Newspapers
Reporting in: 58 of 84 (excludes USA Today and Newsquest)
Estimated jobs cut: 1,299
TV stations
Reporting in: 1
Estimated jobs cut: 2
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
First is (brat) wurst!
ReplyDeleteI'll miss you Sheboygan weiners on this blog!
ReplyDeleteHey.....
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that with no Publisher in Central WI, and admin assistants gone from the other papers, there IS NO ONE to put out the fabled official announcement?
Curious...
Sigh, we are still waiting to say ding dong the witch is dead about Cherrill Crosby in Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteMaybe in the next round of layoffs...
Thanks to you, Jim, from a Newsquest hack in the UK. Your blog has been valuable to us across The Pond. All the best for the future.
ReplyDeleteA sad, sad day, Jim. I'll miss you a lot. Thanks for everything - best to you and Sparky.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jim and may you sail into a happy and prosperous future!
ReplyDeleteThree more cut in Tucson today, two in classified call center and one in ad placement.
ReplyDeleteGBDeux Blog
ReplyDeleteCheck us out as a replacement for the original Gannett Blog when Jim turns off the lights for the last time. You'll feel right at home.
Loved this blog. Thanks for what I know was a hell of a lot of work. Will miss that. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteYikes: Just four hours left to post a comment! Post, post, post! Now, now, now!
ReplyDeleteThat is all. You may now return to your local Information Center.
Call me paranoid, too, but does any of us know if GB Deux is really being run by an employee/former employee or if it might not be a site set up by corporate to collect IP addresses? Jim, you gave your seal of approval to Gannettoid, is GB Deux legit?
ReplyDeleteAnd GB, take no offense, but with all the slimy company tactics that have gone on with Jim and his blog, I think may of those who still have jobs need to know it's a safe haven.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIMHO stick with the gannettiod for posting.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and read the others, but use a proxy at first then your own judgement.
Why is it say USA Today is exempt from layoffs or your numbers? Are they no geting hit or what.
ReplyDeleteJim: First allow me to thank you from the depths of my heart and on behalf of all those who mourn the loss of our colleagues and the demise of this company we once loved.
ReplyDeleteYou have done a great service by carrying this torch for so long. The ignorance and mean-spirited nature of some who've posted and continue to post even today are far overshadowed by the info being shared, truths uncovered and solace provided for the Gannett employed, the unemployed, the soon to be unemployed and those to be unemployed in future layoff rounds. Thanks to you and Sparky for, well, everything. May you both have happy, prosperous and healthy lives.
You did a marvelous job with this blog Jimmy. And I'm stoked that it will live forever on the web. That alone pisses-off all the management types who have spent years keeping secrets and employees in the dark. The sunshine from this blog is now eternal. Someday some kid will come along and do a thesis about the final days of a once great company and this blog will sit center stage in the telling of that story.
As for layoff numbers, the 1,400 planned doesn't include open positions that are now closed-off from hiring. Weeks ago the number I heard spoken by a high-level person in USCP was 3,000. I also heard there were layofss at the Crystal Palace but they weren't all done on the same day in order to keep the troops sedated. I'm so sad. My thoughts and prayers go out to every person who has been fired. At some point I suspect they'll come for me too. No one is safe, not even the jerks who post here and refuse to accept that this company has lost its way.
The transitional pay vs severance is just another cost-cutting, bean-shaving and heartless act hatched in the minds of indifferent corporate management. I'm well over 50 and have lived to see that Karma is real. There is cosmic justice or call it divine justice but the point is they will reap what they've sown.
Wish the GB wasn't ending but hope the deuce or gannettoid quickly fill the void.
Farewell Jim. Just ignore the jerks tonight and know that you are loved by many.
8:08 and 8:09 must be members of the non-English/retard/can't write brigade.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame anyone for not trusting a new blog that came out of nowhere at the last minute. If it helps, I did send Jim a couple of emails today about launching it - one early this morning and one later in the day. If he gets a chance to check his email he can verify and can hopefully post something here to make everyone feel more comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI have contributed to Jim's cause in the past and I am not a corporate plant.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThanks GB, much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteOh, and 8:11, someday you shall get your comeuppance.
From part 4:
ReplyDeleteGenia Lovett is president of Gannett Wisconsin and publisher at Appleton. Kevin Corrado is publisher of Green Bay, Manitowoc and Door County and based in Green Bay. There are no other publisher left in the group.
---------------------------------------
From what I understand, Manitowoc's publisher is Corrado, but they also have a separate GM and executive editor at that site.
How did they keep both the GM and editor when Fond du Lac, Oshkosh and Sheboygan all lost one or the other position?
And does anyone else think Ohio's plan will eventually be coming to Wisconsin, Jersey and other large regional groups?
We may hit that 4,500 number that MyBoss said talked about soon enough.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletePlease nut-shell "Ohio's Plan" please?
ReplyDeleteDedicated to Jim:
ReplyDeleteSong: I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together
I'm so glad we had this time together,
Just to have a laugh, or sing a song.
Seems we just got started and before you know it
Comes the time we have to say, 'So long.'
There's a time you put aside for dreamin',
And a time for things you have to do.
The time I love the best is in the evening -
I can spend a moment here with you.
When the time comes that I'm feelin lonely,
And I'm feelin' ohooooo - so blue,
I just sit back and think of you, only,
And the Happiness still comes through.
That's why I'm glad we had this time together,
'Cause it makes me feel like I belong.
Seems we just got started and before you know it
Comes the time we have to say, 'So long.'
Jim, thank you so very much for giving us all a place to vent! I don't know how I would have made it without my daily dose of "The Gannett Blog".
You will truly be missed! Lots of luck to you and yours!
Lots of available parking spaces today.
ReplyDelete8:10 mentioned cuts at Corporate Crystal Palace. Does anyone know how many and what departments?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis is your dog, reading this blog in its final hours:
ReplyDeleteBlah, blah, blah, annual meeting, blah, blah, blah, bodyguard, blah, blah, blah, performance reviews, blah, blah, blah, paranoia, blah, blah, blah, you suck trolls. (Ooops!)
Jim es muy loco.
ReplyDeleteReality is WAY overrated!
ReplyDeleteGoodbye and good luck.
ReplyDeleteWhat you did with the blog was important.
Best wishes
In a few hours, this blog will be shut down.
ReplyDeleteJim, please take a few moments to have a good strong drink and reflect on all you meant to those of us who are still in the trenches, and those who's careers have been cut short.
Some have come here to detract, and distract you from your purpose.
Most of us have been loyal readers and participants.
To Sparky:
Thank you for sharing Jim with us, and for understanding our needs to have him keep this open throughout the rest of today.
More cuts will come in the weeks to come.
We can all talk about it at Gannettoid.
Thanks Jim and Sparky. And thank you each and every worker bee.
Namaste
nice job Jodway, for being there for everyone today, seeing as how "your door is always open", what a joke. It is open if you want your face torn off, and this is if you get past the pitbull you have making your dinner reservations for you.( Hey Christina!) You are a mean and nasty person, and in no way help the LSJ, as a matter of fact you breed a toxic climate , and why no one has ever recognized this is beyond me. E. Kent should have been given your job, and this is exactly why you broomed her.
ReplyDelete"and those who's careers have been cut short"
ReplyDeleteAnd those who cannot write.
"nice job Jodway, for being there for everyone today,"
ReplyDeleteGo back on your meds, psycho.
I know for a fact Jodway was on a job interview today....we can only dream......
ReplyDeleteIf the current severance package offered at your site varies greatly from previous packages, then it seems reasonable to expect the company to match previous offers.
ReplyDeleteAnd, most lawyers would be more than pleased to represent groups of employees at your indivdual sites as what Gannett is doing in this round is more than likely discriminatory and actionable.
read about SUB-pay plans here (an IRS site, vs. Total Management Solutions' site.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.irs.gov/irm/part7/irm_07-025-017.html
Jim,
ReplyDeleteYou have shown the power of a dedicated journalist. Those serving out their last days in Information Centers can be reminded that one reporter, turned loose to find the facts, can make a real difference. Thanks.
Adios to you and Sparky.
no memo from the sherminator today
ReplyDeletego figure..it must of been a busy day at the proctologist...
thanks for all your hard work
it is pretty inspiring what one person can do
good luck on your next adventure
8:51---- How can we find out about this, it seems wrong
ReplyDeleteLove you Jim for all your time and effort with this blog site. Life won't be the same without. All the best to you and Sparky!
ReplyDeleteA final thought for NJ group: interesting that in the wake of this weeks layoffs the 2 production managers for CN/HNT were left intact and now have only 3 people left to manage. Wonder if they will now be able to eliminate all the mistakes they usually make. No one to blame it on now. Won't take long for the skipster to realize his loyalties are misdirected.
ReplyDelete"it must of been a busy day at the proctologist"
ReplyDeleteThe original people must be busy working.
Nice try, dipshit.
Pete Farrell...Email Robin - Job Opportunity for a great sales rep!
ReplyDeleterobin3257@hotmail.com
"it must of been a busy day at the proctologist"
ReplyDeleteThe original people must be busy working.
Nice try, dipshit.
7/10/2009 9:03 PM
_______________________
Another laid off copy editor with a chip on their shoulder?
You are in the same boat as the rest of us. And I can hear it now...
I still have a job, I'm drinking beer and there will be plenty of parking on Monday.
Karma dude...karma......:)
I am looking for layoffs on business desks of Gannett papers. Please send them to me at croush@email.unc.edu.
ReplyDeleteSee here: http://weblogs.jomc.unc.edu/talkingbiznews/?p=10012
Hello:
ReplyDelete>
>
>
> Our layoffs have been completed with a reduction in force of five
> employees. The five employees were:
>
>
>
> Sherry Thompson – Classified
> Allen Shirkey – Composing
> Mark Chamberlain – Advertising
> Linda Pickwoad – Circulation
> Chris Beard – Information Center
>
>
> Each of these employees contributed to our success and will be missed.
>
>
>
> While we regret the need to make these decisions it is important that
> we quickly pick up the pieces and move forward as an organization to
> make such steps unnecessary in the future.
>
>
>
> Each department has more challenges than we can shake a stick at.
>
>
>
> Advertising needs to immediately increase ad volume and work hard
> to better both our number of ads and our overall revenue.
>
>
>
> Yesterday’s letter to the editor from a concerned reader should be
> a wake-up call to the news department. We need to use all of our
> resources to cover the news people want to read on our multiple
> platforms without fail.
>
>
>
> We are also losing circulation faster than we have been in the
> past. We need to focus on controlling the stops and finding ways to
> retain our current customers while attracting new ones.
>
>
>
> The economy is a great excuse for us not doing well right now. We
> should not let it become a catch-all excuse for everything. We can
> do better in this environment and we should be doing better than we
> are.
>
>
>
> Our readers are rooting for us and want us to succeed and do
> better. Let’s not let them down.
>
>
>
> If not us, who? If not now, when?
>
>
>
> It’s time to turn this thing around.
>
>
>
> Roger
>
(Roger Watson Staunton,VA)
Beer is awful tasty today
ReplyDeleteAt least I can still afford it
ReplyDelete1 more cut today in Staunton - IT
ReplyDeleteGood luck everyone!
I wish someone local would buy our paper and send Gannett packing from our community.
Goodbye Jim and thank you....
Laughing at those let go
ReplyDeleteGonna moderate the last hours Jimbo or let me have a free for all
ReplyDeleteTake care Jim.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks.
Feels like we're saying goodbye to an old friend tonight.
Jim after seeing the - 30 - picture I'm all verklempt.
ReplyDeleteI gave my measley $5 every quarter. Thank you Jim, and I wish you well!
ReplyDeleteAs we look around, our friends are gone, so also is the spark that used to be here. Now there is just resignation, dread every morning that you have to come here to work, no place else to work right now or else we wouldn't be here, no loyalty, the managers with whips saying work harder, skeleton crews, not a fun place to be anymore. Just a matter of time until we find something, ANYTHING, that is better than this.
ReplyDeleteHave fun walking into the sun, Jim, and remember us in the trenches with tears on our face. We'll remember you. You'll have a place in journalism history.
Mimi
Someone mentioned two Publishers in the East group were laid off. Just curious who?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm embarressed to ask but what the hell does -30- mean?
I don't always drink beer, but when it is time to celebrate, what the hell.
ReplyDeleteLot's of dead wood gone from my location and I suspect others.
Time to party
Jim,
ReplyDeleteFirst let me thank you and Sparky for the incredible job you have done for exposing Gannett for the truly evil company that it is.
Second, let me tell you what an incredible in-depth reporting you have done.
Without you, we would of all been in the dark about the three round of layoffs, pension freezes, furloughs and no raises the past year.
I sit here with head in hand, so depressed over the loss of my co-workers and friends and the horrific packages that have been offered to them. Of couse corporate found a way to once again screw their employees out of their severance package. It is sick and inhumane and actually plan to connect Obama about their sleezy way of treating their employees. How much lower can they go — I'm sure much lower than this.
That said Jim. try to remain a watchdog of their activity, especially since now they are cheering your leaving. Don't let don't your guard — soon as you leave they will talk to their lawyers to find another loophole to screw the rest of us. Any important news, please keep us informed.
Best of luck on your new venture. If it doesn't work out — you know where to find us.
Hugs, we miss you Jim and Sparky.
Won't be the same without you.
-30- was what reporters typed at the end of a story when stories were typed on typewriters.
ReplyDeleteIt let the typesetter know he or she had reached the end of the story
We are saying goodbye to an old friend tonight. I wish only the best for you Jim, and may you and Sparky be happy. Love you for everything you have done. adios amigos.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteThank you from the bottom of my heart. You have touched so many lives through this blog. You will never know the impact you have had on so many of us. What you did for us was unselfish and there is no way to adequately thank you.
I wish you the very best and just may stop in on your other blog to visit. I feel today that I am losing a good friend.
Just went -30- on another beer.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteFor a company that deals with having sources in high places, they sure were upset at you having a well placed source. I heard so many times that whoever it was should get in big trouble (fired), and we argued about how reporters have sources, why shouldn't you. Protect your source, buddy, cause they would be out for his blood.
Take care Jim, thanks for all you did!
ReplyDeleteHopes Jim's dreams are filled with vision's of Fred Phelps at Sparky's funeral
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jim, and best of luck to all of us -- those still employed and those alraeady embarking on the life after this toxic company.
ReplyDeleteI know we have all needed to vent and I've done my share. But the power of the crowd is far greater than we realized. So my suggestion for all of us is to remember that this company lacks character. And where ethics fade, evil takes root.
So, if you know of misconduct somewhere, NOW is the time to blow the whistle.
Labor and wage? Report it. Are taxes and bills being paid in a timely fashion? If you know of problems, report them! Circulation numbers, environmental issues, safety problems? We are the workers. We see it. We know.
People keep quiet because they want to keep their jobs. But we are perilously close to the time when there will be no jobs left.
There is no reason to wait.
If you are aware of improprieties at any level, report them to the appropriate authorities NOW!
This one is for you!!
ReplyDeleteFor all those who lost jobs, listen to the words from the theme song to MASH and take them to heart
ReplyDeleteWestboro is gonna getcha Jimmy boy
ReplyDeleteget that thing out of your mouth and moderate the blog
ReplyDeleteSpanky's Theme Song
ReplyDeleteSo Jim spreads out his cheeks
After the bloggin'
With a pen he just bought yesterday
Spanky accompanies on the skin flute.
More lyrics to come as the evening progresses.
Jim is about to be overrun with comments.
ReplyDeleteTo 9:15PM :
ReplyDeleteThose who were let go are laughing at you.
For those who lost jobs, just remember: It's not too late to add some skills.
ReplyDeleteWell, actually, it probably is. Hope the landing isn't too painful.
9:43, you are the most unoriginal poster today. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteLet em laugh, I can pay my bills
ReplyDeleteSpanky is somewhere lubing up!
ReplyDelete9:34, no one is going to report anything. Get over it.
ReplyDelete8:44 p.m. do you know the meaning of "sarcasm"?
ReplyDeleteNo, Jim uses the lube
ReplyDelete"Each department has more challenges than we can shake a stick at."
ReplyDeleteJim shakes a stick.
Thank You Jim. This will be missed.
ReplyDelete"Thank You Jim. This will be missed."
ReplyDeleteExcept it won't.
Ditto on that, 9:32 p.m.
ReplyDeleteLonging for the good old days and missing the smell of ink. ...
9:29, are you in Wisconsin?!
ReplyDeleteNice try, 9:32, but it's B.S.
ReplyDeleteamy pack sucks
ReplyDeleteAs this blog comes to a close I wish everyone the best in the future. Thank you for everything, Jim. We love you. May we always remember the first amendment, whether we like what we read or not, it's what makes our country what it is.
ReplyDeleteJust the other day I stopped and listened for the sound of the press. It wasn't there. It will never be there again. I won't walk through the press room door and see the faces of the men I worked with for years. I won't smell the ink, the paper, the chemicals from all the processing, see people running around with negs in their hands, opaqueing pens behind their ears, those days are gone, gone with the old wagon trains, something you only see in a picture on a wall. So too has gone credibility in journalism, morals, knowing what was right and what was wrong. Everything know hinges on the allmighty dollar. And folks, those days weren't that long ago.
ReplyDeleteRight is I have a job
ReplyDeleteRight is you don't
Wrong is what Jim and Sparky do
9:53: BS? When our HR person throws a fit? Our GM throws a fit? Our controller throws a fit? I don't think so corporate troll.
ReplyDeleteNice try, 9:59, but it's B.S.
ReplyDeleteWe need a blog just for attacking Jim. That could be fun.
9:55 and 9:56 are living in the past. They won't work again.
ReplyDeleteSo, Jim, how many of those rocks in your pic have carnal knowledge of you and Spanky?
ReplyDelete--30-- on another beer. Sure was tasty
ReplyDeletethanks to all who shared on this site. It was a great place to come to in order to see we were not alone. I feel fortunate to have survived the dysfunction of this company and land with another paper group that actually has a heart. I wish everyone the best - the ultimate satisfaction can be gained by finding a better place to work - this company does not deserve the few good people that are left. Pretty soon the evil, empty souls that are left will realize they were nothing without the hardworking soldiers that actually loved the business and worked hard to make it successful - they will get theirs.
ReplyDelete"Pretty soon the evil, empty souls that are left will realize they were nothing without the hardworking soldiers that actually loved the business and worked hard to make it successful - they will get theirs."
ReplyDeleteFirst, though, they will realize how many people were doing next to nothing. The efficiency will be the same, but without a lot of the bitching and whining.
It'll be a more positive newsroom.
Where's "Jersey Confidential"? It was here earlier.
ReplyDeleteYou suck, Jim.
ReplyDelete"Where's "Jersey Confidential"? It was here earlier."
ReplyDeleteIt died the death of the pointless.
10:10, that's why Sparklies likes him so much
ReplyDeleteJim, you suck in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteYour hissy-fits. Your inaccurate reporting of cuts. Your corruption of a good man in Spanky. Your derision toward your former lover, What's-His-Name.
You may have a stream of sycophants, but many people know you suck.
Jim, do you and Spanky use glitter on your nads?
ReplyDeleteI love my community newspaper. It has been here for over 100 years. I wish Gannett would just sell it to someone local and we could work at making it the best newspaper our city has ever had. Let someone else do the online news for those who like it that way. Gannett has killed our local paper. Please sell it and get the hell out of my communityl.
ReplyDeleteI'm very sad tonight - sad that a company that I used to love threw me away like an old sock- sad that my last boss was a creep- sad that this blog is ending. Sad that so many talented people have been cast aside with virtually no hope of another job in journalism. What was once good is now gone. Good luck, Jim - may your future be bright.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know that so many people who did next to nothing to collect a paycheck are going to have to find something else.
ReplyDelete"I love my community newspaper."
ReplyDeleteI love your mom.
jim,
ReplyDeletethanks, you made a difference. kick back and relax, you deserve it, but you'll be back...you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the reporter out of the boy. Too much shit coming down the pike at gannett to just sit in the seats!
Good luck and thanks!
It cannot be stated enough how many stupid pieces of dung are now out of a job. Many of them have been posting here for months. With luck, the company discovered it and fired them for that reason.
ReplyDeleteJim wasn't perfect here. But at least he gave us a place to talk and a place to find out what the hell was going on when no one at Gannett could be bothered to tell us.
ReplyDeleteJim cares about us more than Gannett cares about you, trolls. You think you're safe, but one day you'll get the heave-ho, and then you wonder why you kissed so much ass for all those years.
BTW - the marketing director in Wilmington is a total assbag, if I may use that term.
ReplyDelete10:19, you shouldn't use the phrase "coming down the pike" when addressing Jim.
ReplyDeleteYou homophobe.
For those who are left at Gannett, keep up the good fight. Good journalism will continue, even in a diminished form. Don't let the decline of the business model keep you from exposing corruption, informing your communities about important issues and reporting the truth. The road ahead will be paved with hardship. This won't be the last round of layoffs. Believe in yourself, believe in newspapers, and their power to effect positive change. We will endure.
ReplyDelete10:08 - ahem - I mean - Mr./Ms. Empty Soul - enjoy getting yours. BTW, I was not speaking from the editorial perspective.
ReplyDeleteJim, I bet you will not miss the any glittering nad emails. Enjoy some time off before your next venture. Signed - profit by paper out of the bag - Frank Gannett
"Jim cares about us more than Gannett cares about you, trolls."
ReplyDeleteExcept he doesn't. That's why he's off partying in Spain.
What a delusional dumbshit you must be.
The people who run gannett are heartless whores to wall street. They can all go rot in hell.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jim. enjoy your new venture.
"The road ahead will be paved with hardship."
ReplyDeleteA lot of that was caused by the malcontents who were doing little work. They are now gone.
10:22 - No, you're the delusional dumbshit. You're defending a company that could give a flying fuck about you or anybody else.
ReplyDeleteI love how someone who allegedly has a job has spent every minute on here today. Since well before 5 p.m. EDT. On a Friday. Most likely on company time. Posting every two minutes or less. And is now admitting to being an alcoholic.
ReplyDeleteStay classy, douchenozzle.
A lot of the greener Gannett employees won't understand the significance of -30-
ReplyDeleteBrilliant way to go out, Jim. I appreciate the statement it makes about how we've lost the traditions of a once-proud profession.
Lost my job, bills paid, plenty of moolah, enjoying time off and laugh laugh laughing at those who are stuck sucking up the leftovers. Enjoy every last bit of your ride; I'll enjoy watching the continual spiral downward. Not bitter, just real.
ReplyDeleteThose MASH lyrics really seem appropriate for some of the newly jobless. Especially those with young children
ReplyDeleteThank you for everything, Jim. You were brave when everybody else was weak. I take courage from you. Best of luck to you and Sparky. It's been six months since I was laid off by Gannett. No job yet. Bad, bad, bad.
ReplyDelete"You're defending a company that could give a flying fuck about you or anybody else."
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm trashing on shitheads who pissed away the chance to make their papers better. They did nothing, and now they're gone. I don't feel sorry for them.
That's not the same as defending Gannett. Hope that helps you, asshat.
Jim and Spanky will be separated in six months. Jim likes to sleep around.
ReplyDelete"Those MASH lyrics really seem appropriate for some of the newly jobless."
ReplyDeleteThey seem more appropriate for the sheep who will be without a blog to crap on in about 90 minutes. They are on suicide watch, along with Jim.
Fred Phelps is gonna getcha Jimbo
ReplyDeleteFYI...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hostip.info/
you can use this site to nail down the precise geographic location of an IP address.
-Cheers
December layoff casualty here saying goodnight to all. Me and my gray beard are not employable any more -- not in this job market or at my age. I've tried like Hell to make it, but if the world isn't going to give an old editor a chance to prove he's still got game, well, nothing I can do about it. It's time to roll the dice, hit the road and say goodbye to my laptop, ties and place I've called home for nearly two decades. Never thought I'd be obsolete in my 50s.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck to all the newly unemployed. Hope you do better than me in your search for a paycheck and in maintaining your lives, families and friendships through these impossible times in a society that increasingly only honors the young.
So long, Gannett Blog and Jim. I'll miss you.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm trashing on shitheads who pissed away the chance to make their papers better.
ReplyDeleteOh, you mean Dubow?
Seriously, though: Why do you assume everybody who got laid off did nothing to make their papers better?
10:24PM your refering to either the pockmarked dogface, the dykebitch or the thornyAD thats in the same camp at HNT/CN who screw off all the time and continue to land on their feet. Maybe those gal pals shoud get some work done now to save there jobs til the next round
ReplyDeleteJim--
ReplyDeletesaw the -30- and was afraid you were gone.
thanks so much for doing this. I think it was amazing.
Anon@809P: Gannett corporate considers USA Today and Detroit separate from the community newspapers group (per E&P story on the layoffs).
ReplyDeleteOn that note I thank Jim and send him on his way with this song:
We'll meet again ...
Don't know where ... don't know when ...
Fred knows who has been naughty
ReplyDeleteFred knows who has been nice
Fred is gonna getcha
Checkout Westboro Baptist there Jimmy
Thanks, Jim, for everything.
ReplyDeleteYou are a mensch.
And Sparky is a saint.
Peace and love.
Feels like the end of summer camp: "It was great hanging out with you, Jim! Keep in touch! Bye!"
ReplyDeleteThree cheers for Jim (and the Sparkmeister)!
ReplyDeleteSummer camp with Jimmy ... no thanks
ReplyDeleteI am a former Courier-Post employee who suffered, along with hundreds of my colleagues over the past 10 years or so under the evil direction of Gannett. When I arrived at the Courier-Post it was under the thumb of then publisher Bob Collins, a very nasty, sick person who loved to belittle people and throw his weight around. He was followed by another jerk, Dan Martin, who loved to rant and rave and also beat up on people. Then came Mark Frisby, a (barely) high school graduate who rose through the ranks under the guidance of Bob Collins. Finally, and currently, Walt Lafferty, another Collins protege. During the tenures of these guys, things went from worse to terrible to horrible as the paper fell apart. A once proud and popular part of Southern NJ, the paper was destroyed and the advertising slipped under the misguided direction of Tom Geonnotti (ad director) and then his girlfriend, Joan Mason. Neither of these two had any idea about building relationships with advertisers, or building sales teams. Rather, both of these nasty people treated sales people like barnyard animals and customers as if they were an annoyance. This is a very brief story due to space and time, but the people listed here truly destroyed a great local/regional newspaper. What's left? Still more of the incompetence brought on board by some of the people I've mentioned. Many very good professional people toiled at this paper and were treated like shit. Many left on their own, and others got dumped during these recent layoffs. Courier-Post...rest in peace. 128 yrs of history destroyed by Gannett and horrible management.
ReplyDelete"Seriously, though: Why do you assume everybody who got laid off did nothing to make their papers better?"
ReplyDeleteI'm shocked. You actually sound as if you're not a moron.
To answer: Not everyone. But many. Far more than people here want to admit.
Many many thanks Jim for all your hard work, and efforts, on our behalf...My other half still has his Gannett job, but be we both loathe this company, and what it's done to the paper he, and others in my family have worked beginning over 50 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI believe GCI is greatly mistaken if they think the closing of this blog means they're free and clear of employee and public scrutiny...GREATLY MISTAKEN, and I think they'll soon find out.
All the best to you, and yours, in your new endeavors.
Again, thanks...God bless...And take care.
10:40: Move on. Grow up.
ReplyDeleteYou sound like an 8-year-old when you come in here and whine.
So long and good luck, Jim. Thank god, I never worked for Gannett. I've known many people who have. We're all enduring cuts no matter what enterprise -- notice how they don't call 'em newspaper any more -- we're employed at.
ReplyDelete10:42 it must be nice to still have your job at Gannett in Virginia where most of you do nothing (not referring to USAT)
ReplyDeleteJim
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the corporate trolls are still here, hours before closing is a testament to how badly you've spooked them these past few years.
It's bad enough they pollute the discourse here with their lies, but that they peppered them with crass homophobia says a lot about Gannett.
Best of luck in whatever you do.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteYou should be proud of what you have accomplished here. I can only hope to make an impact one-tenth of what you have. I've been thinking about your trolls. I guess if you hadn't made an impact they would have never come. It's really a nod to your success.
Best of luck, I won't likely follow your next blog at all, but maybe I'll google you every once in awhile to see what you are up to. (still not on facebook!)
For those who think this is a profession, you're wrong. It's a craft.
ReplyDeleteDon't mourn, organize!
Good luck to all.
Mr. Troll, do you literally play with yourself as you post your messages?
ReplyDelete10:42, er Gannett troll, surprised to see you could stay up this late. But then again you were probably directed to watch this blog, along with others from Gannett, until it closes.
ReplyDeleteGee, thanks for the compliment(?).
ReplyDeleteTrue, some lazy bums finally got the boot. But it sounds like a lot of good, hard-working people were shown the door, too.
I think most people want their papers to be good. But sometimes you run into the brick walls that management puts up. Like, as someone else posted, wanting to write about serious local issues and being told that you really should go get video of the local prom instead. In situations like that, management has to take some of the blame.
Gannett sucks the anus of humanity. The company is effed. No number of layoffs or furloughs will ever save it.
ReplyDeleteYour time will come, trolls. Hee hee hee.
"The fact that the corporate trolls are still here, hours before closing is a testament to how badly you've spooked them these past few years."
ReplyDeleteAnd it's all of our jobs to make sure that they continue to be spooked!!
The sins of Gannett and its various managers, who twice in nine months committed ruthless acts that went beyond business, will not go unpunished. Too many talented and highly productive people are on the streets through no fault of their own. Yet, someone is to blame. And karma will come at them with a fury. There is too much suffering going on for there not to be some cosmic ramifications for the people who think they've escape the wrath of justice.
ReplyDeleteTo those managers who laid off people for no other reason than they didn't kiss your ass on a daily basis, may your mothers be inflicted with ailments that make them forget who you are.
To those who cast out older but still highly functional workers and didn't shelter them in these worst of times, may your daughters relapse into the condition you most dread.
To those who disguised firings as just part of the corporate mandate in order to protect your own jobs, may you suffer the same fate as your fathers.
To those who profoundly betrayed the best of us, the people who thought that the one thing they had with this company was stability, you will have a harder life from here on out. You didn't escape the universe noticing what you've done in the corporate board rooms and the small editors' and publishers' office throughout this company.
To those who just sat and watched and were glad they weren't on the hit lists, you aren't much better than the people who actually conspired and pulled the trigger. You've forgotten your fallen colleagues from December and have said nothing on their behalf. By next week, you will have forgotten about your coworkers who vanished this week and quietly worry away about your own futures. If you would have spoken up for others, you might have actually helped yourselves. But you didn't.
You all deserve each other and warrant whatever it is the gods have in store for you.
Rosebud...
ReplyDeleteTrolly? Where are you, sweetie?
ReplyDeleteit will close but the thoughts and feelings will still be left with those still there...with a fear that there is nothing else out there for them, and guess what ???their is life much better after Gannett it just takes leaving to know this, like my very young son so profoundly said to me, " Mom know you have a blank canvas"
ReplyDelete"I think most people want their papers to be good."
ReplyDeleteThat's where you're wrong. Many of them just wanted what they wanted, and if the paper wasn't good along the way, then they whined and blamed others.
Good night and good luck....
ReplyDelete"it will close but the thoughts and feelings will still be left with those still there...with a fear that there is nothing else out there for them, and guess what ???their is life much better after Gannett it just takes leaving to know this, like my very young son so profoundly said to me, " Mom know you have a blank canvas""
ReplyDeleteAnd a blank head. Are you a second-grader?
One hour until Jim and the sheep start making nooses, counting pills, and loading weapons.
ReplyDeleteThey need to be watched closely.
"Gannett sucks the anus of humanity."
ReplyDeleteHa, ha -- you said "sucks anus" on Jim's blog.
10:58 have another beer you idiot
ReplyDeleteThe two 10:53 posters are the ultimate psychos, especially the second loser.
ReplyDeleteMany of them just wanted what they wanted...
ReplyDeleteWhat did they want?
What specifically have you done to make your paper better?
Take care Jim. Enjoy your life from Gannett.
ReplyDeleteHeading over to www.gannettoid.com.
Hey drunken troll, why don't you go out and drive around for a bit. Find a tree, hit it.
ReplyDeleteverification - myrancor
Jim wants a weiner.
ReplyDelete"What did they want?"
ReplyDeleteHow in the hell am I supposed to answer that specifically? They wanted to do very little, or only what interested them, even if it did little for the newspaper.
You're slipping into the tar pit of the morons here.
Jim -
ReplyDeleteThanks for the therapy outlet. So many of us have such frustrations about this company that this blog proved an invaluable source of pressure relief and release.'
Thanks for proving that I was not alone - that others were abused and ruined by Gannett. It was so empowering to know that: IT'S NOT JUST ME!!!!
Thanks for the humor.
Thanks for deep sixing only a FEW of my postings.
Thanks for all the news about the company that seems unable to communicate itself.
And thanks for all your time!
You didn't answer the other part: What specifically have you done to make your paper better?
ReplyDeleteJim, thanks for all you've done. I will miss your take on things. To all others: put your trust in Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life.
ReplyDeleteJust have to get a few last things off my chest:
ReplyDelete• Jim did a good job.
• Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. Of course there was an organized campaign to undermine Jim. Clues to identities: Yesterday's obsession with numbers. You'd have all cracked under that pressure too. Maybe in different ways, but you would have cracked.
• Being upset with Margaret Buchanan for saying we work for our advertisers – yes, even saying it first – is ridiculously narrow-minded and a sign of what is wrong in our newsrooms (they never became Information Centers to me.) It's as silly as when you report layoff tallies and only count newsroom folks, like the other people don't matter. Disgusting. Yes, my background is in news. Yes, Gannett employees work for our advertisers. Get over it!
3. Gannett can come back, if we realize the past is gone. No more monopolies. We must make money in new – and more – ways. Without money, no one stays employed.
4. There are great people in this company. All the way to the top of our division.
5. Learn about your company, darn it! All of you, if you still work there or hope to again. These layoffs were in the USCP division. USA Today and Detroit aren't in the USCP division. Now stop asking why things are different! It's been explained over and over!
6. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone laid off this week and in the past year. Good luck to all of you.
7. God bless you Jim and thanks for all you've done. Now go live a psychologically healthy life without worrying about this company or anything that happened here. Your work was honorable.
-30-
"You didn't answer the other part: What specifically have you done to make your paper better?"
ReplyDeleteSorry, but Jim has made it clear that specifics -- especially those that ID a poster -- are unwelcome here.
So no soup for you.
Gannett is a company that is worth much less than the sum of it's parts. It's a company that is dying the death by a thousand cuts, each of them self-inflicted.
ReplyDeleteand not -30- but -42-.
"Now go live a psychologically healthy life"
ReplyDeleteThat is a huge challenge for Jim. He needs to be admitted to a nuthouse, and I think that's where he'll be in two years.
Gannettblog is dead. Long live Gannettblog!
ReplyDeleteForwardever! Backwardnever!
ReplyDelete-Steel Pulse
Then what generally have you done to make your paper better?
ReplyDeleteFor the past year this Blog has been the go-to place for information and insight.
ReplyDeleteYou brought thousands of GCI employees together by providing us a "hub" for all of our spokes.
I'll never forget the leaked memo from Salisbury, Md. that you first reported. Truly the tip of the iceberg. Your personal insights into operations within the Crystal Place; invaluable.
Sadly there were times when this devolved into name calling. Guess as another poster pointed out...that's the price for anonymity.
Regardless how you spent the $25.00 I donated. It was money well spent.
Watching a Fortune 500 company disintegrate in front of our own eyes is painful. Having a meeting place to share information, opinion, to vent and commiserate: priceless.
Thanks,
In Heaven, there is no beer;
ReplyDeleteThat's why we drink it here.
And when we're gone from here,
Our friends will be drinking all the beer!
Happy trails to you Jim!
We love newspapers in Central Wisconsin and we will survive in spite of Gannett.
Get lost, Dumbir.
ReplyDeleteDumbir -- the guy who stumbled into a newsroom while looking for a Big Mac and got hired on the spot.
Thank you, Jim. Love you! NJ Sister
ReplyDelete"Then what generally have you done to make your paper better?"
ReplyDeleteSame conditions apply, but generally I tried to get the best work out of people who had coasted for some time. Some responded; some didn't. Unfortunately, the ones who didn't were chronic whiners and made a lot of fuss.
Jim, Any chance you can come out of retirement for a day or two in mid-August when they send the hit squad into Westchester?
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteI admire your courage and ability to take on this challenge.
I'm confident you are laughing at the immature comments on your character - we all know - what you say, reflects who you are.
May your life be rewarded with health, happiness and opportunities.
Life goes on, but whenever I hear the word "Gannettblog", I will smile!
Ad Director in New Jersey
USA TODAY. I wonder if the public realizes what a deteriorating product this is? It costs more and readers get less. Great business move! While the paper escaped layoffs this time around, I can't help believe that someone in a position of power is going to look at the thinning rag and bland web site and ask where is the substance and content that existed just a few short years ago. Where is the creativity, the volume and the journalism? USA TODAY looks like a publication just going through the motions, being led by managers who probably concern themselves far more with how they are perceived than what they actually contribute in vision and leadership. Not a good thing to sense about a product in an increasingly competitive business.
ReplyDeleteThe flagship is going to be a GCI shop worth watching in the next six months for a variety or reasons. I look at the paper and something just feels wrong about it lately. Just seems flat and without much energy. Not sure why that is, but I think we're going to eventually find out. Unfortunately, this blog won't be around to provide details.
"Life goes on, but whenever I hear the word "Gannettblog", I will smile!"
ReplyDeleteI will laugh. I will think of Jim flipping out at the Gannett meeting. That's going to provide decades of entertainment.
You provided more corporate communication and made a heck of a lot less money then Tara. Best of luck to you Jim and I hope you find the balance in your life that you deserve.
ReplyDelete"Best of luck to you Jim and I hope you find the balance in your life that you deserve."
ReplyDeleteThat can only happen in an insane asylum.
Jim, do the world and commit yourself. Spanky can probably sign the papers and still get conjugal visits.
11:21 pm you cannot be a currently employed ad director of a Gannett property in NJ. First of all your post is lucid and most importantly, you are playing with fire indentifying yourself. Gannett WILL get you.
ReplyDeleteFred is gonna getcha Jimbo.
ReplyDelete11:22, I feel the same way about usat. Things in the past that I expected to see in the paper when certain news broke or events were being advanced, seemingly have disappeared. I don't know why, but I suspect is has something to do with a lack of leadership (from the bottom on up) and/or resources. Most things that go south do.
ReplyDelete11:22
ReplyDeleteYou may laugh - but Jim is the One who stood up and asked the questions!
Jim, took the hits and kept going.
Again, this only proves my point...
11:22 is someone that everyone else laughs at behind their back!
A perfect world:
ReplyDeleteSparkles dies of AIDS and Westboro protests at his funeral
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete11:27, the only relevant point is I'll be laughing at Jim's ineptitude for a long, long time.
ReplyDeleteI won't be alone.
I can't help believing that if our management belived in our products and our people this blog would not have been necessary and the carnage that took place this weed could have been avoided. Tough time require great leadership and out management was not up to the task. Jim it looks like the trolls are out in force but you should rest easy knowing your hard work was a valuable outlet for the vast majority of it. Have fun in Spain and whereever life takes you from this point forward.
ReplyDelete