Remembering the Forgotten Elite

This letter is in response to the article regarding Levi's in the current Metro Pulse ["Global Threads," by Joe Tarr, Vol. 8, No. 29]. I know the article focused on the fact that jobs were going out of the country and once again, Americans were being robbed of work. But the article began with another example of how someone had to pawn their truck or whatever to survive.

Well, wah wah! These people need to get on with their lives. I lost my job with Channel One/Whittle Communications three years ago. Like the Levi's workers, we got a good severance package, although not as good as theirs. We had advance notice for years that the doors on the big house downtown were going to shut. I lost friends both locally and nationwide whose lives had been completely intertwined with mine for the entire seven years I was employed there. I had finally reached a salary level that didn't include another job just to survive. So far, I have refinanced my house twice, been partially unemployed for two of the three years, completely unemployed for six months of the three years and given up many niceties in life in that daily effort to not only bite the bullet but to chew on it, too, in my most stressful situations.

Everyone I have remained in contact with has had at least two or three jobs trying to fit in and find a new work home. But is Metro Pulse or that other daily sheet doing articles about our survival? No. We are the forgotten elite. But believe me, employees of the Christopher have struggled just like the blue jeans folks. Earlier there was an article in the News-Sentinel regarding that diner that has lost so much breakfast business. Once upon a time, a good lunch hour downtown was a cheeseburger at Garo's, cruising Watson's and Market Square, and a trip to Revco for the afternoon chocolate fix. Now, only Gary Oakes has prevailed downtown. Were these peoples' lives not affected also?

Please tell the Levi's workers to get a grip and get a job. Life goes on.

Sheila Graham
Knoxville

PR: Doing Good?

I want to commend Jesse Fox Mayshark for his "Spin City" article on the growth and misperceptions of the PR industry [Vol. 8, No. 25]. I recently left the media to pursue public relations and can appreciate the public's lack of understanding about the field. In most professions, there are both good and bad apples, but in public relations, the bad are often all that is seen. I used to think writing news releases and responding to reporters was the biggest part of the job—I am quickly learning I was quite mistaken. I hope your article gives both the public and the media more respect for a field that, in the words of one UT public relations professor, is relying more and more on the basic philosophy of "doing good and getting credit for it."

In Computers They Trust

George Brandon's indictment in his "Open Letter to Local Rock Stations" [Vol. 8, No. 28] should be required reading by every "suit" and wanna-be rock/pop programmer in town, followed by a trip to Atlanta where "classic rock" does exist. Unlike Phil Williams, I don't need [want] to hear ZZ Top every morning!

Thanks, George, for saying what many of us felt, and thanks Metro Pulse for your story ["Rock Radio Wars," by Mike Gibson, Vol. 8, No. 23], which only confirmed my suspicion that people in local radio trust computers more than their listeners.

Ben Carter
Powell

Editor's Note

In our July 30 issue, we ran a letter signed by "R. Faires" critical of Joe Sullivan's editorial on local judicial races. We would like to make clear that this letter was not written by Ross Faires, who tells us that not only does he "know nothing of the issues mentioned," but that he was out of the country when the letter was written. The letter was actually written by Richard Faires, a local attorney, who apologizes for any confusion his first initial may have caused.