Saying Goodbye to The Post

The end of one year and the beginning of the next is always a bittersweet moment, causing thoughtful people to reflect on lost possibilities while pondering what new opportunities might lie around the corner. 2007´s departure, however, is especially melancholy for me. After nearly 130 years in business under one name or another, The Cincinnati Post published its last issue Dec. 31.

The Post is where I covered City Hall and local politics for seven years, ending in late 2005. Along the way, I became friends with a hard-working staff that regularly gave its readers stories they wouldn´t see anywhere else, all done on a shoestring budget.

I would bet most of CityBeat´s readers have probably never picked up a copy of The Post and might not have even realized it still was published.

But The Post´s death does matter to our readers, because it´s one less voice and one less perspective that Greater Cincinnati readers have about events that shape their community. As newspapers continue to figure out what roles they should fill in the Internet age, some publications like The Enquirer are playing it increasingly safe — and boring — by offering just a stream of breaking news and light features for its readers, neutering their content and dumbing themselves down into oblivion.

As one chapter ends, though, another one begins.

Beginning this week, CityBeat has refreshed its design and begun offering some new weekly features including the revamped Porkopolis, which I will be handling. Going forward, we hope to focus more on columns and offer provocative, lively material that will connect more with our readers, along with rededicating ourselves to giving you stories that you can´t find in other local media.

Stick with us, because it should be a fun ride.

I normally don´t believe in shilling products in a column, but if it helps screw up the latest hare-brained scheme from local government and stops the further spread of Big Brother into our daily lives, the exception is worth it.

Hoping to avoid a $25.4 million deficit this year, Cincinnati City Council last month approved the use of automated traffic cameras at intersections to snap photographs of motorists who run red lights. That´s right, the move was done to generate more cash for the city´s treasury — an estimated $4 million per year — not to improve public safety or because there´s an increase in crashes at intersections. For a public already grown cynical about most politicians, this is just one more reason to shake its head and sneer.

Here´s a direct action you can take to thwart the best laid plans of Da Man.

For just $30, a can of PhotoBlocker Spray (www.photoblocker.com) supposedly will put a high-gloss coating on your license plate that will result in any photos taken being over-exposed. Each can is enough for two vehicles, its manufacturer states. Any daring readers might want to try the same thing using lacquer or varnish. Let us know if it works.

This article appears in Jan 2-8, 2008.