But Fitness First President Peter Harvey now says that "late last week, we learned that this is not the case. We received formal notification from JBG, that they intend on terminating our lease to commence their redevelopment efforts. It is no longer financially feasible to continue to fight their efforts to redevelop sooner, and so we are sad to announce the closing."
This is sad news for members of the gym, who Harvey says will not be billed for dues in June, for which their prepaid month of dues will be applied. But it also is the final sign of the restart of this project for JBG, which I have been documenting for the past few months.
Oh no! Good thing we have affordable alternatives like Soul Cycle
ReplyDeleteGlad the charade by Fitness First is over. No way that budget gym was going to stand in the way of a major redevelopment.
ReplyDeleteZimmerman's article was better. Quality can't always be rushed.
ReplyDeleteBethesdians are looking forward to the day when Robin Ficker is evicted.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Ficker's parents will ever kick him out of their house. At least not while he files as his address for campaigns.
DeleteLooks like the other site wrote on Dyer's scoop a few hours later, and no attribution to him. Sad!
ReplyDeleteBoth used information provided from an email from Fitness First. No attribution necessary...they didn't lift it from Dyer. I will say, however - Dyer has put some good reporting on this together over the past few months.
Delete12:29: Wrong - there was no email to media by Fitness First. The small and slightly-failing magazine learned of the closure from my earlier report, and therefore was obligated to cite me as the source.
DeleteWe're always a day late and dollar short.
ReplyDeleteLast year I didn't pay my interns, now I'm charging them to come in.
Speaking of dollars, has everyone "donated" to my failing Jazz Club yet? By "donating", I mean bailing me out.
Dyer beat Bethesda Magazine because they have a structured website that has advertising content, links, etc. Dyer has a blog. Things take a little longer. They both produced fine articles. Neither was earth shattering reporting, however.
ReplyDelete12:42: Total b.s. They were late because they didn't have the scoop, then had to desperately track down the information. My site has all the links, etc., too, just I beat 'em, that's all.
Delete"Anonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteLooks like the other site wrote on Dyer's scoop a few hours later, and no attribution to him. Sad!"
Maybe because he got his news from the original source. Does Dyer pay you to be his mindless shill?
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ReplyDelete1:15PM- Yes, it is sad to ask readers to bail out your businesses.
ReplyDeleteRobert Dyer posts under his name, as he always has done for years now. Well established.
If you help bail out the club, presumably you get favorable coverage in the magazine and the "blog of record"?
ReplyDelete1:51 PM Robert Dyer only posts under his name, as he has done since this blog first published.
ReplyDelete1:30 PM, 1:51 PM - How are you actually in a postion to know that? Seems to me that the only person who would know when Robert Dyer posts, and under what name - is Robert Dyer himself.
ReplyDelete2:09 PM First- that's what says and there's no reason or evidence to say otherwise. This is a well established news site.
ReplyDeleteSecond- Dyer is very active engaging with readers here under his name. Why would he post anonymous as well? What would he gain?
Third- I've written comments that you've then claimed were written by Robert Dyer. So, I know for a fact that you've lied and said my comment was written by Dyer.
Any other questions?
So you can't say for sure.
ReplyDelete@2:22PM - guy in his late forties.
ReplyDelete2:32 PM You're "Poppy", "Van Horn" and whichever other female persona fits your mood today, sir.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll accuse me of being Dyer, but whatever...
"evidence...This is a well established news site."
ReplyDeleteReally?
Where are the on-the-record interview sources for Dyer's heavily opinionated articles?
What are his traffic statistics, especially the "dwell times" for his baseless, long-winded op-eds?
How many other news outlets reference Dyer?
I'm not even attacking the fact that is is really an informal blogs, because hyperlocal blogs are very useful. There are plenty of useful articles (specifically development updates and store openings/closings) that I can't always find elsewhere, but Dyer can't help but intersperse them with angry diatribes filled with dubious claims and personal attacks.
2:43 PM You'd likely say any article that isn't relentlessly positive about the Council, Planning Board and EYA is "dubious" and a "personal attack".
ReplyDeleteThe old Patch playbook of sucking up to local elected officials/government would be easier, I'm sure.
Looks like somebody at the small and slightly-failing magazine was #triggered by my Fitness First scoop, and months-long reporting on JBG unpausing this long-delayed project.
ReplyDeleteComments by me are always under my name, unlike the unmanly coward troll who has to hide behind his computer screen.
Once again the magazine plagiarizes my material, after learning of this story through my reporting but failing to cite me as the source. Extremely unprofessional, and hardly the first time.
#scooped
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ReplyDelete2:57pm can you just reach out to Dyer directly? He has email.
DeleteComments on a blog really isn't the best place for a convo.
Steve Hull is acting like a bonafide dick with his continuing plagarism.
ReplyDeleteDyer scoops him continuously, so he just steals Robert's content without sourcing it.
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ReplyDeleteYou'll never reach out directly to Dyer because you're using an alias.
DeleteYou'll continue playing this fictional character here to troll and insult Dyer.
"Relentlessly Positive Covfefe" guy at 2:50, followed by SignedDyer at 2:52.
ReplyDeleteLOL
3:59PM You just proved my point. Is this how you marginalize women who speak up? I'm using my real name. You bravely go by Anonymous.
ReplyDelete4:21pm Just email Dyer if you want to converse with him.
DeleteExactly, there's nothing stopping folks from emailing Dyer directly. He doesn't have to give permission :)
ReplyDeleteSome conversations are more productive taken offline.
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ReplyDeleteDyer says so himself that information from emails sent by the source are not plagiarism.
ReplyDelete7:02: The Fitness First email was sent to members, not to the media. "As first reported by..." isn't that complicated to type when you're a professional journalist.
Delete"'As first reported by...' isn't that complicated to type when you're a professional journalist."
DeleteI don't remember you ever writing "as first reported by Bethesda Beat". Is this your admission that you are not a professoonal journalist?
8:00: No, it's your admission that I tend to report the big stories before Bethesda Beef.
DeleteHow come Robert Dyer never mentions Steve Hull by name in his signed comments, only in his unsigned comments? Weird.
ReplyDeleteWas Fitness First bluffing with the fantasy "expansion" a few years ago? Never happened and the idea of expanding through an old lobby to the old bank space never added up.
ReplyDelete8:33: In a word - yes.
DeleteThis used to be my gym!
ReplyDeleteDoes Aaron wear his favorite pair of women's undergarments when he posts as "Anna"?
ReplyDeleteNo one is fooled by his act.
ABD? I want to post on your blog, but not sign in with my google acct. help?
ReplyDelete"The Fitness First email was sent to members, not to the media. "As first reported by..." isn't that complicated to type when you're a professional journalist." - RD
ReplyDeleteOk so to clarify, if you get an email about something and someone else did also, whoever posts second has to write "as first reported by"?
5:32: Just click the "Anonymous" option where it says, "Choose an identity."
ReplyDelete5:51: They didn't learn about it from email. They later obtained the email, but learned of the closure through my report. Ergo, they must state "as first reported by Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row..."
I'd recommend Dyer just delete trolls who are using fake names (including "Anna/Aaron" who has now even claimed to be me).
ReplyDeleteDead give away of a troll is someone who repeatedly posts negative personal comments and never on topic.
Dyer doesn't have to endure negative personal attacks or have every post turn into a totally off topic rant.
6:15 Really, I did!. I used to work on Rubgy (4833 - east corner office-4th
ReplyDeletefloor). Parked in that gravel lot that's now becoming the police station. Actually all
those gravel lots in the triangle destroyed so many of my shoes.
I used "Rugby" often on this site, but not always. Usually supporting Dyer
against someone using another Bethesda street as their name. Way back in the
day I used RugbyGal as an AOL screenname. LOL
You want to vilify me, but I started out on here defending dyer.
http://robertdyer.blogspot.com/2016/09/wmata-fiasco-another-hit-to-bethesdas.html
ReplyDeleteThat's me as Rugby @8:04
Do you need some ketchup with that crow New Rugby?
"They didn't learn about it from email. They later obtained the email, but learned of the closure through my report. Ergo, they must state "as first reported by Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row..."" - RD
ReplyDeleteHow do you know they didn't learn about it from email?
7:01 AM is getting the tick tock of Dyer's big Fitness First scoop...
ReplyDelete7:23 what does that mean?
Delete1:52 PM - Cult jargon.
DeleteDyer did report that JBG was positioning to redevelop long before Bethesda Beat, but its not like they plagiarized him (if they were going to do that, it follows that they would have done that a long time ago). The Bethesda Beat article was sourced from an official email sent out to members, not Dyer's tip. Theoretically they might not even have known that Dyer reported on the development, but I know that they must follow this blog somewhat since they HAVE gave Dyer gave Dyer credit multiple times, regardless of what Dyer believes.
ReplyDeleteEven after being told numerous times that I'm NOT who you think I am, you
ReplyDeletecontinue to perpetuate that false narrative.
That's my name that you and your aliases are tarnishing by repeatedly calling
me a liar, dumpster diving hobo, schizophrenic, etc. I have every right to defend
myself, yet you delete the truth and leave the inflammatory insults and lies about
me.
By your actions, it is evident that your intention is to use these falsehoods
against me to further your own agenda.
Remember this all started with me asking a question. An on-topic question.
That's it.
The sad thing is I'm just a normal gal, posting my thoughts, opening my life to strangers here, basically being real.
ReplyDeleteAnd it scares you all so much you've vilified me, made wild untrue accusations against me, threatened me, ridiculed me, and said some pretty nasty ugly things.
Any time I've defended myself, it's caused more of the same. Shameful.
Anna