Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday | Nov. 29 | Got news, or a question?
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
60 comments:
Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hi. Sorry about the inconvenience of waiting for me to OK your comment first, before it's published. But this blog has been under a spam attack by one or more of my critics, trying to shut me down.
ReplyDeleteJim, that seems like a bit of an overstatement. It looked like only one post was being hit.
ReplyDeleteJim -- as far as I'm concerned, I'm thankful that you're here. your blog provides a needed space, where others can connect, complain and/or commiserate over what's going on. thank you.
ReplyDeleteSpammers: In return for your effort, I will be sending Jim a large donatin today. Thank you for giving me the impetus I neededto make this donation.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that it was just one post, it's that Jim's information was distorted. Why can't you see the difference?
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you limit everyone to just one post a day. That would prevent this type of thing from happening and would probably sharpen up the commentary.
ReplyDeleteThis is really annoying. I just want to be able to read what people have to say.
ReplyDeleteWas it an automated attack?
ReplyDelete2:07 am: No; that's not possible, because I required word verification. This was someone -- or some people -- devoting a lot of time to this effort.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any idea who was behind it?
ReplyDeleteWhat's up with this place tonight. Practically no comments!
ReplyDeleteShame on you spammers! You're wrecking it for the rest of us going into this crucial week when we need this blog the most. Pox on you!
ReplyDeleteHas anyone heard the news about a boycott of the Asheville Citizen Times? There's a movement to start on 01-05-09 for subscribers to cancel their paper in protest of closing the Sardis Road Production Facility in Asheville.
ReplyDeleteSpam-bombing is fairly common in the blog world and it's probably the key reason some popular blogs require advance approval of comments.
ReplyDeleteOne problem I have found in all open online forums is that eventually, unless they're reined in almost from the beginning, the bullies come to control the forums. Good luck, Jim.
Now Jim, I figured it was you trying to get your page views or hits or whatever up since your blog is "dying" :)
ReplyDeleteJim, I had never even heard of you before this past summer, but I respect you and think you have always done the right thing on this blog. It does illustrate that it's a whole new ball game now, communication is evolving.
For those of you who would want ever post posted----did you print every letter to the editor received?
Thanks again Jim.
If it is a spam attack--it came from The Journal News. Krista Mueller to the rescue !!!
ReplyDeleteCan we get ex-Gannett numbers? (Huntington, Rockland, Norwich, Utica)
ReplyDeleteAn article by Jim Hightower about corporate ownership of newspapers and how this is dragging them down...
ReplyDeletehttp://jimhightower.com/node/6630
I endorse what ypu're doing, Jim. Those spammers weren't attempting to participate in the conversation; they were trying to smother it.
ReplyDeleteGood for you. I'm sure in time you'll be able to loosen the reins again.
Keep up the good work. You've broken Gannett's back with this one.
i am having a very difficult time believing these are adults making comments like the ones i've been reading here lately. although anonymity gives us free rein to make asses of ourselves, is there no such thing as personal pride and integrity? try behaving as if everyone is watching since personal accountability seems to be going the way of our newspapers.
ReplyDeleteJim, no need to post this comment. But here is a suggestion...might you be able add some code to the template of your blogger...the code would block the IP address of the user trying to access your blog...of course the abuser could always get a new IP, but you can block that one too.
ReplyDeleteJim, automated attacks are possible using neural nets/machine learning. These "trained brains" can pick the words out of an image in an instant...I doubt anyone posting here has that capability but you never know. Im sure I could do it, but it would take me a couple weeks to develop my own tool...no time for that. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteOh, by the way here is a web page that has some PHP code...
ReplyDeletehttp://perishablepress.com/press/2007/07/03/how-to-block-ip-addresses-with-php/
You can block ip addresses with it...you should be able to find a way to add that php code and the IP to your blogger. Good Luck!
I'm sorry about the spammer trouble. Today, I'll send my donation too!
ReplyDeleteCan anyone that turned down a buyout offer in the past comment on what it was like following your decision? How long did you keep working, did your work assignments or workload change, etc.? Would you make the same decision today?
I missed the original post about AFL printing and Asbury ... can someone recap or point me to the info that spells out what is allegedly being planned? i can see them outsourcing the daily printing for some days, but how are they going to handle Sunday completes, assuming that is what the post is all about ...
ReplyDeletetnx
Any word on how many people are taking the buyouts at KUSA in Denver or KPNX in Phoenix?
ReplyDeleteI know folks that will be impacted by the results in both places.
After the tallies on how many accept the buyouts on December 1 are completed, will the decisions on layoffs made on FTE needs at each location or nationwide?
ReplyDeleteJim, keep up the good work. Don't let 'em get you down.
ReplyDeleteYou're probably already thinking this, but I'll say it out loud: you've got a book out of this blog. It's called something like "The Death of the Daily Newspaper," and it chronicles how Gannett handles the changing media landscape over the course of a couple of years.
Start making publishing contacts now. Aim for a January 2010 publish date. Writing the book is your next job, and I'm betting it could be successful.
Jim, thanks for the numbers, even if a year old. At APP, management, when pressed, would always say the paper was turning a profit, but would never tell employees exactly how much of a profit. Everyone kinda knew margin was in double digits, so this should not come as a serious shock to anyone. But it does shed light. Any idea how this year's downturn may have affected these figures? Would it be across the board or depending on market?
ReplyDeleteJim - I think we understand the need to OK the comments right now. The information you have posted about Gannett profit margins is coming as a VERY big shock to many employees.
ReplyDeleteThese double-digit profit margins are the standard in our newspaper industry - and always has been.
But it is really depressing to realize that the upcoming and previous layoffs are NOT being done because the newspapers are not profitable - but because they are not profitable ENOUGH for the folks in McLean.
These newspapers are ALL making a profit, and a healthy one to boot.
So there are people out there who do NOT want that realization out there right at this crutial moment.
BUT Jim, you hang in there and keep giving us the facts. Don't let the corporate thugs stop you.
We don't mind a little delay if it keeps the integrity of this site!
You - are - the - man!
Until this weekend, I did not believe that GCI was on shaky grounds at all. But looking at the figures leaked to Jim, and thinking about what has happened in the last year, it looks to me that about half of GCI's community newspaper properties are now under water. That is very sobering news to me, and I really wonder how much of a future there is for this firm if the economy continues to be as bleak as we are told it will be.
ReplyDelete8:07
ReplyDeletei haven't heard anything about a boycott of ACT. how did you hear? who is behind it? are you an employee at Sardis?
Jim:
ReplyDeleteIf anyone has mentioned this before, my apologies. Your profit-margin pieces note these are margins for the first three quarters.
Typically, newspaper margins skyrocket in the fourth quarter, The margins you list understate significantly the full-year margins.
For newspapers, you can divide the expenses by three and multiply by four to get a reasonable estimate of full-year expenses.
But you cannot do the same with ad revenue. Times may have changed a bit, but there will be much more revenue in the fourth quarter, which will drive margins higher.
Keep up the good work.
I have to ask myself why someone obviously higher in the GCI corporate stable would want that data out. I am trained to be suspicious, but I assume it must be someone in authority, since that sort of data isn't widely shared. So why would they let it out the door? Is it to explain why the layoffs are necessary? In spite of what a few have said here, it's year-old data, so it is of little use to GCI competitors or stock analysts. So it is not really insider information that could sway the stock market, and so releasing it avoids that pitfall.
ReplyDelete8:07
ReplyDeleteSmells like BS to me. Sounds like someone is in the "anger" stage...soon they will move to "acceptance" and put their energy into something personally constructive.
Asking readers to cancel their subscriptions because the newspaper's printing facilities are moving is like asking TV viewers to stop watching WLOS (Asheville TV station) because they've recently eliminated their Washington DC bureau.
Both were decisions made by their corporate entities and did not involve local leadership's input whatsoever.
Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. Go ahead and put the final nail in the coffin of the newspaper for the employees left behind.
Do you actually THINK that TRYING to start a boycott would actually make Curtis Riddle, up in DE, change this decision? You HAVE to know that Hammer had nothing to do with it and fought it every step of the way?
8:07
ReplyDeleteSmells like BS to me. Sounds like someone is in the "anger" stage...soon they will move to "acceptance" and put their energy into something personally constructive.
Asking readers to cancel their subscriptions because the newspaper's printing facilities are moving is like asking TV viewers to stop watching WLOS (Asheville TV station) because they've recently eliminated their Washington DC bureau.
Both were decisions made by their corporate entities and did not involve local leadership's input whatsoever.
Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. Go ahead and put the final nail in the coffin of the newspaper for the employees left behind.
Do you actually THINK that TRYING to start a boycott would actually make Curtis Riddle, up in DE, change this decision? You HAVE to know that Hammer had nothing to do with it and fought it every step of the way?
Has it occurred to anyone that Jim may be behind the spam attack. As he noted, it had the consequence of driving up his page views and seems to have stimulated sympathy and donations.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Jim isn't. At least he's doing a better job than those in Palm Springs.
ReplyDeleteLast night I found an AP item about 2 men killed at a Toys R Us in Palm Desert on Black Friday. Went to DesertSun.com, clicked the lead story in the carousel ... got live video of a press conference where the deputy couldn't be heard because his mic wasn't on. Plus the writeup wasn't edited at all. Went to a a local (non-Gannett) TV site which had video of its on-air report plus a written update.
Forgive the ignorant queston (and also if this was answered elsewhere) are Jim's figures showing net or gross numbers?
ReplyDelete"Can we get ex-Gannett numbers? (Huntington, Rockland, Norwich, Utica)"...
ReplyDeleteSure, check out Gatehouse Media. Of course, check fast, because they are going the way of JRC.
1:25 pm: That's an excellent question. The documents only say, "Newspaper Profit Margin.''
ReplyDeleteCan anyone else familiar with these reports answer the net vs. gross question -- and explain the difference between the two?
Since someone snuck out the profit margin paperwork can't they sneak out the list of lay offs for each site and the list of names?
ReplyDeleteTHAT would be a bonus? Still want to know why the volunteers can't be told sooner - guess it doesn't matter now that we're down to 2 more work days! Hope I'm on the list!
Could it be that APP's 19% is so low because they do 75% of the work for the rest of the NJ group? Maybe if they cut the fat from the "satillite" papers and added their profit to APP's it would show Asbury in a better light.
ReplyDeleteThese profit margins are before YE allocations for corporate overhead, interest expense, local, state and federal taxes, final pension/401k adjustments, Gannett Supply/Newsprint allocation for the difference between actual and standard cost of newsprint (this one is positive for income many times) and legal expenses etc. A third quarter YTD financial will not include these.
ReplyDeleteIt has got to be gross profit marginm, IMO. Jim's example of the Detroit data shows that payroll and OT hours on other lines.
ReplyDelete11:26
ReplyDeleteThe boycott is not intended to close the newspaper or a personal attack towards anyone at the Asheville Citizen Times, including Mr. Hammer. The boycott is towards Gannett. They’re not moving this printing facility, they’re closing a fixture that has been in this city for over 123 years. Also the boycott is intended to get Gannett to rethink their decision, and give those laid off their jobs back and keep our local paper as it has been for all those years.
“ANGER” What about the sixty hard working, dedicated employees that lost their jobs? Did Gannett even pause for a moment to think about them and what an impact that their decision would bring to everyone affected? Put yourself in their shoes. Would you be feeling the same way if it affected you?
“ACCEPTANCE” The only thing that I accept is the fact that Gannett is putting the final nail in the coffin of the newspaper themselves. I think Gannett has underestimated what it will take to produce The Asheville Citizen Times on a daily basis, especially Sundays and Holidays. In the end, the customer who buys this paper will be the ones to suffer when they go to their paper box or local paper rack to find it empty because the paper is not there, its late. How many late deliveries will customers tolerate before they quit looking for a paper rack or call to cancel their subscription?
Had to chuckle when I read that the profit margins were before "legal expenses." Ain't it just a scream to know that your hard work will likely subsidize the very attorneys who might have to represent Gannett if you decide to pursue action against them for labor violations or discrimination?
ReplyDeleteJim: since you seem to have the data, how about giving us the labor costs, ot, etc. for the Asheville paper, and for the Greenville paper. I have lot track, but there are others consolidating. I'm just curious if there is anyway of figuring out from this info you have what the cost savings will be from these consolidations. It also doesn't look like they merging the printing operations of unprofitable concerns, since both Asheville and Greenville are both reporting healthy profit margins in this 2007 data. Bottom line: is corporate being a greedy pig making these consolidations, or is it a failing newspaper situation. I think not the latter.
ReplyDelete7:39 pm: I do not believe these documents will shed light on those cost savings at Asheville/Greenville.
ReplyDeleteIs 4 days a week next for GCI papers.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003917721
I sent in my $25 today, and plan to send more if I have a job after next week. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the value of the information, insight and shared comradeship we're getting here, at a time when we desperately need all three. Please keep it up, Jim.
ReplyDelete1142 AM wrote: "Has it occurred to anyone that Jim may be behind the spam attack."
ReplyDeleteCome on, really?!? Let's be serious here.
The breach in any employee ethics code by whomever leaked this information does not compare with the betrayal of Gannett and USA TODAY in laying off employees. The villains are Gannett and USA TODAY, not the brave person who leaked the info or Jim for showing good journalistic instincts in publishing it. If Gannett didn't have so much dirty laundry to hide, we would not have to sign these multiple page ethics documents.
ReplyDeleteAs for the layoffs...I thought they were bogus before this info came to light. I thought the 20 pending layoffs at USA TODAY were particularly suspect. The economy is being used. It is not the main reason for these layoffs.
It's time people at USA TODAY stop buying whatever Ken sells us. Neither he nor Moon fought in our behalf. If they did, they wouldn't still be employed. They covered their own butts and fed the lions 20 bodies for reasons that are plain disgusting.
And the managing editors who are also involved with this should be ashamed to call themselves journalists.
This was once a noble profession with different, perhaps even higher values from other ordinary businesses. Those days, along with a bunch of jobs, will soon be gone.
I want to thank Jim for keeping this blog going despite attempts to shut him down. The more attempts like this just mean he is getting closer and closer to some profound truths.
I hope other media pick up one what is going on in this blog and in the backrooms of Gannett. This is becoming a much bigger story. Unfortunately, corporations run most media, so it's going to take some publication outside the mainstream to investigate what is happening at Gannett.
1142 AM wrote: "Has it occurred to anyone that Jim may be behind the spam attack."
ReplyDeleteOnly to idiots.
10:18 AM....
ReplyDeleteThere are only 2 people taking the buyout offers at KPNX.
I hate to think that gannett would do it but this blog trouble that we are having sounds a lot like the Hp scandal.
ReplyDeleteHere's the problem with sharing information. I know how many hours, but not positions, will be cut from our newsroom.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what positions will be whacked.
So I could share with this blog the newspaper location and the hours that will be cut, but all I'd be doing is increasing anxiety for everyone in that newsroom.
It's a terrible position.
And it points to the absolute foolishness of not asking middle managers and staffers for their input on how they would tackle the cuts.
I know how much is going, but no idea who, when or how we'll cover for the loss.
I can roll with cuts (it's not just newspapers, remember), but I need to know they're being made wisely and a plan exists to deal with them.
One last appeal: If you think you'll be gone, voluntarily or not, in the next few days, weeks or months, go now on your own.
The buyouts are going to get worse and the workload is going to get more burdensome.
I can promise that if you're not up for this but are hanging around for a better deal, you're not going to get it.
And as a manager, my tolerance for poor performers is going to really drop if good people are let go in your favor.
You better be ready to show your institutional knowledge and experience (code: I've been around a long time but don't have much to offer) are worth it because you're going to be working your ass off after the layoffs. For real, for once.
"I can promise that if you're not up for this but are hanging around for a better deal, you're not going to get it."
ReplyDeleteThis is no joke. Layoffs in the spring may come with no severance whatsoever.
Just take a look at the Gannett 10-Q filing and you will see that further reductions are indicated for 2009. Will it be January? Or will it be later in 1Q? Gannett is not hiding their intentions about this.
ReplyDelete2:39, I feel for you. Middle managers are the ones left holding the bag in all of this, and each time the bag is more full of more rotten, stinking garbage.
ReplyDeleteThat's why my anger is focused on the folks at the top of the food chain -- my EE, who's a bastard beyond belief, and the folks at Corporate, who clearly subscribe to the Marie Antoinette style of management. Too bad we can't exact the retribution she suffered.
The information on profit margin underscores what most of us believed for a very long time.
Keep pulling back the curtain on the wizard, Jim. Thanks for all you do. I sent you money previously; I'll send more next quarter.