Posts Tagged ‘Pat Howard’

ErieONE: area’s first 24 hour news channel launches

April 1st, 2011 joel
ErieONE

Erie's 24 hour News Channel

The 24 hour news cycle has come to Northwestern Pennsylvania.

ErieONE, the area’s first fulltime local cable news channel launched today from storefront studios in downtown Erie, providing that TODAY show like “window on the world.”

According to a release, ErieONE General Manager Freddy Phirster said, “we’ve made a station that you’ll want to come to first. First in news, first on the dial, and especially first in ad sales!”

The channel spared no expense for its news team and set, complete with a 1/16 scale replica of the Flagship Niagara as the center piece. Weather shots originate from the bow of the ship, but instead of a human meteorologist, in the grand tradition of legendary Erie TV weather puppet Skeebert Skedaddle, ErieONE uses a maritime-themed hologram forecaster named Ollie. The snowy forecast for today was prefaced with an appropriate “shiver me timbers!”

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Posted in From The Editor Tags: , , , , , , 5 Comments »

Poll: are 3rd District ads helping you make up your mind?

September 20th, 2010 joel

For a couple weeks our readers have weighed in on which Erie Times-News columnists they look forward to reading. Some 41% of P&T poll respondents said they never miss a column by Managing Editor Pat Howard. A quarter said they’ll read Ed Matthews column regularly, and 15% don’t miss columns by Liz Allen, Kevin Cuneo, or Dave Richards.

Labor Day was the unofficial beginning of the fall political campaign, although we have seen political ads on TV all summer here in Erie. The Washington pols love Erie because it’s so cheap to buy time here, and in one spot break on Monday morning (9/20), the entire pod was filled with ads referring to either Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper or her opponent Mike Kelly, except for one PSA. Not all these ads are directly from either campaign, but many come from the Congressional committees or private political action groups.

PA-3 is bound to get tons of money infused into this campaign because Dahlkemper is considered to be vulnerable as the first Democrat to win in 2008 after decades of Republican representation in this area. So six more weeks of accusation and counter-accusation.

Are the ads having any impact on the way you will vote?

Are the TV ads for Kathy Dahlkemper and Mike Kelly helping you make your voting decision for PA-3rd District Representative?

  • I have already decided (83%, 39 Votes)
  • I'm still undecided, but the ads are helping me decide (6%, 3 Votes)
  • I'm not interested/I will not vote (6%, 3 Votes)
  • I am still undecided, and the ads are confusing me further (5%, 2 Votes)

Total Voters: 47

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Posted in Polls Tags: , , , , , , , , , No Comments »

Poll: who’s your favorite Times-News columnists?

September 6th, 2010 joel

According to the readers of Press and Tower, the Erie market is in sore need of an alternative rock station, adult or otherwise. Well over one-third of our poll respondents said that if a local radio station was looking to flip formats, they should consider the alternative or Adult Album Alternative format. The next missed format is Oldies.

Open memo to the administrations of Gannon University and Mercyhurst-North East: find a few bucks in the budget to advertise your radio stations…there are people out there that want to listen!

At the risk of injuring my “journalistic detachment,” I must admit that I’m a big Pat Howard fan. I enjoy his frank, curmudgeonly and skeptical persona, and usually agree with his take on the local issues du jour. I get a sense that he might be a bit left of my politics, and I only skim through his bike stories (although I could definitely use the exercise), but for the most part, I look forward to every Sunday column.

Do you have a favorite columnist in the newspaper? Is their spot-on opinion or turn of phrase enjoyable to you, or maybe there’s a writer that you “love to hate?” I’ve listed all of the local opinion and feature columnists I could find on GoErie, and am asking you to pick your favorite three. I didn’t include sports because they appeal to a narrower audience.

Who are your "must read" Erie Times-News columnists (non-sports/choose up to 3)?

  • Pat Howard (41%, 15 Votes)
  • Ed Mathews (24%, 9 Votes)
  • Kevin Cuneo (14%, 5 Votes)
  • Liz Allen (14%, 5 Votes)
  • Dave Richards (14%, 5 Votes)
  • Meg Loncharic (11%, 4 Votes)
  • Lenore Skomal (11%, 4 Votes)
  • Monica Lewis (11%, 4 Votes)
  • Jennie Geisler (5%, 2 Votes)
  • Pat Cuneo (5%, 2 Votes)
  • Lindsey Poisson (3%, 1 Votes)
  • Joan Benson-Cacchione (3%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 37

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Posted in Polls Tags: , , , , 10 Comments »

Deep Background for February 7-13, 2010

February 7th, 2010 joel

Without a lot of help from me, the readers and commenters here on P&T engaged to another 3,000+ page views this week. Thanks!

On this atypical, relaxing Sunday morning, I have to gush about how much I enjoy the Sunday morning newspaper reading experience. I know that the Erie Times-News gets a lot of criticism from these pixels and other inked spaces, real and virtual. But for me, as I learn about my surroundings from what I call “the everyday miracle” of a published newspaper, my pleasure synapses fire.

This morning, my first read was the Page 1A cover story about the rise of truancy in our city and county. Next, I shared with my wife the snowfall totals in DC, Philly and Baltimore…it’s funny how much glee we Erieites receive when others get buried with snow! A weekly must read for me is the Pat Howard column, who’s cranky take on most issues seems quite reasonable to me. Finally, it’s onto the Editorial pages, where this week the Board has established it’s Agenda 2010.

Do I agree with it all? Certainly not! Do they get it right every time, or do they always keep their bias hidden? No way. But the voice of the Erie Times-News is as valid as any other, and the millions of dollars they invest in newsprint and bandwidth continues to be a cataylist for making Erie “A Better Place.”

Your responses welcome here on this open forum, or email or tweet me.

Embrace the chaos!

Posted in Deep Background Tags: , , , , 9 Comments »

Poll: what’s your next gadget purchase?

October 20th, 2008 joel

Our polling unit here at The Press and Tower asks the tough questions…most of the time. Last week we wanted to take the temperature of our respondents as they related to the printed opinions of Pat Howard of the Erie Times News. Response was mixed. Where almost 40% usually agree with him, over one-quarter do not read his column or were ambivalent, and under one-fourth think he’s too liberal. So Mr. Howard can take solace in the fact that his readers generally agree with him.

This week, let’s talk gadgets. It’s no surprise that media-types like their technology. What will be your next purchase?

What's your next gadget purchase?

  • HDTV flat screen set (31%, 9 Votes)
  • XBox/Playstation/Wii game console (21%, 6 Votes)
  • Blueray/DVD player (17%, 5 Votes)
  • Blackberry/Palm/Smartphone (10%, 3 Votes)
  • iPod/MP3 player (10%, 3 Votes)
  • Computer (7%, 2 Votes)
  • Squeezebox/Internet radio device (3%, 1 Votes)
  • Surround Sound/audio system (1%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 29

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Posted in Polls Tags: , , , No Comments »

Poll: How do you line up with Pat Howard’s views?

October 13th, 2008 joel

Based on our poll last week, a plurality of P&T readers get their sports fix most often from online sites and blogs, with cable sports running a close second. Local radio and TV sportscasts tied for third place.

This week we get a little political. It is without question that Pat Howard, Managing Editor of the Erie Times-News is the most pervasive editorial voice of the Erie traditional media. How do his values line up with yours?

How do you line up with Pat Howard’s views?

  • I nearly always agree with him (37%, 15 Votes)
  • I don’t read him/I’m ambivalent (27%, 11 Votes)
  • I rarely agree with him; he’s too liberal for me (22%, 9 Votes)
  • I rarely agree with him; he’s too conservative for me (7%, 3 Votes)
  • He aligns with me about half the time (7%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 41

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Posted in Polls Tags: , , , , , 3 Comments »

Times News shifts into NewsSpeed

September 23rd, 2008 joel

Check this morning’s paper for some jet engines attached.

As Erie Times News Managing Editor Pat Howard wrote in his Sunday column, “Daily deadlines won’t wait for high-tech learning curve,” about half of today’s (Tuesday 9/23/2008) paper was created with a new Content Management System, which allows the reporters, photographers, and editors to fully manage the work flow of their stories from words and pictures in their heads to ink and graphics on the pages you read in your PJ’s or on the bus.

Mr. Howard confirmed with The Press and Tower that the new CMS is the NewsSpeed Editorial/Pagination Suite by Digital Technology International out of Utah. According to DTI’s website:

A newspaper’s most valuable assets are information and the ability of writers, editors, and advertisers to tailor that information to suit the needs of its readers. DTI’s NewsSpeed Editorial/Pagination Suite helps you unify your data so this valuable information is not locked into a format that is designed for one purpose–to put news on paper.

(more…)

Posted in Newspaper Tags: , , , , , , , , No Comments »

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