Regarding all the "whiners" who read my blog, a reader says in an e-mail: "Look at ad-production outsourcing. I wonder how many of the people whining about it own a Toyota, or a Hyundai or a Japanese television set. I wonder if these whiners realize how much damage they have done to their fellow American workers by buying foreign automobiles and goods. I own a Ford, BTW. Unionize is the cry, idiots: Look at what you have done to all of your beloved UAW workers that get paid 30 bucks an hour to drive in a few screws. What's that, you say -- you bought a Toyota because it was better? Cheaper? And you complain about ad outsourcing? The company is doing the same thing you did, looking for the better deal. To criticize the company is to criticize yourself. Gannett, like so many other companies, is in survival mode. Haven't you figured that out yet?"Join the debate, in the original post.
Earlier: 'I lost my job yesterday' to India offshoring
Since when did two wrongs make a right?
ReplyDeleteAs a person who works in one paper that is outsourcing -- to a company whose employees have English as a second language (that's not meant to be pejorative -- it is simply fact,) I can tell you that I think outsourcing will ultimately cost the company more.
ReplyDeleteConsider:
1. $20 or more per ad. Our own graphics people make $12 per hour and can do two to three ads an hour, or $10 or less per ad.
2. If you don't like the ad design and send it back to 2AdPro, you pay the FULL amount AGAIN. And since the design is POOR at best, this happens frequently. So now we have an ad that costs $40 or more.
And our graphics person could have done three to six ads in $40 worth of time. And designed better and spelled correctly.
I don't work in Ad Services so I have no axe to grind here. But I can add and divide.
We are required to send a minimum of 50 ads a week. At $20 per ad, that's $1,000 per week, $52,000 per year. Two graphics people at $12 come to $46,800 annually, not including benefits.
Plus, sending the ads becomes one person's full time job -- scanning the art, inputting the copy, and giving DETAILED design direction. Another salary cost.
Maybe this is the expense we should be looking at instead of the expense printing single copy papers.
And what's next? Outsourcing page design and headline writing on deadline. I can't wait. The fun has just begun.
I drive a Toyota that was built in Kentucky. If you drive a Ford Focus it was probably made in Mexico and imported to you.
ReplyDeleteDon't whine to me about manufacturing in other countries when it comes to the automotive industry. They US manufacturers) are some of the worst at that. At least Toyota, Nissan, etc., are making more and more vehicles in the US. Unfortunately, the unions cause problems so they don't make them in Detroit!!!
to the person who has staff that can do 3 real estate ads with 150 photos in an hour, my hats off to you.. your comment is unrealistic in this area and does not take into account employee benefits
ReplyDeleteto the person referring to me as a ford driving idiot, I know exactly where it was manufactured. At least by your comments you recognize that american engineering stinks, thats why you went toyota and america is headed for the dumper.
ReplyDeleteIts funny how so many people blame consumers for companies’ failures.
ReplyDeleteI’m not an automotive historian, but simply put, the Big 3’s leaders failed in controlling their unions and in keeping their US products in line with changing consumer needs (I say US because at least GM and Ford had vehicles in Europe that would have posed challenges to Asian competitors if brought back here 30 years ago). Other company’s are also ultimately masters of their own fates, including this one. So, the original posters comments – while somewhat valid are weak at best.
At least in the Big 3’s defense, they also had greater retooling delays and capital concerns. The “tools” that weakened this company by their delays didn’t have either of those concerns as their excuse for failing to keep pace with changing consumer demands. So, the survival mode that Gannett finds itself in, lies in large part at the feet of its leaders.
I don't think that commenter said anything about having a staffer who could do 3 real estate ads with 150 photos in an hours. It's funny how some folks -- when they see their viewpoint challenged -- will suddenly shift the rhetorical grounds and bring in a brand-new element. Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteIt is costing us more to send out ads to 2adpro, and the quality is bad. WE constantly have to send ads back 3-4 times......costing more money and time.
ReplyDeleteThe COEs provide much worser service then the newspapers did. Customers are tired of the terrribel service and quit. PLus the CORs cost more. So in these 2 cases we are spending more money for worse service.
For cost calculations plan on 35-40% for FT Benefits. Thats what is used in some USAT reimbursement models. 12-15% for PT bennies would be about right as you only have Social Security, unemployment, disability costs and occasionally 401k matching.
ReplyDeletefrom the original poster, lets be more specific then. How long does it take peoples staff here to do 3 full page tab size real estate as with 50 photos each? All with new copy and art.
ReplyDeleteI dont care if my viewpoint gets challenged, I think this is cool.
from the original psoter,to the individual sending ads back 3 or 4 times. We do not have that problem with live ads. With specs yes, but we expect that since we send little to know info when ordering. If you are having this issue with your live ads, then you are doing a poor job of communication.
ReplyDeleteanon 2:31 PM
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your success. Perhaps you could detail your sucessful communication steps and practices for the person who claims he/she is not enjoying that same level of success. It sure beats jumping to the conclusion that poor communication is the problem.
My Mama always told me this. "Fix problems, not blame." If Gannett leadership modeled that approach, the company would be flourishing now instead of blaming the economy and struggling like the others.
RE: Full Page Real Estate Ads - The photos and the copy all get emailed to the production department who have an ad shell that runs fairly consistently week after week. The photos either get sent to the regional toning center in Iowa and plugged in to the ad along with the copy; or, once the raw photos and copy have been set, the whole ad then gets toned, eps'ed, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe ad then just needs proofreading to ascertain copy and photos were set correctly.
So a full page tab-sized ad, BW or color, will take 1 graphic designer about 20-30 minutes to cut & paste. If it's a new client (which it seldom is) the entire ad may take up to an hour for full design.
from the orig poster.Anyone else here have staff that can do a real estate tab page in 25 minutes, each with 2 photos, place and adjust copy?. That is one block per minute on a 25 block ad
ReplyDeletefrom the original poster to the person responding Perhaps you could detail your sucessful communication steps and practices. I hear that there are people out there trying to do just that, however, they run into so much resistance that they just get sick of it and say the hell with it. This is typical of how I see GCI people treat other GCI people.
ReplyDeleteHi Anon 5:24 PM
ReplyDeleteThanks for shaking me back to reality. I've been away from Gannett long enough now to have forgotten how dysfunctional and uncivilized things were where I worked. I wish you the best, and I commend you for sticking with it. I couldn't force myself to work with management bullies, even though I loved the job. Hang in there.
from the orig poster:thanks for the vote of support. I know many people here like to blame the generals at corporate but if the troops cannot even work together, then what general is in charge dont make a dam bit of difference.
ReplyDeleteI see people treat each other like animals every day, no one here can deny it, I see it and feel it.
My Toyota Camry was built in Ohio by American workers. People who drive Toyotas and other foreign cars know the quality -- why buy a US-made car when the quality sucks? That would be, well, stupid. I've never been stranded on the road in any of my Toyotas over the past 25 years, but a Ford I owned was a different story. Bottom line: most foreign cars are made in the USA now, so what's the beef?
ReplyDeleteAnon 5:56 PM – Gannett’s generals, and contingent of bullies, are ultimately to blame, period.
ReplyDeleteNothing leads people’s actions and behaviors more than those demonstrated and/or allowed by their leaders. Employees acting like animals often results from their emulation of actions demonstrated by those “keepers” and/or their allowed to do so. Unfortunately, Gannett’s allowed both for too long. And, the more power and promotions that those “keepers” receive, the greater likelihood that employees will behave the same as they see that’s the way to the top, or at least the way to stay along for the ride.
And, that’s exactly why I left Gannett’s executive ranks. Not because newspapers were dying or dead, but because the character of this company and the company it knowingly keeps in charge will most likely make any attempt to grow DOA as a result.
It’s an integrity issue, when my integrity was in my face and I was surrounded by how "out of integrity" I was operating to be on the OC, it was time to go and save myself. When you see how badly people are being treated over and over again, with my worries about finances, my worries about job security, seniority, when the integrity of the company and how it operates is at such a low level, its time to go no matter what. A company cannot survive when it operates that way.
ReplyDelete