Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Wednesday | Dec. 24 | Your News & Comments
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39 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."
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I'm thinking of my grandmother, Peggy: She died five years ago, on Dec. 23, 2003, at the age of 99.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking of a certain city editor who thinks investigative reporting means knocking on the front door of the accused instead of dedicating time to cultivate sources that can really get at the story. "Art for A3 anyone. I need it. Don't care what it is."
ReplyDeleteWalmart agrees to pay workers $640 million over wage-and-hour violations:
ReplyDeletehttp://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081223/wal_mart_settlement.html?.v=4
From an employee of the Lafayette, Indiana, Journal and Courier:
ReplyDelete"The size of the paper is shrinking again. They will be taking about 2 inches off the width starting Monday. If it gets much smaller we aren't going to have space for news. The Monday edition has so few ads and pages that only two people work on Sunday nights."
Well Jim, If your genes are anything like your grandmother's, you'll outlive Gannett! I hope to see the day when companies return to being decent employers and not this scurge that has beset the newspaper industry. More power to you!
ReplyDeleteHere's a lawsuit by Gatehouse Media against the NYTimes that may determine whether local papers can control local content on the Internet.
ReplyDeletehttp://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10128600-93.html
Wal-Mart to Pay Workers Up to $640 million in Settlements for wage and hour violations.
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/7xewml
Gannett next?
My grandfather died 22 yrs ago on December 23rd.
ReplyDeleteMay they rest in peace and Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Blessed Kwanza to all.
Sending a Blessed Holiday wish out to all current and former Gannetters. May those who still have their jobs appreciate that you still have a steady income. For those of us gone, may we all find the newly open windows in spite of the closed doors.
ReplyDeleteIncredible. Look at the New York Times press release today, which shows ad revenues declined 20 percent in November, and also reported major declines in Internet revenues, too. Looks to me as if the ad declines accelerated in November, which will be reflected at GCI properties as well. Look at the paper, and you can see ads have dropped off the cliff. That certainly means more cuts are coming in the New Year.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about how Gannett is no longer a newspaper company and is transforming into an information company. I hope others are too so we can have a positive 2009.
ReplyDeleteJim, it's ok to take some time off and enjoy the company of your loved ones.
ReplyDeleteHeck, even Jim Romenesko takes vacations.
Merry Christmas!
When I hear Dubo, Currie et al talk about "deep local" content, all I can imagine are more reader-submitted pet and flower photos, and endless agate lists of fringe activities that are of interest to, oh, maybe six (non) readers.
ReplyDeleteIf the focus is on "deep local news," how can Gannett take the community newspaper offices out of the community. I know of one that has had a physical presence (office) in the town for 60 years, yet in early 2009, the staff will be switched to the "big" paper and work from there. No more having people drop by to visit, ask direction or heaven forbid, buy extra copies of the newspaper!
ReplyDeleteSomeone, help me understand the thinking behind some of these decisions! They make no sense!
I am sitting here, on Christmas Eve, freshly unemployed after being laid off by a man who used the corporate mandate to mask his selling me out for personal reasons. And there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. My long-time experience with Gannett ended so unjustly (I was a good employee with good reviews in a job that is still vital even in my absence) that I don't think I ever want to work for a corporation again. Of course, at my age, I may never get another shot to work in a career-type job. It's all very, very sad and I am sure there are others out there in similar situations.
ReplyDeleteNo Christmas this year. We've canceled it. Hopefully 2009 will bring in some sort of miracle for all of us who know that age discrimination is rampant, the economy is horrible and our beloved profession is all but dead.
Here's to better days...
11:11
ReplyDeleteTo too have wondered for some time about all those senseless decisions being made. I have come to the conclusion that they can simply be summed up in one word: greed.
Re: Walmart settlement
ReplyDeleteIf Walmart settled out of court, does that mean the FLSA regulation that requires back payment to all employees who were similarly effected no longer applies?
Yesterday marked three weeks removed from the newspaper business and a 27-year career (of which only a few years were spent with Gannett which probably explains a lot of things.) I have slept better, lived better, been more proactive, taken a few computer classes, set up meetings with as many personal and professional mentors as I could and am truly starting to look forward to my next life. In hindsight, Gannett has given me a great Christmas gift, and I trust God will help with the rest. I'm still bitter about many things, but am trying hard to see this as a half full, not half empty opportunity. Good luck to all of you still employed. You'll need it. To my fellow former colleagues, remember that we're bigger than Gannett and cannot let it define us.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas
The Star Tribune, where I most recently worked, canceled its annual holiday dinner and instead gave employees a cookies-and-cake buffet.
ReplyDeleteWhen publisher Chris Harte visited the printing plant, pressmen booed him and he turned tail and left.
I don't wish Harte any ill will personally. But I hope this is the beginning of regular workers standing up for themselves.
For the last 20 years or more, we've seen American corporate management gorge at the trough, awarding themselves seven, eight and even nine-figure compensation packages as if they're the only people who bring value to the company.
Meanwhile, they ruthlessly cut the vast majority of employees who sweat and work every day. Adjusted for inflation, the average worker's paycheck has actually declined since the 1970s.
That's why I love to see Jim sticking it to Craig Dubow and his N.C. golf club cadre.
The world is not run for the benefit of the top .001%.
11:11 AM
ReplyDeleteDo suppose that deep deep local talk just might only apply to how much deep information the company can gather from online readers? Seems Gannett is transitioning from news to content to social/marketing research.
Readers aren't stupid. They'll catch on, but I think it will take some time or a big event---like a major push from the online privacy advocates.
12 p.m.:
ReplyDeleteUh, you've "cancelled Christmas"??? I suppose you could do that if all you care about is gifts. Funny how that stacks up with "corporate greed." As a journalist, you should know better. Going to church is free, having a fun time with family and friends can also be free, or very little cost if you're talking food or a cup of coffee. Sorry you lost your job, but pity parties over a holiday is pathetic.
The New York Times numbers are misleading - they don't have a classified section except for Sunday, their retail base is skewed upscale and they rely upon National Advertising with what's happen in Detroit I's surprised is only down 20%. Gannett is more local in it's advertising - more preprints, smaller chains and less on National advertising - Gannett will not be as bad - but we wont know since they no longer report on a monthly basis. Merry Christmas
ReplyDelete1:13
ReplyDeleteUnless you are among the newly unemployed, shut the hell up.
and no, I am not the party to whom you responded with your nasty-gram.
12:00pm:
ReplyDeleteOh please. Cancel Christmas? That's just maudlin. You can't share a meal with family or friends, laugh and enjoy their company? Many of us have scaled back gift giving this year, but I (sadly) know plenty of laid off folks who are still celebrating the holiday.
And they didn't just lay off the over-40s. You may feel that way, but it's certainly not the case.
Pull yourself together and go read 12:55.
1:03 - You are dead on right!
ReplyDeleteIt is impressive that the pressmen (probably union-protected, though) booed the stupid publisher when he graced them with a royal visit. It would be nice if more employees would take such action against the idiots in this company - of which there are many!
And Jim, silence from Gannett? Whooda thunk it? We'll never get anything straight from this vile, ruthless, vicious, greedy, dreadful, mindless, anti-community corporation.
Gannett has ruined many a good community newspaper, drained money from the communities and given nothing in return.
In Wisconsin, some great medium and smaller dailies were ruined by Gannett - Appleton perhaps the worst destruction of them all.
And in Ohio, well, what can we say? Those community newspapers were terrible from the start, and got worse under Gannett. The publishers were idiots and dictators and the editors were whiney good-old-boy suck-ups. We saw it every time we dealt with the Ohio papers - incompetent but entrenched fools. Can anyone from Ohio disagree?
Thought not.
Gannett's downfall started when they overspent on these papers in 2000... and allowed idiots like Currie to raise one foolish initiative after another that detracted from local, solid news reporting!
Fort Collins in trouble? We are hearing rumors that our press operators were given 60 days notice that the press operation is being outsourced to Denver.
ReplyDelete2:08
ReplyDeleteFrom your post it is obvious you are not among the unemployed, and until you are:
double 1:49 to you -
Wow, the lack of compassion is incredible here. I think what the comment meant by "canceled Christmas" is that in lieu of being newly unemployed, yes, gifts were the first thing to go, sure. But Christmas has other expenses, too, and those expenses can't be met if one is worried about where their next paycheck is coming from. And who the heck is in the mood for cheer after watching decades of work go down the drain? C'mon folks, all the author meant was that this was a somber time in which many of the things attached to this holiday aren't exactly at the forefront of their thoughts today. I got laid off too. My appetite has declined. My worry has increased. It's just not a good time. So anyone who misunderstands or attacks comments like "canceled Christmas" just is a hardened jerk who has never experienced a a major loss at this time of year. If you want to take issue with someone, try picking on those who caused this pain for so many of us... I am just stunned at how shallow and plain nasty some of my former colleagues are here. I am guessing many of those comments come from the corner offices and not the trenches.
ReplyDeleteJust a note of thanks to all those who have suffered the past year as Gannett has downsized. You have been a big part of Gannett's past success and I have shared in that success
ReplyDeleteIf you are without employment this Christmas Season feel certain of one thing. I will say a prayer for you and your families. Talent, good work ethic and credibility seem to have been so marginalized.
Sadly I will be facing the new year with a cut in pay and a Gannett business plan at my location that will not grow audience and will not add value to the Company.
I just cannot understand how a company that disregards their most loyal(and paying) customers by canceling home delivery, cutting the amount of content in their paper or laying off on-air and behind the scenes journalists that drive TV ratings, can ever be positioned to grow when this recession ends.
I am among the newly laid off, and I appreciate the prayer from 4:41 p.m. Please don't attack those who are feeling down this Christmas because they have no job in the midst of the worst economic downturn in decades. I think 12:55 p.m. does exemplify the "can-do" spirit we should have but it is hard for to stay positive in the midst of such gloom all across our nation. Let's try anyway, because otherwise you are letting your former job define you and the rest of your life. "Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid." Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to take a moment to say thank you for your hard work and dedication in building this important information source.
I'm a subscriber and will continue to be, even though I am among Gannett's recent cast-offs. I am happy to be free, and look forward to doing exciting new things on my own terms. Still, I care about my colleagues still on the inside, and about the fate of journalism in general. That's why I keep checking in here.
I hope you and Sparky have a beautiful Christmas and a delightful New Year's celebration. And I wish better days for everyone in '09.
Peace.
12:00PM Dude, be aware that many of us are in the same boat and feeling the same pain. If we had known last Christmas how things would be this Christmas I don't think we would have believed it.
ReplyDeleteDon't let any of these stupid bastards on here belittle you.
They don't know what we are feeling and their cruelty is vile.
It would be amazing to meet 1:13PM
and give him just one well-planned kick in the testicles.
Does the price of fuel have any impact on company expenses?
ReplyDeleteCould this company forget about more layoffs if gas stays this low?
Why are they letting people go and cutting service at the profitable newspapers. Won't this lead to more subscriptions being cancelled? Why would any board do this? Are they nuts, or just idiots? Merry Christmas MR Potter.
Merry Christmas to all and especially to Iowa Gannett employees.
ReplyDelete12;55 I feel the same way. They did me a favor by letting me go. I had a chance to see what life is like without this greedy company. I know the future maybe uncertain, but i just felt like i was paroled.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking about how blessed I am today, despite the fact I was laid off by Gannett early this month.
ReplyDeleteThis too, shall pass.
8:46 p.m. You yanked the words right out of my thoughts. After February, I don't know what will happen to me and my family, but I have been counting my blessings since the day I was laid off.
ReplyDeleteI knew I wanted to leave, but did not have the strength to walk out. Looking back, I think I was just afraid.
Now I feel liberated. Free, as a bird. I Don't have a job, but I have been engaged in a project working to feed the needy in my town.
Despite my situation, I am still a little better off than the people I volunteered to help this past week. I may not be too far off from being in their shoes, but it meant the world to me to get out there and do something.
Wilmington's changes are happening next week - dropping the standalone Life section and merging it with Local, shoving Business into A. There's an A1 note from the editor to run in one of the weekend editions. Can't wait to read the spin.
ReplyDeleteOh, and merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, blogsters. A suggestion. It would give some context to your comments if you indicate whether you're still working at a Gannett newspaper, or have been laid off.
ReplyDeleteBecause if you are still working, you do not understand what it feels like to get the boot. You have not experienced the shock and shame of an exit interview. Not yet, anyway.
You do not know what it feels like to fill out endless online applications in a job market that swells each day with more applicants and fewer jobs, only to get a terse e-mail acknowledging your efforts, and then nothing.
You don't know what it's like to wake up and realize you are losing your home, your car, and even during really dark times, your sanity. And I'm lucky, I'm not out on the street. My God, the homeless, the sick, the elderly. On Christmas, I thank God there are wonderful people out there helping them. But some of us fall through the cracks, because we aren't destitute, not yet anyway.
But like everything in life, there is an upside. Being laid off was like having a glass of ice water thrown at my face. And the fear of being tossed out is gone.
It has prioritized everything in my life. I have seen myself get stronger each day.
When you hit rock bottom, you can get up and take control, or just stay there. I choose to take control, and in doing so, I am digging deep into my soul and finding I still have one intact.
I pity those ruthless individuals who have lost theirs. But it's Christmas, so I pray for hope and peace for everyone, even Scrooge.