Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Tuesday | May 5 | Your News & Comments

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41 comments:

  1. What happened to Elmira Confidential? The winds are swirlin' there!

    Let's get the storm spotter back up there Jimbo!

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  2. Excluding comments, I posted 311 times during April -- a record. Now, here's some context. Of those 311,

    * 46 (or nearly 15%) were tagged "annual meeting."
    * only seven include the word "disinformation."

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  3. Interesting link:

    http://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/39899.htm

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  4. Oh please. You've had that 'disinformation' posting on the main page for almost five days now.

    Will you please start acting like a professional?

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  5. Day one of the NJ regional desk is done. Lots of anxiety, a few screwups. Nobody died.

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  6. I just recieved a letter from the pension fund of "GCI" that this year they declared that the pension is "underfunded"!! And by doing such that "Next year" maybe Critical or seriously underfunded where they can't pay what is necessary where they will not be able to pay out "Lump sums" or the people of the pension will have to contribute more. Hah, like gannett will do that! Or be underfunded!! Look into this JIM! Say the word and I will email the letter to you!

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  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  8. If you learned nothing else from the talking heads at Corporate, at least you learned how to slice data.

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  9. Jim Hopkins said...
    It's a judgement call. Sources give me permission to post stuff all the time. Many times I do; many times I do not. So far, this is one of those times.

    Mayman is free to post the letter himself. (Of course, I'm free to use the delete button, too!)

    5/05/2009 8:18 AM

    So what your saying Jim if Corporate responds to questions you will edit or post the responses as you see fit. WOW! And you wonder why they don't respond.

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  10. anyone have a clue how long gannett is taking to process "conventional" pensions (NOT lump sum, traditional "defined benefit" annuity at papers they bought in 2000) these days?

    it used to take about 90 days, something i always found ridiculous, given that one's work history is in corporate computers and seemingly all that's left to do is buy an annuity. i'm expecting further delays because of the layoffs of older staffers and the furloughs of those not yet laid off.

    can anyone with a gannett h.r. background enlighten me on why this takes so long?

    thanks!

    antsy early retiree

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  11. Mr. Michael Maness coming to Springfield later this week. Anything we should be watching for or expect to have happen while he's here?

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  12. Has anybody heard if GCI is going to do another round of furlough or will my union let me go back to work in July? Anybody?

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  13. Regarding furloughs and continued cutbacks I think one might consider the following- Gannett stock has shown improvement (as has the market as a whole) but one might look at what's different today versus a year ago. The economy is still weak, advertising (print and online) is still down, circulation and associated revenue continues the slide and I'm not aware of any signs of improvement. A major source of improvement to the bottom line has been cutbacks and furloughs and unfortunately Gannett doesn't allow for increases in expenses YOY. Consequently, one could expect that which shows any improvement to continue and that does seem to include furloughs. Again, I have no firm details, but if a quarter (s) in 2008 had substantial furloughs, it makes sense the same would hold true in 2009 otherwise expenses would be much higher and Wall Street wouldn't like that.

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  15. "Will you please start acting like a professional?"

    How does a professional act?

    Perhaps a professional should post raging homophobic diatribes?

    Perhaps a professional should take corporate money to create a scholarship in the professional's name?

    Perhaps a professional should make sure the employee's pension plan is underfunded?

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  16. You really need to define what your purpose is again. Posting pictures about coffee, putting up a post that you are tweeting which leads to a post about drinking coffee isn't going to cut it. Why bother unless you have something new to share or say?

    There are so many things that drive Gannett. So many people that you don't mention that make decisions on what will happen. Where is the reporting? Where are the bios on the people in the Digital division. What about some actual facts on the careers of those in charge? Why not provide an analysis of how the Information Center works, what it's short falls are and what strengths it might have. We have a detailed history about you but who cares - unless you are really the topic.

    I've begun to understand that you don't have the chops to cover the topic that you have chosen which is a little sad because it could be very interesting.

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  17. 11:55 am wrote:

    "So many people that you don't mention that make decisions on what will happen. Where is the reporting? Where are the bios on the people in the Digital division."

    Name five.

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  18. I find it very interesting that insider board members/top execs. are buying up stock as fast as insitutional investors are selling it off.

    If anyone with more insight into stocks than myself (which is about nil) could explain this? From a laymans point of view it appears as though Corporate big wigs are buying like mad in order to make the stock appear more viable than it really is.

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  19. NOW HERE'S AN IDEA
    From AdWeek:

    The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has rolled out a new ad campaign to promote the old-school Sunday newspaper as a refuge from the constant buzzing and beeping of digital devices that mark the modern workweek. The campaign, "Unplug. It's Sunday," runs until the end of the year and coincides with a recent redesign of the paper.

    With a budget of more than $1 million, the effort is designed, in part, to reach readers who don't get the paper on Sunday, says Amy Chown, vice president of marketing. It isn't meant to replace readers' Web use with the paper. IQ Interactive, the digital shop that created the campaign, came up with the idea that Sunday is the day to relax and to do something different than you do the rest of the week - including turning off electronic devices.

    Atlanta Journal-Constitution's weekday and Saturday print circulation has dropped nearly 20% in the past year, according to the ABC. The Sunday edition has done better, falling about 7% to 462,000. Six weeks ago, the paper cut 30% of its news staff.
    [See full article in AdWeek.]

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  20. I always thought this could be the savior of newspapers. To have a radio, TV and print outlet for news of all types seemed like an ideal way to remain profitable through the ups and downs of the economy.
    Of course, the "NO news monopoly" people quashed that. But it looks like Detroit is doing its best.

    This from the Freep:Detroit Free Press
    Starting today, the Detroit Free Press will take on another medium: TV. The paper has partnered with CBS-owned WWJ-TV to launch a 5-7 a.m. weekday program that will offer heavy doses of weather and traffic updates, as well as news gathered by the paper's journalists.

    Called "First Forecast Mornings" the show includes Free Press "Express" news segments. The paper has become "an information provider on many different channels, and television is just a natural evolution for us," says Paul Anger, editor and publisher.

    The program is designed to break the mold of traditional TV broadcasts by offering smaller bits of news with more frequent weather and traffic reports. It will deliver a summary of top headlines about every 15 minutes and alert viewers to find more information at freep.com or in that morning's newspaper. Special attention will be given to investigations, news, community highlights and behind-the-scenes reporting from top sporting events

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  21. Cox will be riding the ship down as she sinks all the way to the last subscriber. This will not boost their Sunday to cover the ROI on that effort. No way. What non-subscribing "crackberry" will see that ad and say to themselves "jeepers, they're right. I need to turn it off on Sunday AND spend $400 on a subscription!!!". What a bunch of idiots.

    Why not embrace making Sunday available on Kindle or other hand held devices more likely to attract new readers? Why not spend the million on an Innovation Team to figure out how to save and reinvent the core business. This is typical of an industry so clueless about it's future it's becoming pathetic and Cox is the poster child for it.

    Certainly we all understand that the printed newspaper is going to die out right? It's only a matter of when.

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  22. 12:49 makes a great point and I hope the Journal-Constitution's "unplug it's Sunday" promotion pays off. The Arizona Republic has recently announced making the top 10 newspaper for Sunday circulation and while they also make that point in several house ads daily including full page ads, they've also seemed to increase their ads directing readers to online components whether azcentral, the moms site or whatever. I hope the Journal-Constitution stays true to the unplugged concept and drives the print edition versus the amazing approach taken by the Arizona Republic congratulating everybody from readers, residents of Arizona and staff regarding the Sunday circulation while providing so many alternatives to print. Considering a major contributor to the Republic's success is the elimination of their only print competition, circulation should look wildly poor next year at this time. All those people taking credit for the increase will have some explaining to do.

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  23. Anonymous said...
    I find it very interesting that insider board members/top execs. are buying up stock as fast as insitutional investors are selling it off.

    If anyone with more insight into stocks than myself (which is about nil) could explain this? From a laymans point of view it appears as though Corporate big wigs are buying like mad in order to make the stock appear more viable than it really is.

    5/05/2009 12:38 PM

    YOU ARE RIGHT ON POINT!

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  24. Jim, I think you have done a fine job in the past as gannett employees communications leader. Yet, as painful as it might be, it would be instructive for you to review your performance at the stockholders' meeting objectively. I'm not a troll; I'm a supporter and was disapppointed in your lack of succinct, on the money questions. It would have been better to invest in a good stock and business consultant to help you shape your questions than to hire a body guard. I'm not discounting or insensitive to the fear some posters may have raised. But I believe you overreacted to the threat, and forgot your missions--to be the voice of the whipped into submission employees who need you to ask the bold questions they know will get them fired. I won't give up on this blog because I think it is very useful and hope you won't give up despite the obvious efforts by gannett corp. to silence and discredit you. Yet, you must do a better job of representing yourself and this blog or you will discredit yourself. This is from a supporter and not from a troll or dubow flunky.

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  25. Kevin Lefew - VP Technology & Operations

    Josh Resnik - VP Strategy & Business Operations

    Matt Jones - Director - Mobile Strategy & Operations

    Peter Lundquist - VP Product Development & Deployment

    Thad Halcli - Director Online National Sales

    So, five people that are doing important work for the company and defining how our products work and how customers interact with them.

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  26. From what I can see it appears that members of the BOD are purchasing shares to meet ownership requirements or for window dressing so that they can't be accused of not havingt an investment in the company. At the prices that GCI has been if the future was great you'd see every officer of the company buying. The second peice is that most of the insider transactions is just the awarding of options... not purchases. If you want to see what real insider buying is like look at a company like Duke Energy (DUK). You won't see option exercises but outright purchases buy insiders throughout the organization.

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  27. Five VPs in Digital:
    Josh Resnik
    Peter Lundquist
    Kevin LeFew
    Lorraine Ross
    Laryssa Kundanmal

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  28. Been almost 5 months still have nto received my lump sum. How long does it take?

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  29. I always love these "I'm not a troll" protests. "I'm not a troll, but..." HA!

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  30. OK so I broke down this past Sunday and bought the " Journal News." I wanted to see if I was wrong about the inept way that this once good paper, was being handled. I guess I got my answer with " One" ---(1) page of classifieds. I mean are you f'ing kidding me?!?!?!?!One Page---Give me a f'ing break---this puppy is going down so fast---But congrats to the corporate geniuses---Just keep the same shit running the place, because now they print other people's papers there---what a recipe for disaster.

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  31. Thank you, 2:36 pm: I would be a fool to ignore reasoned, thoughtful advice such as yours.

    While I disagree with the manner in which my critics emerged, suddenly, during the April 25-29 period that I was in D.C., I am delighted they are pushing back -- without resorting to homophobia.

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  32. 1. Jason Tafler, CEO Pointroll
    2. Adolph Santorine, CEO Schedule Star
    3. Sang Kim, CEO Ripple6
    4. Josh Resnik, SVP Gannett Media Digital
    5. Kevin Lefew, VP Gannett Digital Technology
    6. Steve Fuschetti, CEO GMTI
    7. Max Hoat, CEO Mogulus
    8. David Lenzen, CEO Planet Discover
    9. Lorraine Ross, VP National Sales - Digital
    10. Matt Jones, VP Mobile Platforms

    All of these people report directly into Chris Saridakis!!!

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  33. Can someone explain what Michael Maness actually knows about innovation? Seriously, Jim, you need to do some reporting on what he is trying to do by killing off newspapers in San Francisco and Seattle.

    This guy is going to speak about innovation. What has "he" innovated at Gannett? I would hope that the corporate trolls on Tara Connell's PR team can tell us all what he has accomplished.

    This is not an attack, but I would like to know who this guy even reports into at Gannett.


    Gannett exec to talk at Air and Space Center

    May 5, 2009

    Hampton - A Gannett Company news executive will speak at the Virginia Air and Space Center tonight about innovations in journalism and implications for the future.

    The talk from Michael Maness, vice president of innovation and design, is titled "Re-imagining Media — The Disruption of News and What it Means for Journalism." The 7:30 p.m. speech is free and open to the public. No reservations are required.

    Earlier in the day, Maness will be the guest of NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, where he will speak about issues and strategies surrounding innovation in large organizations.

    — Daily Press

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  35. In Digital it seems that if you are not a Director your are a vice president, if you are not a VP you are a Senior VP and if you are not a SVP you are Saridakis.

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  36. After looking at 6:41p's post, it made me think about what would happen to all those Digital managers if the rumor about Saridakis leaving Gannett is true?

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  37. I've heard some publishers are already asking for certain employees (those working on big projects or big beats) to be exempt from third and fourth quarter furloughs.

    Would corporate agree to that? This seems like a company that treats everyone equally (equally bad), so I would not think it would.

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  38. Tribune Company has the innovation market wrapped up with media czar Lee Abrams running the show. Do a Google search for "Lee Abrams" Tribune and see what I mean. They broke the mold after Lee, so Gannett has to do with what they have.

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  40. Michael Maness rode on the shirt tails of someone who has left Gannett and who has also cut ties with him. I think this person cut ties with him because this person had compassion and he doesn't.

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  41. OK, now this takes the cake:

    http://twitter.com/taymoon

    Moon's daughter? Note the top comment:

    "The plan is I'm going to take over Gannett just to fire Dubow's ass, 'I'm competition.'" -Craig Moon (aka DAD) haha sound paranoid much?
    7:45 PM May 4th from web

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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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