Friday, June 05, 2009
Friday | June 5 | Your News & Comments
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52 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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ReplyDeleteWhy did Sherman from the CNY Newspaper group receive a ring again? Did all of the other publishers out there do that poorly? Binghamton is highly mismanaged and if he allows the advertising director to continue to do a horrible job of trying to make herself look self important, when really she isn't, then he doesn't deserve a God damn thing.
ReplyDeleteThis ring program is a real joke. What's next? sculptured busts? Oil paintings?
ReplyDeleteRumor or confirmation aside, let's hope the next round of layoffs trims the excessive layers of management that permeate Gannett properties. And when it comes to editorial, no where is management more bloated that USA Today. Pick any department. In a world where we have to do more with less, the worker bees could certainly function without the queens (and princes and princesses) who spend their time going to meetings and second-guessing underlings.
ReplyDeleteGo for it, Mr. Hunke...
There's only 1 bust to control them all, Big Al's.
ReplyDeleteHere's a sign of either how desperate Gannett is, or how greedy:
ReplyDeleteIn Springfield (Mo.), the family that has distributed the Wall Street Journal locally for 60 years has been outbid for the distribution contract by the News-Leader.
WTF?
Gannett’s publisher of the year recipient may look good on paper, but for those who really know how she operates it’s a disappointment, nor is it transformational as “leaders” like her should have been ousted years ago.
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ReplyDelete7:42 might as well hope for hitting the lottery. You probably have a better chance of hitting it as you have of seeing Gannett get smart and start trimming fat where it needs to be trimmed.
ReplyDeleteI took advantage of my furcation by doing some trapping in Canada. I got a few beaver pelt, some rabbit and 'coon pelts all ready to trade for some maize next week.
ReplyDelete8:30 AM, do you use Duke leg traps or snares?
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ReplyDelete8:30. You might be right. But other newspaper chains are finding plenty of fat in the management ranks.
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ReplyDeletePresident ring winner = the "biggest ass kisser" award.
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ReplyDeleteWELL, DUH!!!
ReplyDeleteNOT AN ORIGINAL THOUGHT ANYWHERE. JUST FOLLOW ALONG, GANG UP AND PUBLISH SOMETHING THAT SOUNDS IMPORTANT.
By Joan Voight , June 5, 2009
Papers Should Exit the Printing Business, Says Moody's
Reuters
The newspaper industry is spending far too much on producing and delivering a printed paper and not enough on creating its content and selling the product, says a new report from Moody's Investors Service.
It is a "structural disconnect" to have about 14% of cash operating costs devoted to content creation, while about 70% of costs are devoted to printing, distribution and corporate functions. The remaining 16% of costs are related to advertising sales -- "another critical task that drives the majority of newspapers' revenue. The overall imbalance limits the industry's flexibility to overcome competitive threats."
This disconnect is a legacy of the industry's vertical integration into the production and distribution of newspapers," says Moody's Senior Analyst John Puchalla. The industry needs to increase cross-industry collaboration and outsource print production and distribution processes, Puchalla says. That would release resources to beef up investment in content and technology. The report recommends a greater emphasis on Web content with reduced print frequency
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ReplyDeleteJust curious about something. Our newsroom had a staff meeting yesterday, in which we were told we needed to work harder, write better, were producing too many boring stories and front pages.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, in a time of furloughs, reduced staffs, no pay raises, et. al, management has decided to whip us harder.
What I'm wondering is if other places are going through this, or was this just a local deal. I'm wondering if Gannett management has sent out a notice that it's time to lower the hammer on the overworked folks who are left.
It was a real morale boost. And we're generally considered one of Gannett's better papers.
Anything similar happened in your newsroom recenty?
DUE TO BUDGET CUTS, THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL HAS BEEN SHUT OFF.
ReplyDeleteRe: 10:14: Nothing like that yet at my site in the South.
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ReplyDelete10:14:
ReplyDeleteRemember the mantra of the immortal Boxer in Animal Farm: "I shall work harder."
And in the end they sold him to the glue factory.
Buchanan is typical of the breed of publishers prevalent in the corporate chain model of journalism. She's a former ad saleswoman. She never bothered to broaden her knowledge by doing a stint in the newsroom and racking up hands-on experience with the very reason why newspapers exist. She never stoops to spend a minute in the newsroom to acquaint herself with the reporters and photographers who are largely responsible for giving businesses a decent vehicle to advertise in. After five years in Cincinnati, she still doesn't know the names of anyone beyond the usual editors who pay her homage. She shows no indication of having read stories or complimenting the people responsible for them. It's pretty clear to all of us that her mind is on diversifying the company with secondary products that are mostly awful. It's pretty clear that she doesn't give a rat's ass about the rapidly declining quality of her flagship product, whether it's in print or on the Web.
ReplyDelete10:14 AM: Why don't you say where you work?
ReplyDeleteThink for a sec about the recent moves mentioned on this blog - commission cuts for retail ad reps, ad reps getting written up missing goal one month, put on probation after missing two months, getting fired after missing on three, everyone being told again to do better with less.
ReplyDeleteI think Gannett is trying to MAKE people quit before doing the dirty work itself. Then the company can close the open positions or just ignore filing them as long as possible - if they're ever filled.
It's unreal to ever think that the worker bees could get cut any more. Hit the managament ranks and cut that fat first! My newspaper in the south has too many chiefs coasting through a 9-5 day, while the too few of us indians are left behind to put out a crappy product that costs more.
I agree that mid-sized newspapers don't need an executive editor, managing editor, AME and publisher in this day and age.
---we were told we needed to work harder, write better, were producing too many boring stories and front pages. In other words, in a time of furloughs, reduced staffs, no pay raises, et. al, management has decided to whip us harder.
ReplyDelete--------------------------
You people astound me.
Except for the "work harder" part, which I doubt was actually said, what is wrong with a meeting where the focus is improving the product? Certainly better than hearing about more layoffs.
Everyone complains that Gannett papers are deteriorating, and when there's an attempt to get things back on track, that's a bad thing too?
Ridiculous.
To hear this litany of misery coming from a newsroom -- one of the best places to workj in the world -- is just astounding. Newsrooms are smart, freeform, intelligent, different every day and the work can even make a difference. To translate an attempt to improve the product to they want us to "work harder" is just whining to the max.
Drive a truck, try to stop a pressrun at three in the morning, fill an honor box in pouring rain. THAT is work, my friends.
In comparison, asked to make another phone call so a town board meeting story doesn't read like minutes, or to think up an imaginative Sunday profile piece, doesn't seem like that much of a burden to me.
Complaints and rants about layoffs and furloughs have a rightful anger. Have at it.
But to complain about being asked to make a better product is just bullshit. Too many posts here are from babies who wouldn't be happy anywhere.
The US newspaper industry could close out 2009 with total sales of less than $30 billion — a 40% drop in just four years.
ReplyDeleteThe wreckage is across the board — even online sales were off more than 13% — but the worst-hit sectors were cyclical ones: Employment classified advertising down 67.4%; Real estate classifieds off 45.6% and automotive classifieds down 43.4%. All in all, classified ad sales were down 42.3% for the quarter. In records published by the NAA that date to 1950, there is no precedent for the sort of decline suffered in the first three months of this year.
The Newspaper Association of America's latest monthly statistical report shows that in April, newsprint consumption fell almost 28% to 350,000 metric tons year-over-year. Over a seven-year period, newsprint consumption plunged 50% from April 2003, when the industry consumed roughly 710,000 metric tons of newsprint.
Unless newspapers can figure out how to reduce their high fixed costs of printing and circulation, their already low credit ratings could fall even farther, Moody's Investors Service warns in a report released Thursday.
The newspaper industry's fundamental problem, Moody's Vice President and Senior Analyst John Puchalla writes in the report, is that is spending far too much on producing and delivering a printed paper than on creating its content and selling the product.
Moody's calls it a "structural disconnect" with just 14% of cash operating costs, on average, devoted to content creation, while about 70% of costs are devoted to printing, distribution and corporate functions. The remaining 16% of costs are related to advertising sales -- another example of devoting too few resources to the principal revenue driver.
"This disconnect is a legacy of the industry's vertical integration beyond content creation and into the production and distribution of newspapers," Puchalla said.
The high fixed costs – combined with high debt among many newspaper companies – is squeezing cash flow as revenue declines.
"Ultimately, we expect the industry will need to reverse the vertical integration strategy through cross-industry collaboration and outsourcing print production and distribution processes," Puchalla said. "Although newspapers may lose some of their in-house control over press time, they would also release resources to beef up investment in content and technology."
Moving to an online-only model is probably not practical right now, Moody's adds, but it says a "hybrid model" combining a greater emphasis on Web content with reduced print frequency might be the answer.
Moody's says this "structural disconnect" also threatens the credit ratings of newspaper companies, which are already depressed compared to historical levels. Nearly all publicly traded newspaper companies now have credit ratings considered below investment-grade, or "junk" -- including such respected chains as The New York Times Co. and Gannett Co. Inc.
Low credit ratings increase the cost of borrowing, and reduce access to money not just from lenders but from institutions that will not hold stock in junk-rated companies.
The bad news, Puchalla said is that as low as newspaper credit ratings are now, "additional downward pressure remains."
"If newspapers can't monetize the content in new digital channels at the same level as with print, or cut structural costs enough to keep up with the changing competitive environment, the prospect of additional recapitalizations or shutdowns will grow, adding further pressure to ratings," he added.
There's more on Moody's analysis, including a link to the full report, at E&P's business-oriented Fitz & Jen blog.
We must reject the false comfort that others' suffering is not our problem.
ReplyDeleteJust a small part of an article on Editor & Publisher posted today. Very interesting:
ReplyDeleteBut while many of those affected are willing to give up a little here and there to keep their jobs, the impact of cut salaries, frozen retirement funds and unpaid time off takes a psychological toll. "People come out of this very conflicted," says Jane Halpert, a psychologist who specializes in work-related issues at De Paul University. "They see all of the people who are losing their jobs and they still have a job, but at the same time they are being nickeled and dimed. And the paper tries to present this as a good thing — more days off. But it is not a vacation; it is temporary short-term unemployment."
I don't like the word "furcation."
ReplyDeleteHow about "vacalough," prounced "vaycayloe," as in, "I'm gonna lay low on my vacalough."
Won't catch on, though -- everyone would think it was pronounced "vakkalog."
To 6:40am and others who mentioned rings....
ReplyDeleteI'm a former corporate advertising employee and I will share with all of you what I was told when questioning the "presidents ring" award recipients and the entire process. Out of respect to the person who spoke these words to me I will not attribute a credit. "There are people that receive a Presidents ring and then there are those that deserve one and these are almost never the same individuals."
Don't know if this has been posted already or not, but a cautionary tale for NJ Gannettoids in this ruling from the state's Supreme Court:
ReplyDeletehttp://app.com/article/20090605/BUSINESS/90605054/0/NEWS/N.J.+court+denies+unemployment+benefits+for+workers+who+took+buyout
Hey NJ rocks, is that a stone your passing or just another presidents ring.LOL
ReplyDelete2:22 PM-- The decision that Verizon employees who took voluntary buyouts (in 2003). It seems that the key here is that the voluntary buyouts were taken without having definite proof that they were facing an impending layoff. I faced this situation in May of 2008. There was a letter from Tom Donovan advising all that if enough buyouts were not received mandatory layoffs would follow, and they certainly did. Does anyone else in NJ have any spin on their experience?
ReplyDelete12:33.
ReplyDeleteYou're not completely right about Buchanan. When I was in the newsroom she complimented performance by my department multiple times. I found she listened to my issues, and acted on them.
I know, that sounds like heresy.
"But to complain about being asked to make a better product is just bullshit. Too many posts here are from babies who wouldn't be happy anywhere."
ReplyDeleteAnother solid comment. But the perpetual losers here will find a way to rip it. Not only would they not be happy anywhere, they will never succeed anywhere. They thought the newsroom owed them a 40-year career of doing nothing. They have no skills, and they will probably never work again. So they have to blame someone else.
How did Sherm win a ring? By being an old goat that everyone fears. Give me a freaking break, Sherm you couldn't hold Monte's jock.
ReplyDeleteAs for JR, get over yourself and quit blinking so damn much when you talk. Your never going to have balls so quit dreaming. That BU education isn't worth much considering you only went across the street. Oh yeah they sold that place, for what $3.3 million? I always thought it would make a better parking lot.
And the lovely CB, how does that Accord drive compared to the Lexus? 2 weeks furlough in the second qtr tells us you make atleast 90k, yet you lose all your ad reps and talk shit when they leave. Grow the hell up. And those clothes you wear make me confuse you with a holiday inn housekeeping clerk.
CNY sucks!! Take that story and stick it in your pipe.
"But to complain about being asked to make a better product is just bullshit. Too many posts here are from babies who wouldn't be happy anywhere."
ReplyDeletePossibly. But why the clarion call now?
Weren't middle managares always supposed to make the product better? Not just when their jobs may be in danger?
9:17pm - You were right on everything that you posted about the CNY group and I salute you for letting everybody know about the shit that is happening there!
ReplyDeleteThree cheers to Monte for doing a great job while he was the publisher. As for Sherm, what do you expect from a Monte wanna be.
ReplyDeleteWTF! All the clowns at CNY can't even tell day from night. Simple case, they still could not get their packages right as every now and then, they will change the names of the packages but still the same old shit in the package. As for JR, another ass kisser is all I can say and she WILL fail in her position cos nothing can substitute substance which is what she is lacking.
ReplyDelete1:08 PM. I think your theory could be very plausible. After seeing what our shit-hole of a director has done to our advertising department, it makes a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteMy salary will be more than cut in half with an hourly wage that is nothing more than tiddley winks and a commission that is low to begin with and will be taxed on top of that. My manager pretends to care but really doesn't. My advertising director tries to use smoke in mirrors to make you think that she is doing you a favor but I saw through that shit from the start.
Gannett does NOTHING to retain actually good employees. Instead they will shit on your face, rub it in and expect you to sit there and take it like a dog, which for the most part I have. They would rather protect their idiot, no good, old hag workers instead of retaining talented, college educated employees. But, what else can you expect when your manager is jealous of you because she's an idiot and is intimidated by you?
11:18 pm is probably writing about the advertising director at the Courier post. If not, then there is another idiot out there too.
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