Home › Opinion › Opinion
Moraga: Taking in a new view
Finding other ways to improve communications
Download this story as a podcast!
STORY TOOLS 
More from OpinionA recent Sunday newspaper article read: Star to close Spanish-language publication, three positions eliminated, new Spanish-language publication to appear March 19.
These are indeed difficult times for the nation's media. How do you provide a much-needed product or service to the community while ensuring you remain a profitable business in order to employ workers and meet the needs of investors?
That is the challenge facing all media nationwide, which have seen circulation and viewers drop, as consumers and advertiser migrate to the Internet and myriad other information sources.
I will always have a hard time resisting the urge to check out the headlines and grab a copy in any newspaper rack I walk by.
But, by the same token, I also do not have a problem jumping on my computer or opening a Web page on my iPhone to check out the latest news from The Star, CNN.com, MSNBC.com or any one of hundreds of credible, and maybe not so credible, sources.
The recent headline and story in The Star have a more personal connection for me.
I've had to say goodbye to two good friends and co-workers who have done an incredible job of serving the local community. They are now on to other opportunities and I wish them all the best of luck and success in the years to come.
The transition from one publication to another has also provided me with the opportunity to rethink my life's goals, the eternal question: "What do I want to do when I grow up?"
I have loved, and will continue to love, journalism. I met my wife in a journalism class at Ventura College when we were both transitioning from the world of manual typewriters to computer typesetting machines. I fondly remember the times I would take my daughter with me to work at a weekly newspaper, as she pounded on the keyboard to create her own 10-year-old's version of a newspaper.
Thankfully, she chose a career in business instead of journalism, so at least I have the possibility of having someone with a financially secure future to take care of me in my old age.
While I have loved a career that included learning skills such as news, feature and commentary writing, photography, page design, and community relations — and I have loved working for everything, from weekly newspapers, including the Ventura County & Coast Reporter and the Ventura Sun, to daily newspapers, such as the Orange County Register, the Oxnard Press-Courier, the Ventura Star-Free Press and, later, the Ventura County Star — I have always felt there are other ways to help improve communications between our region's media and the public, businesses and nonprofits. I'm still in the process of figuring out how to do that, so I will use this time to take a break, climb to the top of the hill to see where I've been and chart my course for a new and exciting direction.
I will miss my friends and co-workers at The Star. They have been a great source of inspiration for me — people dedicated to providing the public with the information they need, not just what they want. While I will miss them, I will not be too far away. After taking some time off to recharge my batteries and spend precious time with family members, I will embark on this new career path.
And for those who may miss my occasional columns, don't worry. I won't be too far away, as newspapers and media offer an excellent opportunity to offer my views on media diversity and community inclusiveness through letters to the editors, guest columns, citizen journalism and other forms of communication.
Thank you very much for reading my columns and commenting on them. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve the community by providing you a voice in our local media, a link to a dedicated band of hard-working journalists and all those who work hard each day to bring you the news. I look forward to continuing this partnership in the years to come.
— Lifetime Ventura County resident Frank Moraga can be reached at fmoraga@mac.com.
Posted by schlederdecopan on March 21, 2008 at 12:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Don't let the door hit you on the way out!!!
Posted by steveb36701 on March 21, 2008 at 4:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Take Larsen with you.
Posted by YaitsmeJennieG on March 21, 2008 at 5:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So we can say goodbye to all the illegal immigrant glorifying this is the United States Yes based on immigrants but LEGAL immigrants P.S. I am hispanic
Posted by jw1000 on March 21, 2008 at 7:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is America. English is our language. I say get rid of the wasted Spanish channels on Time Warner cable also. That bandwidth could be used to add more high definition channels.
If people don't want to learn English when they come here they should just get out. We should not have a bunch of print and broadcast crap in Spanish or any other foreign language.
Posted by whatever on March 21, 2008 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I like the first post. My sentiments exactly. I guess it shows you weren't thought of fondly huh Moraga! Bye Bye you won't be missed.
Posted by AskingQuestions on March 21, 2008 at 5:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
On the contrary, you will be missed greatly. For many, many reasons: not the least of which is providing the opportunity to dialog and engage in thoughtful discourse. Of course most of the "thoughtful discourse" did not occur on this comment board. Successful people change careers and achieve new sucessess. You will be no different, I know. I am a very proud Hispanic, Latina/o, Mexicano/a born in this land of our fathers of Mexican parents. I have changed careers three times and have success each time. I know that Frank Moraga will be around to continue offering opportunities to engage in thoughtful discourse. Frank, good luck to you -- "que Dios te bendiga". Translation: "God bless you" for those of you challenged by only knowing one language.
Posted by schlederdecopan on March 21, 2008 at 7:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No permitas la puerta a pegarte va pa afuera!!
Sacas Larson contigo tambien.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out!!!
Take Larson with you.
It doesn't matter how many languages you know. Using the english language of this country or by using a language from a corrupt socio-narco 12 family run 3rd world mess, it always means the same thing.
Posted by DavidHoward on March 21, 2008 at 7:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Frank, Gracias por todas tus aportaciones por el bien de nuestra comunidad. Te extrañaremos mucho. Siempre he disfrutado mucho tus artículos, escritos con compasión e inteligencia.
Thanks for your many contributions to our community. We will miss you.
Posted by luvsDC on March 21, 2008 at 8:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"These are indeed difficult times for the nation's media."
No, because of the slant to liberalism, I would say the "news media" is hurting. Conservative talk radio is doing just fine, thank you.
The reason why newspapers are hurting is because people are tired of reading the same 'ol liberal gibberish.
Read, "Weapons of Mass Distortion," (Bozell) to learn about how the news reporting media is in the Democrats' back pocket.
Posted by shaver_one on March 24, 2008 at 10:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Talk Radio, whether conservative or liberal, is not news. It is opinion...editorial coverage. Little news comes out of Talk Radio beyond the first sentence.
The 'Mainstream Media' is not limited to just "the same 'ol liberal gibberish". Fox News, which boasts of the largest cable viewing audience, must also be included in the 'Mainstream Media'. If a channel has the majority of viewership, according to Bill O'Reilly and Brit Hume (among others) it cannot be considered iconoclastic...but rather, mainstream.
Read "The First Casualty" by Daniel Borstein, to realize what government, any government...all government...will do to suppress the free press. It happened during WW II. It happened in Korea. It happened in Vietnam. It happened during the Persian Gulf War. It's happening today, in Iraq and Afganistan. It happens in every war, by every country participating in that war, whether the US or a foreign nation, especially in a foreign nation.
The first casualty of war is...Truth.
(Requires free registration.)
Article discussions on this site are to support community debates of issues related to our stories and editorials.
Discussions should not stray from the subject of the story or editorial.
We do not allow the following:
We reserve the right to delete threads and/or ban users for these or other reasons we deem necessary.
Opinions are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.