Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Wednesday | April 8 | Your News & Comments
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94 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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First.
ReplyDeleteHuh. Not so satisfying.
Why doesn’t Gannett just get real and "growup", cut everyone’s pay by 10% or whatever that magic number would need to be and give us 5 extra personal days off per year to make up for the cut. That would thin the herd a bit, while keeping the hard workers, and give the slacker and crybabies a reason to leave. That way all of this layoff and unpaid leave crap would stop.
ReplyDeleteWere there layoffs in Reno or not?
ReplyDeleteHow about cut or pay by 10% and replace it with equal amount of GCI stock?
ReplyDelete10:59, there are a lot of hardworking people who are being let go. That is part of the problem here. Dead wood is allowed to stay at some sites, when perfectly capable people are being bounced at others.
ReplyDeleteThere's no rhyme or reason to any corporate decisions anymore, except to cut expenses and kill off the print version of the business. But without print reporters and editors, and good ad reps, marketing staffers, etc. the company is going straight off the cliff.
To 11:08....this company's going straight off the cliff anyway. There's no way in hell they can regain anything close to the profit margins they were used to getting, and Wall Street will continue to hammer them for it. I think our best bet is to hope they will sell them off as individual properties, and we can try to make it with (hopefully, less greedy) local owners.
ReplyDeleteBest of Gannett's were announced today, but I can't seem to find an overall list of who won what. Anyone have it and can share?
ReplyDeleteGoogle gannett, call up news about gannett, and click on newswatch. You'll find it....
ReplyDelete10:59 -- Yes there were layoffs in Reno.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as though the total number will be about 30, but there hasn't been any official announcement to employees. The only news is coming from the people who have been cut.
You can see why people post to this blog. Even in the face of continuing layoffs, management has not communicated to the employees who will presumably be running the ship from here on out.
So how does this work? You walk into the office....
ReplyDeleteYou: Where's Bill?
Boss: Bill who?
You: You know, Bill. The guy who used to sit next to me.
Boss: Don't know any Bills.
You: For crissakes, he was just here yesterday.
Boss: You want to be here tomorrow?
You: Bill who?
It is time for"We the people" to take back our country from these rich money grubbing thieves! The winds of change are coming and till they slap these self righteous assholes in the face, I do believe that the full page ad , for $30.00 an individual , is the first step towards shining the ever glorious LIGHT on these overbearing greedy selfish DARK individuals that lead our company and ceo's today! Time to really get to work! Bring the winds of change and make America work for the middle class again!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that 11:47 can't find the Best of Gannett online, that 12:23 can and doesn't provide a link and that the company makes it difficult to find the awards on www.gannett.com are all troublesome.
ReplyDeleteMany news organizations in this company actually are trouncing their competitors online, but there are still too many within the ranks and management who are so print-centric that I fear for our future.
On a blog, of all things, we just demonstrated it.
On a related note: Jim, you have an obligation to report on the good as well as the bad, and your failure to lead people to the Best of Gannett awards is a big one. Even if people thought they were crap awards, at least it is a window into what the company values. I'm disappointed in your work today, and I'm a big fan.
P.S. Here's the link: http://www.gannett.com/bestofgannett2008/
Gannett is a "Junkie" for profits! Like a true junkie it will not see what is real and will betray the trust of good true people. A junkie will sell whatever it can and aquire whatever it can for profit regardless of its value as long as they feel powerfull high! They will steal and strip anything they can for profit and rape the morals with it.These people are true power junkies on a "Corporational high" and will not be human like you nor me nor treat a person with the same dignity nor respect because they think better than regular humans and deserve better wages! They will deny any fault to the end threatening you with discharge before they admit they should of validated your parking sticker. They are the incarnate of everything that is evil in money and power and Never deserved to own as many papers as they do but our "Dumbfuck" goverment allowed it! These are the people that deserve to be treated as kings and queens and will fleece the common folK of their blood rights to their toil! We are witnessing a true change in history where the rich will slice thier own throat by stealing all the wealth by higher percenteges and then we AMERICANS can finally live like mexicans. There will be the rich class, higher than holy hell, and the lower poor class! They are using the mexicans to outsource our wages with the threat that we will lose our jobs and the way corporations are treating their employees by their actions, like freezing the pensions and outsourcing binges, are at the very least unpatriotic and may be considered treasonist and theivery. Check out and reveal all of the unkown swiss bak accounts for the "Ceo's" and "politions: in america In Swiss accounts. I would love to se that rock overturned and see the "TRUE" maggots! And it equals out to only "US" the small guys paying taxes. While the rich people have greased the system to improve the rules for loopholes and tax havens to pay less or NO taxes!WHY ,WHY ,WHY?????? America is supposed to be better than this than a bunch of greedy assholes that will finacially slice the little "joe"s throat and throw his family out on the sidewalk for outsourced profits! Where has the red-white and blue went and where is my country?????????? Gannett is the 36th WORST company to work for but "Washington" lets them do what they want! It is about time "we the people" really meant that! Or I do see in the future the collapse of america as we know it and the rich will have thier day in the sun as we say on the barbeque while we roast them alive the pigs for what they are!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't expect there will be anymore cuts this week at least until later this week. Our publisher left for D.C. yesterday for the publishers meetings. Should be interesting to see what they come back with...
ReplyDeleteI agree that Gannett does not know what they are doing with Digital. Publicus is so slow and Pluck sucks.
Why doesn’t Gannett just get real and "growup", cut everyone’s pay by 10% or whatever that magic number would need to be and give us 5 extra personal days off per year to make up for the cut.
ReplyDelete4/07/2009 10:59 PM
_______________
You are really stupid. You want a 10% pay cut and think getting 5 more personal days makes up for it? First off, a pay cut is lasting. Next, a week off with no pay represents a touch over a TEMPORARY 2% pay cut. Your silly idea represents a permanent 5 weeks off with only 5 DAYS in exchange for the cut.
"Growup?" Please, keep your stupid, ignorant ideas to yourself. Put your head down and do what you're told. It's people like you that will run this company into the ground faster than anyone else could.
All the people that are so specific about their careers crack me up!! Gannett hates to pay you! Realize that you are a number, no matter how hard you work. Even if you wipe the toliet lid after you leave they will stab you! Ha-Ha fools wake up! Corporate is the only people that matter. Shame on you for thinking you have dignity in this company.....................makes me laugh actaully...Picking up dog feces is about the right equal to working here!
ReplyDeletei would like to know if other sites have communication issues between departments: sales - circulation, composing, your manager? finance? does anyone work together for the benefit of Mr. Customer or does everyone say "it's not my job"? what do you hear back from customers when problems arise?
ReplyDelete3:06 -- It's not that I couldn't provide the link, I was too lazy to. But nice try....
ReplyDelete7:26 perhaps you should read 3:06's post again.
ReplyDeleteThe poster did not say you "couldn't" post the link the point was you could have, but didn't.
I'm reading it that your action was very much like the actions most are complaining about on here.
7:33 -- I did read the post. The point was that I seemed to be too "print-centric" to provide a link. It's nonsense. But what I should have said is that instead of just doing the poster's work for them, I was trying to educate them on how to be more "Web-centric." That better?
ReplyDelete6:58 AM: At the site I was at for 10+ years there were too many people moving in and out of key positions to ever keep customers satisfied. Lots of problems, and the "new guy" would walk in and get pasted.
ReplyDeleteDead wood
ReplyDeleteDead wood
Dead wood
Who are these people?
How can there possibly be dead wood in the ranks of Gannett employees now.
My first impression of these dead wood postings is that someone's friend got laid off and a person you don't like is taking over their job.
Or you got laid off and a person who didn't work as hard as you did or whom you didn't like is still there.
Yes, good people have been let go.
I think I was one of those. But I don't know a single person I considered to be "dead wood" left behind at my old newspaper.
Local editors are doing the choosing, BTW.
3:06 am wrote: "Jim, you have an obligation to report on the good as well as the bad, and your failure to lead people to the Best of Gannett awards is a big one. Even if people thought they were crap awards, at least it is a window into what the company values. I'm disappointed in your work today, and I'm a big fan."
ReplyDelete1. So, I get no credit for creating and maintaining the very blog that made it possible for someone to report these awards in a more public way?
2. Does Corporate have any responsibility in this regard -- like, by actually taking the initiative to send me a link to the awards?
Somebody in the market sees a bounce, perhaps a dead cat bounce, coming for Gannett stock. Aside from speculation, the way to enhance shareholder value is paved through:
ReplyDeleteA. New products and services that attract a bonafide audience; or
B. Cost cutting, through any number of avenues from payroll reduction to abandonment of busines segments or liquidation of certain holdings.
In that situation, I would be surprised to see Gannett making acquisitions. That, in the current left-wing government alignment could raise eyebrows, though the prevailing argument likely would be one of Gannett as a white knight to save a struggling publication.
It's true, the bounce from $1.85 to about $2.65 is only 80 cents; but in market terms, that's a jump of more 30 percent from bottom.
Either "the market" senses something, possibly just that the stock is undervalued in a slightly rising market, or fools are throwing good money into the fire.
Scripps sensed the market changing a few years ago and moved to focus on TV and internet, albeit they sacrificed the newspaper in their own corporate capital.
Oddly Dubow, a fellow from the broadcast side, doesn't seem to be able to marshal a similar paradigm shift and seems willing harshly cut people on both side of the medium.
I'm an ex-Gannett employee, someone who held newsroom executive positions as more than one major property.
The pattern I see is a self-destructive one, not a guided shift to a new profit center. It's more of a helter-skelter death wish, I'm very sad to say.
So I ask again, what does the market sense? More cuts to shore up the bottom line? A massacre in the executive suites? or a bonafide plan to resurrrect the company?
To be honest, right now I see a bunch of lemmings proclaiming how good New Coke is, and we all know what happened there.
Just sign me,
Been there, done that
Best of Gannett and Editor of the Year will be announced April 9 ... tomorrow.
ReplyDelete8:38 Local editors are not doing the choosing everywhere. In some places they are. But not everywhere.
ReplyDeleteBest of Gannett?
ReplyDeleteIs that like Best of Enron, Best of Pinto or Best of Edsel Awards?
In the "things have sure changed since I've been away" department, is it just me or has the Best of Gannett award drastically shrunk? I still proudly display my Best of Gannett awards from decades past and didn't there used to be a lot more categories?
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to go to the websites to read all the winning entries, but very few individuals have been recognized for special work. Were they laid off? No longer with the company?
And there isn't much opportunity for the smaller papers to shine, in my view.
Pretty much a letdown this year.
Awards are for children and Hollywood or sports ego maniacs. I have seen some of the worst employees at Gannett get internal awards. People who should be fired. So I have absolutely no desire to read about these frauds winning anything at Gannett. In fact, in my eyes, if you win an award from Gannett, that automatically makes you suspect. People who win those awards are either huge kiss-asses or just professional glory-seekers who do nothing to contribute to the work at hand. Jim, don't waste your time reporting this crap about Gannett awards.
ReplyDeleteI did a search for Reno layoffs Gazette Journal in Google News. Nothing newspaper-related comes up.
ReplyDeleteBest of Gannett? That's really funny. Can a person decline the award? Who wants a black mark like that on their record... I mean, this is really a joke.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, there are some outstanding employees in this company. But they aren't the ones who would be recognized.
Hey, empty suits, why don't you put the awards to a rest while you try rebuilding this lame company. This stupid award isn't going to do a damn thing for morale or productivity. Let's stop with the gold stars and get down to serious business. This ain't kindergarten.
I don't see any categories in the Best of Gannett that celebrate great videos or photography.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that like half the product?
That speaks volumes about their lack of commitment to visuals.
"That speaks volumes about their lack of commitment to visuals."
ReplyDeleteYou must not be in Wilmington, where the photo editors run the show and apparently have the real editors by the short & curlies. It's all about the shot there - forget the story.
9:18 I went to the Reno Web site. Nothing about layoffs but two stories about media recently. The first is about the NY Times company threatening to shutdown the Boston Globe. The second is about the paper adding local columnists. Looks like Reno reports on others and highlights its additions, but not its subtractions.
ReplyDelete9:33AM
ReplyDeleteYou're right.
I'm not there.
But here's something to chew on:
If Apple had Gannett design the look of their Macs, would they still be in business?
Well, file me under "professional glory-seekers" as I found entering my work in journalism contests exciting and, when I won, exhilarating.
ReplyDeleteEditors and reporters don't get much positive feedback from their readers these days. So having your work reviewed and judged to be good is a great boost to a writer's battered ego.
Having my articles or columns submitted to Well Done and Best of Gannett was a source of pride for me.
It was fun to look over a year's work and choose the best. It also spurred me to strive to do better.
Don't you think it would be reported somewhere if the Reno paper laid off 9% of its staff?
ReplyDeleteFROM YESTERDAY:
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
@3:02: The heck with Caremark. There are plenty of pharmacies that will sell me my generic scrip for $10/3 months. That's a 50% savings over Caremark's "special" mail order deal.
4/07/2009 10:07 PM
---------------
D'ya mind sharing that "Pharmacy" list? Would certainly appreciate it!
Thanks!
Reno hasn't delivered the final blows yet. Once they do, they'll put a brief in the paper about it and post it as an update that will easily get lost amidst the other nonsense they put in there.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I no longer work for the gutless, mindless, self-absorbed idiot in the glass office.
Best of luck to the rest of you in Reno.
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 11, 2008
ReplyDeleteWAL-MART LAUNCHES PHASE THREE OF $4 PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM
Company adds 90-day prescriptions for $10, more women’s health offerings, and $4 over-the-counter medicines in its latest “health care reform” move
If you were laid off in Reno yesterday call the local Tv station and report it.
ReplyDeleteUm, doesn't Reno have an alternative paper? Bloggers? All I've seen on the big news is an URGENT post with a slyly worded "said to" construction "on a tip from a gannettblog reader," which is a whole lot different than a "did" being reported by a named human being. Or have forgotten how to do that?
ReplyDeleteSorry, should have said "have we forgotten how to do that?"
ReplyDeleteMaybe someone here will search waaaaay back in his memory and remember how to pick up a phone and confirm that something happened before publishing.
10:59 PM I agree. This Chinese water torture is unbearable. Lets just cut our pay and get it over with.
ReplyDeleteAssociated Press wants to crack down on "aggregators" like Google. Every metro newspaper in the country should do the same. It IS stealing proprietary information, but then again, it's the newspapers who are putting it up on the Web. Could the answer be, just shut down your Web sites, in that case? The last thing I do when I go to a newspaper Web site is click on those damn ads. But when I get the actual newspaper or magazine, I look at ALL the ads.
ReplyDeleteSo somebody better decide what kind of ads to sell and then, as the Duke Brothers said in "Trading Places," Sell...Sell!
8:38 and the second 8:45, we're running a skeleton crew at my site, which still includes dead wood. It's unbelievable but sadly enough true. The publisher and editor have their golden boys who may look good on paper but sure don't get much done in a day's work. Most everyone there can see it but they manage to cover their asses just enough.
ReplyDelete10:06 -- I work in Reno, and I assure you there were massive cuts. Jim reported it personally. It wasn't just people posting anonymously here. Who else do you think is going to report it? Corporate?
ReplyDeleteI suspect the alternative weekly in Reno, News & Review, will do a blurb in the future. But it publishes Thursdays, meaning the timing probably didn't allow them to hit their deadline for this week. The Gazette-Journal may report on it itself, but I don't think it's done cutting yet.
The TV stations may pick it up, but I haven't seen anything. The entire media is so stretched and there are so many layoffs every day that this stuff is just fading into the background. And that's the way corporations want it.
The reason you're not seeing as many hard and fast details as you would like is that there hasn't been so much as a staff e-mail explaining the depth of the cuts and what happens from here.
I understand that you may be holding out hope, praying this round of cuts isn't happening, but as someone affected I assure you it is.
If you want confirmation, call a few friends. I bet you know someone at another paper who knows someone at another paper who knows someone in Reno. It wouldn't take much to anonymously confirm the layoffs.
11:22 -- For local papers, yes. I think shutting down the Web sites would be a positive thing.
ReplyDeleteThey make very little revenue and they actually take revenue away from the printed product.
People wouldn't simply go to other Web sites in most of the communities we print in because there are none that do the type of reporting that a newspaper does. Other sites that reprint entire articles without permission could be sued. And most local bloggers, etc., don't have much money, so you'd take care of that problem quickly.
Those folks who value newspaper reporting would continue to buy the paper. And we could shift all the folks who are now devoted to online news updates and other Web crap to actually putting out a decent paper that people want to read.
That latter factor is the one thing that everybody seems to be missing. There's been lots of talk that content is king and distribution is the key. But, in the past few years, our content has become increasingly inane.
Yes, you can receive it through multiple platforms. But who wants to receive a lump of crap through his/her cell phone when a paper bag at the front door is perfectly acceptable.
yes. For those of you that take a medication that WalMart or Target offer on their discount list...GREAT! Mine don't happen to be available through those means. The availability of those meds is based on popularity and whether or not they are available generic. Chemo drugs and pain narcotics for CA don't fall into those categories.
ReplyDeleteAnd, sadly, CVS, like many chain drug stores, does not stock morphine much beyond a stockpile of a few days supply.And in most states, narcotics scripts must be filled entirely. It's against the law to do partial fills. So...if you have cancer and are on morphine, you usually end up getting that at a specialty drug store and then your regular stuff at CVS because it must go through Caremark.
It's not the end of the world but it can be difficult when you have to rely on a caregiver to go get your scripts. It's more running around they have to do. That's why I said in my post, some people may be just as happy to stay with mailorder.
And...I'll say this again...ad nauseum. You NEVER know when you are going to get sick...REALLY sick. None of us are bulletproof. PLEASE, have all your health insurance info up to date and learn it inside out if you think you may be facing a lay off. I had to learn the hard way and I wouldn't want to see anyone else have to go through that. Thank god for Cobra subsidy.(When it happens)
Boy, Gannett stock is HOT!
ReplyDeleteDear anonymous @ 12:41 a.m. - your imaginary "dialogue" ("Bill who?") literally made me chuckle out loud. Thank you. I needed it.
ReplyDeleteShirley: "Editors and reporters don't get much positive feedback from their readers these days."
ReplyDeleteMy desk receives more positive feedback from our readers than our ME. How sad is that?
love the blog. hope you enjoy the $4 I sent.
ReplyDeletegood job.
floridachick
3:06 a.m.: "The fact that 11:47 can't find the Best of Gannett online, that 12:23 can and doesn't provide a link and that the company makes it difficult to find the awards on www.gannett.com are all troublesome.
ReplyDeleteMany news organizations in this company actually are trouncing their competitors online, but there are still too many within the ranks and management who are so print-centric that I fear for our future.
On a blog, of all things, we just demonstrated it."
Make 3:06 a.m. the CEO because he gets it.
Too many in Gannett still don't from the CEO down to the ad reps and reporters. It's not just the editors as 3:06 a.m. just proved.
To hear that Reno laid off its best digital reporter scares the hell out of me.
word verification: hankewo
This is interesting! I was having lunch yesterday at Arby's (enjoying a new roast burger) when who do you think walked in? Mr. Dubow himself! I didn't recognize the person with him, however.
ReplyDeleteHe ended up dining at the table directly behind me.
I don't take pride in this, but yes, I did listen in on their conversation...
Mr. Dubow was doing a bit of brainstorming. Apparently he is trying to figure out how to provide some help to the ex-Gannett employees who have been laid off during the last several rounds. I heard him mention that he wants to share his bonus with ALL Gannett employees, laid off folks included! And he is going to encourage others from his executive team to do the same! He said something about maybe this act would keep him from going to hell! So... he and his lunch partner finished up, and left. Sidenote: they left all of their garbage on the table, and didn't seem to care, and just walked out.
I just have to say that I was surprised to see Craig dining at Arby's... like a regular guy.
12:59: Hmmm, Dubow on a tour with the Ghost of Newspapers Past?
ReplyDeleteThis is 3:06 replying to Jim:
ReplyDelete1. You get a lot of credit from me and others for this blog, which is why I pointed out I'm a big fan. And as a fan of you and your journalism, I'm critical in this instance because I expect a lot from you. That's a good thing.
2. Though it would be great if corporate realized you weren't going away and took the time to treat your blog like the legitimate news site it is, I don't think the obligation is on corporate to send you a news release. That smacks a bit, Jim, of petulance. You're a better reporter than that.
Thank you again for the service this blog provides. It's a lifeline for many.
12:59, Great Sci-Fi story. When you get canned, you can go into the novel writing business......Dubow, a regular guy..That is great!!!
ReplyDelete12:59 HaHa - I am picturing Dubow eating at Arby's, when the company probably orders in lunch for him every day. The bonus story is even more of a laugh. We can still dream of people doing the right thing and becoming just regular people following the Golden Rule.
ReplyDeleteWas anyone at Arby's laid off after Dubow left? (sorry, couldn't resist)
ReplyDeleteOh, and along those comedic lines, perhaps the person with him was Big Al's granddaughter working on her next scoop for the Cornell university newspaper. - waka, waka
verification: chonger
12:59. Thanks for the info. But I kind of wished you didn't post this because now he won't eat out in public for fear of employees seeing and hearing him. Since he didn't get 7 million bonus, he must be tight on cash...Are you joking about him thinking about sharing his bonus with employees?!! I don't believe that! Who are? Corporate trying to put in a plug for Dubow?
ReplyDelete2:49 p.m. they could pick any Gannett shop and they'd be there already.
ReplyDeleteI never hear anything about the Great Falls Tribune in Montana. What's happening there?
ReplyDeleteJim,I just realized why I enjoy reading your blog and (most of) the posts so much. When I read the forum posts on the local Gannett product, I see how uneducated and simplistic your average Joe forumteer can be. Here, probably because most of the posters are professional writers, they are able to get their point across so succinctly. Sadly, when we start going to this "all-Internet" style of reporting, the stories get sullied by the forum posts at the bottom. Thanks again to Jim and all of you for not confusing your and you're, their and there, its and it's, suppose and supposed, and myriad other blunders that make me wince when reading people's opinions. Sorry for the OT, just came to me when thinking about papers going all digital.
ReplyDeleteHello Gannettoids,
ReplyDeleteThis is CORPORATE (booming voice).
Please stop picking on Craig Dubow, because he's actually a pretty good guy. He's just trying to do what he can do to get this thing turned around. He cares about each and every one of you, and he'd do whatever he could to ease your burden! He understands what it's like to work hard... and he's been through some pretty tough times himself... and he has always perservered! Craig is NOT a turd, I repeat he is NOT a turd. Tax laws, and his wife, won't allow him to refuse, or share his bonus--he asked me to tell you all that. What he does want to offer all of you is a FREE subscription to each of your hometown newspapers online website... yes, I said FREE. Just remember that Craig is not a turd, ok?
Anyone have any credible knowledge of whether the flagship is facing any cuts? USAT seemed only lightly touched in the last round of layoffs (I think it was less than 5 percent), but with the departure of Moon and Paulson, one could speculate that it's catchup time.
ReplyDeleteLooking for inside tips or at least well-informed, educated guesses.
C'mon. Busting people's chops for being "uneducated" is backwards thinking. The beauty of internet forums is they have given voice to people who never had one before! So freaking what if they screw up "there" and "their". A site like this is no place for journalistic snobbery. I don't care if you are the woman who cranks out the advice column in Pigs Knuckle or the editor of The Boston Globe. We all have one thing in common right now...UNEMPLOYMENT.
ReplyDeleteJust because someone doesn't have a degree in journalism or any writing experience, doesn't mean their opinion has less value or validity. Sure, I wince sometimes too when I see grammatical errors. But then I remember that WE are average Joe's too! We just happen to have careers that enable us to be better writers. Let's face it, a truckdriver who just got laid off may not have great literary skills, but I'll bet you a week's unemployment check that he was making more money at his peak than you or I were at Gannett....
3:09, I'm not sure Gannett knows you exist out in Montana, or that Montana even exists, but that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteNow keep your mouth shut before they figure out there are actually people in that state they could lay off and furlough!
4:03 Nothing credible, but certainly a a LaFrance pumper's full of rumors that USA Today will be hit hard this time around.
ReplyDeleteSo here's a thought.
ReplyDeleteWhat if The Gannett Foundation immediately put an end to all these "sweetheart endowments" that they sponsor for people like Craigy and the Little Woman. (Scholarships that most Gannett kids can't qualify for anyway). Then put all those funds into job training for laid off workers in the 40+ crowd. Train us to be dog groomers or home health aids or something. We don't have time to go back to college and re-educate ourselves. We need a skill we can use NOW to put food on the table and support us until we qualify to retire.
Hey 3:31 I hope you get the freaking ax and can't find a job. Sick of your hollier-then-though bullshit on furoms. If you think proper spellings was so fucking important you wouldn't be working in a dying industry and bitching about your job. Average Joe's make the world go, we laugh at freaks like you who get there diapers all up in a bundle over propur spilling. FYI - I am an accountant so fuck off.
ReplyDeleteTo 10:06 AM:
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question, "Don't you think it would be reported somewhere if the Reno paper laid off 9 percent of its staff?"
Yes. It's been reported here.
3:31 I am married to a pressman. Not all who use this blog get their paychecks for writing or editing.
ReplyDelete4:47
ReplyDeleteDitto...Married to a mailer.
They're voting right now as to whether or not to take a furlough...Voted it down last time, and assume they will again.
4:53 p.m.
ReplyDeleteAh, therein lies the essence of how unions still protect their employees. These people are "voting" on "accepting" furloughs. They still have a choice.
On the other hand, if their newspaper goes down, i.e., is closed by Gannett, no union in the universe can save it.
5:14
ReplyDeleteTrue, but I think the feeling is that the ships going down sooner or later.
They've had a wage freeze through their last two contracts, and are being told they've been asked to accept a 5% paycut this time.
Obviously I don't speak for that group, but I don't think there is much good-will left for Gannett, and that they're all breathing a "collective" whatever.
Maybe they will eventually lose their jobs because of their decision, but they aren't going to be bullied by Gannett either.
I feel for those that don't have any recourse other than to accept furloughs...You have to do, what you have to do.
And regardless of what you think about unions, I think it's satisfying to know that there are some small groups within Gannett that can still tell them to stick it!!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't know a single person I considered to be "dead wood" left behind at my old newspaper.
ReplyDeleteI can confirm that dead wood is alive and well at my newspaper.
Most of the people cut so far have been at least somewhat useful. A few were outstanding. I can't understand the reasoning behind our cuts.
4:12 PM. I really need a laugh today, and you sure provided. That is HIGHlarious! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThey've been hit proportionally as hard in Montana as anyone. What's really sad is that they're holding their own in this economy, but whenever Corp. says cut....they get the cuts as well. Another thing that's sad through ALL of this is that the subscriber is getting less and less for their money with every cut that is made. Whether it be in product or service. And the price keeps going up, and the service keeps going down....and with the remaining staff, no matter how hard they try, they can't maintain the service that was there before consolidations and cuts took place. This is true in accounting (billing issues abound with the new and improved SMB), customer service, and even advertising as some portions of that get cut as well.
ReplyDelete3:09 and 4:12-- Second quarter furloughs have begun at the Great Falls Tribune.
ReplyDeleteCraig is NOT a turd, I repeat he is NOT a turd.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably the funniest sentence I've read here in a very long time.
4:03 p.m. - re: USAT's cuts - I think the newsroom cuts were 5%, but more than just newsroom people were laid off in December.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, there are some outstanding employees in this company. But they aren't the ones who would be recognized.
ReplyDeleteHey, empty suits, why don't you put the awards to a rest while you try rebuilding this lame company. This stupid award isn't going to do a damn thing for morale or productivity. Let's stop with the gold stars and get down to serious business. This ain't kindergarten.
4/08/2009 9:21 AM
Couldn't agree more. Let's stop these awards including these President Ring awards. Our industry is in a turmoil, employess are laid off and put on furlough and some of them having the honor of working for the same pay in positions that were covered by three and four co-workers.
If these awards are based on performance why on earth didn't our industry improve???? I totally agree with 9:21 and say save the money blown on these awards. Remember the cancelled Christmas Party at headquarters? That was a waste of time and money and thankfully Gannett remembered that at the time it "felt like dancing on a grave" when employees were let go. These awards are seen by the majority of employees "like dancing on graves". Trust me, nobody who has any honor left, would show up at these awards. But then, there is the other kind left, that are just gushing over these awards............. (and we all know who they are!)
I am looking forward to Craig Moon's retirement party.
ReplyDeleteDubow better be carefull. Most of us are now working at fast food restauants. He might want to stick to his fancy catered lunches.
ReplyDeleteHey Craig 'the furlough' Dubow!! i got an idea, put all the classifieds online and name the list after yourself???
ReplyDeleteAnyone hear that we're going to 5 day a week classified section by the end of 2nd quarter?
ReplyDeleteAnyone already realize that Elmira has been on a 5 day classified cycle since Jan 1st??
ReplyDeleteElmira and Binghamton have been on a 5 day for a few months now. Ithaca is only 4 days (Wednesday through Saturday).
ReplyDeleteBecause if you drink with the VP and are under 40 you have a job. Have it all on tape. I'm laughing all the way to the bank!
ReplyDeleteBut I don't know a single person I considered to be "dead wood" left behind at my old newspaper.
I can confirm that dead wood is alive and well at my newspaper.
Most of the people cut so far have been at least somewhat useful. A few were outstanding. I can't understand the reasoning behind our cuts.
4:16 - You a firefighter?
ReplyDeletehe Reno Gazette-Journal is laying off 35 more employees, about 10 percent of the newspaper's work force.
ReplyDeleteGet Quote
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Gazette-Journal Publisher Ted Power also announced Wednesday the newspaper is ending publication of a weekly paper in Carson City, the Carson Times. Its last edition will be April 17.
The cuts are in addition to the elimination of 61 positions since December. The newspaper also recently halted the publication of two other weeklies — the Douglas (County) Times and Fallon Star Press.
Power says the layoffs were necessary due to the economic downturn and its impact on advertising revenue. He did not say how many of the layoffs were in the news room. He says departing employees were given severance packages based on their years of service to the newspaper.
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Hysterical -and- very well needed laughs.
ReplyDeleteI am not a long timer at Gannett, just under 3 years, but see the ways of this disastrous company.
Never mind the mess at this company which sorely lacks integrity, if any at all, I have been subject to harassment, abuse, and unprofessional behavior amongst several other things, after being placed under an incompetent director who has no business being in that position. This person can't even manage themselves. I'm sure this beast is connected somehow to somebody in corporate, has to be, they've pulled this crap on other, now ex employees, (yes, they left only b/c of her specifically) and I am now the subject of their sick, spiteful, vindictive, jealous abuse.
When the day comes, I would be more than happy to share the name of this monster. Would love to share it now, but in the midst of things. I find myself alone in this and must find reslove.
As some may imagine, most are too frightened to speak up. Those who have spoken at all, have concurred w/ my allegations but are not this persons target of the moment, and are being denied by the publisher and HR.
Deny, deny, deny. As they twist and try to lay blame on me, who has been an above average ('commendable' and 'superior' says all of my reviews -and no, not by this beast) employee of integrity. I know I know, I get it, it doesn't matter, and no one cares. My mistake from the beginning thinking this company would, did, or had one ounce of integrity. What A JOKE.
Is anyone surprised? I didn't think so.
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"And regardless of what you think about unions, I think it's satisfying to know that there are some small groups within Gannett that can still tell them to stick it!!"
-I am not a big union fan but one sure would come in handy right now!!
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"Hey 3:31 I hope you get the freaking ax and can't find a job. Sick of your hollier-then-though bullshit on furoms. If you think proper spellings was so fucking important you wouldn't be working in a dying industry and bitching about your job. Average Joe's make the world go, we laugh at freaks like you who get there diapers all up in a bundle over propur spilling. FYI - I am an accountant so fuck off."
-Beautifully said. Though, wishing others harm is not good for you or anyone =regardless= -What goes round comes around. Be careful. Every DOG has thier day. Don't make it yours!
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Anyway, Jim Thanks for this blog and Blessings and wishes for much success for all of you.
Thanks again.