters on this site or a guy you might sit next to at a bar.

So, they are going to find a younger, cheaper employee and there will be absolutely no difference from a business point of view.

Sounds like one of those classic situations where an employee wasn't laid off, but he was given enough clues to know what time it was.
 
#17
#17
OrangeByBirth said:
Glad he stood up for what's right. Gannett has slowly buried the KNS into a Knoxville version of USAToday. Someday people will belittle you for remembering him.
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Gannett bought and has run into the ground my home town newspaper in upstate NY. Now it is nothing but a liberal bleat that tries to be a NY Times. . I stopped reading it years ago. Bunch of "group speak" liberals are all they are.

Glad someone told them to shove it.
 
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#18
#18
99gator said:
I'm just spitballing here, but think of it from the other point of view.

Newspapers are dying. The dude is 67 years old and after years of raises, etc, over the years, I will assume he is vastly overpaid.

Sportswriters are no different then some of the posters on this site or a guy you might sit next to at a bar.

So, they are going to find a younger, cheaper employee and there will be absolutely no difference from a business point of view.

Sounds like one of those classic situations where an employee wasn't laid off, but he was given enough clues to know what time it was.
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Let me assure you no one working for a mid-size newspaper (especially one owned by Gannett) is overpaid. And raises don't happen for reporters anymore. The national guys on TV may make big money, but the reporters at papers like the News Sentinel are doing it for love of the profession.

I'd be shocked if he was making $50,000. There's a reason I left newspapers and moved into marketing 20 years ago. I didn't want to be penniless forever.
 
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#20
#20
99gator said:
I'm just spitballing here, but think of it from the other point of view.

Newspapers are dying. The dude is 67 years old and after years of raises, etc, over the years, I will assume he is vastly overpaid.

Sportswriters are no different then some of the posters on this site or a guy you might sit next to at a bar.

So, they are going to find a younger, cheaper employee and there will be absolutely no difference from a business point of view.

Sounds like one of those classic situations where an employee wasn't laid off, but he was given enough clues to know what time it was.
Click to expand...

Agree with what you say, BUT DON"T LIKE IT!!

Therefore, sorry, no "like" for statement.
 
#21
#21
volfan102455 said:
Maybe it was just time ... that is not a reflection on how good or bad he was.

Just a reflection of society today. Most get their news from something other than a newspaper. And most attention spans are like 140 something characters long these days.
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And for many of us,,, society and time move on.
 
#22
#22
I'm sorry to see him go. I hope he finds another forum that allows him to report on Tennessee football. At his age, I suspect he will find more funner things to do with his time.
 
#23
#23
His daughter was a couple of years ahead of me at UT and we were in a business fraternity together. I had the chance to meet him a couple of times. Really cool guy. Hate that he got dealt a bad hand by the new ownership.
 
#24
#24
Mike's articles were the only ones that I actully enjoyed reading from KNS. Everyone else? MEH!
 
#25
#25
Looks great for 67. But the business has changed so much that it makes sense to cut guys who are highly paid but don't drive as much traffic to articles. Being a sports writer now is about more than just writing and article, you have to also be a promoter for your article.
 
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