Yeah, this column for the print edition of The Monitor will be my last, after one month shy of six years of genuine pleasure writing it for you. But it’s not my fault, I swear! For various financial reasons during an era where more and more companies are forced to make hard decisions, Transcontinental has decided it can’t justify the expense of putting out a print weekly in this area and for me to pretend I am happy with their decision would be a lie. I can’t blame them, however, because if you aren’t making money, what are you doing it for? The day The Gazette’s bottom line falls below a certain level, we will lose them, too. That’s the nature of the newspaper business today.
So, I leave as I arrived, thankful, this time for having had this glorious opportunity and for having had two very good editors to work with. David Goldberg hired me, our relationship was stellar, and this continued with Toula Foscolos, who always maintained her faith in both me… and this paper. I don’t know if I ever saw someone with so much gumption and determination as Toula possesses. She tried SO hard to make this work, she was $%@*&* amazing. I warned her I was going to use an expletive here and she warned me she would edit it out. That’s okay… as always, she is doing her job and doing it well.
The good news – and yes, there is good news – is that both Toula AND Briefly Bram will continue on with Transcontinental, via the miracle of the Internet. So, watch The Monitor’s website for more news on the businesses and personalities who make our West End tick, because my clock hasn’t run out yet. And I will continue to write in both print and on the Web for Wayne Larsen at the Westmount Examiner, another of my favourite editors to work with. Editors aren’t always easy. I’ve worked as one and I have written for many since I was a teenager and, frankly, many have been pains in the butt. Many have also been invaluable and taught me a lot. So, kudos to the better ones out there.
Finally, keep in mind that I am always looking for good story ideas. My e-mail address, bramsbriefs@yahoo.ca, will continue to find me if you’re looking and it’s always nice to hear from readers, whether you agree with me or not. I’m at the age where I can handle the criticism when it’s warranted.
Finally, I wanted to tell you about a very special West Ender who passed away quite prematurely and sadly in recent weeks. NDGer Valerio Michetti celebrated his 50th birthday in April and his celebration was a big deal, because life was never about him, but more about the people he cared for… which was everyone, family, friends and anyone who needed his help. ViVi, as he was called, passed away suddenly in his sleep, which caused untold grief to his father and younger brother, still recovering from the death of the family’s matriarch just three years ago. The Michetti family is destroyed, as well, but his closest buddies, Gio, Dino, Guy, Vince, Ross, Murph, Pete and Tony, who were inseparable since elementary school, are also really taking it hard. A regular reader of this column, I only got to know him personally in recent years and I am really going to miss him, too. Rest in peace, ViVi.
See, the death of a newspaper is something we can all transcend, but a special person can never be replaced.
