chuckography

A visit to my newspaper...

Once a year I go back to my newspaper.

When I worked there for eight years, I loved being part of the major news service.

 I had been hired to build and promote InfoLine, an information device that used the telephone.

I retired from The Post and Courier more than 8 years ago but always return on New Year's Eve.

That's the day they invite retirees to come by for a buffet and working staffers come downstairs to say "hi."

This time I also wandered across the hall to where the giant presses were running.

Because I go to a lot of very loud concerts,  I carry professional  ear plugs all the time.

Only one press was running so it was not too noisy.

The Moultrie News was coming off the press at a steady clip.

A conveyor takes the folded papers up, up, up to a flat transporter that moves them several hundred yards through a slot into another large room.

This is a much quieter place where pre-printed color advertising inserts are tucked by hand into the paper. Hmm, probably machines do that now.

Then they are assembled into bales, bound with wire and loaded in the back of trucks for delivery.

When the daily morning paper is being printed, there is a lot more activity and noise.

My old office was on the same floor and when the presses were all turned on for testing and fine-tuning in the afternoon, the rumble and roar could be heard and felt.

Vending machines, tables and chairs were arranged for the pressmen who kept these heavy beasts up and running.

This was in a "quiet" area but they could keep an eye on the presses through a thick glass wall as they munched lunch.

If you have never seen presses running, check and see when tours are scheduled.

School groups used to pass by my office on tour and I always wanted to rush out my door and run past them screaming "STOP THE PRESSES!"
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That would have been funny.

(Click on the pictures for more details.)

If you want to see the high speed process of putting ink-on-paper, better do it soon.

Tablets, laptops, Smart phones and social networking are making it a race against time.

Maybe.

Labels: Facebook., InfoLine, laptops, Moultrie News, pressmen, Printing presses, smart phones, social networking, square folded paper hats, Stop The Presses., tablets, Twitter

posted by chuckography @ 10:12 PM