I had nothing to compare it to before 1974 when I was a freshman at VT
But it was still a very good product when I was there. Had like a 130,000 Sunday circulation, and the three other writers whose desks were around mine - Doug Doughty, Steve Waid and Jack Bogaczyk - are all in different Sportswriting Halls of Fame. I learned much from them.
Brill will always be a lightning rod to people who didn't like his writing due to his perceived dislike for Virginia Tech, and I'm not going to argue that. He didn't. But when it came to being a professional journalist, I learned a lot from him. He was a pro, and even though we didn't get along, whenever I would see him at other sporting events, he was still supportive.
One year I won first place for sports column writing for medium dailies for the third year in a row, and it was the only VPA award my newspaper in Martinsville won, so there was no table of co-workers to sit with. Brill invited me to sit with the Roanoke group and made me feel like I still worked there.
So yeah, he didn't like the Hokies. But he was still a good man.
And yeah, I know the history of Landmark. I grew up in Norfolk where they managed that newspaper and organization. I can't say I agree with your opinion on their managing skills. 10 years later, maybe. But they were a thriving company when I worked there.
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In response to this post by hokiewasp)
Posted: 04/12/2021 at 11:56PM