Monday, July 28, 2008

Indy's Zoibi named new Rochester publisher

Updated at 3 p.m. ET: It's now confirmed; here's the Democrat and Chronicle's story.

Earlier: Indianapolis Star General Manager Ali "Advertorial" Zoibi, 51 (left), takes the top job at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, blogger Ruth Holladay is now reporting.

Indy: Please brief Rochester on the ethically-challenged publisher they're now getting. Short iPhone post; updates later. Comment, below, please!

Earlier: An Indianapolis blogger, a '500' pace car -- and a penis

[Photo: Democrat and Chronicle]

17 comments:

  1. Didn't we also send a guy -- I can picture his face but can't think of his name -- to Rochester a couple of years ago to be an advertising veep as the player to be named later in the Barb Henry trade?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brad Harmon. I believe his name is Brad Harmon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Didn't Indy's new publisher just come from Rochester? Why didn't they just promote Ali in Indy?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Indy is a group president site. I don't think Ali would be qualified.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Brad Harmon left GANNETT a while back

    ReplyDelete
  6. I feel so bad for Rochester! I know they are dancing in Indy to get Ali OUT! I've read before that we have scraped the bottom of the publisher pool. This one is beyons scraping the bottom. My cat could do a better job.
    Poor, poor Rochester.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Be careful what you say to him. Looks are deceiving and he plays the understanding, kind-hearted role very well. He is calculating and cold underneath that facade. Feel free to ask any of those talented young women in the Star's HR dept. Oh wait, none of them work here anymore. Yet no one questions the obscene turnover under his watch or the golf trip he went on with his underling after my colleague bludgeoned his wife in her sleep. Get ready, Rochester. He is not a fan of anyone with a flexible, work from home, or part-time schedule. I've often wondered if he hates women unless they're at home waiting on him. He doesn't believe in win-win - he just wants to win, and he was trained by the master. Sorry, but we're doing cartwheels in Indy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Carwheels, backflips, round abouts, hand stands and the Macarena. We are all partying like it's our birthday, like it's 1999, likes it my part and I'll cry if I want to (happy tears).
    Get it? He sucks and get's promoted. why oh why is dickie trying to destroy this company? Everyone RUN! RUN as fast as you can! Anywhere! Quickly!

    ReplyDelete
  9. all of this executive shuffling sounds like the hokey pokey:

    ya send kane in, ya send barb out, ya send ali to n'yawk and ya shake it all about. ya do the hokey-pokey and ya turn yourself around, cuz that's what it's all about.

    somebody on another blog said ali's nickname was fat puppet. no, that's his replacement as head of hr awhile back, jim keogh. none of the things i ever heard ali called was as fit to print as fat puppet.

    anyway, good luck to rochester, because ali would walk over his mother in cleats (or dirve his pacecar over her) to get promoted.

    ReplyDelete
  10. A portion of exec bonuses are based on diversity stats. James Keough is just a statistic on a corporate report. He hasn't done anyone any favors unless there's a free meal involved. What will Keough look like with his head removed from Ali's ass?

    With Babs & Ali out, does anyone think the "human" in human resources will be restored? How does Kane treat his people?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous @ 2:30 p.m.,

    If this is all true, then Ali will be a blessing to the D&C's Editor in Chief. She's been missing a moral compass ever since Roy Cohn and Lee Atwater died.

    Then again, who in Gannett management hasn't?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Michael Kane is fair and treats employees with respect. Melissa Alford was his top HR exec in Michigan. Will she be invited to join the party in Indy?

    ReplyDelete
  13. That would be a dream come true for Indy. While a lot of us are simply annoyed by HR folk, having someone who will check their ego at the door for the good of the company makes a huge difference. From what I gather, crap rolled down hill fast & furious under Babs & Ali, and Keough spread it around his department with a bulldozer. I was friendly with a few of the girls up there over the years. Bright, engaged, poised to make a difference, and none of them stayed around. Huge pattern, ridiculous turnover, and Keough got promotion after promotion - no questions asked. Everyone I knew cited Keough as the only reason for their resignation. With Babs & Ali out of Indy, Keough needs to go, too. It's time for a fresh start here, Mr. Kane. Clean house. Start on the sixth floor and work your way down. And bring back Mike Redmond!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Indy also sent Daniel Wale, an online ad guy, to Rochester several years ago. Last I heard he was no longer with the company.

    ReplyDelete
  15. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I just deleted a comment that accused someone, by name, of sexually harrassing an individual. That is potentially libelous. Please don't do that; it creates extra work for yours truly.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This makes sense to me. Ali "advertorial" Zoibi. Many comments on the D+C site recently note how often larger chains are mentioned when moving into town and how they get all of the press. I heard from a freelance writer about Karen M. and how she openly stated at an event for writers how the D+C writes about crime for the suburbs because that's what they want to read. Very sad when an EIC feels that way.

    ReplyDelete

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."

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.