Thursday, May 21, 2009
Thursday | May 21 | Your News & Comments
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55 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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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIs there any hiring at the properties ???
ReplyDeleteHow about that, looks pretty dead here. I'll just float this question: Why, if the company is in such desperate straits, does it hire people who clearly don't know what they're doing. Like our EE at APP. This guy is confounding.
ReplyDelete9:35
ReplyDeleteDon't try to understand him. He's a tremendously insecure person who projects a facade of authority. As a result, he really is just a bully who brings little or nothing to the intellectual discussion.
It's sad because he can be a nice guy. He's just in the wrong business.
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ReplyDeleteFor those who have been there! When you are applying for unemployment benefits beyond the original 26 weeks, are they going to ask for documentation of your job search? It claims that on the web, but is it even possible with the opportunities as poor as they are, especially for older people. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about how the Regional Ad Production Centers are doing. My one source tells me the quality of the ads is poor. I also heard a report that on-site paginators are waiting until 10:00 p.m. or later for the final ads. Is this really saving the company money? I know the designers are paid $2-$3 less per hour compared to my old salary.
ReplyDeleteFT May 21, 2009
ReplyDeleteGoogle CEO: Not Buying Newspapers:
Search engine giant Google at one time considered purchasing a newspaper, according to a new interview with Eric Schmidt, chairman and chief executive of Google.
Speaking with the Financial Times, Schmidt admitted that his company had considered throwing its hat into the newspaper ring. Ultimately, the company demurred on any type of purchase, deciding it wouldn't be right to cross the line between the content newspapers provide and the technology that Google brings to the table.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOK ... as a strong supporter of this blog, I am beginning to get bored here. Comments are very slow to post. 6:57 a.m. had many good points. There's lots going on in Detroit, Hawaii and at other sites. But folks with solid information are not posting.
ReplyDeleteJobs in Elmira and Ithaca as the exodus continues. Even transferring the bright stars between each galaxy to fill the voids.
ReplyDelete9:35 The answer to your question is that when a "news and information company" is run by a second rate ad saleman and a banker who have never spent anytime either gathering or producing news and information and throw in the worse advertising economy in 80 years and a shift in technology and delivery systems you get what Gannett is now. That would be paranoid, unfocused, confused and aimless stubbling about looking for answers that they will never find. My experience is that when things get tough the organization falls back on the skills of its strongest leader which in Gannetts case is Martore. That means that the company will focus on cash flow and debt management, not journalism or product or market development. If you want to understand why Gannett is what it is simply look at Martore and her skill set. Don't waste your time on Dubow because as we all have come to realize he has no skill sets. As to volume on this blog, expect a big reduction for the next 4-5 days for the holiday weekend.
ReplyDeleteANOTHER SWIPE AT GANNETT:
ReplyDeleteA reader of the Sandusky Register, Ohio, wrote the following in response to a Register story:
Matt Westerhold (editor of the Register) should resign as editor. His incompetence and utter lack of journalistic integrity is dwarfed only by the Gannett's Port Clinton, Ohio, News Herald management team.
Which shows more than just the remaining employees of the N-H are critical of the way Gannett operates, and the tiny, newsless papers being produced.
10:35--- Perhaps its people like 6:57 that drove away the good posters.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know 6:57 will be back soon, he's a PR goon.
9:22 -- I saw two editorial openings posted for the Rochester paper earlier this week. Whether these are real openings or not I can't say, but they did advertise on JournalismJobs.com.
ReplyDeleteUSA TODAY has several real bad apples in management at the very top as well as the ME, DME levels. A couple are just plain incompetent and tend to hire equally incompetent people or unethical people. Actually, one department has a long history of bad leadership at the very top, and the "new guy" is no better. He inherited a lot of the con artist traits of the former boss. A couple others are bad because they stick their heads in the sand and don't really know what's going on with the people who report to them. They are naive, which isn't a good thing to be when you're on top. In some cases they purposely want to avoid taking action, which allows things to fester. In other cases, they take the wrong action and it makes things worse. I have a lot of respect for the people I work with, but little respect for a number of supervisory editors who just don't inspire much confidence with their white boards and presentations that don't really solve a thing or provide a platform for others to innovate.
ReplyDeleteThis was a vibrant newspaper at one time. It's astonishing how quickly it deteriorated into just another ho-hum Gannett product. I guess losing the talent we have and replacing them with folks who really don't know the trade is a recipe for mediocrity. But that's the kind of leadership we currently have.
9:35. Are you sure you don't work at USA Today? Your analysis is dead on regarding most of the editors.
ReplyDeleteYou've got it mostly right about USAT. But it's not just managerial incompetence on people-dealing and hiring. (And how many times have you seen a new hire and just known they won't work out?) On a broader level, it is an utter lack of news judgement and the incompetency to put out a product that people can respect and want to read. News, Money, Life. Take your pick. Slow off the mark. Overplaying some stories. Seriously underplaying others. Enough already.
ReplyDeleteIn response to 10:35 - Honolulu will cease publishing its TMC product at the end of June. It will come with at least 2 layoffs in the Custom Publishing Group. Hard to keep producing a product that doesn't have much advertising and the expenses keep going up. As home delivery decreases, the TMC distribution increases and with it, postage costs go up. And revenue is going down.
ReplyDeleteI see a common theme on many posts: incompetent, disconnected EEs. I thought it was just the properties where I worked, but obviously it's a widespread problem.
ReplyDeleteWhat gives? Why is this so commmon? Why can't Gannett promote the good ones? Because the good ones leave?
Why can't Gannett spot their bad apples that stink up the place for years and get rid of them???
20 layoffs at Free Press
ReplyDeleteReductions will involve about 10% of both bargaining unit and non-bargaining unit staff. Here are bargaining unit job classifications that will have reductions, and the number of positions we plan to reduce in each:
Editorial Writers - 1
Part-time Reporters - 4
Artists - 2
Picture Editors - 1
Librarian - 1
News Archivist - 1
Designers - 1
Sports Agate Editors - 2
Editorial Research Assistants - 1
Part-time Editorial Research Assistant - 1
Copy Editors - 1
Part-Time Copy Editors - 2
Part-Time Web Editors - 2
Bargaining unit members in the affected classifications above will have 30 days to volunteer for severance, effective today. That period ends with the close of business on Friday, June 19. We expect to notify all staff members who are affected by the reductions by Monday, June 22, with departures effective Tuesday, June 23. We reserve the right to decline offers if we receive too many volunteers in a particular classification.
Why do you take down 6:57, which criticizes you but was not over the top, and leave up 9:35, which criticizes an exec, but also is not over the top?
ReplyDeleteGuess it's just all about you Jim?
Those numbers were from Detroit Free Press' Paul Anger in a note to staff.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003975727
ReplyDeletemore cuts in detroit.
“A's hire A's, B's hire C's.”
ReplyDelete-Donald Rumsfield
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."
-Red Adair
Looks like the reports of more layoffs, which were discounted by others here, are now coming true. Corporate trolls take note.
ReplyDeleteGannett's Jewelry Division is still churning out gold and precious gems to the company's most loyal vassals. Take a look at the Dickey quote that the winners "represent the best that Gannett has to offer." That right there shows the perversion of this organization's priorities. The best Gannett has to offer are the reporters, photographers, artists and editors who create the content that attract the readers who in turn attract the advertisers. Gannett managers are simply auxiliary folks and facilitators.
ReplyDeletePresident’s Rings awarded by Gannett’s U.S. Community Publishing division
McLEAN, VA –Bob Dickey, president of Gannett U.S. Community Publishing, today announced the recipients of USCP President’s Rings for outstanding performance during 2008. President’s Rings are the division’s top honor.
“This year’s honorees represent the best Gannett has to offer,” said Dickey. “Each and every one has performed consistently at the highest level despite the steep challenges Gannett and our industry have faced this year. I applaud them, and thank them most gratefully.”
Honorees this year include all the group directors in the four regional groups within the Publishing division. Additionally, Rings have been awarded to top performers in each of the disciplines within the division. Editor ring winners were announced earlier.
The group directors are:
East Group:
Circulation: Mike Kane, vice president/Circulation (Wilmington, DE)
Finance: Don Lemire, vice president/Finance (Wilmington, DE)
Human Resources: Dolores Pinto, vice president/Human Resources (Wilmington, DE)
Information Technology: Wayne Peragallo, vice president/Information Technology (Asbury Park, NJ)
Production/Operations: Antoinette Franceschini, vice president/Production (Wilmington, DE)
Market Development: Greg Watson, Group marketing director (Brevard, FL)
Interstate Group:
Circulation: Mike Huot, vice president/Circulation (Louisville, KY)
Finance: Bruce Klink, vice president/Finance & Group Controller (Indianapolis, IN)
Human Resources: Randi Austin, vice president/Human Resources (Louisville, KY)
Market Development: James Jackson, Group marketing director (Cincinnati, OH)
Production/Operations: Bill Bolger, vice president/Operations & Information Technology (Indianapolis, IN).
South Group:
Circulation: Bob Sutherland, vice president/Circulation (Fort Myers, FL)
Finance: Matt Petro, vice president/Administration (Fort Myers, FL)
Human Resources: Julie Lusk, Human Resources director (Brevard, FL)
Information Technology: Stacey Martin, vice president/Operations (Nashville, TN)
Market Development: Bob Faricy, vice president/Market Development (Nashville, TN)
Production/Operations: Mike Monscour, vice president/Operations (Fort Myers, FL)
West Group:
Circulation: Rick Bell, vice president/Circulation (Des Moines, IA)
Finance: Julie Harvey, vice president/Finance (Des Moines, IA)
Human Resources: Joyce Ray, vice president/Human Resources (Des Moines, IA)
Information Technology: Phil Legler, vice president/Information Technology (Des Moines, IA)
Market Development: Susan Patterson Plank, vice president/Market Development (Des Moines, IA)
Production/Operations: Larry Urrutia, vice president/Production (Tucson, AZ)
You are getting bored with this site because Jim is deleting more and more posts....also, I will tell ya a secret, if you say something negative about a gannett exec who is gay...it gets deleted pronto. Straight execs are fair game but the network that Jim lives in is out of bounds...interesting.
ReplyDeleteNumerous references have been made today about the incompetence, insecurity and general lack of people skills (well, maybe I added the last one) of the EEs at some newspapers, such as the Asbury Park Press. My friends, you have not seen a more "difficult" and self-centered EE than we have at the Courier News/Home News Tribune.
ReplyDeleteanybody have the whole list of winners? I'm on furcation and can't get it...
ReplyDeleteAnyone else think this is ironic from Pres Bling Awards:
ReplyDeleteProduction/Operations: Larry Urrutia, vice president/Production (Tucson, AZ)
Big G shut them down. My word is hyparit, pretty close to hypocrate
They forgot to list Ringmaster Ned, who has three rings in his circus!
ReplyDeleteMaybe perhaps Corporate is getting it. I noticed NOBODY from the Journal Snews received an award. Hmmmmmmmm Maybe if circulation wasn't down 50% from 7 years ago--these wonderful losers might have received something ---like the pink slip the management deserves.
ReplyDeleteWere no rings given out to USA TODAY and The Arizona Republic, the 2 largest circulation publications in the Gannett empire? Karen Crotchfelt won't be happy and you don't want to be on her bad side.
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 3:20 ...
ReplyDeleteOther winners, by discipline, are listed below. The top three award winners are ranked, others are not:
Advertising:
1. Blake Spivak, Director/Sales & Marketing, Lafayette, LA (first-time winner)
2. Stan Howard, Sales & Marketing Director Sioux Falls/Reno (six-time winner)
3. Max Smith, Advertising Director, Great Falls (first-time winner)
Laurie Bolle, Advertising Director, Manitowoc (first-time winner)
Greg Bosetski, Advertising Director, Sheboygan (first-time winner)
Dave Gould, VP/Advertising, Nashville (six-time winner)
Carol Hahn, VP/Advertising, Cincinnati (first-time winner)
Kevin Hall, VP/Advertising, Des Moines (first-time winner)
Heather Kent, Advertising Manager, Murfreesboro (first-time winner)
Patrick Peregrin, VP/Advertising, Indianapolis (two-time winner)
Circulation:
1. Gary DiSanto, SVP/Circulation, New Jersey Group (twelve-time winner)
2. Jay Winkler, VP/Circulation, Tallahassee/Nashville (four-time winner)
3. Joe Braunschweig, Regional Circulation Director, East and Central Wisconsin (six-time winner)
Greg Castro, Director Marketing and Consumer Sales, Palm Springs (four-time winner)
Mike Cusato, SVP/Operations, Honolulu (three-time winner)
Janet Hasson, Senior VP/Audience Development & Strategy, Detroit (five-time winner, receives Chairman’s Ring)
Anthony Rapczynski, Circulation Director, Central New York (first-time winner)
Bryan Sturgeon, VP/Circulation, Indianapolis (two-time winner)
Finance:
1. Dave Wuertemberger, VP/Finance, Cincinnati (four-time winner)
2. Chris Apel, VP/Finance & Operations, Louisville (first-time winner)
3. Scott LaFuria, Controller, Tallahassee (three-time winner)
Joyce Jenereaux, Executive Vice President, Detroit (three-time winner)
Ernest Rodriguez, Director/Finance, Phoenix (five-time winner, receives Chairman’s Ring)
Randy Sutherland, Controller, Poughkeepsie (eight-time winner)
Greg Robinson, Director/Administration, Sioux Falls (nine-time winner)
Mary Hanisee, Controller, Shreveport (first-time winner)
Eric Miller, Finance Director, Central New York (six-time winner)
Jerry Scobie, Controller, Director of Operations, Salem (first-time winner)
Anon @ 3:20, here are the other disciplines (couldn't fit them all in one take):
ReplyDeleteHuman Resources:
1. Keith D. Bulling, VP/Human Resources, Cincinnati, OH (five-time winner; will receive the Chairman’s Ring)
2. Kelly C. Acevedo, VP/Human Resources, TNI Partners, Tucson, AZ (two-time winner)
3. Linda B. Baird, VP/Human Resources, Rochester, NY (seven-time winner)
Melissa A. Alford, Regional Director/Human Resources, Lansing, MI (nine-time winner)
Kristi D. Bowden, VP/Human Resources, Detroit, MI (two-time winner)
Deborah L. Payne; Director/Human Resources, Springfield, MO (first-time winner)
Holly T. Severson; Director/Human Resources, Pensacola, FL (first-time winner)
Ann C. Weinberg, VP/Human Resources, Fort Myers, FL (six-time winner)
Maureen A. Zwicker; Director Human Resources, Salem, OR (first-time winner)
Information Technology:
1. Martin Calhoun, IT Director, Pensacola (first-time winner)
2. Jay Keller, IT Director, Central New York/Binghamton (six-time winner)
3. Cilla Trenado, IT Director, Gannett Louisiana/Shreveport (five-time winner, receives Chairman’s Ring)
Marketing:
1. Karen Crotchfelt, Senior Vice President, Phoenix (five-time winner, receives Chairman’s Ring)
2. Susan Schwartzkopf, VP/Market Development & New Media, Greenville (three-time winner)
3. Becca Boles, Marketing Director, Pensacola (two-time winner)
John Kridelbaugh,VP/Market Development & Digital, Indianapolis (three-time winner)
Darrell Lewis, Marketing/Circulation Sales Director, Springfield (first-time winner)
Melinda Vonderahe, Regional Market Development Director, East and Central Wisconsin (first-time winner)
Online:
1. Chris Snider, Assistant Managing Editor/Digital, Des Moines (first-time winner)
2. Mike Mika, VP/New Media, Wilmington (six-time winner)
3. Martin Jelinek, Online Manager, Jackson, TN (first-time winner)
Tom Rothrock, Digital Sales and Online Manager, Muncie (first-time winner)
Ruth Niermeyer, Regional Online Director, Appleton (four-time winner)
Cindy Jarvis, Online Director, Binghamton (two-time winner)
Production:
1. Tom Tate, Operations Director, Springfield, MO (three-time winner)
2. Bill Taylor, Operations Director, Tallahassee, FL (two-time winner)
3. Kevin Crane, Production Director, Central New York (two-time winner)
Jody Hook, Director/Production, Lansing, MI (two-time winner)
Bob Kotwasinski, Vice President/Production, Phoenix, AZ (four-time winner)
Keith Pierce, SVP/Operations, Detroit (seven-time winner)
Barbara Rosenberger, Production Director, Fond du Lac (first-time winner)
Jack Roth, VP/Production, Freehold, NJ (two-time winner)
Ron Siemering, Director/ Operations, Jackson, TN (two-time winner)
John Vizzini, Operations Director, Brevard, FL (two-time winner)
Kill five babies, get a ring as a gift from the King!
ReplyDeleteCould the whole "Chairman's Ring" bling nonsense be any more medieval?
OK ... as a strong supporter of this blog, I am beginning to get bored here. Comments are very slow to post. 6:57 a.m. had many good points. There's lots going on in Detroit, Hawaii and at other sites. But folks with solid information are not posting.
ReplyDelete5/21/2009 10:35 AM
6:57 must have had good points since they have been deleted. That seems to be the way things are going around here. Good comments = delete key.
10:35--- Perhaps its people like 6:57 that drove away the good posters.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know 6:57 will be back soon, he's a PR goon.
5/21/2009 11:07 AM
I'd really like to know what 6:57 had to say!!!!
The following comment is pretty smart:
ReplyDeleteYou are getting bored with this site because Jim is deleting more and more posts....also, I will tell ya a secret, if you say something negative about a gannett exec who is gay...it gets deleted pronto. Straight execs are fair game but the network that Jim lives in is out of bounds...interesting.
5/21/2009 2:50 PM
WTF? A ring to an HR director? For directing us to some web page?
ReplyDeleteWe're doomed!
First time poster, long time reader. This President Ring thing is a joke. How can Gannett recognize these people when the results simply are not there. For example, Detroit is imploding and they give four individuals rings???!!! There ain't that much talent there.
ReplyDeleteso let me get this straight: ad, finance, production and hr people get awards . . . but all reporters, editors and photographers get are ulcers and unpaid overtime?
ReplyDeleteyup, sounds like gannett.
Stopped by the 7-11 this morning outside McLean, SOLD OUT OF RING POPS....clerk confirms purchaser fixed USA Today rack's 2 papers and was wearing golf cleats.....hmmmmm
ReplyDeleteWait, what? Is there a way to protest who got the president's rings?
ReplyDeleteWe were promised a new press in Shreveport. Are we getting it?
ReplyDeleteAs a laid off Director in the fall 2008 slaughter, I am "glad" to see that the asskissers are still there, still getting their rings. The same damn people who got them year after year after year. By the way, after eight months I am still without a job, no longer have severance, three months behind now on the mortgage. Thanks CRAIG !!
ReplyDeleteHe who dies with the most rings wins!
ReplyDeleteI am enraged by these awards. I can't believe corporate has the audacity and the arrogance to hand these out after devastating the lives of 2,000-plus people in December. I know I am still out of work, but for the first time ever, I'd just like to say, thank God they laid me off in December. Assholes. How can they possibly justify this crap????
ReplyDeleteI hope Karen Crotchfelt shares her ring with the Tribune and those who did the work and all the suck up managers around her who outnumber staff.
ReplyDeleteThe corporation annually handed out some things
ReplyDeleteto "recognize good talent," called them presidential rings.
A journalist gazed at the list of ring recipients,
and when she saw some names she knew, she hissed, and spit, and winced.
"Hang on one sec, how'd this IT guy get a good review?
It's obvious the president just doesn't have a clue
about the way that our IT guy fails to meet our needs
and makes us less efficient while the company still bleeds!
"They gave one to an HR goon, which I find quite suspicious
since their ignorance of employment law borders on malicious!
They answer noone's questions, and what's sad is when they do,
they fail at basic English -- things we all learned in grade two!
"And what about this Online wonk, who pissed upon our site,
and caused much of our quality to vanish overnight
while traffic sunk and readers bailed and advertisers, too?
For corporate to notice me, is this what I must do?!
"Resolved, from this day forward, I will do as these folks did;
so that I can be promoted and afford to feed my kid.
I'll do the crappiest job I can, view cohorts with disdain,
give up my lifelong quest for truth and live for personal gain.
"I'll delegate, then take a break, then ruin someone's day.
That someone can't fight back, because I'm great at CYA,
and even if they had a point, my enemies would be fools
because I'd be the boss, and that would mean I make the rules.
"I'll say 'quit now' to coworkers that actually want to try
to put out a good product that someone might want to buy
I'll sell crap to the customers, because they're stupid hicks
who don't know any better than to fall for corporate tricks.
"And when the readers notice and the company goes bust,
my friends and I won't worry. No! That will not bother us!
We'll live well from our savings after being overpaid.
for incompetent 'management', we reaped the highest grade.
"Oh, I'm a Kool-Aid drinker, and that's just what I am.
And for good work and quality I do not give a damn.
I hate the advertisers for questioning our ways;
Much more, I hate the reader base. I'll piss on them for days."
Actually, one department has a long history of bad leadership at the very top, and the "new guy" is no better. He inherited a lot of the con artist traits of the former boss."usagamezone.blogspot.com my blog" A couple others are bad because they stick their heads in the sand and don't really know what's going on with the people who report to them.
ReplyDeleteNothing like posting on a 2 year old thread, doof.
ReplyDelete