We are just going to start a post where readers can offer the info they may have about the termination of veteran NASCAR reporters and journalists today in Charlotte.
Steve Waid, Mike Hembree and Jeff Gluck are among those losing their jobs today. Mike Mulhern suggests on his website that Scene Daily might be closing down permanently.
Here are the Twitter messages from those as it happened:
Steve Waid (4PM): Hate to go out, but I had a helluva run at 30 years. I'll be around.
Jeff Gluck (10AM): Unfortunately, NASCAR Scene and SceneDaily.com were hit by huge cutbacks today and I was one of them. Kind of stunned at the moment.
Update: SportSlant - I believe also Rea White, David Exum, Jared Turner, David Griffin, Ben White, Mark Sluder and Shea Alexander were terminated.
This move was unexpected, but we all know the current economic struggles in today's business environment. I will be adding news to this post as it comes in.
Please feel free to add your comments on this topic below by clicking on the comment section.
71 comments:
Lee Montgomery is also gone, maybe Lee White as well. This is a terrible mistake by Street & Smith. When _Scene_ publishes every week, it's old news; in the age of electronic media, we've already heard the stories, seen the links on Twitter & Jayski, watched Nascar Now, etc. So what drove us to read the publication (and to visit SceneDaily) was the quality of the writing and the relationship we as readers had formed with the writers. Dumping the talent may be a bean cutter's solution--but it is a death knell for what used to be the best publication in the sport. And that's very, very sad. My heart goes out to ALL the Scene folks--writers, photographers, and other staff--who lost their jobs today. I hope they all land positions where their considerable talents are better appreciated.
From Twitter: Pearlagogo - ...Many good reporters who also served as goodwill ambassadors for NASCAR have been silenced...Sad day :-(
I absolutely was stunned when I turned on my 'puter and read Jeff's message.
I frequent Scene Daily's site sometimes, and it's a shame if it is the beginning of the end for them. :(
From Twitter: Smokey_14 - Even JadeGurss, & mikehembree, have been cut from NASCAR Scene, and according to mikemulhern, they may be shutting down
I'm just in shock. I know the economy is bad but I didn't think it was effecting them enough to layoff two-thirds or so of their staff.
I don't know who all was let go. Some really good writers are free agents now, hope they all get a wonderful job and are able to stay within NASCAR.
They are all also talented. It's such a shame. Nascar Scene, in my opinion, hasn't been that great lately anyway. Been going downhill since I started getting it in 2008. Without these writers I don't foresee it getting any better. Scenedaily.com is a good website. I don't understand why they would get rid of so many talented people. People who stir the blood of readers, in good and bad ways. That's a good writer. I may not agree with what they write (especially Gluck) but I wish them all the best. They deserve a job somewhere and it would really shock me if they didn't find anything. Just overall, a sad thing. Good luck to all of them!
Personally and professionally, these folks are as good as you'll find anywhere.
Talented, hard working and dedicated, they don't come any better.
These are people for whom Scene wasn't a job; it was a strong part of their identity.
And the really sad part is they are quality people, the kind of folks anyone would be proud to call a friend.
I hope they all find good places to land.
Just a rough time to do it. Why not after the season so they could get themselves squared away for this year?
I agree, it is just sad. Though we've not met in person, I feel really bad for Jeff Gluck, who's tweets and articles helped to make last year a fun year to follow NASCAR. I certainly hope that they all land on their feet. Maybe they can start their own Race-themed, online magazine together. I'd follow them and read and maybe even buy some of the product of any sponsors they get.
I don't like the way they were notified...give me your keys, turn in your computer, escorted out of the office, KMA, good-bye.
As one of the people that got to meet Jeff Gluck at the tweet ups, I was impressed by his honesty and quick wit. He didn't shrink from any of our questions and answered each truthfully.
I was saddened to read the tweets this morning, and although I only knew most through print, considered them all friends and glad that they were able to share their knowledge and stories with us.
I hope that they can land on their feet and get back to writing for us!
Very shocked and saddened at the news! I couldn't say it any better than The Professer did. Jeff Gluck has become an every day name in our household. @DiscoQueen1971
Sad to read! I have enjoyed their writings for many years. I hope they all land on their feet. Good Luck and you will be very missed.
As far as Nascar Scene I agree this publication has been going down for a couple of years. I used to get a publication of 60+ pages and now maybe 12-14 if lucky. The news was relatively old however, reading their articles was like visitng with old friends.
Good Luck to all of them. Just remember when one door closes another window will open. Lets hope that they will be on the cutting edge of the next Nascar media opportunity.
Twitter: SportSlant @TheDalyPlanet I believe also Rea White, David Exum, Jared Turner, David Griffith, Ben White, Mark Sluder and Shea Alexander .
The timing does stink. Most major layoffs come at another horrible time, before Christmas (my room mate, being in HR has had to layoff many in the past at holiday times & explains benefits & options :()
I feel bad for those losing their jobs, INDEED, just before the racing season begins. Would've been nice that they'd been given more warning.
The way it was done as in many places. Turn in keys, clean out stuff, leave computers escorted to the doors. Still, tough on all involved and especially the LONG TIME employees. . .
I hope they all find jobs again soon as they have been great to follow on Twitter and answer back (Jeff Gluck) and proven valuable to the racing community.
Tough times for many in this economy, but this is tough for the sport.
I did read Scene might be merging with Illustrated but did not know what that mean exactly.
That is sad news indeed.
When I logged on today, I felt that I lost a few good friends.
Those people were the best on keeping us fans informed.
They also provided us with insight on the stuff happening behind the scenes.
All of them were also willing to spend time with the fans (which really drive the sport)as well and providing us to give our perspective on the topic.
I agree with the other comments that NASCAR lost some great ambassadors to the sport.
I looked forward to getting my Scene every week and posted the TV listings on the fridge so that I could follow on SPEED and the channel de jure for the Sprint Cup race. It was not only the Sprint Cup news but the articles on the NW races and the truck races that often caught my fancy. Loved the letters to the editor. I feel like a big slice of my NASCAR fan life has gone. DANG!
Slightly less than 20 folks terminated today at Scene Illustrated.
With Twitter, blogs, NASCAR.com etc., I can see why old school papers are falling by the wayside. What a shame, those reporters were/are great! I'm concerned 2010 will go down in history as one of the toughest in NASCAR, due to the economy. MASSIVE commerical real estate loans about to default. No wonder Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae were given unlimited funds for the next 3 years.
Blessings to all those who were let go – it certainly has nothing to do with your quality of reporting!
I hope Jeff will stick around on Twitter, I might need him to help me choose a new name since it doesn't look like I am going to have any luck on my own... My 2009 highlight was getting to meet him (and the others) at Homestead, he is a great guy!!
~NoCluenPepsi
Jim Utter says Scene Daily and Illustrated will merge, keeping one website open.
Even my husband who doesn't follow NASCAR knows these names. He can't tell you who drives what car but he knows the names of may of the writers.
I'm shocked at this turn of events.
I subscribe to "Scene" and "Illustrated" because of articles by the journalists who were terminated. It would not be surprise me if I am out the $100 multi-year renewal that I recently paid.
What horrible news! Especially for the fans in accessing info. But of course, being jobless for all those folks sucks. Jeff Gluck is one of my fav twitters. Don't always agree w/his pt of view, but his writing is great. Not a very classy way to fire them either. I let my subscription lapse last yr after it shrank to about 20-30 pages. Expected that during the off-season, not during the season. What a shame..
I think stunned is the best way to put it. It's going to take a while to digest it, and then see what the impact will be. Hopefully, all those let go will find an avenue to share their work with us fans sooner rather than later.
GEEZ I really hate to see anyone lose their job in today's world, but especially people who did a good job and who I came to view as people I almost knew. I had gotten so I checked Scene almost daily and found it to be one of the best sources of news on the Net- especially since David Poole's passing. I had come to enjoy Jeff Gluck and tried to always read everything Steve Waid wrote. I sincerely hope they all are able to come through this well. Unfortunately it sounds like another voice with standards is on the verge of being silenced.
This is so sad. The people let go today were writers that I respected very much. I gained a huge appreciation for many of them when I started using Twitter and followed them through an average work-week. They are dedicated, incredibly hard-working and entirely focussed on giving us, the NASCAR fan, as much information as possible.
Though I wasn't a subscriber, I was frequently driven to the website by tweets from the writers and the RSS feeds. That stopped today. Sure, my 20 or so weekly visits to the website isn't going to have much of an impact on Street & Smith's bottom line, but it's the only form of protest I have, and I'm exercising it.
My wish is that all affected today will find their dream job very quickly. They're talented, dedicated people who serve the NASCAR community with distinction, and their voices need a new platform posthaste.
Good luck to all. You're missed already.
--KarenB
Being on the West Coast I got the news later than most folks and my day has been bummed since. I subscribe to both mags and I read Scene online daily so I feel a big loss of family and friends. The Professor said it best. Nothing else I can offer other than I'm rooting for them all to land someplace awesome soon! And I hope Jeff Gluck keeps sending his tweets...so smart, great insights...was totally looking forward to the 2010 season and Jeff's comments. Hang in there all of you. You're all too good to be unemployed very long :-) All my best,
fayanne (smokegurl14)
I'm sorry to hear about cuts at the Scene. Budget needs have such a cold edge to reality, especially when the cut is your job. It may seem like all is frozen for those with the job loss, but it's important to recall often that every iceberg has a tip that stays above sea level.
My suggestion to our unfortunate friends is to follow all the good advice from job experts. If that means training and a career change then consider it, but all the initial advice says -- don't be idle, get up and get your name out there. Sometimes a job change can have good results.
Our craft has had huge shifts in the past decade and as Internet media from day one, I've been amazed at the technological effects on traditional media. That's not stopping. The infomation landscape will just keep changing.
We all need to stay connected and be supportive. Networking always works, even when days are bleak.
If anyone feels I can be of any help please contact me at Zoomguys@aol.com. Just put MEDIA FRIEND in the subject line and I'll get back as quickly as I can.
JD - at least they didn't do it before Christmas that would have really been heartless. This will have a ripple effect.
This morning I didn't realize the ax was so widespread. I'm also a longtime subscriber to these mags and have enjoyed each and every one of these reporters, and appreciate all the hard work of them and support people. I'll be looking for you elsewhere!! I echo all above comments. But the way things have been going last 2-3 years, I'm more terribly saddened than shocked. I was let go from my publication in a similar manner 18 mo. ago. While I don't want to see these mags go out of business, I'll be very angry at S&S if they pull a stunt like what happened to us- hire all "newbies" at much lower salaries. Yes, business is business but that would be a violation of their customer's trust in the product, good articles written by a MIX of new and experienced people who earned the respect of their subjects over the years. If I find out that's happened, I will cancel my subscriptions.
In the past 2 years 2 of my favorite weekly magazines have become bi-weeklies, and still smaller - which was especially difficult to finesse for AutoWeek, now AW. Change does not seem to be slowing down, and much of it is not for the best.
Real bummer.
Sad to hear about the layoffs. Sign of the times through out the country. My son went 8 months before landing a great job, through a connection. Times like these you need to know someone.
At one of our Daytona 500 visits they had a booth. We took the bite with some free books if you subscribed. I enjoyed them for a while, but then started to see same articles/info on the internet. Couldn't justify renewing. This is the same problem all of print media is having. Couple that with folks everywhere losing their jobs and cutting expenses. Plus look at how we want more stuff; TV, radio, print, whatever all on our laptops.
Convergence of many factors all at once.
Good luck to all those affected. May this sad day turn into something positive in the not too distant future.
Very sad news one wonders what will be next.
Just got home from work and started to catch up on Twitter and was shocked. I read Scenedaily.com every day and was counting on Gluck to get me hooked up at this years Dover Tweet Up. I see MWR had Gluck post his Mikey/Dubai piece on their web site which I really appreciated. Hopefully they will all land somewhere that still lets us Nascar fans enjoy their talent
As someone who never read these magazines, nor heard of the writers until this past season, I'm am saddened. I started reading the website after joining twitter and learning of the writers thru ReTweets. Jeff Gluck has become one of my "must read" tweeters. If I find I've got hundreds of tweets and don't want to read them all I make sure I read his. Inturn, I follow the links he tweets. Which bring me to scenedaily. They have lost a new reader. To Jeff Gluck and all the other fabulous writers who have lost a job today... you will find a better one where you are more appreciated. Hopefully in the NASCAR area. I was looking forward to meeting Jeff at a Tweet-up this season. Hope I get the chance to still do so. Good luck.
Interesting that Scene Daily has now taken down their Facebook page:
http://facebook.com/scenedaily
I found out about this late. I am stunned just like the rest of you.
I didn't renew my subscription to the Scene paper in Nov after 10 years. I just couldn't afford it. Besides, I could read these guys anytime on line. By the time I received Scene, the news was old.
I'm sad that Gluck, etal are now unemployed. I hope it isn't for long.
anon 7:48, bet they couldn't stand the flak they were getting on FB! Mike Bagley's comments on the fireings were at 33 when I read it 3 hrs ago! Betchas it's more now..folks are mad & upset.
I find it interesting on the day when quality content (Scene Daily) takes a big hit, the Evil Empire (EESPN) announces it will spend more of the money it sucks out of cable subscribers on a new set of bells and whistles. Unfortunately, in my view, it seems that visuals trump thought in today's media world.
I guess this is a lesson about the electronic age. I read Jeff Gluck's tweet this morning and truly was sad for my twitter friends! It feels like we will lose a voice at the track and throughout the week! Following them this year definately brought better insight into what was happening in this sport we love to watch! (Because you know we were not getting it on the air)!
My prayers go to all that were impacted today! You have touched many people and we appreciate you!
@Richard in NC; It seems to me as tech improves, content deteriorates. WTH!
@Richard in NC
Yes I rolled my eyes about the 3D crap ESPN is going to offer. sigh
I did not follow many of the NScene guys except Gluck and he was a delight. I remember when he and others were tweeting LIVE from the awards show he had no idea they were tweeting "spoilers" so to speak and felt badly ..but WANTED to know what we were seeing at home. I just always got the feeling he really cared.
and if I recall correctly, he was the guy that sent out the last pic from the track of the day of it being empty of fans and others. I loved that! (If I have him confused with somebody else forgive me)
But yea, all these issues with the newspaper/magazine industry in general today....still, when you see faces and words we've become attached to leave, it shows the power of social media imo.
@scenedaily on Twitter = 1735 followers
@jeff_gluck on Twitter = 3534 followers
Next time @scenedaily comes up in your timeline - unfollow or block them in PROTEST and lets gets their followers down to ZERO!
Why not encourage your followers to do the same?
Damn. Waid, Hembree and White are longtime friends and colleagues. We'd often swap laughs, rumors and story ideas.
Hope all the displaced Scene folks find a welcome home within the sport. Their talent and perspective is too valuable for NASCAR to lose.
I'm also a longtime subscriber to both magazines and have enjoyed reading these reporters. echoing the above comments.
Hoping they continue their Tweets and keep us informed at to where & how to follow them and their insights.
This economy bites again!
Does it just mean I'm an old fogey to feel it's real bad form that there appears to be nothing about the purge on Scene Daily's website?
There are smart people out there who know how to make room for great writing and make money on it. I am hoping that someone figures out a way to keep these folks writing they did such an awesome job and shared parts of their life with us on twitter that made it so much better..
I am shocked......I feel like a great friend has just been hurt badly. I FOLLOWED Jeff Gluck on Twitter all last year, he is the Best ever in getting information to the fans. He has a good relationship with the drivers and always gave us bits of news we would not know from anyone else. I hope he finds another way to continue in the field he is so great in and we can continue twittering with him in NASCAR Jeff you are the best.....
Most of everything I feel has already been posted, but I wanted to add my support to the people who lost their jobs today at Scene. My heart sank when I read the news. It's a shame some of the most talented writers in NASCAR have been let go.
Jeff Gluck has become the friend I've never met in the racing world. We didn't manage to meet at The Glen last summer, but he was so kind in sending texts to me during the weekend.
Unfortunately the way they were treated at their dismissal is nothing new in the corporate world. I've known people who worked at companies for 20-30 yrs who were treated with the same disrepect.
I hope to hear they have been hired by someone soon. They will be missed.
I'm so sorry to see these great writers go, hopefully some other racing website will pick them up. It is true though that NASCAR Scene is a shell of what it used to be. I subscribed to it from the early 90's through 2003 and it was an amazing paper with great pictures and stories, but I picked one up at my local Walmart last year and I was shocked to see how thin and boring it was. NASCAR Scene has just outlived it's usefulness..just a shame the writers had to pay the price.
J.D.,
It's great that we get to read Jeff Gluck's tweets... but did we pay to read them? Who paid his gas money and hotel bills and plane tickets and meals? NASCAR Scene.
I doubt any of us would pay to read his tweets or Steve Waid or anyone else. Until someone figures out a way to monetize this -- and then the thieves will figure out a way to steal it and give it away -- we're killing the golden goose. We got spoiled.
I feel like such a jerk. I gave up my Scene subscription last Spring. I couldn't afford it. I knew I was going to read the same articles, but I wanted to pay for it. I wasn't going to use any of the products of their advertisers, but at least I could pay for the newspaper.
In the earliest days of the Internet -- I was around when it was a hobbyist thing with BBSes and landlines -- one of the mantras was "Information wants to be free." Well, it might want to be free, but it sure costs a lot to get it. Who is going to pay so Jeff can go to races and tweet to us and have Tweetups?
We have met the enemy and it is us (apologies to Walt Kelly and Pogo). We who want free information NOW and can't wait and pay for it to be printed on dead trees and won't pay when it's put behind a pay wall.
West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California
@anon 9:34--I thought I was the only one who called him Waid. I've done that since I first learned of him :).
I've been sad all day. But I know they'll get on their feet!
Yes layoffs treat you like a criminal these days. While I know there are some who would react violently they wouldn't.
Even Waid who had been there 30 years gone :(.
I've been friends with Jeff Gluck along with the others for years. Jeff and I always cheered each other on. He was working at a newspaper in California when I got my NASCAR gig at the Sporting News a few years back. Jeff was the first with the congrats and when SN decided to cut staff he was the first to lend support. Then when he got hired at Scene I was there to give him congrats..very sad, but I know how good he is and I know he'll bounce back...
I let my NASCAR Scene subscription lapse 2 years ago. It wasn't due to the quality of the coverage but rather the quality of the sport.
I used to be a die-hard to couldn't stand to miss a lap, now I can care less if I miss a whole race.
Best of luck to everyone affected.
The problem with printed media is it takes time to put together, print and distribute. Once the internet came on the scene people started getting thier news in real time. I personally prefer printed media but what's the point if you've already seen all the news on the internet. I noticed this with my local newspaper. More times than not there is nothing in there that I haven't already heard.
Very very sorry to hear of the firings yesterday. I loved receiving and reading my Scene magazine every week and reading both in print and online the articles and opinions generated by the writers that were let go there. Even if the magazine and website stick around in some form I will not subscribe (mine was due for renewal in February/March) as without the talent there to write there's no reason to have the subscription. :(
Best of luck to them all finding new roles.
Pam in NC
As a 10 year subscriber, those laid off are professionals in the nascar media and should have little problem finding employment elsewhere in the workplace. However, due to the obvious costcutting and internet competition, the newsletter has pushed itself to the point of mediocrity. The price went up around 20% and content reduced 50% during that time (that is why I didn't renew). May all those affected have the best of luck and will be an asset to any companies workforce
I wonder if SceneDaily will now start asking fans for a SUBSCRIPTION FEE for the 2010 season...
If taking away the publication was 'bad', that would be the ultimate slap in the face to NASCAR fans everywhere....
Pay for content... I guess the old 'ad supported' model isn't long to survive, is it!?
Sorry to hear this, but it's not surprising considering life in the newspaper business these days. I spent 18 years on the advertising side of a major daily before my job was eliminated two years ago, and the job cuts there had begun two years before I went, and continue to this day.
I wish the best to those who are out of work today - not just the "name" talent who we all know, but to the editors, photographers, and other "anonymous" staffers without whom the newspaper doesn't get published, but don't get the "glory".
Very sorry to hear that Scene is closing down. I enjoyed the writing of these very professional people. I've been a subscriber to Scene for years now and had recently renewed my subscription. Like many others, I checked the website for Scenedaily for the most current updates and waited for my magazine for the photos and other stories. I'm Not very happy about this at all and very sorry for the folks that have lost their jobs.
Man, it's a sad day in NASCAR when Scene doesn't have a full crew. As someone who has shared many a press room buffet lunch with Jeff, Ben, Rea, Steve and everyone else, this is a shock. Hang in and anything I can do to help will be done...
Very sorry to hear of the demise of NASCAR Scene. I have been a subscriber since it was called Grand National Scene. Having read the many comments posted here, I could conclude that maybe those let go actually contributed to the demise of this great publication through their use of the electronic media. I'm reading a lot of comments like "while not a subscriber, I love keeping up with Jeff Gluck's tweets". Keeping up with a writers tweets don't pay the bills. But hey, I'm old, what the heck do I know.
Heck, I am taking this harder than when they let some people go here before the holidays. Then again, I like Jeff, Lee, Lee, etc. better than my ex-coworkers anyway LOL. Heck, I read the PRINT because of "Turn One" and "Turn Four" etc. and the commentary. I already KNEW who won. That wasn't the point. Oh well ... someone with cash will be smart and scoop them up. (I still can't believe that "King France" doesn't have the NASCAR Network.)
Quite a few quality writers are going down the tubes while cut and past hacks like Pete Pistone are still collecting checks for rehashing everyone else's stories. During the boom of Nascar and the internet, we have been bombarded by instant experts. Now, as the media is thinned out by the economy and the sports shrinkage within the media, one can only hope that the real quality guys/gals will eventually replace the hacks and the Nascar fans will be treated to real reporting, not just re-hash specialists.
I loved the printed copys of Nascar Scene. What am I Going to readin the bathroom now.
I was one of the staffers at NASCAR Scene laid off yesterday. Believe me, NOBODY more than us hated to see the paper shrink over the last few years. While it was once the norm to be around 100 pages, the last issue was 32 pages. Some of you may not know that page count is dictated by advertising sales. As Ads went away, so did pages. Whereas we did print smaller papers lately, we did our best to make them the "best damn" papers possible.
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JD
I only learned of the demise of Scene as I was driving in my car this afternoon listening to Tradin' Paint and it absolutely saddened me. And then I felt a pang of guilt because I didn't renew my subscription a year ago and let the subscription that I gave to my brother each year for Christmas run out this past year. I felt like it's people like me who contributed to the failure. I was a Scene subscriber for many years and during the '90s it was practically my only source of NASCAR news. I lived for the mail delivery every Thursday when my SCENE would arrive. I first would have to look at the picture and caption on the inside back cover because that was always funny and then I would read the letters to the editor and then would sit down and read every commentary and every article from cover to cover. I loved the Busch and Truck coverage as well. But during the last couple of years that I subscribed, delivery became erratic. Instead of the Thursday delivery that I had been so accustomed to for so many years it started arriving on Friday, sometimes Saturday, and then it reached a point to where it didn't arrive until Monday or Tuesday of the following week. And the size kept shrinking with fewer pages. Some articles switched to web only and that's when I decided I might as well just read the web rather than continuing to subscribe to the print version that was arriving late. I know that if Scene hadn't had a web link I would never have let my print subscription run out. It's great having instant access to news on the web but sad that in turn we lose credible print publications. I have a great deal of respect for the writers, photographers, everyone who made it such a top notch publication for so many years and hope all of them bounce back quickly and continue to provide us with their insightful articles. Now I think I'll go drag out the plastic tote in the back of my closet where I stashed copies of Scene that had articles or pictures that were keepers that I had to hang on to. We're supposed to get a snow storm in Indiana tonight and I might not make it to work tomorrow so I think I'll just sit up all night re-reading and looking through those special issues. Thanks to all SCENE staff for some wonderful memories.
I have subscribed to this paper for 14 years. When it started it was THICK and had tos of articles and information. Here lately it looked more like a pamphlet (30 to 40 pages). I learned of the demise on the way to drop my kids off at school while listening to TMD.
While it is admittedly not what it was 10 or even 5 years ago, I still enjoyed reading it. It is true the internet is quicker, but I dont sit on the throne with a computer on my lap.
I feel for all those that lot their jobs, many of the BIG names I am sure will land on their feet.
Without trying to sound tacky, my current subscription does not run out until 2013, can a brother get a refund?
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