POLITICAL PLAY of the WEEK: Chuckie Graham Would Go, and Did, after Blue Edge Wiped Out

The Play this week diverts again from the originally intended Santa Barbara City Council election because this campaign has been so BOOOORRR-IIIINNGG this past week.

At least the Daily Sound wrote up a substantial article last Thursday about the Council candidates forum by Santa Barbara Regional Chamber of Commerce. No other news outlet covered this apparently revealing discussion, at least the way Daily Sound news writer Eric Lindberg wrote it up.

The Play this week is a story of not getting mad, but getting even.

Late last June, the Independent wrote up a revealing article about the imminent demise of Blue Edge magazine, the surfing news mag that Ampersand News-Press inherited from its acquisition of Goleta Voice a couple of years ago. Seems like the Blue Edge editor, Chuck Graham, and his staff were not kissing enough Wendy booty, so they left with some dignity and Blue Edge subsequently dulled and died after several years of consecutive monthly publications. (Unless no publication since the July edition is somehow still riding an imaginary Ampersand wave of extant publishing?)

Only three months later, a new surfing magazine debuts with a distribution from Port Hueneme to San Luis Obispo.

Deep Magazine literally hit the streets last Friday, with Chuck Graham as editor again. He still is listed as the editor of Blue Edge, as Ampersand obviously has done nothing with that website for three months.

Deepzine, "the Central Coast's Surfing and Adventure Aquatic Magagine," shares office space with Carpinteria Coastal View, as most evident by the same address and phone number. Coastal View last Wednesday included a preview article (page 13) for its new office-mate. The parent company also seems to be the same, RMG Ventures LLC.

In Santa Barbara, Deep Mag is free and so far is at local surf shops, surf-themed restaurants in the waterfront area, Open Wallet bike shop, and that haven with carbo-loading surfers: Sambo's. Distribution should grow more widespread.

The point here, Gentle Readers, is not that we really need more surfing magazines --although a Central-Coast-specific publication is great-- but rather that yet another new publication, both in print and web format, launched to compete with the vestige of the disgraced and increasingly vacuous News-Press-Mess-Less-Suppress.

According to Craig Smiths Blog Monday morning, another Ampersand product, Goleta Valley Voice, no longer has any reporters, and one wonders why Jim Logan keeps wasting his time and life there, playing a cruel joke in his ad now going around for a writer: "This would be a good gig for somebody with a bit of experience who wants to do everything at a little paper." Everything?

Recently salsipuedesed Hannah Guzik now returned to the womb at Carp Coastal View, and many other writers, editors, and other news crew have been drifting away steadily at Guzik did. Taking over the News-Press market share is becoming so easy when they keep giving it away by abusing their employees and being who and what they are.

Many have realized this for more than a year, but the News-Press is brain dead and just survives as a zombie on reflexive breathing. Noozhawk may gobble up another huge piece of its advertisers and readers, as it is led by true publishers, editors, and business managers. Unlike their last venture, we all hope it has true web writing worth reading.

For all the Chuckie-Would-Go Grahams, Nooz Raptors, and Teamsters prevailing in federal court, this Double-Barrel Ale is for YOU!

Getting even and living well, and gobbling up market share, is the best revenge.
And that is the Political Play of the Week!!