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# Of picks and pans and comic relief
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/of-picks-and-pans-and-comic-relief/
- Published: 2007-03-17T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:15:36.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Events, Promenade, #archive-import

This week’s Q-Line question asks: What kind of job do you believe the Santa Monica Daily Press is doing in covering the subjects and events that shape our lives?

Here are your responses: “IF I HAD ANY COMPLAINT AT ALL, IT’S that (the Daily Press) is getting a little 20-something. Don’t turn yourself into an entertainment rag, please. If you want to add local theater groups or different art shows, that’s fine. Don’t turn into what the TV network news programs have turned into. If I want to hear what is going on in the world I go to PBS. If I turn on the network news, they have two or three people sitting around talking about Anna Nicole Smith or Britney Spears. Take a hint from that. Don’t turn into something like that.”

“I FREQUENTLY READ ABOUT entertainment events that have already take place on the promenade or on the pier. But few of these have ever been announced in the paper before the event. How about a regular listing of promenade and pier happenings in the future?”

“COVERING ART IS FINE... AS LONG AS they just cover art instead of this crazy stuff that people call art. That doesn’t even look like anything. It’s not art. So just cover the art and the film festivals; student art even. You can cover that.”

“I’M FOR ART ARTISTRY IN SANTA Monica. I think Santa Monica is such a beautiful place for art. Let’s get it going, baby.”

“I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN ADVICE column in your paper. It is not only very entertaining, but very educational too. Thank you very much for your wonderful paper.”

“PLEASE DON’T TURN YOUR GREAT paper into another inane entertainment rag. We can understand you can make more money by pandering to special interest like restaurants, movie theaters and music reviews. But your newspaper has been the only real source of our crazy city’s local news.”

“THE SANTA MONICA DAILY PRESS should limit its arts and entertainment media coverage to its advertising department. One cannot open a magazine, turn on a television or peruse a major newspaper without being Sunday punched with all forms arts and entertainment coverage. I realize that it is difficult to be a city paper, and even though Santa Monica is a little big city, not a heck of a lot happens after the evening traffic jams and the sidewalks are rolled up at 7 p.m., with the exception of the pier, the Third Street Promenade and restaurants on Ocean Avenue. The Santa Monica Daily Press does an excellent job with its broad diversification of it’s news and photographs. If it is not broke don’t fix it.”

“YOUR PRIMARY VALUE IS AS A community newspaper. Maybe some coverage of the galleries here. We’re surrounded by Hollywood news and gossip. Please don’t add one more.”

“I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE THEATERS that are open to the community as opposed to locals with a lot of money that charge $30 a ticket for plays people can’t really afford. I’d also like to see more focus on a Santa Monica that is in the arts or is just progressive.”

“WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA! Entertainment and the arts are so interesting and important to Santa Monica. With the comic value of the City Council’s views and leadership, and don’t forget the extremely funny and entertaining shenanigans of the school board. This will be a very welcome addition to your paper. Maybe Kevin Herrera can contribute even more to his already entertaining reporting. Laughter and the arts is so important to all of us in this community. And destroying Santa Monica to promote dubious social gains is so funny and entertaining it makes one want to cry.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 17, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/031707.pdf?ref=smdp.com)