Friday, July 10, 2009

Part 1 | Friday's Layoff News & Comments

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124 comments:

  1. tmswrite@aol.com7/10/2009 5:07 AM

    At Indianapolis Star: 37, according to your colleague Ruth H. Even management comments on continuing minus 1/4th of the top editors -- that is, the editor tier subjected to the cuts.

    Thank you for all your efforts, and for keeping a sense of humor when needed in an often dreary task.

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  2. Anonymous7/10/2009 5:16 AM

    Jim, Thanks for all your hard work.
    I am getting ready to go to Asbury this morning. Gary (the old guy who carries Hollis's coffee) said layoffs are done. Unfortunately I didn't get let go. Believe me I wouldn't have shed a tear. The place is a pit. Management is dumb and dishonest and nobody who writes and reports and edits and clerks are not making any money.
    The fat guys who run the place Donovan and Hollie make 150,000 dollars and more. But they are stupid and lazy and stupid.
    Guess how they gots there job with Gannett.

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  3. Anonymous7/10/2009 5:51 AM

    Anybody else hearing of pay cuts in the ranks on top of the layoffs at Florida Today? I heard rumors yesterday but can't confirm. If true, this company is just un-believe-able!

    I also wanted to add a special thanks to Jim for all his hard work these past few years on this blog. Your tireless enthusiasm, dedication and investigative work have clearly helped bring a lot of issues in GCI's management to light.

    Best wishes as you start the new chapter of your life.

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  4. Dutch619m7/10/2009 6:09 AM

    Jim, thanks a bunch for allowing a dumb ol' pressman like me sit in. It has been a learning experience. The "dollar drill" and all the talk of ignored or unused ideas explains a lot of the shoddy management in our pressroom. You can give our supervisors the answers, and they still flunk the test. It's been said that you could put our "management team" in a room full of hookers and they would only screw each other. The troubles truly start way up the food chain.
    To all you good folks out there, take care. To all the jerks, remember Karma.
    See you all in the funny papers!
    Mike Heine

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  5. Anonymous7/10/2009 6:28 AM

    Noticed the list was missing Muncie: Total - 8

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  6. Anonymous7/10/2009 6:29 AM

    There's no such thing as a dumb ol' pressman. The paper wouldn't get out with out you.

    I don't work directly with you, but thanks for all you've done over the years. GCI employees from all walks need to pull together now. This is ridiculous.

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  7. Anonymous7/10/2009 6:34 AM

    Thanks Jim.-30-

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  8. Anonymous7/10/2009 6:39 AM

    Perhaps the stock will go up another penny today to make this all worthwhile.

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  9. Anonymous7/10/2009 6:41 AM

    Days like yesterday will occur again in Gannettland - but with no blog to share the news and suffering it will be like the tree falling in the woods.

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  10. Anonymous7/10/2009 6:44 AM

    Showing either shocking candor or lying through his teeth, the Reno publisher yesterday said he couldn't shed any light on Reno's debt load situation -- as laid out by "The Deal" -- because the article was "too high finance" for him.

    Is it just me being hard on him, or should a guy making financial management decisions for a company that once employed more than 400 be able to at least "understand" a magazine article dealing with high finance?

    Seems this explains a lot about why we're in the boat we're in. Apparently, the only requirement to becoming a high-ranking, highly paid Gannett manager is the willingness to ruthlessly cut employees at corporate command.

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  11. Ellen McKinney7/10/2009 6:49 AM

    wow. reading a list of my former indy star colleagues laid off in this round is heartbreaking -- especially those in features, whom i'd considered a great bunch of people to work with. i used to joke that i never had to buy comedy tickets as long as i worked with them, because the office repartee was funnier, even in bad times (or maybe especially in bad times) than any comic i'd ever seen.

    when i volunteered for the layoffs in december, i hoped features would be spared anything but furloughs or being "loaned" to other short-handed departments this year. i was ready to retire; severance pay would take me to my 65th birthday.
    i knew the sections were going to lose space and content, but i didn't expect a nightmarish slaughter like this to follow the december massacre.

    to all those dumped in this round of layoffs, my condolences. NEVER think that you deserved this cruel treatment. you all put out far better "products" than gannett deserved. some of you probably were dumped because you couldn't do anything other than your excellent best, when all they wanted was "good enough."

    it's little comfort right now, but many posters on this blog have agreed that wherever they worked next was better than gannett -- even if they were selling hammers at home depot. you've got the lemons, and in time you will make them into lemonade. for right now, if you want a beer to cry into, call me: i'm buying.

    And here's a farewell toast (stolen from "beretta") to this blog and to all staffers, past and present, dumped on by gannett:

    champagne to our real friends, real pain to our sham friends.

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  12. Anonymous7/10/2009 6:49 AM

    I hope the remaining Gannett employees see this round of cuts for what it is: a continuation of a process that won't stop any time soon.

    This is no time to simply settle in and be grateful that it wasn't you because it could very well be you next time.

    Don't simply bow to abusive management. If your workload increases, make sure you are paid for every second of overtime. They cannot legally refuse to pay you, and working free OT does nothing to protect you.

    I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm done jumping through hoops for these clowns. I am not simply happy to have a job. I am angry at what they've done to my friends, my colleagues and a once-strong company. And management will see that reflected in my efforts.

    You do pay a price when you continually abuse the help.

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  13. Anonymous7/10/2009 6:54 AM

    I hope someone took note regarding the non-layoff at the Fort Collins Coloradoan yesterday. Although no one lost their job (thank goodness), hours were cut for the non-exempt employees only. And the publisher made light of the wage cut by insisting the company was doing something good for you by giving you back 2.5 hours a week. Like we wouldn't notice the void in our paychecks. Nearly half the staff is exempt from the wage cut. We were one of the lucky sites in this whole mess, but not everyone is celebrating. The line has been drawn, exempts on one side, hourly on the other. The worker bees are definitely taking on a different attitude.
    Good luck to those who have lost their jobs -- there is life after Gannett and my wish for you is that you latch on to it quickly.

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  14. Anonymous7/10/2009 6:59 AM

    6 in Lafayette, Ind., which is essentially being turned into a bureau for the Indy Star, but no specifics.

    http://www.jconline.com/article/20090710/BUSINESS/907100322/1059

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  15. Anonymous7/10/2009 7:06 AM

    Gary carrying Hollis' coffee -- that's funny, but I think it's the other way around. The pair are like Bush-Cheney, if you ask me. Don't think Gary doesn't have everything to do with the newsroom choices.

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  16. Anonymous7/10/2009 7:07 AM

    For all those who may not understand what just happened in Fort Collins.

    The weekly hours cut to 37.5 will represent that much of a "pay-cut" for non-exempt worker bees. Their paychecks will not be the same as before.

    Every exempt employee will still get the same pay every week even if they check out after 37.5 hours. The only way the exempt employees would see a difference in their paycheck is if their actual salary was cut.

    Yes, this definitely saved employees from being laid off. But the onus for this was put on the backs of those very same worker bees while management skates by.

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  17. Jim7/10/2009 7:10 AM

    As of 7:04 am ET, we've now accounted for 1,237 layoffs and job cuts at 53 of 84 U.S. newspapers. This does not count USA Today, or the 17 dailies in the U.K. Newsquest division.

    Newspaper division President Bob Dickey had forecast about 1,400 among the U.S. community dailies. Corporate will spin our 1,237 newspaper cuts as incorrect, because it includes 132 jobs at Detroit and about 60 at the Tucson Citizen.

    But we've still got 31 U.S. dailies that have not provided figures. And I believe many of the papers we've heard from are undercounted: people quit to save a co-worker's job, or took early retirement, so are not included in any of the publisher's memos.

    Bottom line: I do not see how Corporate won't far exceed it's own 1,400 estimate. So, Tara Connell, where is this blog incorrect? And what will you tell any reporters for the mainstream news media, if they place calls to your successor, Robin Spence.

    And most shocking of all: virtually no severance, and absolutely no medical benefits. This is immoral.

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  18. Anonymous7/10/2009 7:20 AM

    "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm done jumping through hoops for these clowns."

    Right, 6:49. You'll do whatever they ask. You're a "How high?" charter member.

    "And most shocking of all: virtually no severance, and absolutely no medical benefits."

    They have to offer COBRA benefits, you inaccurate asshat.

    It's a good thing this is the last day for this cesspool. Jim, it's been fun pointing out your many errors and your erratic behavior. Maybe you'll try this again sometime.

    Too bad you couldn't have kept things on course; this could have been so much more. Instead, we got your hissy-fits and your testimonials to Spanky and the other guy -- whatever his name was.

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  19. Jim7/10/2009 7:25 AM

    Employees pay for COBRA, not the company.

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  20. Jim7/10/2009 7:27 AM

    Plus, I see you don't dispute the layoff/job cut totals, or my observation about virtually no severance benefits. Facts don't lie. You management allies, on the other hand, do: over and over and over again.

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  21. Anonymous7/10/2009 7:34 AM

    "But the onus for this was put on the backs of those very same worker bees while management skates by."

    The work burden is going to fall even more heavily on mid-level editors who aren't paid overtime. I know: I never worked less than a 50-hour week when I was a features editor at a Gannett paper a decade ago, and that was at (supposedly) full staff.

    I'm so sorry for everyone who was laid off. I'm equally sorry for those left behind, editors and "worker bees" alike. It's a very sad situation all around.

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  22. Jim7/10/2009 7:39 AM

    7:34 am: I had that experience in Boise, when Gannett owned the Idaho Statesman. This is how Gannett skirts federal and state wage and hour laws. It's a major scam.

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  23. Anonymous7/10/2009 7:46 AM

    In today's Rochester D&C they acknowledged they cut 64 positions however 15 of those were unfilled positions and 49 employees lost their jobs.

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  24. GBDeux7/10/2009 7:47 AM

    Everyone really likes the format and ease of use of Jim's blog so I'm working on essentially mirroring it over at www.gbdeux.blogspot.com .

    I'll give it a go for a few weeks in my spare time and if it proves popular I'll keep it going and if not I'll simply shut the door.

    I don't want to have to moderate every single post so play nice!

    I'm hoping that Gannettoid and my team can partner to keep everyone informed.

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  25. Anonymous7/10/2009 7:53 AM

    I agree about the hissy fits. I am not in management, but I am friends with several. And my friends are all stand-up types. I have been consistently critical of you for being over the top. So I have lied over and over and over again? Nope. I have been sent by corporate as part of some conspiracy? Nope. This is why you lost credibility with me a long time ago. If I disagree with you, I am not bad or evil. So in order to combat the criticism you got, some of it clearly nasty and unfair and also over the top, you joined in the name-calling, abusive game that some in this company have been good at for a long time. I agree that there is some true evil in this company. One of your problems is that you tried to make this all black and white, putting the good one one side, and the bad on the other. But it is much more complicated than that. Because you couldn't cope with that, you have turned into something resembling a name-calling dramatic 11-yr-old. Sad, because it masks some of the good things you've done here.

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  26. Anonymous7/10/2009 7:57 AM

    Cool, GBDeux, thanks. Maybe a good idea since Gannettoid (may he rest) got the boot yesterday. But it looks like you haven't enabled comment ability to your site?
    A quick note to you, Jim. I consider you a friend, although I've never met you. I can't thank you enough for your hard work on our behalf. I'll miss you lots. Best wishes to you and Sparky. Thanks to both of you for giving us this blog.

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  27. Anonymous7/10/2009 7:59 AM

    I looks as though it will continue for some of the NNCO papers even today. My paper felt it late Wednesday afternoon, but I know some papers are still on eggshells. Several papers have been hit; Mansfield, Chillicothe, Lancaster, Fremont, Port Clinton, Zanesville, but from what we've gathered nothing has been heard from those at Bucyrus, Newark and Marion yet.

    Our thoughts and prayers to those still remaining in limbo. We hope it happens early for you today so you don't have to worry longer.

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  28. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:06 AM

    You are too much, 7:20. COBRA insurance is entirely paid for by the former employee and have you ever seen the price? Ouch. You are obviously the one making an error here in describing that as a benefit provided by the company. What a miserable piece of Gannettbage you are.

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  29. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:07 AM

    7:53 speaks the truth.

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  30. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:10 AM

    I need to repeat my comment from yesterday that managers absolutely took a hit in Jersey - specifically at HNT and CP. Both papers lost at least one smart, hardworking and dedicated manager out of the newsroom.

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  31. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:10 AM

    Actually 8:06, no.

    My company cut a bunch of us in March. COBRA coverage is 65 percent government, thanks to the stimulus package, and 35 percent you. We had to actually pay the fiull amount the first month. So, I can speak first hand that the entire amount no longer falls on your shoulders. It's only active for a certain period of time. But, it helps.

    Now, that was no more done by my company than yours. But, let's be accurate.

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  32. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:13 AM

    Hey, 7:20! Buddy! I think you missed a few of your redundant, asinine touchpoints, like the shareholders meeting! Care to bring that up YET AGAIN? Kisses!

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  33. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:18 AM

    7:10am: So, 2 managers out of the whole NJ group. And it WOULD be the hard-working ones at that. Overall, there was no significant reduction of the (mostly) idiot managers who time and time again, suck and continue to keep their jobs at a higher rate of pay than the general workforce. They can revel in the fact that they still have a job (for now) in this joke of a company as they work their 12-14 hour days, stressed to the max. Enjoy!

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  34. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:19 AM

    Was Burlington exempt?

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  35. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:25 AM

    I was told it would take three to four months to get just the packet of info about the pension, which is outrageous. If I remember correctly, someone posted previously that once you make a formal request for pension info, they have a certain amount of time legally to get it to you. Local HR wouldn't give me the corporate contact. Can someone repost that contact and any other information? Thanks.

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  36. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:27 AM

    Asheville: What positions in adverting got cut?

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  37. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:32 AM

    TO: Star Employees

    FR: Michael G. Kane

    RE: Staff Reductions



    I wanted you to know that we have completed our staff reductions today. We said good-bye to 37 valued employees over the last two days as we continue to deal with a challenging business environment. These employees will be missed and we wish them well.

    As I’ve said before, it is critical that we continue to sustain our position as the leading source of regional news and information AND strengthen the long-term viability of our company. It’s a difficult balance. We were able to minimize our payroll reductions by realizing savings in other areas including product line changes, consolidations, reduced zoned pages and a reconfigured statewide circulation operation.

    At our employee meetings next week (July 15-16), I will offer further perspectives on our current business environment and outline key plans for the second half of the year. Even as we align what we do with what the market will support, our community currency will remain strong to the degree our mission and values are trusted.

    There are encouraging signs, looking ahead, but much uncertainty, too.

    While we will work hard to improve the revenue trends in the months ahead, we will also continue to look for operational efficiencies where it makes sense. In either regard, I always welcome your ideas.

    I appreciate your professionalism and dedication during these tough times. Our strategies combined with an improving economy will push us toward a brighter future.

    Thanks for all that you’re doing at Star Media and for our community.

    If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to stop by or send me a note. My door is always open.



    Michael

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  38. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:33 AM

    Thanks for everything Jim. You helped a lot of people stay informed across an entire country. So long, and thanks for all the fish!

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  39. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:33 AM

    Am I reading that right? Little Asheville got cut 16 more and fat neighbor Greenville only 7? Maybe my eyes are blurring ....

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  40. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:34 AM

    "65 percent government, thanks to the stimulus package, and 35 percent you"

    Isn't government run basically by our tax dollars? Hell, you must forget I own GM now. Please stop. As you must know, COBRA is terribly expensive - and to leave a company you have served for years with only COBRA and unemployment in your back pocket for your family ought to be criminal.

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  41. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:40 AM

    why hasn't this been on the news?

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  42. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:41 AM

    bloody day in greenville sc where several 25+ year veterans were let go.

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  43. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:46 AM

    7:20 -- Glad to see you can still read even through the haze of the pain meds, Craig.

    By the way, smart move attacking the guy who says employees shouldn't let you walk on them anymore. It is indeed people like this that you need to try and control. Otherwise, your leadership tailspin is likely to accelerate.

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  44. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:46 AM

    Wow. This is as heartless as it gets. Margaret Buchanan's letter to readers makes quick reference to the 100-plus "positions" eliminated — as if no PEOPLE were affected. Then after that one sentence, basically makes a pitch to advertisers trying to put a positive spin on a tragic day. Typical Gannett. Heartless. Clueless.

    http://cincinnati.com/blogs/enquirermedia/2009/07/09/a-letter-from-the-publisher/

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  45. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:51 AM

    8:10 -- I think the point was that COBRA is not a company provided benefit.

    The Gannett severance package provides no health benefits. It is not reasonable to give the company credit for the stimulus package credit. That's purely a government-sponsored plan, and I'm sure GCI would have lobbied against it given the chance.

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  46. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:53 AM

    I would be interested in knowing for the future how the Michigan papers worked the Transitional Pay (TP). It is my understanding that while on Unemployement (UB), any money earned reduces your UB benefits. If I were to receive TP, then it actually reduces the amount of money received from the state. How does this work?

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  47. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:56 AM

    Gannettoid says greenville was 25. Recent poster says 7. Anyone know really what the number is and what departments?

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  48. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:58 AM

    I was laid off last year, and found Gannett Blog to be a very helpful resource as I tried to recover from the biggest upheaval ever in my professional life. I now have a new job, which I like far better, but I've been visiting the blog in the past few days as this layoff nightmare recurs for thousands more of my colleagues in journalism. Keep heart out there, better days truly are ahead. I have visited the darkest nights of despair and emerged, and you will as well. Jim, thank you for your fine work here in the face of some of the nastiest hate e-mail I've seen anywhere (other than in the story comments sections of Gannett newspapers). I nominate you for my own personal Journalist Hall of Fame for stepping up, forming this community and allowing us to trade information, commiserate and mourn the slow death of our industry. This is what the First Amendment is all about and the type of place where it will thrive, rather than in the corrupt boardrooms of newspaper companies that were supposed to be our guardians of truth and turned out to be bastions of greed. Thank you, and good luck to you and everyone else.

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  49. Anonymous7/10/2009 8:59 AM

    USAT hasnt been sparred, there just not ready yet. They will get their's.

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  50. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:05 AM

    "USAT hasnt been sparred, there just not ready yet. They will get their's."

    Did you purposely misspell virtually every word?

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  51. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:06 AM

    Any followup on the reported 2 layoffs at the Elmira Star-Gazette, the first Gannett newspaper?

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  52. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:07 AM

    The Daily Times in Salisbury laid off 30 people, but according to the publisher in a meeting yesterday, the newspaper has a profit margin of 20 percent (I'm not very business-minded, but I think that's a healthy figure). The only way the Daily Times is going to survive is if it separates itself from Gannett. Otherwise, the mothership is going to continue to slice it up and drag it down.

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  53. Alex Davis7/10/2009 9:10 AM

    I applaud the company for targeting positions and not "people." If you're one of the half dozen who are let go in a larger department, being embarassed for poor performance would add insult to injury. That said, I don't understand why the company didn't offer modest buyouts to volunteers. So many of us, myself included, only needed a small nudge to jump off the ship. It can't be that hard to shuffle the cards and cover those volunteers' jobs once they're gone. Perhaps when the next round of layoffs arrives in another six months this will be the case.

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  54. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:10 AM

    Hard to believe good, hard working people lose their jobs while a senior manager in circulation and one of his subordinates who everyone in Greenville is talking about their apparent affair, both are married by the way, keep their jobs!

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  55. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:10 AM

    Thanks a bunch, Jim. Gannett Blog was an essential part of my day during these troubled times. I learned a lot about the company, my coworkers and have a pretty good idea about where Gannett is heading now. Like others, I am just waiting for the economy to turn so that I can get out of here. I've lost all trust in the managers in my shop (USA Today) and don't want to be a part of all this deceit anymore. I have a fair degree of talent and experience that will hopefully open doors for me at more reputable companies in the future.

    Also many thanks to those who commented here. Some of your remarks, especially from those who lost jobs, have been heartbreaking. Many comments seemed to indicate where there was smoke there was usually fire. I am sure Gannett is happy that this blog is shutting down so that it can operate in the shadows like it did for decades -- which is what has brought on all of these troubles.

    I will also admit that I was often highly disturbed by the mean-spirited people who defended this company. Their arguments were often so juvenile and intolerant that I wondered if any of them sat near me at work. What a scary thought! Luckily, there were far more good folks than bad ones commenting. Says a lot about this company when the most offensive comments came from pro-Gannett people.

    Take care, Jim.

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  56. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:11 AM

    Jim, thanks for running the blog. Enjoy your life away from Gannett!

    As the dolphins would say, "So long and thanks for the all fish!"

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  57. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:14 AM

    (Monroe,La.) News-Star = Only 1 graphic designer/ad person so far

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  58. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:16 AM

    6:34 AM - Damn, I haven't seen -30- in years! Thanks for the memories of the good old days.

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  59. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:20 AM

    Thank you for shutting this blog down. I am sick and tired of everyone passing blame and whining on here.

    Has anyone every worked for another company other than Gannett? Layoffs are happening everywhere, not just Gannett.

    My heart goes out to those that lost their jobs, but is it really necessary to hash your feelings out on a blog that allows our competition to make comments on?

    There are many comments from previous layoffs from people that are not using this to see if their peers lost their job, but to get out their aggression from being laid off 6 months ago. Does your new boss know you were on the Gannett Blog all day yesterday?

    If some people put as much effort in trying to understand why their Young Adults publication bombed as they did blogging, you'd find out that advertising can't sell a product that customer's can't find on the newsstand and where every other page comes out blurry from registration. It's a big game and we can pass the buck over and over.

    To all those that were let go yesterday, I know that it's Gannett's loss and not yours. Pick your head up high and get off this blog!

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  60. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:23 AM

    Layoffs in Palm Springs: 18.
    But thanks to the great leadership of Executive Editor Dick Green, The Desert Sun will continue to put out award-winning newspapers.

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  61. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:24 AM

    Green Bay is 19. http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090710/GPG03/90710009/1247/Press-Gazette-announces-staff-cuts

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  62. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:27 AM

    Happy trails, Jim.

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  63. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:31 AM

    TO: 9:20 AM

    Regarding your question and statement "ever worked anywhere besides Gannett?" ... "There are layoff's everywhere."

    The answer is yes, I have worked somewhere else - several somewhere elses. And those places have, by far, been more humane, more direct, and less blatant in their mismanagement than Gannett.

    I choose the word "commiserate" over "whining," which implies most visitors here will pick themselves up, dust themselves off and move on, because - at least for today, they have this forum to vent their frustration - that's actually quite healthy, if you think about it, and not one bit maudlin.

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  64. furlough fury7/10/2009 9:33 AM

    A big Well Done to you Jim. When someone writes about the dark days of this business, I'm betting there will be a chapter about the Gannett Blog and the good work you did here.
    How good? Well, management continued to bad mouth it,in person and on the boards.I'm sure some corporate lackeys have been behind some of the posts criticizing it and you.
    Forums aside, which the management of are an issue for any news organization, Your reporting has been solid and on the mark, especially when it came to breaking news about things like executive compensation, deals with retired execs and lay-offs.
    Tara may have quibbled about the numbers, but the basic facts were always correct, the cuts did come.
    We, the former and current employees of Gannett owe you a debt of gratitude for looking out for our interests more than our employer ever did. The best of luck to you and thanks.

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  65. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:34 AM

    @9:20: Anyone with any sense knows that Gannett has been gutting its shops for the past decade. The recent economic situation has given the company an excuse to make even more cuts - again. As someone who sounds like one of the horrible managers in Gannett, please go back to taking incredibly long lunch breaks, dumping more and more work on your workers instead of carrying more of the load yourself and continuing to work the 9-to-5 schedule at a shop where few people respect or like you because of your lacking job and interpersonal skills. Cheers!

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  66. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:37 AM

    I always thought Sparky was your dog. I'm sort-of disappointed.

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  67. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:37 AM

    I find it ironic that all people can stand to do is bash management. Do yourself a favor, when making those statements, remove the word manager or management, and say them out loud in front of a mirror. Your number one job as an employee of ANY company is to make yourself indispensible. Many people failed at that primary purpose and now find themselves out of work. If you are still fortunate enough to have a job, maybe it's high time to count your blessings, and for those of you stubborn people who refuse to work harder to get your resume together because you aren't far behind. The reason the newspaper business as a whole is on life support is because of activist journalism combined with lazy advertising sales people. For those of you who are journalists & editors, maybe you should just report TRUTH instead of injecting your agenda into every story you write. Funny thing is when you alienate half of your audience, half of them will eventually stop buying. Welcome to the breaking point, you brought this on yourselves....

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  68. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:39 AM

    9:20 you are unbelievable! Passing blame? Whining? Those of us who worked in the trenches KNOW who's to blame and its not the people who worked their asses off while at the same time being treated like factory workers or 5-years old. The kicker is a communication company that doesn't COMMUNICATE, tries to hide reality and sucks up to advertisers instead of worrying about quality.

    I quit in December, along with two others in the newsroom. Only one of us had another job lined up. We saved jobs for a few others for a few months.We were treated like idiots by management who parrotted the comany BS.

    While great hourly workers got the ax, long-time management hacks and slackers kept their cushy titles and positions. But the chickens come home to roost and I hope everyone who can tells them to "take this job and shove it" and walks out the door TODAY.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:39 AM

    gannettblog2.blogspot.com

    Anyone interested if I start it up?

    Jim any suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
  70. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:40 AM

    Those still left: While at work blog all you want. Work on your resume. Use the phones for personal business. Write a letter to your mother. What are they going to do? Fire you?

    ReplyDelete
  71. Oregon Media Central7/10/2009 9:42 AM

    Let me adjust the Salem, Ore. number down to 7. One of the copy editors took a sports editing job at the Statesman Journal's weekly publications. So:

    1 community editor
    2 copy editors, but one still at paper
    2 production artists
    2 in classifieds
    1 driver

    We may have an official number after a 9am PDT publisher's meeting.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:42 AM

    Jim,

    Goodbye. You've done a remarkable job with this blog and I am sorry you're leaving us but given the amount of hate filled crap that your enemies spew I don't blame you.

    I am waiting for somebody to take up the issue of the severance plan. It is absolutely unconscionable that a company that is still profitable would treat employees in such a shabby way - the topper is that taxpayers are essentially subsidizing the mass firings. Someone should dig their teeth into that.

    Take care and be well.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:43 AM

    GB has 19, not 3. Publisher note last night.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:44 AM

    8:19 asked about Burlington.
    10 positions cut, three in the newsroom.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:45 AM

    Dear 9:20:

    I've worked for nearly a decade for four newspapers for two different companies. Your tired mantra continues to rule in the management ranks, but there will certainly be a day when you're out of a job and left wondering what you ever did wrong. Then maybe you'll realize that you sold your soul and common sense for a stupid title, a little more money and all of your respect.

    Fortunately, I've developed into an award-winning writer despite working for numerous clueless people like you in my career, especially in Gannett. In case you weren't aware, your workers laugh at your incompetence after - and sometimes during - every pointless meeting.

    Peace.

    Signed,

    Someone Who Will Be Gainfully Employed For A Company Outside Gannett Soon

    ReplyDelete
  76. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:46 AM

    8:27 - The advertising positions that were cut in Asheville: Non-daily sales rep, Non-daily manager, National ad rep, pre-print cordinator, retail sales rep and a sales assistant.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:50 AM

    Jim,
    Thanks for all you did was not perfect but took alot of time. Exposed me to too many things I could even start to list. I work for one of the good papers with good managment I guess Im lucky for now. Anyway take care and thanks

    ReplyDelete
  78. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:51 AM

    Does anyone know which positions were cut in Springfield, Mo.?

    ReplyDelete
  79. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:54 AM

    Jim, Thank you for creating and operating Gannett Blog! YOu've provided an invaluable service to all of us over this time. As we all know, Gannett has continued to treat employees poorly and doesn't care about us at all. Now that things are getting tougher out there, they will probably tighten the screws on the lowly employees while keeping the miserable and incompetent management around to do this dirty work. Best wishes to you and Sparky.

    ReplyDelete
  80. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:55 AM

    Thanks for the blog and the good times, Jim. You made a difference. Before GB, there was no place to complain about corporate arrogance, or to find out what was going on in other papers around the same company. For that reason, you became a thorn in their side. I think they didn't look at the other side of this, and that is GB made GCI into one company as employees realized they may work at different operations, but they are facing the same problems. That put a soul in this corporation. Good luck to you wherever you land in this world.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Anonymous7/10/2009 9:56 AM

    Jim, Thanks for the ride...Your efforts, your forum and the information information you provided are appreciated by this former Gan. employee. I wish we all were able to see the ship making a turn for the better during the time you captained your blog. Time will tell if that turn is yet possible. In the mean time, Adios and Good Luck!

    ReplyDelete
  82. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:00 AM

    Where is everyone in Neptune NJ? Did Hollass bring in some more of his rhubarb pie? The place is empty except for the usuall noncontributing suspects.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:01 AM

    laid-off asheville sales (or those who have had enough) submit resume to klulfolsai@garrifulio.mailexpire.com for consideration locally.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:02 AM

    Salem Oregon. Statesman Journal

    CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL US WHY IT TAKES 8 MANAGERS TO MANAGE A SALES STAFF OF 25-30? No cuts in any managment level at all. Amazing

    ReplyDelete
  85. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:04 AM

    I was laid off from the Zanesville Times Recorder yesterday. I can honestly say that I felt worse for the local management for their duties yesterday than I did for myself. I know that this is terrible for them. I've seen this coming for a long time (thanks for the exact date heads-up Jim!) I'm not happy or mad or sad...it is what it is. I believe that they saved my position for as long as possible and I am grateful for that. I will land on my feet, hopefully somewhere with better opportunities for my skill set.

    Thank you Jim. Knowing that this was coming really prepared me for the initial blow. Best of luck to you. Best of luck to me. We'll all be OK.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:05 AM

    Wanna make a bet?

    I bet the next round of layoffs, which will probably happen in October, will have no severance/transition pay at all.

    Plus they'll do the layoffs toward the end of the month so you won't have *any* free health insurance coverage.

    ReplyDelete
  87. rptrcub7/10/2009 10:07 AM

    Good night, and good luck.

    ReplyDelete
  88. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:08 AM

    Here is the story of my 27-year cycle/spiral.

    My lower-rung newsroom management position at one of the larger Gannett newspapers was eliminated on July 9.

    Maybe I should have recognized long ago a pattern that started some 27 years ago in the newsroom of a paper in another chain. The all-knowing managers took this happy, young sportswriter and turned him into a copy editor, “because you’re good at it,” they argued. But was I happy? Not really.

    A couple years later, I moved to another, family-owned metro daily, again as a sportswriter. I was happy, contented, and glad that I had made the move. Four years later, after racking up all sorts of writing awards, it was back to the copy desk for me, “because you’re good at it.”

    Fast forward some 20 years, to my journey into Gannett-land, having been hired as a departmental assistant editor earlier this decade. Again I was happy in my job, despite the necessity of working long hours (55-65 hours a week), weekends, and often from home.

    Now, that job is gone, effective immediately. But maybe for the time being, I should consider myself lucky: I was asked if I wanted to stay, but as a copy editor, with a hefty pay cut (get ready folks, my prediction is that’s the next step for everyone). Given the recession and rotten job market, I have to take it, because I need the health insurance. And it buys me time to get my ducks in order before bailing from this industry for good. (Do I count as a layoff? I guess, since the job that I was hired for is gone.)

    It’s probably a poor comparison, but in some ways print journalists are like those people who stay in abusive relationships and don’t get out when they recognize the early warning signals that something is wrong. It’s the old love-hate thing.

    I wish that I had taken the steps necessary to get out of this business long ago. But 27 years ago, becoming a journalist was a calling, not unlike entering a religious order. It was more for love than the glory, or for money.

    Now, journalism is just a business — and a failing one, at that. I’m barely a survivor, but with decades of experience, I’m doubtful that if I stay with Gannett it will last beyond the next round of job cuts that’s likely to come in December.

    Funny, I don’t feel lucky being able to stay.

    As the Gannett Blog fades away, we all owe Jim Hopkins a big round of applause for the time that he has devoted to us, and to this dying industry, to keep us informed and enlightened about what truly was going on in this company.

    ReplyDelete
  89. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:10 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:11 AM

    ive heard anywhere from 7 to 36 people laid off in greenville. anyone know a more definite number and what positions were affected?

    ReplyDelete
  91. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:12 AM

    About 10:08's post -

    How many others who are still here were offered lower-rung/pay jobs rather than being fired yesterday and in previous layoffs?

    ReplyDelete
  92. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:17 AM

    Asheville:

    So I am still to think that Asheville needs two high Marketing Salaries?

    ReplyDelete
  93. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:18 AM

    9:40 -- Amen.

    ReplyDelete
  94. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:20 AM

    From 9:37 - "The reason the newspaper business as a whole is on life support is because of activist journalism combined with lazy advertising sales people. For those of you who are journalists & editors, maybe you should just report TRUTH instead of injecting your agenda into every story you write. Funny thing is when you alienate half of your audience, half of them will eventually stop buying. Welcome to the breaking point, you brought this on yourselves...."

    Geez, and I thought the primary reasons for the fall in newspaper revenue were the movement of readers to the Web, where no effective revenue model has been discovered, and the bad economy.

    Trying to blame those who lost their jobs for this situation is just pathetic and miserable. And to suggest that Gannett management knows who is indispensible and who isn't, and did a good job of making these decisions on that basis, is laughable.

    ReplyDelete
  95. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:26 AM

    For anyone who's interested: Good small-community newspaper in Missouri seeks city editor. You'd be working for a quality executive editor who gives a damn (a co-worker of mine from a previous job). Apply here:

    http://www.freedom.com/careers/job_info.asp?id=1417

    ReplyDelete
  96. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:26 AM

    My sympathies to all colleagues who lost their jobs this week.
    And I heartily second the comments of Anonymous who says Jim made the mistake of painting everything as black and white. Management, bad. Workers, good.
    And lets not forget Jim taking $2,000 of our donations and using it to hire a security guard! That is a sign of serious mental illness.
    Good riddance to this blog.

    --
    I agree about the hissy fits. I am not in management, but I am friends with several. And my friends are all stand-up types. I have been consistently critical of you for being over the top. So I have lied over and over and over again? Nope. I have been sent by corporate as part of some conspiracy? Nope. This is why you lost credibility with me a long time ago. If I disagree with you, I am not bad or evil. So in order to combat the criticism you got, some of it clearly nasty and unfair and also over the top, you joined in the name-calling, abusive game that some in this company have been good at for a long time. I agree that there is some true evil in this company. One of your problems is that you tried to make this all black and white, putting the good one one side, and the bad on the other. But it is much more complicated than that. Because you couldn't cope with that, you have turned into something resembling a name-calling dramatic 11-yr-old. Sad, because it masks some of the good things you've done here.

    ReplyDelete
  97. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:29 AM

    9:20 is an assbag.

    I have to believe this is another corporate lackey. Otherwise, they're just painfully, painfully dense.

    Tell me this GCI management fan, give me some initiatives this regime has successfully done to SIGNIFICANTLY boost revenue? I'm not talking about raising prices on the vending machines from $.75 to $1. The answer: none. They only cut costs (i.e. salaries of people who have given years and even decades of their lives to this company).

    On a side note, a wonder how many execs will be dealt "SUB-Pay" or "Transition Pay" (or whatever they're trying to call it) when their time is finally up. The answer is, of course, zero. They'll have big, fat compensation packages while the rank and file are blindsided with this steaming pile of shit.

    ReplyDelete
  98. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:32 AM

    Is there anything happening in broadcast beyond the two people in Buffalo?

    ReplyDelete
  99. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:34 AM

    heals10:10 is correct, In Phoenix, there are some people who have performed just a poorly as they did at other papers yet get "protected". In some cases, some with a history of HR complaints, abusive management and interpersonal skills simply get moved around within the paper. Some really good people were lost this week yet these others stay and are predictable. It's very unfortunate and not a positive sign for the company or senior management.

    ReplyDelete
  100. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:34 AM

    Do we know how many folks were laid off and their title at NNCO papers like Zanesville, OH and Chillicothe OH that we have not heard about?

    ReplyDelete
  101. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:34 AM

    So now that the Gannettoid publisher has left the company is he/she going to come forward and identify themselves?

    ReplyDelete
  102. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:35 AM

    10:08, sad to say your story has been repeated ad nauseum across Gannettland. I know so many people who had true talent for one field and were shoe-horned into something else they didn't care about. (Gannett never got the memo about happy employees boosting productivity.) Instead, everyone multitasks in so many different directions, it's hard to remember what you ever cared about.
    Best wishes to you and all, past & present, employees.
    Gannett tried too hard and instead, in a cruel twist of that Nike campaign slogan, "Just blew it!"

    ReplyDelete
  103. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:35 AM

    If Gracia or Dubow or Dickey were to show their faces inside any one of Gannett's community newspapers today how long do you think it would take before employees were in the parking lot taking a fire ax to their luxury sedan?

    ReplyDelete
  104. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:36 AM

    ELMIRA UPDATE

    1-Front Desk/Secretary/Classifieds
    1-Marketing
    4-Circulation (1 Internal, 2 drivers, 1 P/T)

    Rumors of more to come today.

    ReplyDelete
  105. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:37 AM

    Yo 6:44 go sit in your van. That was a very honest meeting. At least he is trying to communicate with his colleagues. Its way more than you do on a daily basis.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:37 AM

    Au revoir, Jim.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:38 AM

    10:29 -- You're exactly right, and that makes this even more maddening. Many of the high-paid GCI clones who just doled out these pitiful severance packages will walk off with nifty parting gifts.

    Of course, it may catch up with them in the end. I doubt being the editor or publisher of a failed Gannett property is going to look good on the resume to anyone who is practicing real journalism.

    What are your skills? I can really trim the fat out of a newsroom.

    No, I mean tell me about your best journalistic achievement? I once fired our best investigative reporter days after he received a national award. That saved us $90,000 a year.

    Did your paper receive the same award next year? No. But we saved $90,000.

    Thanks for your time. Don't call us, we'll call you.

    ReplyDelete
  108. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:39 AM

    Jim thanks so much for the blog. My main concearn with the company is that they seem to have given up on customer service and the printed product.i do not think any newspaper people are running the show.You reduce your product with price increases evry six months and eliminate customer service. We broke even on delivering complaints so why would you eliminate one service that gave you advantage over most other companys. I have had many friends thougout the company affected by these cuts. we have lost a lot of good people that could have made a difference. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  109. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:41 AM

    10:02am
    They need the managers to do the bogus write-ups that I am sure will be at an all time high in the next week or so. Remember their style is that when morale is down, work load is up , they require non-essential reports from the staff and focus on nit-picking. It's their style to take the hostile work environment they create to a higher level. They have perfected it.

    ReplyDelete
  110. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:42 AM

    I am in the acceptance stage of corporate newspaper death. Nothing at this point will reverse the inevitable. Gannett and its higher power - Wall Street - has made sure of that. This had nothing to do with technology and young readers. It's all about decades of greed and employee disdain. Now it's coat-check time for this souless company, and the other clones that followed it into hell.

    And Jim,
    You deserve a Pulitzer for your courage. All the best. And all the best to the rest of us looking to survive this plague.

    ReplyDelete
  111. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:47 AM

    10:02am
    They need the managers to do the bogus write-ups that I am sure will be at an all time high in the next week or so. Remember their style is that when morale is down, work load is up , they require non-essential reports from the staff and focus on nit-picking. It's their style to take the hostile work environment they create to a higher level. They have perfected it.

    7/10/2009 10:41 AM

    _______________

    And isn't this the truth! This is where further cuts will come from. Think that 4000+ number was inflated? Think again!

    ReplyDelete
  112. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:47 AM

    Thanks Jim.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:48 AM

    Hey 9:16 a.m., I thought the same thing! And it made me mourn even more for the demise of the industry I carved my teeth on.
    -30-

    ReplyDelete
  114. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:48 AM

    These mass firings and the horrible severance package show how much the company values our work.

    In a way it's liberating. Now I would have no hesitation whatsoever to quit without notice and just walk away. It would be following the example they set.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:49 AM

    Can anyone explain this management brainstorm: Local, local, local. Good idea, pitiful execution.

    National news can be found anywhere and everywhere, so a real committement to local news would be smart. But what did this mean for the top dogs: letting the masses submit stuff on the biggest tomato, grandpa's birthday and so on. Stick that online and in print. That's it. Oh and crappy blogs, "neighborhoods" and so on. "Community" is the biggest joke ever.

    What would really keep the audience? Actual hard-hitting reporting on real news:Government, business, industry and so on. But guess what? Reporters are too busy taking video of proms, festivals and other crap, because Gannett things this is "Community" Aw, shucks Opie!

    Their idea of local is to get any Tom, Dick or Harry to do it for free. No real reporting, because if you dig in you might offend an advertiser.

    The paper I worked for ignored so many good stories for this reason. It was all about staying buddies with the community, not reporting on it.

    ReplyDelete
  116. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:50 AM

    JIM, I HAVE A QUESTION. HAVE WE HAD ANY REPORTS ABOUT THE COE CALL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE. THEY JUST CHANGED THEIR HOUR NOT TO TAKE CALLS UNTIL 10:00 AM IN THE MORNING CLOSED ON SATURDAYS. HAS TO BE A REASON.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:51 AM

    9:24 a.m. that's crazy about Green Bay. They lost some heavy hitters! So why the hell does Appleton always get spared? They're top heavy with newsroom managers.

    ReplyDelete
  118. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:52 AM

    Jim - many thanks for the outlet you provided all of us with, whether recently laid off or still employed. It was a comfort to me when I needed it. To all the mean-spirited contributors, I feel sorry for you. Sleep well Jim.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:54 AM

    Appleton Post Crescent has an F rating by the BBB.

    Gannett should be so proud...

    ReplyDelete
  120. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:56 AM

    Ditto what 10:10am & 10:34am are saying about Phoenix.

    It does seem that there is a shell game occuring here protecting managers... In this current round of "layoffs" they don't quite seem to make it out the door, rather a sideways demotion bumping some poor worker bee out of their livelyhood. Management does protect it's own and it is on display in all it's ugliness here at the Arizona Republic!

    So long, Jim. Thanks for what you have done for us... Now, I suppose, Gannett can get back normal, secrecy and screwing it's employees!

    ReplyDelete
  121. Anonymous7/10/2009 10:57 AM

    Dear 10:10 --not prison matron; it's prism matron

    (although we really shouldn't make fun of size)

    ReplyDelete
  122. Anonymous7/10/2009 11:00 AM

    Good luck in your new life, Jim! Thanks for the forum. We'd all love for you to do this forever, but you've obviously reached the point where it's time to cut the cord to Gannett. Ignore the abusers -- for the most part, this blog was a good thing. Take care, and I'll add my
    -30-

    ReplyDelete
  123. Anonymous7/10/2009 11:00 AM

    from AP:
    CINCINNATI - Enquirer Media in Cincinnati, which includes The Cincinnati Enquirer in print and online and other publications, has eliminated 101 positions.

    ReplyDelete
  124. Anonymous7/10/2009 11:01 AM

    In Phoenix, President, John Zidich actually had the balls to say readership is up. Over 100 of your friends were fired but readership is up!

    ReplyDelete

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