Saturday, February 07, 2009
Saturday | Feb. 7 | Your News & Comments
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41 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 grateful for what I have.
ReplyDeleteany comments/insights about Gannett and layoffs based on seniority? many thanks.
ReplyDeleteSomebody mentioned one day-per-pay-period furloughs were up for discussion for the rest of the year.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? As a manager who has to schedule for seven days a week coverage, give me a break already. And give my staff a break - you can't file for unemployment here for only one day layoffs. - and losing three weeks of pay really would cut deep for them.
Just institute a raise freeze for everyone, drop those of us over $100k a couple percent, drop the 401(k) match.
Oh, AND SUSPEND THE DIVIDEND!
The furlough is to be completed on March 29th, right at month end and we process month end on Monday 3-30-09, I say we furlough ourselves on Monday 3-30-09 as a protest to Corporate salaries......hell if we all took off it would save 8 hrs x's at least 10,000 employees ........hell they are going to lets us go anyway...........right? I believe the furlough was a good thing for the company until I saw the corporate salaries. : ) PLEASE STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT.........all I am asking for is 24 hours....shut down at 3 am 3-30-09 return at 3am 3-31-09
ReplyDeleteI plan to have a great day!
ReplyDeleteI've been in the advertising side of newspapers for 27 years now and genuinely enjoy the hyper adrenaline, deadline pace of our work. Putting a product in to the market will be a constant, the owners aren't. How does a employee based purchase start? I'd like the people who make the difference get control of our future, not have them dictated to.
ReplyDeleteWe are Grateful for "Super Jim "
ReplyDeleteFunny how every other corporate blog reads just like this one. What all of you are experiencing at Gannett is felt at every other company. It's the sign of the times. Most have laid off a greater percentage of employees than Gannett.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeletethanks for trying to get us off on a positive note again today...
BUT...you know what irritates me, and maybe is indictative (sp?) of what's wrong with Gannett... the USA Today puzzles on the web site mirror pub dates of the print edition. Meaning: they do not put new puzzles on the web on weekends.
HELLO! The web is a 24/7/365 vehicle...start acting like it.
I just donated $20 to your cause, in honor of my friends and former colleagues at the Poughkeepsie Journal, which Gannett is gutting piece by piece.
ReplyDeleteI am still outraged at the notion Gannett would sell that classic, historic building, inspired by FDR and his love of fieldstone. The building itself is of such stature it actually lends credibility to the paper.
At this point I guess they could move the operation into a vacant store space at the Galleria mall. The scary part is that's starting to seem plausible. A mall presence is not a bad idea -- but only as a bureau!
The difference between newspapers and other industries is we put out a product every day. Most can't say that.
ReplyDeleteThat is why cutbacks, layoffs, furloughs, etc. hurt us more. You can see it in our product.
Too bad corporate doesn't get that. But our once-loyal readers do.
Has anyone else watched that "Growing Gannett Digitally" video on the official corporate site?
ReplyDeleteRidiculous is all I can say.
We are now selling sex. See how USAT has introduced the "heat index" involving the most talked about Hollywood sex stars, even the porker Ashley Simpson. I'm swooning.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-01-29-simpson-curves_N.htm
Mall space! Ha! Yeah right. You'll be lucky to get a sleazy office in a run down part of town. Why don't they just give everyone a laptop, tell them to use their own internet connection and home as a place of business. It would be much cheaper. After all of the jobs are shipped overseas there really won't be many folks left in each market anyway.
ReplyDeleteJim, I'm grateful for what I have LEFT.
ReplyDelete9:02 wake up and smell the coffee. Yes, it's a beautiful building on the surface but for those of us still working in it we know that it's a health hazard and a money pit. It's miserable in the summer because it's impossible to cool, it's even more miserable in the winter because it's impossible to heat. Can you even begin to imagine what it costs to keep the building functioning? Probably several salaries in this market. The lead in the ceiling and that God only knows what toxic fluid that's in the basement have many of us seriously concerned about our health. And don't even get me started on the electrical system in the building. Were you ever in it when a transformer blew up? Not an infrequent occurrence. The last time an electrician was onsite I overheard him say it would cost upwards of $300,000.00 to truly fix the system. Is it beautiful? Yes. No doubt. But remember, those of us still working there are fighting for our survival. If selling the building and moving to a more economical solution will help save a few of us, PLEASE do so. Might keep a few of us healthier at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Crystal Towers is a really sick building, and in more ways than many. Leaving aside the people who control it, the building itself was built to minimize air exchange so it could be heated in winter and cooled in summer. Do you notice the peculiar smells when you come in the building. I think it is all stale air, and it is making us all sick.
ReplyDeleteImagine working down the hall from the pressroom? Just the dust from the paper rolls is enough to start a chain reaction of sneezing. But I'd take a sneeze or two all day long to be back in the newsroom. This layoff broke my heart
ReplyDelete10:07 AM
ReplyDeleteAhahahahaha, you've got to be kidding me. Nobody here cares about how being furloughed affects the quality of work they put out. Nobody.
While we're bringing up quality of work, the New Jersey group brings us two gems in as many days.
ReplyDeleteYesterday: Full page of school news and dean's list items. None of the dean's list items ID'd where the college is located. I recognized only 2 New Jersey colleges from that entire batch.
Today: Community-page brief on a Chamber of Commerce food tasting benefit. The brief omitted the date and time of the event.
Where else but the Courier News?
1:43am
ReplyDeleteAt my site, when we were let go in December, we had the most seniority in our departments. Several close to retirement with 35 years service...while working with 20 something new hires still in their 90 day probation. Gannett doesn't care about seniority, they never have. I feel it only puts a target on your back. Gannett only cares about getting a cheaper employee to do the job until they merge with another site or close down.
The publisher in Lafayette, La. is now making sales calls. A 180. Wonder why?
ReplyDelete2/03/2009 1:14 PM
Dickey has put out goals for all Publishers to make a minimum # of sales calls, stating that this was their priority and that if that meant other duties were had to be ignored, then he was sure that managers under them could pick up the slack
7:46, employee ownership of the company would be great, but I doubt corporate would ever let that happen. Yes, you can buy Gannett stock through payroll deduction - an option I have never used, since I haven't been at the company that long and the stock has been dwindling the entire time - but a true effort by the company to sell the company to the employees will not happen. Gannett is still profitable and they're not going to let those profits go.
ReplyDeleteWhat I would be looking for - indeed, hoping for - is displaced newspaper employees starting up their own publications. It might be a weekly community paper, or it might even be a daily in a smaller market. It was mentioned in the comments that this has already happened in Indianapolis, with employees of a now-closed Gannett community paper starting their own. If you can sell the ads, and if you can find a printing company with a web press and the capability to print the volume you need when you need it, you can do it.
The reason I hope for this is that I have been watching the best and the brightest leave, convinced that there is no point to continue working for their local Gannett paper. The people with ambition have either left or are looking for other jobs. There is a lot of displaced talent out there that knows the newspaper business, from journalism to advertising to production. Not only do they know the newspaper business, they also know that it, even in this downturn, can still be profitable. They also know that in today's changing times, a newspaper should not be run by executives who are thousands of miles away.
I'm with you. I love the business. It's fun, it's fast-paced, and it makes you think on your feet. If employee purchase was an option, I'd be on it. As you said, the need for the product is constant. I'd like to keep putting it out there if possible.
What 11:20, 11:44 and 11:59 said about the Poughkeepsie building could also be said about our building in Wisconsin.
ReplyDeleteThe annual report (page 29) shows information about the status of environmental issues at the different locations. Noticed Poughkeepsie is listed.
ReplyDeleteHey...I cancelled my paper. After I was told that I would get a credit for one week on my bill while I was on vacation...the credit was not on my bill. When I called the regional (stupid) circulation dept. I was told that I indeed did get a credit, they just upped my statement date by 7 days. I had my statement on hand and my date had not been changed. OMG...just think how they take advantage of little old ladies.
ReplyDeleteHey Jim, I like the affirmations!
ReplyDeleteTo 10:37 a.m.: The Bergen Record already did that - home base is actually home, no longer the newsroom.
ReplyDelete3:01 - they certainly did that. The press release from Stephen Borg read like he was talking down to the reporters for not getting out there and reporting. Uhh, the series of reports on the former Ford dumping site won an award. However, the reporters are also sharing desks at the community newspaper offices. They're selling the main office building in Hackensack, which will save them a few million a year + money from the sale. Gannett has so many more products and employees, so I can't imagine there being much in the way of cost savings, except maybe for utilities and such.
ReplyDelete""Do you notice the peculiar smells when you come in the building. I think it is all stale air, and it is making us all sick.""
ReplyDeleteIs this how you actually think inside? "It is making us all sick"??? Do you enjoy the helpless victim role?
Right. All those colds and sniffles and flus are caused by Gannett.
Hay 4:03 talk about air,well at the Asbury Park Press yes Jersey again,right in the office we had roar sewage come out of the floor.And as if this was not enough maintenance used excessive amounts of sulfuric acid to clear the drains.this happend on at least 5 different occasions.Its funny how even this paper did stories on how some app.buildings and a used car dealer did not take precautions to protect its tenants and workers. OSHA asked the paper to basically police it self they diden't even send an investigator.The health dept. did send somebody but good old Mike Lourrenca told them that we NEVER USED THAT STUFF HERE,AS THEY STOOD ON THE ACID MARKS ON THE CEMENT. FLOOR.Well that hole right to know stuff,well it DOESEN'T MEAN SHT!you don't have a right to know according to Gannett.They did an air quality test HA after 3 weeks and supposed good cleanings,the air test THAT HADE BIN TAMPERD WITH,the numbers were not figured out right.And if they never used that chemicial in the building was still showing up in safe levels?I am not a writer as you can tell,but all I'm trying to say is (IF IT DOESENT PRESENT A DIRECT THRET TO THE SUITS AND ONLY TO THE BLUE COLLORS THEY THEN AND NOW DON'T GIVE A RATS ASS!so don't expect too much
ReplyDeleteThe only reason to buy stock in this company is to short it.
ReplyDeleteIt's circling the drain and I couldn't be happier.
6:42 it's too low to short at this level. Now you could be wiped out in a bear rally/dead cat bounce.. DON'T SHORT IT with money you need.
ReplyDeleteArticle about newspapers' current state. Recommends charging for content. In newest issue of Time I received in the mail today:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1877191-1,00.html
here in Indianapolis there is a new community newspaper starting up to take the place of one that the Star closed down. ex Gannett employees have taken on the task of starting another community paper. I love hearing about life after Gannett especially when it is in direct competition with them. stare them down without blinking. Way to go! the Star never saw it coming.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know more about that new community paper. Can someone involved shoot me an e-mail, so we can discuss? gannettblog@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThe property/land holdings of Gannett are quite valuable -makes a load of sense to vacate properties like the Courier News which front a major highway, move whatever employees are left to rented office space and sell of the former building and land in 2-3 years when the market is back up. The stock is very attractive at this level of $5
ReplyDeleteI didn't know where else to post this, but this recent article in the Arizona Republic has had me chortling in disbelief ever since I read it. It is one of those "how can you save $$ in a recession" type of articles, and one of the suggestions is (I couldn't make this up if I tried) to bring your own color nail polish when you have a pedicure so you can do "touch-ups" yourself and lengthen the amount of time between pedicures. Or you can switch from weekly cleaning service for $100/week to bi-weekly and buy some Swiffers. Or consider mowing your lawn yourself instead of having a lawn service. etc ad nauseum
ReplyDeletehttp://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/articles/2009/02/03/20090203downsize0127.html
Silly me, worrying about keeping the lights on and the water bill paid and losing my job any day. Who knew that all I had to do was bring my own nail polish to my weekly pedicures - blech.
If you would learn to spell and use correct grammer, then maybe people would start taking your claims about being poisoned serious
ReplyDeleteDid the Republic mention anything about canceling your subscription to the newspaper and read it for free on line to save money? oops, secrets out ;)
ReplyDelete11:39 PM - Forgot to point out that if you are going to point out other posters mistakes - best look up how to spell the word "grammar".
ReplyDelete