Dottie and John's WSJ column "replacement"

The Wall Street Journal "Tastings" column ended last year, and the "replacement" appeared last week.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 03940.html

The new writer is Peter Hellman, a contributor to the Wine Spectator. The picture is a stock photo from Getty. The writing is much more in the standard vein of wine reporting. I'm quite disappointed.

Walt

It's also worth noting that this was an involuntary layoff.

http://www.vinography.com/archives/2009 ... asual.html

Walt

actually, Tyler Coleman is reporting the new WSJ columnist will be Jay McInerney:
http://www.drvino.com/

actually, Tyler Coleman is reporting the new WSJ columnist will be Jay McInerney:
http://www.drvino.com/

Now, that would be an interesting move. I'm not too enamored of his fiction, but what little I've read of his wine writing I've quite enjoyed (I would've preferred DFW in this role but, sadly, that is no longer an option).

Mark Lipton

I knew that I had not seen their column since the end of the year, and as it happens, I went to the WSJ Website yesterday to seek out why. I was floored at finding out they would no longer be doing the column, and very disappointed as well. Dottie and John's column is the reason I developed an interest in wine to begin with.

actually, Tyler Coleman is reporting the new WSJ columnist will be Jay McInerney:
http://www.drvino.com/

Ah, thank you. The guy I saw must have been a ringer. Here's a direct link to that post, for when it falls off the front page:

http://www.drvino.com/2010/02/18/jay-mc ... columnist/

Is there a specific day for the wine column?

Tastings used to apper on Fridays, but then was moved to the Saturday edition last year. I think it is still there in the new form.

Tastings used to apper on Fridays, but then was moved to the Saturday edition last year. I think it is still there in the new form.

Correct.

Long-standing (well-paid) writers for wine columns seem to have a tough time these days, like much of print media!

The Observer recently cancelled Tim Atkin's column, which was a shame.

Long-standing (well-paid) writers for wine columns seem to have a tough time these days, like much of print media!

To date at least (so saying as I touch wood and spit through the horns of the devil) the problem has been more in the USA and UK. Europe, Japan, Israel and Lebanon's wine writers are doing fine .... so far.

Indeed though a large part of the issue for publishers relates to how many people actually read wine columns (or, for that matter, theater columns, literary reviews, etc).

Best
Rogov

To date at least (so saying as I touch wood and spit through the horns of the devil) the problem has been more in the USA and UK. Europe, Japan, Israel and Lebanon's wine writers are doing fine .... so far.

Is that because print media in general in the US and UK has had a tougher time? Or something different about commitment to wine journalism?

Rahsaan, Hi....

I can only speculate here. Print media is in trouble the world over. I think, however, that throughout Europe wine columns have been as integral a part of print jouralism as long as have been theater reviews and both continue to draw large numbers of readers. In Israel and Lebanon I think it is because both countries have wakening wine cultures and an increasing number of people want to learn/know more about wine and thus focus well on the wine columists. A different game altogether in Japan, however, where most wine columns cater to wine snobs and those by heaven, whatever we think of them, are as devoted to wine columns as to wine.

Even though I am a person devoted in many ways to wine and gastronomy, what saddens me even more is that because of "hard times" many newspapers are dropping their literary supplements. Indeed a sign of deteriorating times!

Best
Rogov

Just another example of the "trashing" of the WSJ. One way or another I have continuously read the WSJ since the 1960's. We are now considering canceling our subscription. When the weekend edition started it was full of "different" things. They were great for the Saturday edition. Since the purchase these sorts of articles have become an increasing larger part of the M-F WSJ.