Changes at Chicago Tribune

[Mark Stryker]

John von Rhein is retiring as classical music critic at the Chicago Tribune after 41 years on the beat. To put that in perspective: His tenure at the Tribune lasted almost double mine at the Detroit Free Press. He notes that Howard Reich, long the paper's jazz critic -- he succeeded Larry Kart -- will be taking over classical duties. It appears Howard will cover both classical music and jazz at the paper, which means that there will be a net loss of one more arts writer/critic in the world of daily journalism. No matter whether you like or dislike John or Howard, the continued contraction of the field is bad for everyone.

John announces his plans at the end of this column.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/vonrhein/ct-ent-classical-summer-festivals-0502-story.html

[paul secor]

I don't read the Chicago Tribune and don't know John von Rhein's writing, but he seemed to go out with class.

[Teasing the Korean]

6 hours ago, Mark Stryker said:

 It appears Howard will cover both classical music and jazz at the paper, which means that there will be a net loss of one more arts writer/critic in the world of daily journalism.

I have a friend who was a film critic, and after positions were eliminated, they wanted to make him film, music, and food critic.  He is enough of a renaissance man to have done all three, but he walked.

[paul secor]

I wouldn't mind watching movies, listening to music, and eating - as long as I didn't have to write about it.

[Mark Stryker]

2 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

I have a friend who was a film critic, and after positions were eliminated, they wanted to make him film, music, and food critic.  He is enough of a renaissance man to have done all three, but he walked.

I came aboard the Detroit Free Press as the classical music and jazz writer and an arts reporter, with the understanding that the classical music and related reported was the major focus. I did as much jazz as I could. About 10 years into my tenure in 2006, after the visual arts writer left and was not replaced, the job of covering the major museums and related news was added to my beat. At that point I was REALLY stretched, but was able to hang on because we still has enough other staff to offer certain kinds of relief. After additional cutbacks, however, and with the onset of two HUGE ongoing arts news stories that were my responsibility -- the Detroit Symphony strike in 2010-11 and the plight of the Detroit Institute of Arts within the Detroit bankruptcy in 2013-15 -- I felt as if the job became pretty much untenable. At least, I reached a burned out plateau that made taking a voluntary buyout a little more than a year ago the right option for me.I felt as if I aged 14 journalism years in the last seven that I was at the paper.