Monday, April 13, 2009
Monday | April 13 | Your News & Comments
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47 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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ReplyDeleteAlthough Ariel might have been a lower percentage shareholder on March 2, any question on who the board will listen to at the meeting?
ReplyDeleteIf they're reading - we're a profitable company, hugely profitable in good times, even profitable now. Breaking up the group for additional gains in the short term would be very short-sighted. INVEST in the company and the people, you'll make your money back and then some.
Nobody even stands in line to be first anymore...........
ReplyDeleteSomeone said Sunday, "Gannett is on the mend."
ReplyDeleteOh my god. My newsroom doesn't know which way is up anymore, due to the furlough(s) of the week. Take one or two or even three key people out at a clip and either no one does their job or they do a half-ass job. And yes, readers have noticed. They've asked me about it in person and posted on our Web site things like, "So this is what furloughs do to Xxxxxx Xxxxxx?"
And we're one of the better performers regarding profit.
On ze mend? Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteThen why all the upcoming consolidations? All of Gannett's Wisconsin ads will soon be produced in Green Bay (I know, it's not India, yet) and it's already a terrific cluster. One site ran an ad for an Easter buffet -- today.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete9:30 a.m. now that is funny. She might as well just say, "I want the hell out, now!"
ReplyDeleteCan't blame the wrong ad running on production. There had to be an ad rep who scheduled that ad with that material to run today. With fewer ads, how the hell do they keep making entry mistakes?
ReplyDeleteToo few reps working too many customer accounts is going to lead to errors.
ReplyDeleteQuantity of contacts over quality of sales and customer service is the new Gannett selling standard.
Goldman Sachs hires law firm to shut blogger's site.
ReplyDeleteGoldman Sachs is attempting to shut down a dissident blogger who is extremely critical of the investment bank, its board members and its practices.
Oh please, show me ten LinkedIn profiles and nine will note an interest in career opportunities. It's a professional networking site, people.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the prepress consolidation in Wisconsin, I guess if you plan to consolidate, estimate the number of employees needed and then implement the plan with less than you need, you're gonna have a problem. Check dictionary.com under "RTC" and "COE" for reference.
It'll be interesting to see what's gonna happen after all the managers and directors cash in their options today.
ReplyDeleteGANNETT CLOSING FIVE WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS IN MICHIGAN --- LAYOFFS TOO
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090413/NEWS02/90413002&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL
Jim: Your readers might be interested in this breaking story about Gannett shutting down five weekly papers in Metro Detroit:
ReplyDeleteBy Bill Shea
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The local newspaper industry casualty list grew by five on Monday when Observer & Eccentric Newspapers said five of its weekly publications will halt print and online publication on May 31.
According to published reports, gone in the cost-cutting move will be the Birmingham (founded in 1878), West Bloomfield (1970), Troy (1968) and Rochester (1972) editions of the Eccentric, along with 44 editorial, advertising, circulation and production jobs.
In a related move, the company is launching a multi-community Sunday newspaper called the South Oakland Eccentric that will cover Royal Oak, Berkley, Clawson, Huntington Woods, Southfield and Pleasant Ridge. That will replace the Southfield Eccentric and weekly Mirror newspapers.
A message was left for Susan Rosiek, executive editor of the O&E, Hometown and Mirror newspapers.
O&E Newspapers was formed in 1974 and added the Mirror in 1998.
The Gannett Co. Inc.-controlled Detroit Media Partnership that oversees joint business functions of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News bought the O&E chain of weekly community newspapers in March 2005 as part of its $170 million deal for Livonia-based HomeTown Communications Network.
It was announced in October that the O&E’s reporters, editors, and administrative were moving to the partnership’s downtown Detroit offices, along with some satellite office shuffling, as a money-saving measure.
Rich Harshbarger, the Detroit Media Partnership’s vice president of consumer marketing, said the DMP doesn’t manage the weeklies, but just acts as their sales agent. He referred questions to Rosiek.
10:50am
ReplyDeleteYou cannot blame the wrong ad running on the ad rep. Often ads that were scheduled by the rep ended up printing a completely wrong ad because production doesn't probably dump the old ad numbers. Also, often the ad reps will get a proof on their desks the morning the ad has run.
Reno aftershocks, as the Reno publisher announces the closing of the closing of the Carson Times, the Douglas County Times, and the Fallon Star-Press.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.starbulletin.com/business/businessbriefs/20090409_business_briefs.html
Jim, I spot a pattern with shutting down the weeklies in Detroit and in Reno. Need to add terminations to that layoff list. Also note that Gannett says Tucson talks ended, so that closing immanent IMHO.
ReplyDeleteIs Fremont the only site in Ohio with layoffs? I think not.
ReplyDeleteCheck around, esp. Mansfield, Bucyrus and Marion.
"immanent"
ReplyDeleteYou're a dumbass, IMHO.
Please note I had inquired about a ticket to the shareholders meeting and was told I did not need one. This, apparently, is incorrect. It appears a shareholder does need a ticket. So, beware.
ReplyDelete-- ClarkKentGannett@aol.com
If the story on the Michigan papers was written by Bill Shea, don't trust a word of it.
ReplyDeletehe can't write, he can't get facts straight, he can't anything. He does not know what he is doing.
I wonder also about why the other Ohio community papers have been again spared the axe. You would have thought Mansfield alone would have lost half their staff by now through shear neglect and ignorance...
8:19 -- Gannett does appear to be on the mend ... financially ... and for the time being.
ReplyDeleteI think people working for the company see how backward things are and realize that the financial picture will cloud considerably if the company doesn't focus on quality once it's completed all of these consolidations.
I'm not holding my breath because the leadership has been ridiculously bad so far. But I do think it would be possible for GCI to turn things around if it started soon.
None of this, however, means that people will keep their jobs. A company can make itself much more viable financially by trimming down and running lean, and Gannett is taking that route.
Whether the finances work out in the long run is yet to be seen. The trimming down is a guarantee ... and I mean even beyond what we're seeing right now.
In five years, GCI newsrooms won't be staffed anywhere near the way they are today.
"If the story on the Michigan papers was written by Bill Shea, don't trust a word of it.
ReplyDeletehe can't write, he can't get facts straight, he can't anything. He does not know what he is doing."
Why should we trust you? We don't know who you are, and you write things like this:
"You would have thought Mansfield alone would have lost half their staff by now through shear neglect and ignorance..."
Either learn to spell or stay off the board.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteHave you been in contact with any of these Ariel people, and do you believe they read your blog?
I'm surprised Chillicothe, Lancaster and Newark haven't had additional layoffs yet.
ReplyDelete"I'm surprised Chillicothe, Lancaster and Newark haven't had additional layoffs yet."
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you haven't stuck your hand in a mouse trap yet.
Any observations on how the second quarter furloughs are going at your site -- Have they begun? How are the absences being covered? Any employees exempt from the furlough requirement? How many are "eligible" for the two-week, high-paid-employee furlough?
ReplyDeleteIn an article posted this afternoon by the Daily Finance (Media World: Will Ariel get Burned by Gannett?), author Jonathon Barr voices doubt that Gannett's cirumstances merit the recent stock price increase.
ReplyDeleteHe states, "Gannett's fundamentals are still poor. Analysts are expecting profit to fall to 25 cents from 77 cents a year earlier when it reports quarterly results April 16. Revenue may fall 13.3 percent to $1.45 billion, according to Thomson Reuters."
This detail from the blog "Arizona's Own Espresso Pundit," April 12, 2009 entry:
ReplyDelete"Gannett had a big layoff last week and one of my sources at the paper told me that management worked so hard to keep the layoff secret that they resorted to calling employees at home on Sunday night and telling them not to come in the next day."
9:04 PM:
ReplyDeleteYea, well assume that .25 will be for the other 3 quarters then that puts the profit at 1.00. With a price of 4 now (and this is after the rise!) that would give it a p/e of 4. Every 4 years you earn the value that you paid for the share? And this is all before the economy has started to turn? Top that off with the signs of the bottom reached in the resession adn you have a 10 buck stock easy. Many of you let your hate for Gannett get in the way of your bank book. You all could have jumped in at 2 bucks. You all were told that it was about to go up. I am sure some of you did get in but most didnt. YOu all think yoiu know more then anyone else. That guy that posts as Todd tells us how dumb we are for investing in gannett on the same day it going up 40 percent. People get real!
Clueless one:
ReplyDeleteTrying to guess short-term stock gains is the fast way to bankruptcy.
Now take your worthless advice elsewhere. We don't need to hear from you ever again.
How's this for real. If you got in at 2 bucks, sell it soon and make a nice profit. A $10 stock is not that easy, especially after all the other hotel chains will dump USA Today.
ReplyDeleteI was a top performer who got booted in December for political issues with the executive editor and was really pissed about it for awhile. But now, everytime I land a new client I just laugh. I think about how stupid Gannett was to get rid of me. How much money they spent to train me ... trust me they spent a TON of money (I'm a graphic artist). In turn, I helped them make a good clip of money. It just amuses me everytime I land a new client. Gannett could have used my creative genuius to make even more money for them, however the inhibitions of its editors and directors holds it back.
ReplyDeleteLast week, I was so overjoyed with business prospects that I was about to write Criag DuBow a nice note thanking him for all of the money he spent to train me and eventually fine tune my skills. I didn't send that note. I thought that they would find a way to harm my current life situation in one way or another.
How pathetic is it that I have to worry about things like that?
Anyway, thanks for all of the training Craig. You spent a bundle on me and it's paying off for me! I'm laughing all the way to the bank! Craigey, you should have cleaned house when you took over. Now you are in a situation where you are afraid to layoff people, thus furloughs, because you don't trust the intentions of your minions.
10:01...get some therapy. I'm guessing you live in a small town in the cold eastern US. Why such anger? May I recommend my friend Lexapro? Or move to the sunbelt...it was a great 88 degrees here today!
ReplyDeleteWow, 7:47 and 7:57 pm shore do has some anger over peoples what don't spel gud or use good grammer!
ReplyDeleteThis jerk apparently loves his Ohio community papers and the poor writing of that Michigan know-nothing.
Actually, when many of us write on this blog, we type fast, sometimes miss a key or two, then send and then.... damn! We see we made a type or two or maybe, Gawd ferbid, misspell something.
So lighten up folks... this is not a disseration, Master's thesis or even a news article.... it's a freakin' blog!
What matters is what we say... not our typoes... heheheh
Besides, the occasional delibate misspelling I find amusing.... or have we forgotten humor?
ReplyDeleteOh wait... most of you folks work for Gannett... the humor has been beaten out of you!
Sorry....
Hopefully there will be no more layoffs at any Gannett or any other paper, but the rumors of more cuts are still out there and the economics indictates we will probably see more.
ReplyDelete"What matters is what we say... not our typoes... heheheh"
ReplyDeleteAnd what you say is unconfirmed sewage with no value.
Don't try to claim it's typos. You're just dumb.
People just watch the earnings report. Things are not as bad as they seem. Maybe that is why there are 40 posts instead of 100. Things are starting to look up. I am sure people that were laid off will be pissed that GCI is doing well and I totally understand that. The people that are still working for GCI can rest assured that things will be imporving. Over night? no, but they will be getting better.
ReplyDeleteLook at the salary for this job! I love to see the people that apply for a computer programming job that will pay less then poverty! They are going to put thier website floridaytoday in the hands of a person that makes 30 grand? The guy that wipes the poop off the bathroom floor in jersey makes more then that!
ReplyDeleteLocation: FL - Melbourne Job Type: Engineering
Information Technology
Base Pay: $30,000 /Year Required Education: 4 Year Degree
Bonus: Required Experience: At least 3 year(s)
Other: Required Travel: Not Specified
Employee Type: Full-Time Employee Relocation Covered: No
Industry Newspaper
Job ID:
Description
Responsible for the design and creation of all visual elements of floridatoday.com. This includes responsibility for the overall look and feel of the website including lead development of content and architecture plans, presentation design and coordination of all materials to prepare for production. Develop and maintain advertorial content, special project news content, advertising banner positions and marketing/promotional campaigns. Assist with the positing of non-editorial content including assembling and organizing information, editing and packaging content, and creating web only supplements including forms, photo galleries and databases.
Requirements
Qualified candidates will be proficient in Adobe design products, specifically Flash and DreamWeaver; have a working knowledge of PHP, MySQL, JavaScript with the ability to create new projects as well as manipulate existing ones; have ability to learn and adapt to new computer languages; and be able to work in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines while understanding the importance of being a part of a team. Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent experience required.
10:06 blow it out your ass, and I say that with the utmost calm. I can't stand the retards that come on this site and act like they are geniuses because the stock went up 2 bucks, and act like they predicted it. Total unoriginal losers that need to get a freaking life and learn and accept the truth!
ReplyDelete11:06 What is the truth?
ReplyDeleteI mean 11:29, what is the truth?
ReplyDelete11:29...I have a great life, a wonderful home which is paid for, a new car which is paid for, a beautiful wife and boat....all from my working at Gannett (well except for the wife). I really don't understand your anger. While I did not start the stock thread I did pick up a quick $20,000, took the profit and moved it back to cash. If you know what you are doing you can do very well within a 401K...am taking a loan on the $20K i just made and picking up a Short Sale condo....which should double in value within the year.
ReplyDeleteI took a risk and it worked out...that is it. Nothing about being a genuis, just having the balls to do it.
So enjoy your life...I like mine.
12:17:
ReplyDeletePeople who make paper profits on worthless companies are big pieces of shit.
Like you, they run around and tell everyone how clever they are, when in reality they're just fortunate to have timed the market.
So don't take this the wrong way, but it will be entertaining when you screw up and blow the wad. Of course, you won't come running back here to brag about that.
2:44 - Jealous much?
ReplyDeleteNo, I paid attention to what screwed up the economy.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, you're likely a low-level Gannett fucktard. Not much to envy.