Music Down Another Culture Writer in Seattle
posted by on April 15 at 11:12 AM
As if the ranks weren’t already thin enough, full-time Seattle Times classical music writer Melinda Bargreen sent a mass email to colleagues and friends yesterday announcing her departure from the paper. After 31 years in the job, she took the paper’s buyout, which in her words applied to “those who are eligible to leave because their positions are considered expendable (i.e. they would not have to be replaced if they left).” After a period of months, she may continue to freelance, she wrote.
Just after I opened the email (which was forwarded to me), I found this heartbreaking photo essay of the evacuation of American newsrooms by an insider, San Jose Mercury News designer Martin Gee (thanks as always, C-Monster).
Seeing as how most in the Bay Area are elitist dickbags that could care less about all the loss of jobs in the Heartland, i could give two shits.
Melinda covered *a lot* of music. She'll really be missed. I guess classical music groups had better get used to being reviewed by bloggers.
if i remember correctly, many of these people laughed off blogs in the early days. they could of jumped on the bandwagon a little quicker. the stranger took forever to jump in (anyone remember their old site?).
Melinda did a great job as a music critic, and for the state's largest paper to not have a voice in the local classical music scene is just pathetic. I don't think the two paragraphs the Stranger throws at the genre every week is going to do much to close the gap.
Melinda Bargreen is one of the classiest ladies in local journalism. She held her head high and performed her job competently, with dignity and style, through a succession if ignorant, insecure, incompetent Phillistine managers who were not fit to shine her shoes.
The Seattle Times needs Melinda far more than she needs the lot of them. Not having seen her e-mail, I am guessing that it reflects her innate elegance. Nevertheless, it can only be a flip of the bird to the Blethens, and to the scurvy pack of jackals and hyenas who manage the paper for them.
Enjoy the sunset, Melinda, and sip some fine wine for me. I remain your brother-in-arms and steadfast admirer.
"Melinda did a great job as a music critic"??? Who are you trying to kid? Bargreen is the definition of a featherweight and a hack. She constantly kisses up to Schwarz and Jenkins and rarely illustrates an even minimal capacity for honest criticism. I'm betting she'll find a great job in PR though.
Have to agree with #6. Melinda was a TEERIBLE critic. She traded in her critical integrity (and she does know good performance from bad, mind you, which is what makes her work extra offensive) for pride of position and prestiege. The SSO took extremely good care of her and in exchange she never printed anything but the SSO company line. She's not a critic or a journalist. She's a SSO PR operative. Good bye, Melinda. Hope the buyout was sweet.
They have a classical music writer at the Times?
No wonder they're bleeding red ink from their pores ...
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