The legendary Steve Brown, a recent SMU graduate, is retiring from his job as a real estate editor after 47 years of writing real estate news. Dallas Morning News.
The last time I spoke to Steve, we were on NAREE's version of speed dating. It's not what you think! The “Meet the Press” event is held at the tail end of the National Association of Real Estate Editors' annual conference, where a real estate journalist chats with a “pitcher” for all of three minutes before moving on.
Steve was a real estate editor for many years. dallas morning news, always had a full dance card in speed dating. I said to him in the crowd, “Hey Steve, can you believe I'm running for Dallas City Council?'' To which he responded, “Hey Steve, can you believe I'm running for Dallas City Council? I will run away from all this as soon as possible. ”
He may have been referring to the NAREE conference, or he may have been referring to the business of journalism, with commercial and residential real estate in a city growing faster than its leaders can barely keep up. It may cover both.
A prolific career in real estate journalism
Steve excelled in his role with an efficiency that most writers have, including this one. He was also generous and supportive. Steve emailed me many times about stories that he couldn't cover because they were related to the case. work of real estate.
The job may have been exciting in 1977, tough during the 1980s recession when the city's big real estate companies couldn't pay their bills, and exhilarating in the 1990s, but by 2024 I can see that you are completely exhausted. Real estate news now has to cover everything from Sherman to Waco, Rockwall to Mid-City. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. And of course the power is connected.
Steve has a research staff and recently helped a little bit with the hiring of Mitchell Parton. DMN He joined the real estate team in February 2022, but left in November last year to become a staff reporter at a television station. Dallas Business Journal.
As media outlets across the country cut their budgets, DMN has recently made acquisition offers to many of its veteran staff as part of its cost-cutting efforts amid declining print advertising sales. This is all behind the cover of the News Guild reporters union, which organized itself to increase pay and benefits. Steve wasn't on the buyout list as of three weeks ago, the paper said.
Say goodbye to the news editor legend
dallas morning news Business editor Paul O'Donnell singled out Brown's spirit, particularly his notorious competitiveness and prolific output of more than a dozen articles a week, in a memo to news staff Monday morning.
It's hard to put into words what Steve's departure means for our newsroom and The News as a trusted local brand.
For 47 years, Steve's byline has been in the news. He is better known locally than anyone else on our staff, and that respect is only surpassed by the widespread respect that Steve enjoys from his real estate colleagues across the country.
He is the quintessential old school and new age journalist. Steve's sense of urgency and competitiveness was instilled in The News' legendary newspaper wars with the defunct Times Herald. He fondly speaks to his colleagues of the days when editors would cut out contest articles and leave them on writers' desks along with tersely worded notes.
In Steve's case, the lessons learned during the inky glory days of our industry translated very well to the digital world we now live in. He regularly breaks more news than anyone else on staff (think Universal's new Frisco theme park or Goldman Sachs' big new downtown campus). He approaches every story with an overriding desire to be the first.
And of course, his conversions and page views are legendary within the company. (He personally accounted for almost his 10% of his total digital conversions last year). He is also one of our most prolific authors, writing an average of over 12 of his novels a week as of 2023.
But he's also one of the most down-to-earth people we've ever worked with. When the National Association of Real Estate Editors presented him with its Lifetime Achievement Award a few years ago, the group's leaders spent weeks secretly gathering tributes to surprise him — no one knew what they had planned. She was afraid that if he found out what she was doing, he wouldn't show up.
Dallas Morning News February 5, 2024
The legendary Brown said it simply and succinctly. It was a great job and I will definitely miss it. ”
“Steve Brown is a legend in real estate news reporting. His insight, resourcefulness, stamina, productivity and accuracy are unparalleled,” said Yuan. houston chronicle Real estate reporter Ralph Bivins, now editor real estate news report. “His knowledge of Dallas real estate is encyclopedic, his network of sources is deep, and he has a solid grasp of many real estate markets across the country.”
Steve is an avid car collector and last I knew he lives in East Dallas. He has served on nearly every real estate committee in the Metrotex Association of Realtors and held countless leadership positions in the National Association of Real Estate Editors. My only regret is that he barely attended his NAREE's famous “Presidential Suite” after-conference party. He was submitting an article. Perhaps he will have time to do something other than create content.
“His work as president and longtime leader of the National Association of Real Estate Editors has been outstanding. Everyone respects him. We saw him receive NAREE's Lifetime Achievement Award several years ago. I was really happy,” Bivins said. “I admire his work and am proud to call him a friend.”
