Love/Hate Mail
A gallant Galante
Having arrived in Nashville nearly a decade before Bob Oermann, I don’t know where Oermann gets some of his ideas about Joe Galante (“They Barked, He Bit Back,” Nov. 6). Galante has always been cordial and available to me whenever I needed a quote or an observation. Bob would have been a great resource person for your copy editor, though. I’m certain that Oermann knows how to correctly spell Floyd Cramer’s surname. As for Pam Lewis’ inability to “garner support for a possible lawsuit from previously ousted staffers” because no one (including Kay West) “wanted to cross Galante,” there was a precedent for that: It’s an institutional double standard dating back at least to the early ’70s when Helen Maxum was booted off Music Row, then stigmatized when she sought a legal remedy to employment discrimination. A few years later, longtime Nashville TV personality Elaine Ganick suffered a similar fate when, if memory serves, the veteran local radio/TV reporter/Entertainment Tonight stringer dared to tangle with the general manager of what is now WKRN-Channel 2. Record Row’s women, some of whom surely have justifiable claims, still must go it alone.
Stacy Harris
4215 Harding Road, Nashville
Same old tune
Other than being childish and whiny, your editorial cuisinarting Rebecca Paul was truly tiresome (“Finishing School for Rebecca Paul?” Nov. 6). We’ve heard the same gripes from all the local media since the day the woman was hired. Doesn’t the Scene have anything new to offer? If Ms. Paul is being paid too much, the fault lies solely with the lottery board, which was too lazy to conduct a bona fide national search that would have given them some wiggle room in the compensation package for the director. Don’t blame Ms. Paul because she asked for the store and the lottery board gave it to her. Obviously, she’s a savvy negotiator, a trait that will serve us well down the road. As far as Ms. Paul hiring people from Georgia (with lottery experience, oh no!), I have yet to hear of her overlooking a Tennessean with a track record in the industry. A brand new state lottery is not the place for on-the-job training, folks. And experience costs.
But the thing that disappointed me the most about the Scene editorial was its blatantly sexist tone. If Ms. Paul were a man who is “chain-smoking, hard-edged and blunt,” you would have said he is a dynamic, butt-kicking leader who gets things done. Sometimes, regrettably, even the Scene is myopic and provincial editorially.
I think its time for the grousing to come to a screeching halt and for everyone to get behind Ms. Paul and let her put together a kickass lottery for Tennessee. If we wanted some spineless, phony, ineffectual local debutante, we should have hired one. Instead, we’ve got a fire-breathing dragon, so everyone needs to just get out of the woman’s way and let her clear the path and show us the way. I’m betting it won’t be long before the Scene is kissing her ass, editorially speaking.
Edward Ditterline
edward@ditterline.com (Nashville)
That’s what The Wall Street Journal’s for
Upon opening the Nov. 6 issue of the Scene, I was hoping for some insight on the recent good news regarding the 7.2 percent increase in our economy for the third quarter. After all, our economy hasn’t grown at this fast of a pace since 1984. To my chagrin, I couldn’t find any mention of it, which surprised me, as I know the Scene has made a practice of painting the current economic environment as dismal as possible. It simply pains me to see a publication as good as the Scene choose a left-wing political bias over giving coverage to news that everyone can take solace in. Whether you sit on the left side of the fence or the right, a good economy is good for everyone (despite what political party resides in the White House). Our conservative leaders in all levels of government can provide good for this country as well. I just hope the Scene remembers that in the future.
Jackson Lowery
jalowery@deloitte.com (Nashville)
A “conservative” music section?
Why doesn’t the music section ever profile local rock musicians? I have never once been interested in any article I’ve seen in the music section. Why did you modify the Critics’ Picks and make it even more difficult for local bands to get any attention? It’s the small and up-and-coming bands that need your support to survive. You paper has a very conservative music section. The only time you ever mention any local rock bands is in the college issue and the readers poll. (What happened to all the categories that were there last year, and why did it shrink?) I guess all I’m saying is please support the local bands that have talent. Why shouldn’t they get the same coverage bands from out of town get?
David Conway
david@mbsproductions.com (Nashville)
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