Gimme Rewrite, Sweetheart . . .: Tales from the Last Glory Days of Cleveland Newspapers--Told by the Men and Women Who Reported the News

Listen in as veteran journalists swap their favorite stories about life on the job at Cleveland's newspapers during the 1950s, '60s and '70s--when fierce competition between the Cleveland Press and the Plain Dealer made daily newspapers the most exciting business in town. It was a job unlike any other, putting out a daily newspaper for a major city. Back then, the door to the city room was wide open and you never knew who might walk in--strippers, mental patients, circus clowns, the mayor ... It was an amazing parade. The best stories didn't just walk in, though. Reporters wore out shoe leather, jammed dimes into pay phones, pressed their ears to closed doors. Photographers hustled to shoot the action, whether a murder victim or a murderer or the Girl Scout who sold the most cookies. Now, here are the stories behind the stories, told by the men and women who covered them--investigative reporters, society writers, theater critics, sportswriters, photographers, editors ... Their tales are funny, tragic, human and sometimes outrageous. Find out why reporters in those days knew they had the world's best job. This is a boisterous, inside look at "the first draft of history."

About the Author :
John Tidyman wrote for just about every publication in Northeast Ohio and was the author of several books. After graduating from Lakewood High School in 1967, he was drafted and fought in the Vietnam War, and returned a 19-year-old buck sergeant. After stints as a waiter, a warehouseman, and an air freight agent, he joined the Cleveland Press as a reporter. He later wrote for Cleveland Magazine, Ohio Magazine, and Corporate Cleveland Magazine, among others. He also worked in public relations at the East Ohio Gas Company. He didn't stop writing until his death in 2022.

Review :
A loving tribute to the art and science of being a newspaper reporter . . . The main thrust of this book is the rivalry between the "Plain Dealer" and the Press, which died--unceremoniously--on June 17, 1982. An era died with it. But you can relive those bumptious, boisterous, downright rowdy days of the 50s through the early 80s with this book . . . You'll laugh, you'll cry, and go back to it time and time again for a bit more of the joie de vivre depicted within its pages.--Kelly Ferjutz "CoolCleveland.com" (1/13/2012 12:00:00 AM) A welcome primary source of American History . . . utterly fascinating to read for pleasure, and highly recommended anyone curious about heyday of newspapers.--James Cox "Library Book Watch" (1/1/2010 12:00:00 AM) For anyone who ever worked for--or, for that matter, read--a newspaper, it is an absolute delight.--Richard Osborne "The Morning Journal" (11/9/2009 12:00:00 AM) Portrays an era of wild public discussion, when Cleveland had three daily papers competing for news . . . the breaking stories, the deadlines, the dead bodies, the martinis. It's a great portrait that, even if you didn't live through that age, will make you miss it.--Michael Gill "Cleveland Scene" (11/25/2009 12:00:00 AM)