The Times-Dispatch and Media General were pretty easy targets for most of 2007 and 2008, especially for those of us in the free agent land of blogging and social media. Crappy page design, ineffective attempts at blogging, fumbled hyper-local news sites -- for a while, it felt like everything "old media" touched was turning to dust.
It didn't help that all of these fumbles were happening against the backdrop of a recession, and what felt like the evisceration of local news talent.
It seems like they're starting to pull it together. Or at least the meltdown has slowed.
The latest positive sign is the appointment of a former news guy to the terribly named role of "chief connector" for Richmond.com. (Apparently, they hired the same firm that coined "CenterStage" to develop job titles.)
Rick Thornton officially introduced himself to Richmond.com's readers today:
As you know, Richmond.com is the online home for fun things to do in the Richmond area: entertainment, events, shopping, night clubs, restaurants. We are committed to making that a cornerstone of what we do.
But we’re also embarking on a mission to better connect the community.
That means reaching out to some of the area’s distinctive neighborhoods and organizations. It means connecting shoppers with merchants and service providers. It means providing information relevant to the area’s diverse population. And it means tying the information seeker to the information source.
How that happens remains to be seen. The fact that someone realizes that it needs to happen is a sign of light downtown.
