Monday, April 27, 2009
19 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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Building news, future Jimfuckbuddies!
ReplyDeleteExactly when will you figure out that we are all successfully ignoring you? Any kind of news comes out when its ready.
ReplyDeleteSkippy,
ReplyDeleteWhat is the frequency? Sorry, I mean, what is the plan to save Home News Tribune and Courier News?
Are you still in town or headed to D.C? Getting a haircut for D.C.? Practicing smiling in a mirror?
.....saw the NJPA Awards article in the D.R. and wondered why the article failed to mention that some of the award winners had been laid off......just wondering.....
ReplyDeleteRecent antics/troubles/fun at the C-P:
ReplyDelete1. Digicol has been down for 2 - count 'em two - weeks. The only way we can access local photos is for the photogs to either email them to the paper or they can return to the paper and drag them onto a server that only a few computers have access to. If emailed, the pictures have to be downloaded to a desktop, renamed, transferred to another desk so they can be uploaded to the wonderful people at Gannett RTC.
Want a proof so you can write a cutline? Just create a document in another program and cut & paste the photo and caption info there so it might be printed out on a printer that might or might not work with your computer. That is saying nothing of the time spent/wasted when reporters want to request a photo shoot, or the extra steps the photographers have to take to deliver their work. And, BTW, the Vineland paper is also linked on this system, so I am afraid it affects them, too.
2. Last week, some of the pagination computers (which were, admittedly hopelessly slow) were replaced with 'new' computers (I think they were hand-me-downs from APP??) late in the day. The help desk people made sure they ran and then left for the day at their normal time (they have been so busy handling the 2-week-old Digicol problem, you see). When the people who actually USE the computers began to try and put the paper out with the new computers, guess what? HaHaHa, things didn't work too well ~ mixed up fonts, no permissions to upload photos to RTC, can't print, can't access Coyote due to licensing problems, etc. Fun, fun, fun!
3. Saturday afternoon, there was a 2-hour power outage in the area, and it affected the paper. (not that I saw a story on it the next day - maybe it was online and I just missed it because I don't read the computer at the breakfast table.) Anyway, once the power came back up, of course, it took a while to get things back online, and hey, look at this, kids - no wire services!! Wow - how much fun is this? As of Sunday night, AP wasn't back online, but IT promised they would work on it today. Gee, thanks.
It's a friggin' miracle every day the paper gets out at all.
Hey, CP, power outage? What about the diesel generator and UPS system that's supposed to keep the operation humming along withouot problems? Did they forget to gas that baby up or something?
ReplyDeleteBackup generator for the CP? Yeah they installed it several years ago, but probably never test it. Instead that idiot in charge of production is probably too engaged kissing the butt of the publisher or out on the grounds trimming the hedges. Can things get worse? Sure can and will. Then what is EJ bringing to the table? Nothing. In any respectable newspaper the EE would be in the middle of such problems and earning his money be getting resolution. Of course, it's EJ so what do you expect there? Thanks Nashville and Detroit for sendiing this empty (large) suit to Cherry Hill.
ReplyDeletethat generator was on a weekly automated test schedule. it had more than enough capacity to run the operation -- some lights, computer room, news computers, ad computers but sans press and mailroom -- for hours with a full tank of diesel. ... damned shame if they let that routine fall by the wayside ... spent a lot of money for it, and several times it saved the day when power was lost for a big chunk of time ...
ReplyDeleteWhere's EJ?
ReplyDeleteHow does AT get comments about her removed? Did I miss something? I would expect her to be very busy to read this blog...
ReplyDeleteWhat's happening NJ Rocks???? Awful quiet today.
ReplyDeleteWhere is Bernita at the CN today?
ReplyDeleteIs it a furlough? Has she run off to be with Mike at the HNT? We are often treated like mushrooms-- fed bull and kept in the dark!
Building news, shitfaces!
ReplyDeleteNEW JERSEY ROCKS!
ReplyDeleteAnd The Papers make good piddle
pads for puppies to poop on.
Andria Thorpe rules!
ReplyDelete4/27/2009 10:55 AM
ReplyDelete"It's a friggin' miracle every day the paper gets out at all".
no shit. there are so many
incompetent people at the CP.
Ok... to clear up:
ReplyDeleteDigicol has yes been down for a long time, unfortunately a drive on the server failed. When the server rebuilt itself the driver failed again. Next step was to rebuild the server all together. The reason that failed was due to the power outage. Digicol, as stated in the email you all received earlier, should be back up by Thursday.
So onto our next issue...
The power outage was nobodies fault. Everybody in the building knows that there are terrible power issues. We all also know that generator stinks. A matter of fact I saw some repairs being made to it a few weeks back. Who knows, maybe the repair guys messed up? At any rate that wasn't anybody in our buildings fault.
Next issue...
Cherry Hill is NOT to blame for that whole Coyote Layout issue. Blame that issue on the writers of the program. It has no viable method to be installed easily. The computers you saw were done by, not Cherry Hill, but a couple of great guys from Asbury Park. Now that's not saying it was their fault either. Again, this problem is NOBODIES fault. The blame should be put down on the guy who purchased SII products in the first place, and from what I've heard, he was fired for purchasing this.
I'm glad I could clear up all of your misunderstandings.
Oh and by the way 10:55 AM, there are methods of finding out those of you who are on this site during work hours. Can you say, abuse of work computer?
To Sales Guy 06, no matter what, if there are problems with backup power and it is known that there are issues, management is to blame for not staying on top of something like this until there is proof that all is ok. If your name is descriptive of where you work (in the sales dept) it's pretty easy to figure out which one of those morons you are...Tom
ReplyDelete"Cherry Hill is NOT to blame for that whole Coyote Layout issue."
ReplyDeleteI am in Cherry Hill (well not this minute), and I will take some blame for the Coyote Layout issue. Not all of it, but in this case more than the writers of the program.
"It has no viable method to be installed easily."
No, it cannot be installed easily. No reason to expect that. It's not a shrink-wrapped piece of software you can buy in Radio Shack. It is industrial strength, if somewhat ragged around the edges. It is a complicated install, no question. Not as complicated as Hermes, for which I spent months on site with some customers. Since Hermes is a more sophisticated system, the installation effort was worth it. We are not a totally new Layout installation, so it should not take months. But a few weeks is not unreasonable.
"the guy who purchased SII products in the first place"
You talking about Glenn? I always thought of him as being forced out. If he was fired, I think it was because he ran afoul of the C-P culture in how the decision was made. Not saying I know. That's just an impression from the year of intense wrangling that followed his departure and eventually led to mine. Looks like we are back on the same sunny track.
"Oh and by the way 10:55 AM, there are methods of finding out those of you who are on this site during work hours."
Knock yourself out. As noted, I am not in Cherry Hill at the moment. Neither, I suspect was 10:55, at 10:55. But during my work hours, I heard daysiders discussing the aforementioned post. You might pick up someone in your sweep, but it won't be 10:55.