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Moving On

Posted Jun 3, 2008 by Billy Townsend

Updated Jun 3, 2008 at 01:42 PM

A brief programming note: I have taken a non-journalism job in Tampa and will be leaving the Tribune and TBO.com a week from Friday.

I do not know what the paper/TBO plan to do about staffing the Polk office after I leave. But I do know that Polk has developed a pretty high profile in the Tampa office, particularly on line, but also in print. There’s a lot going on out here, and my bosses and colleagues have come to realize that, I think. And we continue to have Jennifer Leigh, one of the best TV journalists working in Florida today, as our resident Channel 8 reporter out here in Polk. So I’m optimistic.

I am also planning to remain in reporting and commentary as an amateur, taking advantage of the excellent online media infrastructure that has been built here over the past two years. I hope that will allow me to maintain a voice in Polk politics and media. Who knows, I may even be able to offer Tom Palmer the same helpful critiquing service he has so generously provided to me and others over the past year or so.

Stay tuned and thanks for reading. I’ll have something mushy to say later.