As Gannett's quarterly earnings plunged 36%, the hammer was coming down today at The Arizona Republic and The Honolulu Advertiser. This just in from:Phoenix. Top Editor Randy Lovely has scheduled a staff meeting tomorrow to talk about a second round of buyouts. His memo: "Today, we began to roll out a second round of voluntary early retirement opportunities. Please join me tomorrow for a staff meeting so that I can provide an update and answer any questions you may have. We will gather at 4 p.m. in Sigma-Delta-Chi. We are arranging for the suburban newsrooms to participate through videoconferencing."
Honolulu. Amid bitter talks with unionized workers, Publisher Lee Webber told staff in a memo today: "I must deliver some very difficult news. In light of unfavorable economic conditions leading to lower revenues, the company has determined it must reduce The Honolulu Advertiser's workforce by 54 positions. Affected employees will be notified by there [sic] individual supervisors. This is a difficult action to take, but necessary for the long-term health of the newspaper. It is not a reflection of dissatisfaction with the performance of the affected personnel, and the company will do everything it reasonably can to help those who must be laid off."
Has Martore sharpened her blade?
The Advertiser's job cuts are layoffs, rather than buyouts -- making me wonder if Gannett Chief Financial Officer Gracia "The Knife" Martore is now cutting even deeper. The Advertiser employs about 700, Corporate says, so the layoffs would be 8% of the workforce.
Related: The Advertiser's layoff story. Plus, the Hawaii Newspaper Guild says Gannett returned to talks Monday with a "new and breathtakingly regressive contract proposal."
Earlier: Mediator tapped in Advertiser contract talks
[Image: today's Republic, Newseum]
Has Martore sharpened her blade?
The Advertiser's job cuts are layoffs, rather than buyouts -- making me wonder if Gannett Chief Financial Officer Gracia "The Knife" Martore is now cutting even deeper. The Advertiser employs about 700, Corporate says, so the layoffs would be 8% of the workforce.
Related: The Advertiser's layoff story. Plus, the Hawaii Newspaper Guild says Gannett returned to talks Monday with a "new and breathtakingly regressive contract proposal."
Earlier: Mediator tapped in Advertiser contract talks
[Image: today's Republic, Newseum]
Sure she's cutting deeper. She has to make sure there's enough in the piggy bank to fund her ginormous comp plan.
ReplyDeleteNeed enough to make sure the blessed 120 have their pension plans funded.
ReplyDeleteIf the Newspaper is covered by a collective bargining agreement (CBA) its possible that by calling it a layoff no severence or buyout is required. Hence the terms in Honolulu.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping tomorrow you re-open the Michael Kane thread. There were some rather incredible...and I mean, in-credible...comments.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone from AZ give us some details on the "early retirement" offers? What are have they been giving you to go away? Are these the classic two-weeks-pay-for-each-year-worked deals? Or are they just offering a few more percentage points on your frozen retirement benefits?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.espressopundit.com/ Has details of the buyouts and upcoming zone closures and layoffs.
ReplyDeleteRe: Anon 12:49
ReplyDeleteThese are NOT two weeks pay per year worked. We wish. The Republic is breaking new ground in skin flintedness by offering only week of pay per year worked. Health insurance is being extended to about 3 years, which is certainly important, but one week per year? Really? WTF?
And the buyouts are very targeted. Several people who meet the qualifications in terms of age and years of service but not asked to retire voluntarily stepped up and asked if they could take buyouts and were told no.
Randy Lovely's note on today's meeting was sent out late in the day yesterday, about six hours after the buyouts started. By that time news of the buyouts had swept through the newsroom as certain employees disappeared and then reappeared or went home for the day. Contrast that to the Atlanta CJ. A note went out to the entire newsroom announcing buyouts and asking people to apply. Sucky, but at least done openly and with a lot more class than the way it's being done here.
And our buyouts are targeting the newspaper's worker bees. People who have been here for a very long time and know their beats and the communities they cover like they know the back of their hands. We have whole layers of highly paid management that do nothing but manage other managers. Those people, a real drain on resources, haven't been touched. The newspaper will have no institutional memory left when this round of buyouts is complete.
The mood in the Republic newsroom is pretty grim right now.
We have whole layers of highly paid management that do nothing but manage other managers. Those people, a real drain on resources, haven't been touched. The newspaper will have no institutional memory left when this round of buyouts is complete.
ReplyDeleteThat is Arizona but sounds a lot like Westchester where the hard working experienced employees who knew the community have left. Mistakes are common and often from the wrong traffic direction on a diagram of a major interstate to mistakes in the reporting of a major court case. No matter what the long term plan is, it will never succeed when the community loses faith in the newspaper.
Errors were just part of the credibility buster where I worked. I think there was a bigger issue---the unmoderated forums and silly staff blogs.
ReplyDeleteAll that on one site was, and I think still is, a recipe for disaster---not to mention a confusing eyesore.
Also the CITIZEN JOURNALIST and USER SUBMITTED PHOTOS are credibility busters. Photo journalist are held to strong ethical practice. But a citizen journalist submitting photos for print or web use can easily manipulate a photo in a computer program, they do not have to sign any ethic statements. This is also a disaster waiting to happen but Gannett does not, they are too desperate for web hits
ReplyDeleteTech stuff baffles me. Please don't laugh at these silly questions. I'm just trying to figure all this out.
ReplyDeleteIs one web hit or click only counted once? In other words, if I go to---say----the Indy paper site to read the obits, does careerbuilder and shop local get to count that as a hit, too, even though I don't click on any of that stuff? Also, when I go to USA Today and click on "continue reading" to get rid of an ad, does that count as a click or hit or whatever it's called in the stats they give advertisers?
Lastly, does Indy count my click/visits in penetration stats, even though I don't live or shop there? Does Phoenix? Does Muncie? I usually visit sites for the headlines and obits.
Just have to ask, if Hawaii is hemoraging money will the union give some back?
ReplyDeleteIs one web hit or click only counted once? In other words, if I go to---say----the Indy paper site to read the obits, does careerbuilder and shop local get to count that as a hit, too, even though I don't click on any of that stuff?
ReplyDeleteNope - you have to go to the paper's CareerBuilder page for CB to log a hit. CareerBuilder etc. don't get hits from just visiting a paper's front page or articles.
Also, when I go to USA Today and click on "continue reading" to get rid of an ad, does that count as a click or hit or whatever it's called in the stats they give advertisers?
Depends on what happens when you click. If a separate page loads, yes, that counts as an extra hit. If it just brings you to a different location on the same page, no.
I am sure the union members are calling their buds in Rochester for negotiating advice!
ReplyDeleteSTRIKE!!!!
ReplyDelete