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Sun-Times Cuts Costs, Good Columnist
By JOHN F. KUCZAJ
Jeff Zaslow's last column for the Sun-Times was Wednesday. As originally reported in Michael Miner's April 6th Hot Type column, The paper decided not to renew Zazz's contract as a cost-cutting move. Zazz has been writing his advice/relationship column for the Sun-Times for 14 years.
As much as I like the Sun-Times, I have to say that this is a very bad move.
I remember 14 years ago when the Sun-Times lost Ann Landers to the Tribune (not a great loss) and the editors of the Sun-Times had a contest to pick the new advice columnist. Readers were asked to pick amongst the finalist. I remember that the editors decided to go with Zaslow and a woman-I want to say her name was Crowley? (correct me if I'm wrong) and she was a relative of the original Ann Landers (again, I may be wrong here). She only lasted a few years before dropping her column, but Zazz remained, and built quite a following. His columns regularly broke away from the usual question-advice formula into actual columns, or collections of ideas. I'll admit that at first I didn't like his column but I eventually came around. 12 years ago he started the Zazz bash, which became an unqualified success. All the while, he generated huge sums of money for charity.
Ah! But that was the problem. The money went to charity and not to the Sun-Times coffers. I suppose the paper could have asked Zazz to re-structure the revenues and at least cover his full-time assistant. I wonder if they tried that? I can only hope they agonized over this decision because Jeff has a legion of readers & fans.
I will miss Jeff's column in the Sun-Times, and I can only hope he gets picked up by the Tribune or the Daily Herald-his presence would only improve their papers.
Oh, and one more thing that leaves me uneasy with the direction the Sun-Times may be headed in…any paper that drops Jeff Zaslow, yet promotes the insipid, juvenile Paige Smoron to regular columnist is headed in the WRONG direction quality-wise. Want some evidence? Check out some of Smoron's mumblings and explain to me how she draws a paycheck for serving up tripe like that! That's a crime!
Gonna miss you, Zazz!
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