"WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH "BLOGFATHER" JERRY MCHALE?

 

Jerry McHale, sometimes called "Brownsville's blogfather," but frequently described more colorfully, has been in soul-searching mode of late.

Well into so-called retirement with a near-empty nest, Jerry is frequently introspective, even nostalgic.  

Gone is the buzz cut of the athletic coach, replaced by a shaggier, more intellectual look, timeless, but solemn.  

Septuagenarians have a lifetime of regrets, triumphs and missed opportunities, all part of the well of information a blogger can call on to understand what they think they just saw or heard. 

We give you Jerry, in historical black and white, lecturing on the art of blogging:

  

Jerry McHale

We don't walk the streets collecting information, particularly during the summer season. We scan our screens to keep informed. From these sources, we collect tidbits as well as complete stories and selected comments to complement our site.

Ultimately, we do our own thing, which can be categorized as performance art with an informational/entertainment intent. There is no set format for blogging unlike mainstream journalism. Bloggers are only limited by their imaginations. Newspapers and news cast are limited by a thousand rules and the patina of objectivity. For once and for all: There is no such thing as objectivity. Humans cannot escape their own subjectivity.

Despite the plethora of events, we are in a slow-news-day frame of mind. After the runoffs in which we vigorously participated, we're burned out, but we still feel a commitment to keep The McHale Report relevant and popular. When we turn to our picture strategy, our readers know that we are going to the bullpen. Fortunately, we have a strong bullpen but with a twist. It isn't their job to put the fire out; it is their job to keep the fire burning.

The picture strategy is a success. On the blog there is not a drop in numbers and on Facebook we receive the same average number of comments. They say a photo is worth a thousand words, but nobody wants to read a thousand words. We streamline the process for our three readers.

We are so anal retentive at The McHale Report that we try to produce something--anything--on a daily basis. Blogs fail because they fail to constantly and consistently display new posts. In order to achieve this goal, bloggers have to be versatile. 

The need to write may endure stagnant periods, but the blank computer--we will occasionally put pen to payer--always offers a challenge. This piece is simply meant as filler. No hay ganas hoy. But we need our vigilant bloggers to substitute for the Herald that is little more than a ghost newspaper these day: No editorials, no essays, no investigative reporting, no columns, practically no nothing. In Brownsville the bloggers have stepped into the void.