"It's a hellish time for newspapering."
-- Sue Clark-Johnson, stepping down as chair of the Newspaper Association of America and as head of Gannett's newspaper division. (Odd detail: Editor & Publisher notes she was wearing a beige snakeskin jacket when she made this remark today.)
I went over to the article to read it in its original text and sure enough, she chose a snakeskin jacket for the event.
ReplyDeleteI usually am rankled when writers note what a woman executive (or politician) is wearing in an article. There are few reports of what men of equal status are wearing when they speak or are interviewed. No mention of what CEO Overby was wearing when he didn't return Jim's calls to respond to conflict of interest charges in the earlier post.
But, if he showed up wearing a snakeskin jacket (or even a snakeskin TIE)at a NAA function, even if he didn't speak, a reporter would have to mention it.
I didn't realize snakeskin was "in" this year. Does PETA know?
She must have sold the Buffalo Fur that Big Al gave her a few years back. The snake fits the bill.
ReplyDeleteIt couldn't be a more appropriate jacket for her. Now she can slither her way back to Reno where evidently...all great newspaper people come from. Anyone ever notice that most of the senior mgmt at Phoenix (at one time or another) came from the Reno paper? Is it something in the water there or is it because the Queen Bee scj was the one who hired them all....and we KNOW how smart she is. She never makes a bad hire... At least now other folks in Gannett can have a chance at advancing their career if Dickey can look past Reno and Phoenix and realize it's a big company out there...Do you think he will have a bat phone to Lake Tahoe and Phoenix??
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeletePlease could you check your notes and sources?
I'm told the complete graf should read:
"It's a hellish time for newspapering," said Johnson, clad in a snakeskin jacket, "but it's the perfect time to join ZZ Top."
When did "newspaper" become a verb? Snakeskin I can forgive. We're not clothing designers. But we're writers. Why do we accept (promote?) the gerundizing of words? ; )
ReplyDeleteAnon@3:20: Go Strunk yourself. :-)
ReplyDeleteEnglish more fluid than style guide writers would have us believe.
It's especially a hellish time for anyone who owns Gannett stock.
ReplyDeleteThose 52-week lows keep on coming.
Anybody know the last time the stock was this low? GCI closed today at $27.39. Ouch!
It's a "hellish time for newspapers" because of people like Clark-Johnson. The top executives do nothing but think short-term, so they don't jeopardize their year-end bonus and/or pay increase. Do you think for one minute that a boob like Curtis Riddle or any of the other Regional Presidents care about what they are leaving to the next generation of newspaper employees. They don't care one bit. It's all about them and the hell with the rest of the company.
ReplyDeleteJim, why can someone say 'a boob like Curtis Riddle' but some of my unflattering remarks about current or past executives don't get posted?
ReplyDeleteBut as for the above post I agree. The short view is bad for the business and needs to change. As a shareholder, I think you can't fight a battle on defense. And taking on this new level of competition is going to take another approach with a view towards 5 years out, not next year. With that, you're not going to make 20% to 30% margins. Be happy with 10% to 15% until you can even things out. With that in mind, executive compensation should be small up front with a big payout if the goals are hit on the back end.
To anon@1:54 p.m. Boob? It's just a judgment call.
ReplyDelete