Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.
We’ve lost some good people at the Reno News & Review lately. In my 20-plus years at this place, I’ve seen a lot of changes, but it still feels a little shocking when a few happen at the same time.
Newspapering is a tough job. Working at a small newspaper in Reno, I think, is an especially tough job. We all wear a dozen different hats, and some of those hats fit us better than others, but all these guys deserve a tip of the cap.
I’m most going to miss John Murphy, my co-publisher and general manager. I’ve got more miles on airplanes with John than anyone I’ve ever known, and that includes people I’ve traveled internationally with. Once a year or so, we’d end up at a conference in some big city or in Las Vegas at the Nevada Press Association awards. I think we always shared a room, and generally had enough to drink and made jokes about spooning. I don’t think many editorial and business types had the kind of relationship we had. While we disagreed a lot about some things, I don’t believe we had 10 real arguments in the 14 or so years we worked together. He made a great contribution to this newspaper over the years, and I know he’s going to end up somewhere great.
Anthony Clarke is another one I’m going to miss. He moved to Sacramento. I think Reno was just lacking some things culturally that he wanted. I can see it. He’s another who made a great contribution, as our circulation improved in both quality and reach under his watchful eye. We didn’t talk a lot—he’s quiet by nature—but when he spoke, it was generally worth hearing.
And finally, there’s Joey Davis who also moved on. If you didn’t know him, frequent readers would recognize him as the spokesmodel from our Summer Guide last year. He’s got one of those personalities—and a heart for veterans—that change the atmosphere in a room when he walked in.
One thing about people leaving is that it makes room for other people to come in. As much as I’ll miss my co-workers, I look forward to meeting these new people.