Publisher Randy Hammer, in that job six months now, has told staffers in a two-sentence e-mail that Susan Ihne has been replaced on an acting basis by Managing Editor Phil Fernandez, according to Ashvegas. That blog posted a screen shot (above) of Hammer's Wednesday note. Ihne's name is no longer on the list of editors at the Citizen-Times' website. Her name is still on the paper's official company page, however.Ihne had been the paper's top editor since October 2005; she's been with Gannett more than 20 years.
Asheville staffers: What's going on? Please leave a note, in the comments section, below. Or use this link to e-mail your reply; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Thanks for posting this. And look what it got you - notice from Romenesko. Now you know that Ashvegas rules. Keep reading for updates: www.ashevilleblog.com.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Ash
Interesting that ...
ReplyDelete- The Citizen-Times has yet to make a public statement that it has removed its top editor.
- Hammer has her title incorrect in his announcement: She was executive editor, not "editor." Oh, well, just another Citizen-Times mistake.
- Ihne's husband, John Yenne, directs the newspaper's web page and, apparently, has not been removed altho with the C-T you never know what is fact or fiction.
This is typical and true it was a husband wife team. She will be missed. Yesterday a little birdie told me that Marketing at the Asheville Citizen-Times lost their top person. They are going to bring back the marketing designer that was stuck in production for a year due to the last publishers debacle. Also discussed yesterday was the outsourcing of advertisements to an outside company. The ad director reassured the ad services department that their jobs were safe.
ReplyDeleteYeah right
Three publishers and three editors in the past eight years - that's a lot of misdirection, even by Gannett standards. Advertising is dropping like a Texas sinkhole, and editing is almost non-existant, witness the litany of incorrect place names and local landmarks. And still no word of a new editor.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Citizen Times employees get the same deal as the other Gannett papers.
ReplyDeleteTo be eligible for the buyout offer, employees must be at least 45 and have worked at least 10 years as of the end of July. Those who take the deal will receive two weeks' pay for each year of service and extended health benefits.
Do the math.
Yes, marketing director left on her own. Word has it that every salaried employee is doubling up the work and putting in 70-80 hours per week. Unfortunately, this is not translating into increases in revenue. Like the email CR Hammer distributed in May, his leadership skills are non-existent and he hides in his office mostly. He doesn't answer emails or phone calls from his employees, or should that be minions? He admitted he got his job on a report he delivered when he was at Kentucky, but sad thing is he never implemented any changes once he got to town, unless it's cutting staff and publications. Bring back Virgil Smith.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere the bright raft that will take journalists to their island.
ReplyDelete