He has already read this John Kass column: What Would Royko Do?
Kass points out that today’s news media would not support Royko’s style, and I agree.
But the media landscape has changed, too. When Royko was working, the metropolitan daily was a big deal, giving one a chance at a mass audience. Syndication would net a bigger national audience. Television appearances might follow.
But now, the printed (or written word, more to the point) landscape has fragmented. Newspapers have faded in circulation and reach, but they’ve fired their old and grizzled and expensive columnists, replacing them with the same twenty-year-old know-nothings that write the news. Columnists like John Kass and Steve Pokin have gone independent or work for smaller outfits now.
So many different conditions have changed that mean we won’t see the likes of Royko, or Kass for that matter, again.
In fact, I had just read it and headed over here to see what you said ;-)
Some of that had already started happening to him. There was a protest outside Tribune Tower from people who claimed his satirical commentary on Pat Buchanan’s presidential campaign was derogatory to Hispanic people (I can’t find it now, but a report on that incident noted that Royko often didn’t write from the office anymore and sent the columns in from his home — meaning he would never have seen the protest).
We will not see the likes of the mid-to-late century metro columnists again.