Look Forward to the Future

I don’t mean to criticize, but has anyone else noticed how hokey the front page of the paper has been lately? Sunday they had a bunch of pictures of broken down old cars and a guide to determine what is and is not acceptable lawn furniture. Monday they had a giant picture of a man in a shower cap sporting a smile so big it was almost frightening. The accompanying article explains that the man is a very popular janitor at the local Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream plant. Yesterday wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t great either. The main picture on the front page of the paper was a desperate looking woman standing between two firemen who came to rescue her business from a flood. With all the action going on all over the world, doesn’t that stuff belong in the local section?

Today’s front page, however, today’s is the absolute worst. The headline on the front page of The Californian is “It’s so hot that…” Beneath the headline there are five pictures of local folks out and about and the temperature for wherever they were. What the hell? Is there really nothing more important going on in the world? Are they TRYING to reinforce the idea that Bakersfield is a hellhole for hicks? Has ANYBODY taken into account that many, if not most, of the new residents in Bakersfield are from L.A.? It’s like they have this huge new audience and they’re completely ignoring them. I can just picture some dude stopping for gas on his commute, glancing at the paper, rolling his eyes, then purchasing an L.A. Times.

It’s no longer 1982, people – stop writing to the same ol’ crowd.