Thad Ogburn, the features editor for Raleigh News & Observer, has been promoted to Metro editor. Last fall, Thad gained notoriety in the comics industry for expanding the comics section after an extensive comic poll. The decision prompted others, including myself to hope he’d run for president. In his new position, Thad will oversee the news staffs in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Taking over the features section is Debra Boyette.
We wish you well on your promotion, Thad. I know you’re a regular here and you’re always welcome when you need a break from the grind of the Metro section. Tell Debra that adding several more comics to the line up will also put her in god-like status.
Thad-
Please train your replacement before moving out! And congratulations.
Ditto on what Wiley said, Thad.
And Congrats!
Thad’s good people. He brought me on to freelance a weekly cartoon for The News & Observer’s Durham edition after I was canned (along with 80-odd others) by the new owners of The Herald-Sun. Smart guy and easy to work with.
(and FWIW: The circulation of my old paper has shrunk from about 51,000 daily to roughly 34,000 in the three years since Paxton Media took over. I’d like to think the sudden absence of a local cartoonist contributed in part to the decline.)
John,
Then maybe you should try to get some pillow talk (I mean striaght talk)
with John McCain. Wasn’t his favorite lobbyist a rep for Paxton Media?
Alan, Wiley, John, etc. â??
Thanks for the many kind words. Debra, my features successor, knows how important the comics are. In fact, I’m still going to be working with her for the next few months on our guest comic program. (We may even add another strip or two!)
Guess I can’t stay away from the comics pages. Some masochistic part of me must enjoy all those arguments with older readers that “Lio” isn’t really encouraging children to bomb school bullies, that “Pearls Before Swine” doesn’t lead people to smoke or that “Candorville” isn’t causing rampant out-of-wedlock pregnancies!
Thanks again.
Thad
Well you never know when an exploding cigarette that can cause pregnancy will hit the market, and it will be the fault of all those new damn upstart cartoonists!