Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday | March 31 | Your News & Comments
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62 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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Did he died?
ReplyDeleteFIRST!!
I'm exempt. Anyone know why?
I'm exempt. Anyone know why?
ReplyDeleteYeah. Because someone has to clean the toilets at night.
Oh my gosh they laid off one artist in Phoenix....I don't get the reason why because it was a Graphic Artist 2 ? They have been laying off all the artists labeled as Graphic Designer 1's ( many feel the meaning was 1st to go) they even started clearing out one Graphic Designer cube over the last two layoffs. Today, they laid off a GD 2 which is really not in the obvious pattern they had going. I mean it was really obvious that they had arranged the seating according to lay off plan. They sat you by your friends and then laid off your friend. Of course it was too good to be true to be sitting next to a pal! Anyway, they laid off someone in management. They could do a little more of that. There is one person that really does not do anything but throw other people under the bus to make himself look good. People like that stay for some reason....its a dog eat dog world I guess.
ReplyDeleteAny other people have sites like the house swap? Not about swapping houses, but has anyone else started a site due to the furloughs are layoffs?
ReplyDeleteDubow and Moon were in Detroit yesterday for the first day of the new distribution strategy!
ReplyDeleteSo two comments pertaining to single copy. sadly, they both reflect what I've been saying for a couple of years now...Gannett doesn't WANT to be in newspapers anymore. They obviously covet managers and Circ. directors who want to kill single copy. Here, they've been doing everything they can to kill off single copy even though other papers are depending more on it. And for the few who insist on repeating how newspapers are being replaced by other means...only because newspapers want it that way. Why? What agenda is going on here. Those who scoff at newspapers and say people don't want them anymore...have you ever got out of your cubicle and away from your computer and delivered papers for a living? Didn't think so. How many of the people who are running us into the ground have delivered? Are you out there hearing the grief when the papers gets us out late? Gives us torn or wrinkled papers? papers missing sections? Didn't think so either.
ReplyDeleteHistory shows newspaper sales go up in times of crises so what's so different now? Think all those people in Fargo, etc. are running to their PC's or laptops?
Anybody thinks single copy doesn't have a place, or knows how to sell the max. needs to be gone.
I'm in single copy at Detroit Newspapers and the returns this morning are HUGE from yesterday's big launch where the papers were GIVEN AWAY. All stops are not back yet, but early figures indicate more than half of News and Free Presses are coming back UNSOLD (oh, ungivenaway I guess). This despite a huge ad campaign and huge signage indicating the papers were free at the stores.
ReplyDeleteOver the past few days, I've read comments from people about their preference for online content as opposed to traditional papers because of a lack of inky hands and (very importantly) it's free.
ReplyDeleteThese people need to realize something very important. Newspapers came into being without your ability to read them free of charge. You wanted to read one, you had to pay. That became a vital part of the newspaper model. Over the years, advertising became the bigger revenue generator. But paid subscriptions and single issue sales remained vital to newspapers' viability.
Take that way, and it's a recipe for eventual failure. PERIOD!
I ask you free news people, where are you getting your free news? If you get it from a newspaper site, what will happen when a lack of revenue forces that company to shut down? It's Web site will go with it. What will you do then?
Okay, there are a lot of sites out there with free access, yes. But how many of them get what they post by either linking to or rewriting news from newspaper sites? If those sites lose newspapers to draw from, they too will go bye bye. What then?
Bloggers? Yeah right. If we didn't send Jim money, he'd go bye bye, too. Do any of you outside the newsroom realize how much time and effort it takes to research and write an accurate and fair story? A story that's complete? A story that is unbiased? Sorry, but bloggers will either insert their opinion (a cardinal sin) or will be forced to make you pay in order to fund the time they will spend making the stuff they post fair, complete and accurate.
Bottom line: you better be prepared to pay for the news you read in the future - in SOME fashion. ...subscriptions, micro-payments, SOMETHING! Mark my words, eventually, unless you want to read drivel online, you will have no choice!
If our society does not wake up and realize that the lack of paying for content in some fashion WILL eventually kill news, then it will be our collective loss. I shudder to think of a future world where our "news" is actually opinion disguised as news.
Doomsday meeting this Thursday for APP Circulation Dept.!!!!
ReplyDelete7:19 Detroit....We've had give-a-ways here in Fl. over the years and we got the same result. Even took mechs out of the racks and people still put money in it!
ReplyDeleteIf I remember about yours, didn't I read you cut and/or abbreviated content? Hasn't your weather also been junk lately?
We have what's called a Hometown News paper...free paper. They have their fans but I like their boxes next to mine. Amazingly enough, my sales go up every time that happens.
Jim, who will the next editor of USA TODAY be? Have you heard any names?
ReplyDeleteWant to know how clueless GCI management is? So they announced months ago that the Freep was going to be available only online on certain days, but that Detroit residents could always read their papers on the computer. So today is the first day, and the system crashed. So many people wanted to get online to read their newspaper that the system couldn't handle the volume. D'ya think they anticipated the increased volume that would come with online, and so bought extra bandwidth and computer servers? Well, of course they didn't. This is GCI, and they are saving not spending money on silly servers. Jeez.
ReplyDelete3/31/2009 7:08 AM
ReplyDeleteI have delivered and it is a pain in the butt to deliver the papers...that is why I am in an office now cuz I was there in the trench and found a way not to be there.....but I feel your pain!
I"m exempt too because we are UNION!
ReplyDeleteAll of you still employed with Gannett need to form a union--NOW!!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe, they could do it before the third furlough?!
ReplyDeleteLook...no offense to 7:30 AM but let's think back to the dawn of cable TV. How many people said no one is going to PAY for something they have always gotten for free? Now, some 30+ years later, we have learned something...A LOT! If the content is better, more timely and easy to access, people WILL pay for online news.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it. Take one, average GCI daily and put it up against a local website. You can get all the same info from the website and usually more. I can glance at my county's website for 5 minutes and get pretty much an entire update on local stuff.
I agree it's hard work to be a good reporter, research a story and put out good product. But that, right there, is the WHOLE problem. The GCI's papers don't do that. Our reporters may be writing good content but it's sure as hell rarely making it to the papers. We Americans have an insatiable need for news BUT...we can get it from millions of sources. And now, The Chicago Sun Times filed for bankruptcy. NO ONE is safe. Newspapers are a dinosaur.
Re: 1:09 a.m.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a dog-eat-dog world. Gannett managers have no reservations about throwing each other and their underlings under the bus if it means they look better and get ahead. I've worked at several Gannett sites and noticed that the ones in Lafayette, LA and a couple of the Midwest sites are especially bad about it.
"How many people said no one is going to PAY for something they have always gotten for free? Now, some 30+ years later, we have learned something...A LOT!"
ReplyDeleteYes, we've learned something: Now cable has commercials just like broadcast teevee, even though we pay for it.
Newsflash! The Company, Inc., doesn't love you. It just wants your money or the best years of your life. Peferably both.
IRE 2008 AWARD WINNERS UNCOVERED LOCAL, GLOBAL CORRUPTION
ReplyDeleteOnline publications and nonprofit collaborations among winners
Contact:
Mark Horvit, IRE Executive Director, 573-882-2042 or mhorvit@ire.org
James Grimaldi, The Washington Post, IRE Board member and Contest Committee chairman, 202-334-4459 or grimaldij@washpost.com
Cheryl Phillips, The Seattle Times, IRE Board president, 206-464-2411, cphillips@seattletimes.com
(See full list of winners, finalists and judges' comments at www.ire.org/resourcecenter/contest)
COLUMBIA, MO . — Investigations that exposed local government corruption from New Orleans to Detroit, human-rights abuses by the federal government and international organized crime are among the work honored in the 2008 Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards. This year's top prize, the IRE Medal, was given to WWL-TV in New Orleans for its dogged rolling investigation of a city-run housing nonprofit that falsely claimed to have fixed homes in desperate need of repair after Hurricane Katrina, and the contractors who pocketed the money without doing the work. Through compelling story telling, the station tackled a serious issue that had received little attention and did so in the face of immense political pressure.
The awards also recognized stories that captured the nation's attention, including the Detroit Free Press's expose on the mayor's electronic messages, and those that tackled issues of international importance, such as McClatchy Newspapers's series on the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
This year's winners include collaborations among news organizations and work from nontraditional newsrooms: the online-only Voice of San Diego, the coalition of journalists who formed the Chauncey Bailey Project, and the Center for Public Integrity and The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which won the Renner crime award for detailing global organized crime in tobacco smuggling. Project winners fought court battles to examine text messages and email correspondence sent by government officials and examined cyber-warfare that exposed online security problems at federal agencies, including the Pentagon.
Investigative author James Bamford became a three-time IRE winner with his latest examination of the National Security Agency, "The Shadow Factory," which won the book award.
"What's remarkable about these stellar investigations this year is that they were produced under the worst economic pressures our industry has ever faced," said James V. Grimaldi, chairman of the contest committee. "Some news organizations facing possible bankruptcy and massive job cuts have continued to pursue watchdog journalism that will make our society and the world a better place to live."
The awards, given by Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc., recognize the most outstanding watchdog journalism of the year. The contest covers 15 categories across media platforms and a range of market sizes. The contest, which began in 1979, received more than 380 entries this year.
Below Top 20 Markets – IRE Medal winner: Lee Zurik of WWL-New Orleans for "NOAH Housing Program." In a rolling investigation of 50 television segments, WWL-TV of New Orleans uncovered corruption in a city agency charged with helping rebuild homes in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Following a source's tip, reporter Lee Zurik and his team examined New Orleans Affordable Housing records and found that money was paid to contractors to repair homes that never received any improvements—or didn't exist at all. WWL's investigation found close ties between agency managers, Mayor Ray Nagin, and the contractors doing the alleged improvements. The journalist stuck to the story in the face of public intimidation and strong initial denials by Nagin. In court, WWL forced the city to disclose agency records. The results were impressive: The program was suspended, the employees were fired and a federal grand jury launched an investigation.
Tom Renner Award: Stefan Candea, Duncan Campbell, Te-Ping Chen, Gong Jing, Alain Lallemand, Vlad Lavrov, William Marsden, Paul Cristian Radu, Roman Shleynov, Leo Sisti, Drew Sullivan, Marina Walker Guevara, Kate Willson, David E. Kaplan of The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and The Center for Public Integrity for "Tobacco Underground: The Booming Global Trade in Smuggled Cigarettes." Fourteen journalists in 10 countries took great risk to provide a comprehensive and compelling look at the illicit trafficking in tobacco. The reporters found organized criminal activity robbing governments of tax money . Using hidden cameras and computer-assisted reporting, the team uncovered the story of hundreds of billions of contraband cigarettes, many being sold in the U.S. through Indian reservations. The report, which employed a sophisticated multimedia presentation and interactive website, also detailed how one major British manufacturer is encouraging the illegal trade.
FOI Award: Wayne Dolcefino, Steve Bivens and David Defranchi of KTRK-Houston for "The E-Mail Trail." The newest frontier for freedom on information efforts resides on e-mail servers in government IT facilities across the country. Wayne Dolcefino and his tireless team at KTRK-Houston combed through 70,000 e-mails from the Harris County Sheriff's Department in Houston to find evidence of racism, secret surveillance, and covert work for campaign contributors to the sheriff. The station sued the county to stop a sheriff's policy that called for the deletion of all e-mails after 14 days. As a result of the series, the county revised its e-mail policy and voters rejected the sheriff's bid for re-election.
Largest newspapers (Over 500,000 & wire service) (Tie): Jim Schaefer, M.L. Elrick, David Zeman, Jennifer Dixon and Dawson Bell of Detroit Free Press for "A Mayor in Crisis." Detroit Free Press reporters Jim Schaefer and M. L. Elrick spent four years trying to get text messages that Detroit's mayor exchanged with his top aide, eventually breaking stories of their affair, exposing perjury, and the expenditure of $9 million of taxpayer money spent to cover up wrongdoing and vast corruption in the Kwame Kilpatrick administration. Through careful analysis of public records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the reporters verified a trove of text messages and then, with the aid of other Free Press reporters, methodically demolished the mayor's carefully built fa̤ade of lies, pay-offs and cronyism Рa compelling example of investigative reporting's ability to reveal abuses of power.
Largest newspapers (Over 500,000 & wire service) (Tie): Tom Lasseter and Matthew Schofield of McClatchy Newspapers for "Guantanamo: Beyond the Law." McClatchy Washington Bureau reporters Tom Lasseter and Matthew Schofield invested extensive time and resources to track down 66 Guantanamo detainees in 11 countries on three continents over eight months to expose abuses at the Guantanamo Bay prison. Their lengthy interviews, in often dangerous places, allowed the American public to find out what really happened at Gitmo and other American detention camps. Equally impressive was the commitment of the newspaper chain: The thorough findings in a five-part series were published on the front pages of 25 McClatchy newspapers.
Large newspapers (250,000-500,000): Michael J. Berens and Ken Armstrong of The Seattle Times for "Culture of Resistance." Through their skillful reporting, Berens and Armstrong exposed a silent killer epidemic of the antibiotic resistant bacteria known as MRSA, which Washington state hospitals ignored for decades. The reporters analyzed millions of computerized hospital records, death certificates and created their own database to uncover nearly 700 previously undisclosed deaths attributed to the infection. Families were never informed that MRSA was the cause of death. Their extensive analysis provided the first accounting of MRSA infections in Washington hospitals. Because of their investigation, MRSA infections are now being counted and legislators have proposed requiring a $20 MRSA test for all vulnerable patients.
Medium newspapers (100,000‐250,000): Thomas Peele, Mary Fricker, Bob Butler, Josh Richman and A.C. Thompson of The Chauncey Bailey Project for "The Chauncey Bailey Project investigation." Under the most difficult of circumstances, the reporters exposed deep flaws in the police investigation of the murder of journalist Chauncey Bailey. Through tenacious reporting and deep source development, Chauncey Bailey Project reporters Thomas Peele, Mary Fricker, Bob Butler, Josh Richman and A.C. Thompson uncovered a stunning videotape linking someone to the murder, yet the individual has not been charged in the case and the evidence has been seemingly overlooked or dismissed by police. The project, a collaboration of more than 20 news organizations and journalism nonprofit groups, including the Center for Investigative Reporting, began in 2007 to pursue an investigation Bailey started. The trail continued in 2008 with reporters looking more directly into a probe of Bailey's slaying and possible police obstruction of a local organization. The investigation was published in papers owned by the Bay Area News Group, primarily the Oakland Tribune, and aired on KTVU, a participant in the project. (The Chauncey Bailey Project has received support from The John S. And James L. Knight Foundation, The Newspaper Guild, Sigma Delta Chi, the National Association of Black Journalists, George Washington Williams Fellowship and the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism.)
Small newspapers (Circulation under 100,000): Tim Fields and Joy Blackburn of The Virgin Islands Daily News for "Hospital Corruption." Reporters Joy Blackburn and Tim Fields took on one of the island's most powerful institutions, the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Institute, which opened with great promise but ultimately became a financial spigot for its administrators. Through source development and relentless reporting, the paper's stories led to the ouster of several executives. One former executive took a top job at Memorial Regional Hospital in Broward County Florida, but resigned when his prior criminal background came to light. The report is a clear example of journalism with impact for its community.
Local-circulation weeklies: Joaquin Sapien and Ben Welsh of the Fort Worth Weekly and the Center for Public Integrity for "Hear No Evil, Smell No Evil." In a story published in the Fort Worth Weekly, Joaquin Sapien and Ben Welsh of the Center for Public Integrity exposed environmental abuses by Texas energy producer TXU by analyzing more than 25 million EPA emissions records over 10 years. The report found an ongoing trail of emission violations and emission levels more than 8 times the federal limit for sulfur dioxide. In community, they tracked down local families suffering from respiratory ailments. But the self-reporting by TXU meant the energy giant was penalized just once for $720.
Network/Syndicated: Jeff Fager, Bill Owens, Scott Pelley, Solly Granatstein, Nicole Young, Lamy Li, Kevin Livelli, Brad Simpson, David Lom and Tom Honeysett of CBS News–60 Minutes for "The Wasteland." Exposing themselves to extraordinary personal risk, Scott Pelley, Solly Granatstein and the 60 Minutes team tracked a container full of recycled electronic waste from Denver to a small town in China where they discovered archaic methods of breaking apart America's old computers, televisions and electronic equipment. The outrageous environmental conditions in the village included a river filled with toxic chemicals, children suffering from lead poisoning and pregnant women six times more likely to miscarry. Despite being forced from town by thugs protecting the town, the crew returned to finish the story. The city of Denver canceled the contract with the recycler and the EPA opened an investigation of other companies suspected of shipping old electronics to toxic dumps overseas.
Top 20 Markets: Joel Grover and Matt Goldberg of KNBC-Los Angeles for "Contaminated Water." Joel Grover and Matt Goldberg embarked on an exhaustive investigation after getting a tip from a parent that students were told not to drink from a Los Angeles elementary school's water fountain because it contained lead. To see if the problem was widespread, the journalists tested the water at numerous LA schools and found lead levels higher than the EPA standard. The reporters also went undercover for days to capture janitors falsifying records saying they had flushed fountains daily to protect children from lead exposure. This explosive 8-month investigation set off a firestorm and held school officials accountable for breaking promises time and time again. The results: The district tested the water at all schools and replaced lead pipes to provide safe drinking water for children.
Magazine/Specialty Publication: Keith Epstein, Brian Grow, Ben Elgin, Cliff Edwards and Chi-Chu Tschang of BusinessWeek for "Cyber-War." More frightening to read than a modern techno-thriller novel, BusinessWeek's real-life series of stories on the growing cyber-war between East and West rivets the reader with dozens of breaches in American security networks. The writers pieced together seemingly unconnected online security problems at several federal departments to reveal a wide-scale problem. Working at levels where government security made reporting extremely difficult, the stories resulted in a change in Pentagon contracting policy and briefing procedures for military and intelligence officials. The series shows work on a global scale that reaches the highest levels of government policy.
Book: James Bamford for "The Shadow Factory." James Bamford does it again – and wins his third IRE Award – for the latest expose' of the National Security Agency. No journalist has invested more time scrutinizing the NSA, one of the most secretive agencies in the world. Among his findings, Bamford reveals that the agency had been targeting the Yemeni home that served as Osama bin Laden's operations center prior to 9/11 but had never told the FBI that the al-Qaida terrorists were there. This is journalism that influences the national conversation on a vital topic and Bamford has demonstrated an unparalleled ability to penetrate the most secretive of institutions.
Radio: Laura Sullivan, Amy Walters and Steve Drummond of NPR for "36 Years of Solitary: Murder, Death and Injustice at Angola." Acting on a tip, NPR reporter Laura Sullivan spent months investigating the 1972 murder of an Angola prison guard Sullivan dug through public records and patiently persuaded prisoners, guards and others who had long kept quiet to open up about the murder. The reporters turned up such compelling new evidence that the guard's widow now doubts that two men who spent 36 years in solitary were even involved in the crime.In a graceful and compelling way, Sullivan tells a chilling tale of injustice.
Online: Will Carless, Rob Davis and Andrew Donohue of voiceofsandiego.org for "The Redevelopment Investigation." Voiceofsandiego.org reporters Will Carless, Rob Davis and Andrew Donohue work for a new breed of news organization, but have executed with aplomb a classic old-style investigative story of civic graft, insider dealing and tax-dollar abuse. Working for the nascent online news publication, the reporters exposed the questionable activities of two multimillion-dollar San Diego redevelopment agencies. The rolling yearlong investigation ultimately forced out the presidents of the agencies and prompted criminal investigations and reforms.
Student (All Media): Kristen Coulter, Brian Hughes, Carolyn Crist, Matthew Grayson and Melissa Weinman of The Red & Black (University of Georgia) for "Sexual Harassment at UGA." For two decades professors who sexually harassed students at the University of Georgia continued to teach or were allowed to move on quietly. Then an anonymous tip sent reporters Kristen Coulter, Brian Hughes, Carolyn Crist, Matthew Grayson and Melissa Weinman digging. Despite threats of lawsuits by some professors, they produced such compelling reports that the university now requires extensive anti-harassment training for both faculty and all administrators.
"This year's winners and finalists reflect the changing nature of investigative reporting," said IRE Executive Director Mark Horvit. "But they all share a commitment to exposing the truth and a willingness to devote the time and resources necessary to do work that has lasting impact."
Contest entries are screened and judged by IRE members who are working journalists. The IRE Awards program is unique among journalism contests in the extent of its efforts to avoid conflicts of interest. Work that includes any significant role by a member of the IRE Board of Directors or an IRE contest judge may not be entered in the contest.
This represents a significant sacrifice on the part of the individual — and often an entire newsroom — who may have done outstanding investigative work. For example, some work from The Miami Herald, The Seattle Times, The Washington Post, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The New York Times, the Houston Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, the South Florida Sun Sentinel, WTVF-TV in Nashville, Tenn, KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Mo. and E.W. Scripps was ineligible for entry in this year's contest.
IRE, founded in 1975, is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to training and supporting journalists who pursue investigative stories and operates the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, a joint program of IRE and the Missouri School of Journalism.
The IRE Awards will be presented at a luncheon on Saturday, June 13, at the 2009 IRE Conference in Baltimore.
Copies of all contest entries are available to IRE members from the IRE Resource Center, which has more than 23,900 investigative stories submitted over the past 29 years. The Resource Center can be reached via e-mail at rescntr@ire.org or by calling 573-882-3364. See full list of winners, finalists and judges' comments at www.ire.org/resourcecenter/contest.
"How many people said no one is going to PAY for something they have always gotten for free? Now, some 30+ years later, we have learned something...A LOT!"
ReplyDeleteYes, and among the big media companies who laughed at the cable TV business model was Gannett. They could have got a foothold in the cable TV industry from the start, but they said why should people pay for something they can get free from us, and why should we spend all that money wiring the country with cable. See what happened.
So now we have the newspaper model. GCI could have bought some of the early Internet companies, or created their own Google or Yahoo if it wanted to. Gannett certainly had the money and heft in the markets to borrow and do it. But they didn't.
Today, we spend all that money gathering content, editing it, packaging it. And then we turn it over for free to someone else, who is making oodles of cash disseminating it. Look at Google's stock price. Now look at GCI.
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.aspx?Feed=PR&Date=20090331&ID=9743037&Symbol=GCI
ReplyDeleteUSAT with new Business travel site.
BIG announcement today.
ReplyDelete**FLASH** Craig Moon retiring as USAT publisher, leaving the place without a editor OR a publisher:
ReplyDelete=======
To: USA TODAY Employees
Fr: Craig A. Moon
After 23 years with Gannett and six years as your president and publisher, I will be retiring on April 17, 2009.
I am thankful to have been afforded the opportunity to represent one of the strongest and most recognizable national brands in the USA and to have worked with some of the smartest, most engaged and passionate folks in the industry. I will carry forward a multitude of memories and life experiences I would not have otherwise benefited from without my association with you and the incredible USA TODAY brand.
Certainly the timing of my retirement coincides with industry challenges. The changing media environment and the recession are creating new opportunities. I am bullish on possibilities to adjust the business models and adapt new mindsets which could lead to the industry becoming a growth business once again.
Please remember, USA TODAY the brand and all of you in the short term will be challenged … but in the long term – you will come out on top. The brand is actually bigger than the business and that’s good. USA TODAY history plays to innovation – just look at the success of the new iPhone application. Because you are flexible, willing to take risks, understand new technology and are not stuck in the past … you are better than the competition.
Today’s business environment will require frequent operational adjustments. Opportunities have been created. Regardless of how good new ideas may be, many will not work. While some of the results are being affected by systemic media changes, much is recession related which should recover and the brand will build back into a growth model as long as you continue to move ahead during the recession.
I’d like to leave you with some important foundational points … Ÿ the brand’s success is built on the consumer’s preference and the relevant value you create Ÿ business travelers find value in your work Ÿ the business is about content regardless of the platform or delivery mechanism Ÿ USATODAY.com audience is growing and leads in the Mobile arena Ÿ foundations for new businesses in licensing Ÿ hotel products, eReaders and a host of new partnership opportunities are available for the brand to capitalize on.
It has been my pleasure to work with each and every one of you. I will miss the collaborating efforts of this extraordinary USA TODAY team.
All the best,
Craig A. Moon
Jim likes the word moon.
ReplyDeleteThe Asheville Citizen_Times has put up a photo gallery of Amboy Road Park, which is indicative of all that is wrong with the Gannett approach to newspapering, and journalism in general.
ReplyDeleteThe gallery has over 30 obviously amateur images posted which are mostly blurry snapshots not worthy of viewing. It is presented in the featured galleries section of the web site, and appears as if it might have been produced by a staff photographer, but I pray it was submitted by a 'citizen journalist'. I have not included the URL because I'm sure they use galleries like this to increase their page view count in order to inflate their online circulation figures.
I find it hard to believe that anyone who is a professional editor, either word or photos, would expose the public to such poor quality.
I've noticed this trend at many Gannett papers, The Greenville(SC) News being another example. The papers also send their staff photographers to large events like high school graduations, and have them put up galleries of every graduate as they cross the stage. There is no attempt at identification, and families and friends must click through hundreds of images in hopes of finding the people they know. It's another attempt to inflate web views without producing a quality product for readers.
I've seen galleries of press conferences with 20 photos of someone standing behind a podium because professional photojournalists are forced to put up every frame they shoot rather than edit the take down to one or two images that actually mean something visually.
The newspapers create reader upload sites where thousands of poor quality snaps of dog, cats, and babies,showcased for all who will click through.
Publishers who require this and managing and executive editors who allow this to happen are shortchanging the quality of the product the viewer/reader receives on the web.
It is a continuation of the 'lowest common denominator' brand of journalism which is at least partly responsible for Gannett's downfall, and those newspaper groups who have followed Gannett's lead in this approach are suffering the same fate.
This of course is not the sum total of the problems that newspapers are having these days, but they are a good indication that newspaper executives at Gannett properties are as clueless about how to draw readers online as corporate headquarters.
Free content from readers that is poor quality actually reduces the favorable opinion of readers knowledgeable enough to know the difference. Those people might also just be current or future advertising clients. Does anyone think they are going to spend ad dollars, especially in this economy, for a site that appears amateurish at best? I bet not.
9:28 & 9:35. I'm glad that you have a union that allows you to be exempt. Unfortunatley, not all unions are as so. If you have a union that looks out for themselves instead of the union as a whole, you are screwed. I get to do another 3 months lay off for my union and still have to pay union dues. Ain't that a kick in the nuts.
ReplyDeleteIs there some loop hole in the furlough demand so that I and the others can get back to work. LAY OFFS SUCK!!!!!
Please tell me.
Congrats to well-deserved Detroit Free Press honor. And please tell us which of the other honorees are Gannett based in 2008 or recent years:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ire.org/resourcecenter/contest/
Thanks.
The unions are useless. the folks claiming they are exempt are probably senior and won't be impacted by the layoffs in their areas. Come on lemmings, wise up. Your day is done. You've jumped the shark. But keep paying that dues!
ReplyDeleteWhere is The Arizona Republic when it comes to covering the housing crisis in metro Phoenix?
ReplyDeleteMarketwatch says that Phoenix-area home values are down more than 40 percent year-over-year according to a report today.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Home-values-sink-record-pace/story.aspx?guid={2AEA804A-2895-440A-828B-D6C60A8553B6}
But The Republic just has the lame AP story about home prices being down in 20 cities, with no mention of Phoenix.
Asleep at the wheel, evidently.
To 9:38
ReplyDelete7:30 here. As for your local Web sites, where do they get their information? I challenge you to answer that. Remember, if it ultimately can be traced back to a newspaper, your point is moot. Also, who pays to keep these local sites going?
I stand behind my original statement. You will in some fashion eventually be forced to pay for online news. And it wont matter if the content is "better" or not.
12:53 Not asleep at the wheel. The Republica does not run stories that anger advertisers, and the local real estate industry doesn't like stories about house price declines. Think of ads from real estate companies and homebuilders and you will understand.
ReplyDeleteAny names on the Republic layoffs?
ReplyDeleteAnyone who pays for cable and satellite TV is a moron since you can get it all free online too. Cable and satellite may be heading down the same road newspapers are.
ReplyDelete2:36 PM, now that is BS. At least for the next 10 years. There is not enough bandwidth to the door. Remember, 80%+ of broadband is via cable TV companies.
ReplyDeleteRe:11:11 a.m. on Monday and designer layoffs:
ReplyDeleteRe: designer layoffs. Most copy editors already know how to lay out pages and sites I'm familiar with already have universal copy desks. Frankly I think it's a smart move because my observation as a former Gannett newsroom employee is that the copy editors who DON'T know how to multi-task were getting away with "murder," and some of those who did know how to do both design and editing, who were laid off in earlier cuts, saved their necks, at least for a few months.
That is...if you know what you're talking about!!!
2:36 Is Verizon's Fios a cable company, or a telephone company that offers high speed lines to your door?
ReplyDelete3:00 pm I agree with 2:36 pm I haven't had cable in years and my wife and kids watch whatever they want for free. (free in not counting the 35 dollars a month I pay for fiber to the home Internet at 10 Mbps up and down.) My friends on both coasts have speeds of 50 Mbps down. My point is the speed is coming and with most of Korea already up to 100 Mbps it is only a matter of time before we see much less need for a dedicated cable tv dinosaur
ReplyDeleteAs a comment in an old post, Jim has reported that one of his sources says to expect more layoffs next week. It's interesting that nobody is commenting on this. Perhaps Jim has a story in the works. Is anybody else hearing about layoffs during the week of April 6?
ReplyDeleteHere's the link to Jim's earlier comments: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8099437767970534324&postID=2405225927673432362
JIM -- IS YOUR SPONSORSHIP TOTAL UP-TO-DATE???
ReplyDelete11.31 yes you must have a contract with a "manning clause" that dictates how many workers must be present at the least! This guarentees work for the duration of the contract. I am sorry this is probably not in your contract. But I would think you do have other benefits like more vacation time or higher wages in which you enjoy better than the average worker. The corporate people have been cruising this website and really hate that anyone belongs to a union. They themselves in upper corporate have contracts they just don't wantr the "little guy" to have one. Good luck there and sorry again!
ReplyDeleteEveryone should do the Gannett Challenge--( I learned it from the coward Director of Transportation in White Plains) ---Sit in a chair---spread your legs far apart---and reach your head down and kiss your Ass Goodbye---This baby is a done deal---Out of Business in a matter of weeks!!!
ReplyDeleteIf Corporate was smart they would close Westchester-- It is a freakin disgrace--Circulation is so far down---Why is The VP of Operations still there??? He is a joke as well as all the other directors. I would love to tell everyone about the crap I know about the staff at Westchester---from adopted children---to the horrors of mis-management---but the stuffed shirts will force Jim to block the post!
ReplyDelete"you must have a contract with a "manning clause" that dictates how many workers must be present at the least! This guarentees work for the duration of the contract."
ReplyDeleteGuarantees jobs, doesn't guarantee work. Look what good all those fake jobs banks did for the automakers.
If there are layoffs next week, and IF people must go, I can only hope Gannett rectifies the injustice does in December by seemly exempting those worthless Ohio community papers from layoffs.
ReplyDeleteWhile good folks in Wiscosin and Indiana were shown the door, these Ohio papers got a pass.
Note to Gannett corp - These papers are WAY overstaffed for their real circulations. That is especially true in Lancaster, Newark and Chillicothe, where all have seen huge drops in circulation.
I hate anyone being laid off, but if they must do it, it should be done fairly across all papers. That didn't happen in December.
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ReplyDeleteWhy do you need to know the names of Phoenix layoffs? Tell me who you are worried about and I'll tell you if they still have a job...or better yet, pick up a phone and call them?
ReplyDeleteThe three single copy managers canned all got bent over by the USA Today 2 years ago at the height of the paper's profit and popularity...only to get hired by the AZ Rep, pumped up their sales and got bent over again.
Gannett makes AIG look like the friggin Red Cross when it comes to employee treatment.
NOT TO BEAT A DEAD HORSE-- BUT BIG THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN NEW JERSEY, and YOU WILL WANT TO GO TO THE
ReplyDelete'NJ CONFIDENTIAL" BLOGS TO FIND OUT! THIS IS NOT A GANNETT MASSACRE WHICH NEEDS TO BE ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF THE ZOO!
Anyone else getting nasty phone calls about their subscription expiring "soon."
ReplyDeleteMy sub ends the last week of April and I got a call on Saturday. Told the person I had just mailed the payment. Then my wife gets a call again today and the person has a real nasty attitude. And just now, I got a call from some newbie who apparently did not know how to use his headset as his voice kept dropping out.
Is this the center of excellence again or did we outsource to some bill collection agency??
Consolidation now underway in New Jersey. New York and Ohio follows. Stay tuned. Much more to come.
ReplyDelete9:46 a.m.
ReplyDeleteYour dog-eat-dog world comment reminded me of one of our copy desk favorites ... a story that came from a young reporter (and through several metro editors) and said it was a doggie dog world out there.
Not sure why Jim didn't create a separate post on this - it's buried in an old thread, but ...
ReplyDeleteJim Hopkins said...
12:06 pm and all:
That is, indeed, the first time I have reported what I have been told: a newspaper layoff is planned for the week of April 6.
3/31/2009 12:09 PM
It is going to be so much fun watching the Moon stories come out during the next three weeks.
ReplyDeleteI may even have to donate to help Jim keep the blog running at least through April 17.
Jim, can you give us ANYTHING more on the rumored layoffs for next week? Sites, scope of layoffs? Anything?
ReplyDeleteI keep hearing how the News paper is a dying industry. I see this on this blog, and comments on Cable TV news. Why doesn't Gannett do anything to deny it. Instead they seem to encourage those beliefs. You won't here most of the people who read the paper on the internet.They buy Newspapers for the convenience of having everything they want to read now, and they don't want to carry around a laptop or similiar device with them.Believe it or not there are still more than a few people who don't want or have internet access. Even a few of those who still read the paper are under twenty. Why can't Gannett keep Nespapers like they were? They are still making a profit.
ReplyDelete@11:12 Newspapers are dead. My grandmother reads the news online. She's 92. My nephew's nine. Same thing.
ReplyDeleteAll you folks who still have your jobs and think your hard work and layered skills will save you need to consider this: I lost my job in December even though I had award-winning experience as a writer, a section editor and a page designer.
ReplyDeleteWhen the layoffs were first announced, my friends assured me that I would be OK because I was multi-skilled. How wrong they were.
No matter how essential you think you are, you better be prepared to be without a job.
The more Gannett and other newspaper companies cut their products and dumb down their content, the more they render THEMSELVES irrelevent and obsolete. The don't even have to wait for the public to do that for them.
Rest In Peace, print journalism.
Anyone hearing about rolling USA Today and WUSA (Washington's CBS station) together for news gathering operations?
ReplyDelete11:39 -- I'm sure you're telling the truth about your grandmother and nephew. But using two people to argue that print newspapers are dead doesn't prove anything. I can give you even more examples of people who don't even have access to the Internet. Does that mean the Web is dead? Of course not.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is print papers are not as dominant as they once were and they will never be that dominant again. But there are many industries like that which are still alive today: radio, television, film. Each of these had a heyday. None are as dominant as they once were but there's still money to be made.
The truth is, the corporate model becomes less and less viable as an industry shrinks. But I suspect somebody will find a way to maintain it. The sad fact is that they will likely cut the soul out of the business by doing it.
Case in point, commercial radio is mostly awful today. Back in the day, you could listen to locally owned stations with attitude and they were so much better.
Hopefully, we'll find a way to keep at least some locally owned papers alive. And these non-corporate papers will be the great ones of the future.
10:07 pm: That was deliberate.
ReplyDeleteWhat I've posted so far about layoffs in the newspaper division next week has not been detailed enough to warrant a separate post on the homepage.
5.33 who the dismal heck are you? Because you did not negotiate your contract right with a manning clause in there doens't mean mine will be closed, Last time I checked "Gannett" wasn't in bankruptsy. Foolish people always throw the baby out with the dirty bathwater! Unions always, work with companies, before bankruptsy shame your knowledge is lacking. Gannett shutters to hear the word "UNION" AND have been montoring this site for the talk also! Check my comments three days ago when coporate answered my negative commments towards the company about thier coporational greed!
ReplyDelete12:36 PM asked: Where is The Arizona Republic when it comes to covering the housing crisis in metro Phoenix?
ReplyDeleteWe've been covering it for the past two years! Where the hell have you been?
http://www.azcentral.com/realestate/articles/2009/02/05/20090205housingeconomy0205.html