If all the Twitter comments and people in coffee shops looking a bit forlorn as they read the morning paper wasn't enough of an indicator that the community isn't happy about the cutbacks at the Times-Picayune, today's shipment of outrage should do the trick. A group called Save the Picayune is gearing up for a tailgate at Rock 'n Bowl, which will start at 4 p.m. and run til sundown, and feature music from Allen Toussaint, Kermit Ruffins, The Iguanas and Alex McMurray. Then, there's this statement from civic leaders that says they want to preserve a seven-days-a-week newspaper for New Orleans.

 

Known as the Times-Picayune Citizens Group, a statement released today said the group is looking "to open discussions with the current owners as well as other interested parties to achieve its purpose." 

 

 

"...the Citizens Group believes that it is important to clearly state its desire for The Times-Picayune to remain a daily newspaper, and that any possible future change be conducted in a more effective and considerate transition than what was announced to take effect beginning in September."

 

In the statement, Tulane President Scott Cowen cites the number of nationally-watched events coming up over the next few years as a reason the newspaper should remain a daily.

 

 

“In the next several years, the city will host an unprecedented amount of national and international visitors and media, including the NFL Super Bowl, NCAA Women’s Final Four, NBA All-Star game, commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and celebration of the city’s 300th birthday,” said Scott Cowen, president of Tulane University. “These events, along with the downtown opening of two new $1 billion-plus hospitals, deserve a more robust approach to news delivery.” 

 

Was that a dig, or is there just no other way other than "more robust" to describe a large flow of original reporting?

 

In any case, if the quotes in the statement don't have enough power behind them, try the list of people who have signed onto the Citizens' Group. Here's the preliminary list:

 

Jay Altman
Chief Executive Officer
FirstLine Schools

 

Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond

Archbishop of New Orleans

 

John Barry

Kent Blackwell

President

Burtheville Association of Neighbors

 

Ralph Brennan

James Carville and Mary Matalin

 

Tod Chambers, President

Mavis Early, Executive Director

Greater New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Association

 

Henry Coaxum

Chairman

New Orleans Business Alliance

 

Michael Cowan

Chair
New Orleans Crime Coalition

 

Scott Cowen

President
Tulane University

 

Flozell Daniels, Jr.

President & CEO
Foundation for Louisiana

 

Norman Francis

President
Xavier University of Louisiana

 

Ruthie Frierson

Founder & Chairman
Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans

 

Melissa Gibbs, Chair

Tommy Faucheux, Vice-Chair
GNO, Inc. NextGen Council

 

Leon Giorgio

Chairman
Jefferson Business Council

 

Rafael C. Goyeneche III

President
Metropolitan Crime Commission

 

Julie Graybill

President
Faubourg Marengo Neighborhood Association

 

Lucien Gunter

Executive Director
Jefferson Economic Development Corporation

 

Stan Harris

President & CEO

Louisiana Restaurant Association

 

Michael Hecht, President & CEO

Dale Benoit, Chairman

Greater New Orleans, Inc.

 

William H. Hines

 

Walter Isaacson

 

Tamara Jackson

Executive Director
SilenceIsViolence

 

Leslie Jacobs

 

Ben Johnson

President & CEO
New Orleans Chamber of Commerce

 

John Little

Chairman
New Orleans Regional Leadership Insititue

 

Dr. James E. Lyons, Sr.

Interim President
Dillard University

 

Nancy Marsiglia

 

Chassity McComack

Executive Director
River Region Chamber of Commerce

 

Ed McGinnis

Treasurer
Irish Channel Neighborhood Association

 

Reid McLellan

Chairman
Plaquemines Association of Business and Industry

 

Suzanne Mestayer

Chair
Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region

 

Anne Milling

Founder
Women of the Storm

 

Todd Murphy

President
Jefferson Chamber of Commerce

 

Thom Pepper

Chair

Lower 9th Ward Stakeholder Coalition

 

Stephen Perry

President & CEO

New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau

 

Wendell Pierce

 

Debby Pigman

President

Faubourg Delachaise Neighborhood Association

 

Dr. Patrick Quinlan, Chief Executive Officer

Warner Thomas, President & CEO
Ochsner Health System

 

Larry Rase

Executive Director

Northshore Business Council

 

Julia Reed

 

Stephen Reuther

Chief Executive Officer
St. Bernard Parish Chamber Of Commerce

 

Charles Rice

President & CEO
Entergy New Orleans, Inc.

 

Toni Rice

President
New Orleans Multicultural Tourism Network

 

Howard Rodgers

Executive Director
New Orleans Council on Aging

 

Nolan V. Rollins

President & CEO
Urban League of Greater New Orleans

 

Greg Rusovich

Chairman
The Southeast Regional Coalition of Business Councils

 

Harry Shearer

 

Nick Spitzer

 

Mark Vicknair

 

Dr. Thomas R. Warner

Chancellor

Nunez Community College

 

Dr. Joe Welch

Chancellor

River Parishes Community College

 

Alyssa Wenck

President
Young Leadership Council

 

Brandy Whisnant

Secretary
Junior League of New Orleans

 

Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., Ph.D.

President
Loyola University New Orleans

 

Tim Williamson

Co-Founder & CEO
The Idea Village

 

504ward

 

The Foundation for Historical Louisiana

 

French Quarter Citizens, Inc.

 

Lafayette Square Association

 

Louisiana Landmarks Society

Smart Growth for Louisiana

 

Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents, and Associates, Inc.

 

Diana Lewis, 1992 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient

 

Leah Chase, 1997 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient

 

Herschel L. Abbot Jr., 1999 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient
 

Alden McDonald, 2000 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient
 

Fran Villere, 2003 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient
 

Ruthie Frierson, 2006 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient
 

Bob Brown, 2007 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient
 

R. King Milling, 2008 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient

Scott Cowen, 2009 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient

 

Tommy S. Cvitanovich, 2010 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient
 

WIlliam Goldring, 2011 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Recipient