Friday, May 22, 2009
Friday | May 22 | Your News & Comments
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31 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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Whom ever posted this yesterday:
ReplyDelete"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."
-Red Adair
WOW RED ADAIR.....the comment was so true!! He is long gone but a hell of a guy!
PLEASE GANNETT TAKE NOTE
I WANT my RING!
ReplyDeletePer lists yesterday...I couldn't check in as I was busy elsewhere...anyone who gives any kind of award/ring, etc., to Brevard ought to get their head examined, especially concerning circulation and production. In misguided efforts to prop up home delivery, they not only cut the feet out fron home delivery, they've chopped off single copy at the hip.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, maybe they are good at getting the numbers right, regardless of how they are attained! ;)
Jim-- bring back your last mug shot. This new one belongs on your other blog.
ReplyDelete9:39 am: I wish I could have multiple mug shots, but Google's free Blogger platform only allows one per account.
ReplyDeleteI would need to create a separate account for my other blog -- which would then add a lot of wasted time spent signing in and out of two accounts. Anyone got a suggestion for this dilemma?
Anyone in the newsrooms out there paid much attention to the USA Today Most Influential Doctors d-base that rolled out last week?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone in the hinterlands attempted to localize stories?
It seems to be a jumpstart for advertising pitches instead of a bona fide analysis...or am I just too cynical about the brave new world of ContentOne?
How do these people sleep at night? How can you -- in good conscience -- give an award to ANYONE in advertising? It'd be nice to know how much all of the president's rings cost. Especially in the midst of pay freezes, layoffs, furloughs.
ReplyDeleteWeek after week, I am reading column in the Community section glorifying the newspaper industry - reporting, editing, errors in printing, generally trying to tell people how newspapers function. I am honestly confused, does anyone reads it? Is it like a corporate mandate, a hidden plea to the readers to understand how newspapers are a integral part of the society. Any other newspaper doing this? Btw, this is @ 'joisey' of course..
ReplyDeleteI had to sell gold jewelry to make ends meet after Gannettg laid me off. Wonder if I could pry a ring off the cold, dying hand of an exec I know who has a couple of them?
ReplyDeleteThe Ring Thing is SO insulting...if it was given company wide and include the people it would be one thing...but to award the same Senior Managers and VP's every year seems rather tribal.
ReplyDeleteWORD VERIFICATION: Hollows
Jim take 2 more pictures of yourself and then put them over the lenses of the sunglassess..That'll give you three.
ReplyDeleteI'll be these zengerbossies get buried with their coveted Gannett bling rings.
ReplyDeleteThings have been getting better with advertising at USA TODAY in recent months, so much so that it feels like possibly The Nation's Newspaper is beginning to rebound.
ReplyDeleteBut this weekend's Memorial Day edition is thin and almost ad-free. This once was an ad-rich summer kickoff edition. Even with a recession, the lack of ads is a disgrace.
How can anyone in Advertising justify such a pitiful performance? Heads should roll, not to cut costs but to bring in some people who can simply sell an ad on a weekend when the whole world might look to buy something.
Really pathetic. If any other division performed like this there would be hell to pay. It sure would in Marketing. Even ostriches lookup sometimes, or should!
We used to have monthly awards that was given to 5 company-wide employees by our publisher, but not this year. Guess Gannett can only afford to give rings to its VPs. Forget about the worker bees, we aren't as worthy and important at the corporate ass-kissers.
ReplyDeleteOK. So maybe USA Today's summer kickoff editions is thin because -- the ad prices were twoo damned high?
ReplyDeleteYa think?
I propose the creation of New Award for those at Gannett. One deserving of the inept, incompetent, lazy, underperforming and just plain stupid......Ladies and Gentlemen, from McLean to Ibiza.....I give to you the "Gannett Sling" a new annual award given to those who don't do anything or inflict harm on this company...'rounds of applause, cheers from the balcony'....folks I know this is long overdue..If Jim would be so kind to allow, I would like to role out the Gannett Slings the Monday after Memorial Day to the so deserving folks....Jim what do you say? And if a talented graphic artist, what do they call you now ad services clerks? Whatever, would be so kind to develop a graphic of our award....Thank you all!!! I hope this can be a success..
ReplyDeleteSay! Did you hear the one about a publisher in NJ who is so proud of his ring . . .
ReplyDelete. . . that he doesn't mention that he nominated himself to get it.
Some investors still have faith in Gannett ...
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/pu99uh
Why do we have to have REVIEWS this year if we aren't going to get a raise?! Maybe we should review our VPs and publishers, since they all get bonuses!
ReplyDeleteOh, damn! I missed my review this year.
ReplyDeleteTo anyone trading GCI stock:
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to a real-time bid/ask chart, showing time-stamped sales that I just came across:
http://www.batstrading.com/book/GCI/
HEY JIM:
ReplyDeleteIn light of the Ring(ling) Circus, why don't you start a recurring topic along the lines of Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World"?
You could call it "This Week's Dumbest Corporate Decision/Person"
Take nominations, then make a decision.
If it's someone who has a mug available, get a pic of a donkey's butt, and superimpose the person's mug over the top of it. That would be hilarious!
Well Folks, been fun, I'm leaving for the day now!
ReplyDelete10:30 AM... You are obviously referring to that weekly column from PG. It is annoyingly ego-centric and really glorifies the leader and editor who have contributed so much to the decline in circulation. I don't believe the paying readers give it more than a glance. Employees read it just to find out what he's saying now! Put your posting on the Jersey Confidential blog and you'll get some honest answers!
ReplyDeleteHerald-Dispatch in Huntington WV - former Gannett paper - is laying off several: http://www.dailymail.com/Business/200905220399
ReplyDeleteBREVARD...Rings given...that is CRAZY! Greg Watson...what exactly do you do besides walk around and "appear" to be busy? He has been absolutely NO help to the advertising department that is for sure...his job is a joke...thanks to his DADDY!
ReplyDeleteHow does Gannett expect the rank and file to give a shit when they pull something as tone deaf as this??
ReplyDeleteVerification word (no kidding): tedef
It really appears to me that Gannett keeps the yes-men, those who shut up and play ball, and jettisoned those who actually expressed an informed opinion. This is unfortunate. All of us with any sense, who were nothing less than fired, can look forward to bright careers outside the Gannett ring of hell.
ReplyDeleteI was laid off in December, but I remember a time almost 10 years ago when I was almost fired by my EE for trying to solve a problem on my own, and not going through her. Talk about foreshadowing.
5:41. I concur. Let's face it. Gannett is a company filled with managers who would be fired in most places. In fact, they'd never be promoted in the first place. Look at USA TODAY. Upper management in the newsroom is absurd in most sections, particularly in graphics. That department went from bad to worse. Have you ever heard the new leader speak or try to articulate a thought? Everything that comes from his mouth sounds like he learned it in some twisted management seminar. Just no natural leadership ability there. For years I waited from that department to be rid of you know who. Guess I should be more careful for what I wish for. That department operates worse than ever. In fact, I really don't know how it runs at all. There seems to be no system in place and they actually seem happy about that, probably because it's easier than ever to turn down assignments. And that department is just one example of how badly management operates as a whole. It all comes down to this company placing way too much value on yes-men and women, and silencing those who have great ideas. That is simply a byproduct of insecure, egotistical managers. Notice how these managers like to surround themselves with small thinkers who don't rock the boat? Notice how the staffs are getting more and more diluted? Just not the talent here that there once was. That's totally on these managers. They are the ones hiring idiots. We currently have people in the newsroom who can't construct a complete sentence. If you think I am kidding, spend some time in the department I mentioned above. It's an embarrassment for that department and for the paper in general to harbor these incompetents. Sorry, they're are nice people, but they just simply do not belong here. Not at this level. Not when so much is on the line.
ReplyDeleteIn Phoenix over the past year or so, an amazing amount of time and energy was wasted on "opportunities" that never existed other than impressing a boss with colorful reports and untold amount of people's time wasted. Those who provided an informed opinion that differed from the aspirations of others are now gone although very few of the initiatives ever produced anything! And in many cases, the informed opinion of one was found to be accurate after months of silly exercises.
ReplyDeleteIn short, being informed, knowing industry trends and successes of other papers, knowing your clients and the market is not nearly as important as blindly saying yes whenever asked. Then be the first to congratulate people when they receive rings amidst a trail of failures.
6:21 is right, The Arizona Republic just produced its annual hotel summer special piece which was 25+% smaller this year while Arizona hotels would do anything to drive local business. The ad rep and manager were completely lost! They got started months behind previous years, constantly asked clients to help versus selling and made no attempt to be a value. In addition, they didn't even leverage the relationships they had through the newspaper distribution program which is a small fraction of what it was a year ago because the Circulation department dropped the ball. Apparently there's a person in that department who hates hotel distribution and is too busy talking about the Washington Post to explain why. They should promote him to USA TODAY where nearly half their circulation is in hotels.
ReplyDelete