Thursday, July 09, 2009

Part 5 | Thursday's Layoff News & Comments

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187 comments:

  1. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:50 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:51 PM

    Wondering what anyone thinks of David Davies from Lansing.

    Anonymous employee

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  3. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:51 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  4. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:52 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  5. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:53 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  6. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:54 PM

    In reference to whoever's taking cracks at the NNCO papers getting some sort of free pass:

    "by Gannettoid on Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:17 pm
    From an anonymous tipster:

    Lancaster Eagle-Gazette (Ohio): 1 newsroom staffer on datadesk, 1 graphics artist. More expected layoffs in other departments Thursday. ME said newsroom cuts were finished for the current financial quarter."

    Lancaster is just one of the many NNCO papers, which also went through cuts in Dec. 2008. It looks very likely that the NNCO papers will suffer the same "reorganization" now underway in Wisconsin and Michigan, amongst other places. So I wouldn't go stirring up outrage against any buckeyes just yet.

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  7. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:55 PM

    What is going on in Detroit? Haven't seen any blogs about them...what gives....

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  8. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:55 PM

    Reno? Anyone? Bueller?

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  9. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:56 PM

    Reno -

    Eight that I can confirm on my side... four home delivery assistants and one CSR clerk out of Circ, one dock supervisor, one production supervisor, and one long haul driver. Makes you wonder who is going to get the paper out on a nightly basis anymore. Good luck fellow RGJers.

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  10. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:57 PM

    Daily Record? Anyone?

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  11. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:57 PM

    Someone asked about the skeleton staff left in Ithaca - word is they're safe and cuts are coming out of the regionalized Binghamton, but then the word has often been wrong.

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  12. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:58 PM

    "Transition Pay"--not severance pay--But what if you want to transition by going back to school? In many states you become "ineligible" for unemployment if you are attending school--therefore you also loose your "transition pay"--
    sounds nasty to me. Not much help to transition!
    Also you loose unemployment if you "leave the area" so no trips out of the state or country, if you want to get your "transition pay"--

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  13. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:58 PM

    This is 1:46 PM again

    Still wondering if 1:48PM is still waiting on the group wide announcement?

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  14. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:58 PM

    Final count in Sheboygan: Four layoffs (three and a half positions) + publisher (he is moving to Fond du Lac).

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  15. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:59 PM

    3:51, no one cares about your attempts to get people to rip someone. Get a clue and grow the fuck up.

    These types of solicitations show why this blog is headed for the trash heap at the right time.

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  16. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:59 PM

    Lansing about to start with advertising, then on to news.

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  17. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:59 PM

    Reno -
    they would like to make it harder to find their products. hear comments in the community all the time. guess they're trying to make our customers REALLY want the product.

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  18. Anonymous7/09/2009 3:59 PM

    David Davies is a piece. He's been the "namer" "lister"and all around "finger pointer" in every round of layoffs thus far. He has no clue who is really valuable and whos dead weight. And what's worse, he doesn't care.

    I worry that something big is happening at LSJ now. 4:00pm and no layoff news?? That can't be good. Great job Priester - Davies - ALFORD. Yes, I went there.

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  19. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:01 PM

    Since it looks like my comment disapeared when the new thread was added:

    I would like to say that I am pissed off about one of the newsroom layoffs in Montgomery.

    Once again, this company proves that it has no inkling of talent, hard work or heart.

    The metro-side assistant editor who was laid of at the Montgomery Advertiser is an extremely talanted writer and editor whose main fault was his failure to kiss the right ass. (Oh, and he's over 40)

    Once again, the powers that be overlooked the guy who is the biggest gossip I have ever met in my life, who thrives on division, who for years drug himself to work at 1:00 in the afternoon while we cranked out "his" section, and who remains one of the least imaginative or innovative so-called journalist/editors I have ever had the pleasure of working with.

    Tom, you did not deserve to lose your job. Afterall, you were brought over from another department by the very people who are laying you off today. What assholes.

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  20. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:03 PM

    Any news from Des Moines? Please share.

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  21. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:03 PM

    NNCO reorganization plan was announced a couple of days ago.

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  22. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:04 PM

    3:59, I'm also a Lansing employee and am growing concerned with how late in the day they're leaving this till.

    Incidentally, I have no idea who the hell David Davies is.

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  23. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:04 PM

    Seems 2 days of hell and 100 lives later, Cincy is winding down.

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  24. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:05 PM

    Any more word on Binghamton/Elmira/Ithaca?

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  25. asherbertrand7/09/2009 4:08 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  26. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:09 PM

    Who in Sheboygan? Can we get NAMES for the entire Wisconsin group layoffs?

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  27. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:09 PM

    Anyone see Callinan's tweets from earlier today? He's a pure jackass.

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  28. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:10 PM

    @4:08
    Like any other day? Many newsroom employees have never even seen the publisher :)

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  29. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:10 PM

    The NNCO reorganization plan was separate from layoffs in this wave. The reorganization plan are additional layoffs down the road.

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  30. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:10 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  31. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:11 PM

    why do a lot of you insist on getting names? if youre trying to find out if friends were laid off, they'll tell you. no reason to post names here.

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  32. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:11 PM

    For example from another poster. These are separate from the reorganization layoffs:

    Lancaster Eagle-Gazette (Ohio): 1 newsroom staffer on datadesk, 1 graphics artist. More expected layoffs in other departments Thursday. ME said newsroom cuts were finished for the current financial quarter."

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  33. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:13 PM

    Well what I love about Reno is that just about every non-daily pub that's been created in the last 2-4 years has been shut down in the last few rounds of layoffs and budget cuts. Reasoning... they weren't making money. I'm not a genious but everybody knows that brand new products aren't overnight sensations and it takes time to start seeing the income on them. I believe these garbage products have been the reason we've fallen so low. We've refused to focus on our core product while overextending ourselves on something that lasts a year and then is canned. And now we wonder how we got here...

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  34. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:18 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  35. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:19 PM

    Where the heck is going on in Lansing?

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  36. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:19 PM

    Too bad Sherm didn't stay lost in the woods.

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  37. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:20 PM

    Word verification, and I swear on my family name" "canum." You can't make that shit up.

    Anyway, the body count may well be below expected totals because we have been instructed to eliminate already open positions. For instance, it's about how many FTEs we eliminate, whether those positions had bodies in them or not.

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  38. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:21 PM

    Every decision this company makes, from whom to layoff to where to locate its corporate headquarters, seems to be totally misguided. It's almost like there is some unknown rogue force leading these empty suits down the wrong road.

    For example, back in the day, I was a resident of Rockland County, NY. We had our own paper then. A fairly decent Gannett paper with a building that readers could visit and hand in obits, bring sports news or take out an ad. Then Gannett consolidated with Westchester. They diluted that connection and local commitment/presence, that special bond people feel for their local paper. But Gannett tried to sell it in a different way to readers. Gannett tried to make it sound like Rockland still would receive the same service from across the river. Wrong again! Downsizing is downsizing. Whether it's cookies or news coverage, you can't constantly fool the consumer, let alone the employees.

    Now let's exam USA Today. Does anyone know why it's located in one of the most expensive areas in the country? If it truly covers the nation, shouldn't it be more centrally located? As far as I know, real estate taxes are lot less along the Mississippi than they are close to the Potomac. Land would have been cheaper to buy. Instead, USA Today is located in a lavish building that isn't even half filled, on a piece of land that has no right being the site of any newspaper.

    Corruption and stupidity run deep in this company. Unfortunately, it's the employees and sometimes the customers who pay the price.

    Gannett continues to spin, even as people are packing up their belongings. Damage control is in full force. Those who remain will once again be asked to fall into line, like sheep, or else. Will you do that? Will you rationalize it by saying you're just trying to protect your job, family, etc? Or will you begin to reconnect to reasons you got into this business in the first place and stand up for what's right in your own way? Will you defend your colleagues and ask questions when things don't seem right?

    Managers responsible for laying off your friends will put on their sad faces and want you to believe they have a heart in the following few days. False concern will run rampant. But as a December layoff victim I can report that most people fade away, including those "concerned" managers.

    It's all a game. The only good thing I can hope for is that we are in the end days of big media. I expect more mom and pop operations to spring up, both online and in print. Operations where people care and don't speak in half-truths. Maybe they won't offer corporates spas and big salaries, but more meaningful work will take place. More loyalty will be shown by the owners and managers. More attention will be paid to the work than to who attends the company Christmas parties.

    I hope I live to see the day that Gannett falls and other more invigorating media companies rise up with stronger values and better visions. Gannett, as far as I am concerned, is done.

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  39. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:24 PM

    Sorry if this is old news. I've been totally out of touch for about a month and don't work for Gannett, though I have a curiosity about the company. Is it true USA Today will not have any layoffs?

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  40. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:25 PM

    So far 16 in Asheville. 4 newsroom, 2 maintenance, 1 IT, 1 Pre-Press, 1 online, 1 front counter, 6 advertising.

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  41. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:26 PM

    Des Moines:

    Building services:
    1 -- possibly more

    Marketing:
    Creative director
    exec admin

    Advertising:
    Exec admin

    Newsroom:
    Photo director
    sports writer
    1 editor

    Production:
    1 manager

    IT:
    1 dayside operator
    1 programmer
    1 manager

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  42. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:27 PM

    4:21: you have no idea how EMPTY Crystal Palace in McLean is. Very deceiving from the outside that there are actually entirely vacant floors. No telling how much longer or why GCI should remain there. No wonder there's also pest infestation around there on just about every floor. Problem is: Martore doesn't want to live anyplace else.

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  43. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:28 PM

    anyone hear any news from bridgewater courier news? any more from home news tribune or APP?

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  44. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:29 PM

    5 people from the journal news white plains, they shut down the commercial print division. it was
    "low Profet"

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  45. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:30 PM

    Total at Salisbury, Md./Delmarva Media Group: 30.

    5 newsroom, 2 classifieds, all the rest daytime pressroom a result of consolidating ops with the wilmington News Journal.

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  46. yo mama7/09/2009 4:34 PM

    My first time meeting "my publisher" :

    He said, " your position has been terminated" I said," why is that?" His response,"That is not up for discussion" hahaha Skip at his finest . I thought to myself,"who the fuk are you again?" i just smiled after he said that.

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  47. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:35 PM

    Des Moines newsroom: Tormey, Hickman, Behnke, Zappe, Colonno, D'Mello and Lester are gone. Ballard, Rood and Bolton reassigned.

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  48. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:36 PM

    The AZ Republic newsroom lost 20, the Sr. copy desk got hit hardest, couple Sr. editors, and then mostly online producer/graphic types. Only two writers and a photog got it in the news gathers division.

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  49. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:38 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  50. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:38 PM

    I would just like to say that I was laid off in December, and to this day I have yet to hear from my bosses -- any of them. Not a single phone call from either of the editors directly above me, or from the Executive Editor who hired me. I did get the letter of recommendation I asked for, in an e-mail. No phone call. Nothing.

    What I have learned the hard way is that this company cares not one wit about the warm bodies in those desks. It never has; it never will.

    For all those who lost their jobs today, please know that there are many of us who cared about your contributions, who looked to you for guidance, or who valued your ideas and your unique abilities. Your bosses will not tell you this for soem reason. But it's true nonetheless.

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  51. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:38 PM

    Any updates from Rochester in upstate NY?

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  52. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:42 PM

    Can someone please provide me with the names of the people who were laid off in Montgomery? Thanks.

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  53. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:43 PM

    7/9/09 Be Kind to a Gannett Employee Day flair now available on facebook

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  54. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:44 PM

    My all time favorite layoff line is the "this is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do" and all you want to say back to them is "not as hard as it is for me to experience being laid off, a--hole". If they would just say I'm sorry and thank you for everything you have done.
    Peace to all of you recently let go.

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  55. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:46 PM

    Hi, Michelle! Long time no see!

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  56. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:46 PM

    4:38 - if they let judy and donna go who will run production is it being outsourced??? Courier News is going down the drain

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  57. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:47 PM

    Palladium-Item in Richmond, IN cut 10 positions: http://www.pal-item.com/article/20090709/UPDATES/90709026/Palladium-Item+cuts+10+jobs

    Anyone know names. This paper got massacred in December with 68 positions cut.

    Verification: ducke - you have to learn to ducke when the Gannett shit flies!

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  58. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:47 PM

    Jim:
    3DJourno is assembling and incredible group of talented former Gannett and Knight Ridder folks. Helping them find work, et al.
    www.3djourno.org.

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  59. Oregon Media Central7/09/2009 4:47 PM

    At the Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon, the publisher still hasn't been seen. He said today was the day. Keeping a liveblog at OMC and will definitely update the Gannett sites when we get a number.

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  60. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:48 PM

    Do not hesitate to contact an attorney who handles employment law cases if you suspect you are being treatedly differently or unfairly. This SUB pay issue may constitute discriminatory treatment in that other recent layoffs were compensated differently. That's a class baby.

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  61. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:49 PM

    Any more news on Lansing, anyone?

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  62. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:51 PM

    From Louisville:

    As you all know by now, all Gannett newspapers are in the process of reducing staff this week as a result of the continuing difficult revenue environment. When we entered the furlough program early in 2009, I had hoped that this step might buy us enough time for the economy to begin healing, and that another round of job eliminations wouldn't be necessary. We have, in fact, seen signs of economic improvement, but not enough to justify maintaining our current expense base going forward. We are, thus, at the unfortunate place where job eliminations have become necessary.

    The Courier-Journal is eliminating 44 positions, 7 percent of its workforce, through layoff. Every department is affected, and restructuring will occur in a number of areas as we consolidate our reduced workforce for maximum efficiency and productivity.

    All employees being layed off will receive transtion pay for a period of time based on years of service. All those affected by the layoffs now have been notified.

    This action is painful for all of us. Many of the affected employees have played a significant role in shaping the institution that The Courier-Journal has become in its community. Unfortunately, they simply happened to be in jobs that could be consolidated as we looked for ways to manage through this difficult and ongoing recession. My messge to them is, "Thank you for all you have done. Your work here has mattered."

    I want to emphasize that our continuing employee base of about 575 will remain the largest media workforce of any kind in the state. Our values, tradition and commitment as a public trust are unchanged. You will see it in our news content and in our sales results every day. The Courier-Journal still offers the most efficient way for advertisers in the Louisville market to reach a mass of consumers with a mass of information at a given point in time. And there is no media organization in the Louisville market that comes close to matching the breadth and depth of The Courier-Journal's journalistic prowess.

    Thank you for your support and understanding during these difficult times.


    Arnold Garson

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  63. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:51 PM

    Add three more to Lafayette, La
    Three ad reps at classified weekly are gone. Total is 9

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  64. Jason Zappe7/09/2009 4:52 PM

    Setting the record straight
    Zappe was let go from the IT dept.

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  65. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:53 PM

    Anything more from Wisconsin?

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  66. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:53 PM

    I haven't seen any news from The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss. I saw a tally - 20 - but no names. Anybody know?

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  67. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:54 PM

    Managing editor, librarian and sr. reporter in Green Bay so far.

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  68. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:55 PM

    Almost 5 p.m. Eastern Time, and still far short of the total expected. Wondering if layoffs just haven't been announced in some shops where the largest numbers might reside or if people just aren't reporting the figures.

    What a screwed up company.

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  69. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:55 PM

    RE: Wisconsin
    Wausau lost 5 in circ alone; 1 CSR, 1 Sales Mgr, 2 DSM's, and 1 Circ Mgr...all good people that will be missed.

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  70. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:56 PM

    4:55 -
    Not everyone works a 9-5, M-F shift, don'cha know.

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  71. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:56 PM

    Louisville's publisher misspelled several words in his e-mail. Perhaps we need more copy editors?

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  72. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:56 PM

    4:44 p.m. said ...

    My all time favorite layoff line is the "this is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do" and all you want to say back to them is "not as hard as it is for me to experience being laid off, a--hole".

    ___

    I wonder if we used to be colleagues! When I was laid off in December, the executive editor told me what a hard day it was for him, personally.

    Better yet? The human resources director cried through the entire meeting.

    I considered asking the HR director if she realized that was her job -- one that she was keeping, nonetheless -- but I like your response, 4:44 p.m.

    Maybe I should thank them after all. My shock at how they thought I should have sympathy for THEM, poor babies, actually got me through the layoff meeting amused.

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  73. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:58 PM

    Hello, 4:46.

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  74. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:58 PM

    Here is a letter from the Cincy publisher. Bloodbath final total: 101 jobs, a staggering number for shop with only around 900 total workers. Funny how the comment function is disabled on this story.

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

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  75. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:58 PM

    any news from Appleton?

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  76. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:58 PM

    "Lancaster Eagle-Gazette (Ohio): 1 newsroom staffer on datadesk, 1 graphics artist. More expected layoffs in other departments Thursday. ME said newsroom cuts were finished for the current financial quarter."

    The person who needs laid off in that newsroom is the ME. She's a blithering idiot/Gannett robot who has run a once-proud paper into the ground since the day she arrived.
    She was put there for diversity's sake and personally ran off much of the paper, myself included, though I went to a better paper within the chain and since have left the company.
    I am praying for my former co-workers in Lancaster, Newark and across the board up there.

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  77. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:58 PM

    4:44: HA! My editor asked me to critique how he did delivering me the news!!!!

    I handed him a TPS report.

    Jerk.

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  78. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:59 PM

    4:55. Maybe USA Today will take a hit of a couple hundred! I know, I know, They are exempt. Or so people are saying. Frankly, I think it's too strange that the biggest paper won't be impacted. Something doesn't feel right about that. I do feel something else is coming and that it is going to hit the big boys and girls. How hard and when remain to be seen.

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  79. Anonymous7/09/2009 4:59 PM

    2 in Salem at the SJ that we know of so far...

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  80. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:00 PM

    Three gone in Manitowoc: photo editor, distribution, inside sales.

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  81. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:00 PM

    4:56, did you happen to get laid off from the LSJ?

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  82. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:00 PM

    Wow, Arnie. Spellcheck much?

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  83. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:03 PM

    Gannett has become nothing more than a pr/advertising firm hiding behind the skirt of true journalism.

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  84. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:04 PM

    To 4:01: Michelle! We missed you!

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  85. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:05 PM

    I believe, 4:59, corporate has announced USAT is safe, or at least that it isn't on the list for this round. Doubt much is going to happen there in the next few months, even though I can think of at least one ME, three DMEs and more than a handful of staffers who should be shown the door for incompetency and just horrible work ethics. They know who they are. Really a shame others around the company, who probably worked hard and long, have to get laid off while these overpaid jerks live on.

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  86. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:05 PM

    Greenville, anyone?

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  87. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:05 PM

    Any word from Springfield?

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  88. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:06 PM

    Hey, flair maker! Thanks for making my day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  89. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:06 PM

    4:58, that kind of ruthlessness gets you a Prez Ring.

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  90. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:06 PM

    Is the carnage over in Wilmington, Del?

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  91. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:08 PM

    To 5:04: Who are you?

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  92. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:09 PM

    arizona republic is at over 100. the quote of twenty was just editorial. advertising got hit hard and the rest spread thru the company.

    az pressman

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  93. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:12 PM

    4:58 p.m. Appleton cut three from its newsroom: the executive editor's assistant, a sports copy editor (Jim Oskola) and the enterprise editor/writing coach (Rob Kaiser).

    I can't imagine a bigger blow to Gannett Wisconsin than laying off Rob Kaiser.

    He was an award-winning columnist with the Chicago Tribune, a national finalist in the American Society of Newspaper Editors and had a story included in "Best Newspaper Writing 2000." Last year, he led the state's "State of Drinking" project, which recently earned Best of Gannett honors.

    I once had the pleasure of working with Rob, and he is hands-down the most talented writer I've ever worked with. His passion for storytelling is unparalleled.

    Best of luck to him.

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  94. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:12 PM

    I just talked to someone in Springfield...cutting now. Controller(who was worthless), PT Dock and 1 other in accounting.

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  95. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:12 PM

    5 p.m. No -- Wisconsin.

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  96. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:13 PM

    5:12, was that DR?

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  97. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:13 PM

    Updates in Cincy?

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  98. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:14 PM

    Rumor has it that the advertising department in Lansing is done now and the newsroom is up.

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  99. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:15 PM

    unfortunately what corporate Gannett is not thinking about despite all the deaths they created, are the wounded left behind to pick up the pieces... good luck!

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  100. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:16 PM

    Springfield also took a hit in the multimedia dept.

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  101. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:18 PM

    PORT CLINTON-FREMONT, Ohio (NNCO)
    preliminary report, but seems
    accurate:
    Advertising direct out.
    Circulation worker out.
    Two page designers out, but told they can apply to Mansfield where regional editing, design is being established.
    Port Clinton reporter who was cut from full- to part-time earlier this year was restored to full-time status but his new title will be reporter/photographer.
    MOST INTERESTING: Publisher will lose that title and will now be a
    "manager." No one seems to know what that is all about.

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  102. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:18 PM

    Please accept the condolences of the Dallas Morning News Layoff Class of 2009. We're with you in spirit.

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  103. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:19 PM

    Top videographer out at Springield.

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  104. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:19 PM

    5:05. I work at USA TODAY. You're right, there are some overpaid and under-qualified employees here. Actually, it was startling to me when I arrived to see how some people here have virtually no prior journalism experience, and one I know doesn't even have a college degree. But it's a small minority and don't want people to get the impression USA TODAY just hires people off the street.

    As for the overpaid managers, yes, there are some. For the life of me, I have no idea what they do besides leave early each day. Way too many levels of management in the newsroom IMHO. A couple editors in charge of some pretty large operations seem to be in over their heads, too. They must have accomplished something in their careers to get where they are, but I see little evidence of them being qualified to run the show.

    Just my impressions for what it is worth. Ninety percent of USA TODAY folks are fine, just to be clear. Of course, the remaining 10 percent is a fair number of people when you're talking about such a large newsroom. Not sure why Gannett sees fit to strip down the other papers while leaving such excess here. The positions here are probably needed, but the wrong people are in them.

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  105. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:19 PM

    In port clinton fremont report, should be advertising director

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  106. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:20 PM

    5:08

    PSM

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  107. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:20 PM

    Thanks Dallas.

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  108. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:21 PM

    Good bye Kasten!!! You P.O.S.!!! It's about damn time! You should have been let go back when you were in Freehold! Go stutter somewhere else and see if there's another Fonda you can brown nose!

    ReplyDelete
  109. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:21 PM

    Cincy loses 101 and USAT loses no one. Blows my mind!

    ReplyDelete
  110. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:22 PM

    All,



    This has been a difficult week for all of us at The Des Moines Register.



    As you know last week Gannett announced layoffs due to the continuing economic downturn. Locally, a total of 36 Des Moines Register employees and six employees at our Central Iowa and Marengo weekly operations are impacted. Departments affected include advertising, production, circulation, marketing, information technology, finance and the news staff.



    I understand the financial and emotional impact of this action and I know that all of our thoughts are with these employees and their families.



    I know I can count on you to continue to support each other. Please see your department manager if you have specific questions or concerns. Again, I invite anyone who wishes to talk with me directly to contact me at any time.



    I remain optimistic. This economy will turn and we’ll be ready to move with it when it does.



    With appreciation, LH







    Laura L. Hollingsworth

    President and Publisher

    The Des Moines Register

    West Group President

    Gannett U.S. Community Publishing

    ReplyDelete
  111. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:22 PM

    Anyone have an update on Montgomery?

    ReplyDelete
  112. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:23 PM

    20 in the newsroom at Indy, so far.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:24 PM

    A "reassuring" letter from Cincy publisher Margaret Buchanan. Maybe not so reassuring to the 101 Cincy employees who just got the axe.

    ReplyDelete
  114. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:24 PM

    I lost my job today. A casualty of Gannett. I worked for Circulation at NNCO.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:24 PM

    What does POS mean?

    ReplyDelete
  116. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:24 PM

    16 cuts in Poughkeepsie.
    With probably a similar number to come in a month or two once they move page production and copy editing functions to the Journal News.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:25 PM

    Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooodddd moooooooooooooorning, Vietnam!

    ReplyDelete
  118. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:27 PM

    biz editor in green bay

    ReplyDelete
  119. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:27 PM

    nearly 4:30 PM and no

    "Official Groupwide Announcement"

    from the WI area

    ReplyDelete
  120. Unknown7/09/2009 5:28 PM

    yes...DR in Springfield. She forced out a 20 year accounting vet about 3 weeks ago because she couldn't do her job and now she's gone. Good riddance!

    ReplyDelete
  121. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:29 PM

    5:24PM #2, what NNCO property did you work for?

    ReplyDelete
  122. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:30 PM

    5:27 p.m. They're still in the process of layoffs, smart ass. Go back to work instead of trying to taunt people on here all day.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:31 PM

    LH in Des Moines. Can your comments ring anymore hollow? This is the standard b.s. You can't count on my support for anything, so take your statement and shove it. Ditto to all execs, publishers and editors issuing these same remarks. You don't give a damn about our families so don't say that you do.

    Whether you were laid off in December of today, my heart goes out to you. Unlike some other industries, these layoffs are particularly cruel and executed by some of the worst human beings on the face of the planet.

    What goes around comes around, and the people doing this are one day going to realize that.

    ReplyDelete
  124. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:32 PM

    5:06, you're welcome
    5:18, sounds like you might have a nearby publisher overseeing your paper

    ReplyDelete
  125. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:36 PM

    5:24 asked....

    What does POS mean?

    I think that's Piece of Sh*t.

    ReplyDelete
  126. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:37 PM

    Lansing lost 6 in advertising on my count.

    ReplyDelete
  127. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:37 PM

    Wow 16 cuts in PoJo. Who went?

    ReplyDelete
  128. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:39 PM

    Don't buy into this crap that managers are heart-broken by having to do away with so many employees. If they had any honor, they would have fought harder for us, maybe even fallen on their swords to save jobs. They did what they did now and last December because there is something missing inside them as human beings. They are greedy. They lack integrity. Some lack the basic ability to tell the truth. They are constantly spinning and telling us what we want to hear, except on days like this when they have to do corporate's dirty work.

    Don't make them feel better by listening to their tales of sorrow. Ignore them. Alienate them. Skip that chit-chat at the water cooler or that coffee break that you had with them. Make it known that it is now us against them. And there are more of us! They can go home to their expensive houses and send their kids to good schools while many of our fallen colleagues now enter survival mode.

    I urge everyone to make it known to your managers who in anyway participated in the selection of these layoff victims, that you are fed up with them, disgusted by their actions. Don't buy into the puppy dog eyes. They are ruthless and without character.

    As far as I am concerned, if you are a manager in this company and were connected to these layoffs in any way, you are my enemy.

    ReplyDelete
  129. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:39 PM

    Any word on Nashville?

    ReplyDelete
  130. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:41 PM

    Dear fellow Enquirer Media employees:



    I wanted to let you know that as of 5 p.m. today, we have completed our meetings with employees whose positions were included in the workforce reduction.



    This is a sad and difficult day for all of us. It’s the last day for many employees, whom we felt, in these trying circumstances, would not want to work much beyond today. There may be a few cases where employees will stay another day or so to wrap things up.



    Gannett took these difficult steps to ensure it remains profitable and ready to grow when the economy rebounds. Enquirer Media does not have an audience problem; we reach 83 percent of the adults in our core market nearly five times each week. It’s the economy.



    By taking these difficult steps today, we will be stronger tomorrow. The Cincinnati Enquirer has been around for 168 years – making it one of the oldest local institutions in Greater Cincinnati – and has survived 19 economic downturns, including the Great Depression. As the local economy recovers, we’ll be around to cover this story too.



    We work for our advertisers. The newspaper and digital initiatives continue to provide the same strong results for our advertisers.
    We work for our readers. We provide the breadth and depth of local coverage that informs and watches out for local citizens. A strong local news source provides an independent voice and a forum for all.
    We have talented, flexible employees. And we still have, by far, the largest local footprint in terms of content gathering, print and online audience, promotional capability and sales capability.


    Because of these accomplishments, I want to thank all employees, including those whose jobs were eliminated in this workforce reduction, for their contributions.



    Many of you have communicated your thoughts to me in the past. I encourage you to continue doing so and look forward to better days ahead when the economy returns.



    Margaret

    ReplyDelete
  131. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:44 PM

    Margaret. Screw you and those just like you.

    ReplyDelete
  132. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:45 PM

    To 5:20 (PSM)

    You're gonna have to give me more than that. You outed me, so it's your turn.

    The only person I know with those initials, PSM, is dead. Paula S. Moore.

    Maybe we don't know each other afterall.

    ReplyDelete
  133. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:45 PM

    "We work for our advertisers."

    Should that not be "We work for our readers and our community?"

    Very telling.....

    ReplyDelete
  134. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:48 PM

    Seriously, Maggie Dearest didn't even have the balls to admit the total number of people they axed in her "reassuring" little missive? My, what a brave and honorable leader.

    ReplyDelete
  135. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:49 PM

    Today was truly unbeleivable. Was stuck in a bs 4 hour meeting about nothing and the managers made it seem as a "business as usual"day. We lost a lot of good hard working people at my property today. I'm just sorry I'm left to pull up the rear. Why was the cutting not done in management? Especially at the DR as well as the rest of the NJ properties, way to many chiefs definitely not enough indians

    ReplyDelete
  136. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:49 PM

    Jim - I know the hour is late for this blog, but you should give out a Gannettblog award to the Gannett publisher who has fired the most people during their tenure.

    My money on is Margaret Buchanan as my best guess is that it's around 400. Anything to keep those rings coming.

    ReplyDelete
  137. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:50 PM

    2nd 545 here...

    Should have read it all the way thru before posting... but that "We work for our advertisers" just rubbed me the wrong way...

    ReplyDelete
  138. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:50 PM

    That depends...How much are the readers and the community going to pay. This company needs to start making some money and you all better pull yourself's up by your boot straps or if you made it this round, you might not make it the next round. Business is about who's making the money and this company is not making enough.

    ReplyDelete
  139. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:50 PM

    Alt weekly LEO in Louisville justposted this:

    We’ve had intel pouring in all day about who’s getting laid off at The Courier-Journal. It’s part of parent company Gannett’s latest round of bloodletting, which appears to be taking a major toll on dailies across the country.

    Some of those who lost their job at the C-J today, according to multiple sources:

    • Arts critic Judith Egerton

    • Assistant Managing Editor (news) Andy Alderette

    • Assistant Business Editor Paul Rolfes

    • Angela Black and Robert Pieroni, from the marketing department

    • Lisa Pinkston, who ran the MomsLikeMe project (read her goodbye post here)

    • Additionally, we are hearing that some in the press room have been laid off, as well as another in IT, and several others (trying to confirm names/positions)

    And two big names are reportedly retiring:

    • David Hawpe, Editorial Director and columnist

    • Ben Post, VP of News

    We’ll update as more information arrives.

    UPDATE: Just received word from a source inside C-J about layoffs: “We just got a memo from pub saying that everyone who’s getting laid off has been told. it says 44 positions gone, 7% of workforce. “about” 575 remaining.”

    Also, David Hawpe told The Ville Voice that if/when he plans to retire, he’ll announce it in a column. May be next month.

    ReplyDelete
  140. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:53 PM

    Has anyone heard anything from Port Huron??

    ReplyDelete
  141. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:53 PM

    They NEVER cut managers. It's not just Gannett. None of these papers will cut anyone who is actually drain, montearily or otherwise. But good reporters and copy-editors -- hey, who needs 'em... :-/

    ReplyDelete
  142. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:53 PM

    Love the language these execs use! Workforce reduction, huh?

    Look, you big shots are ruining many careers if not lives today. Some will never find employment again because of age issues or the dying industry. You are firing people, plain and simple. Isn't that how newspaper people should talk and/or write? Plain, simple language. Death is death. It isn't "passing on."

    You suits are firing people in the worst economy of our lifetime. You are doing it to people who worked until 2 a.m., came in on holidays, sacrificed their personal lives for their jobs. You are scoundrels. You created the debt. You reduced profits and are responsible for the dire shape we're in, not the workers you're firing.

    I am not a vengeful person, but this second round of mass layoffs and the language being repeated again, is just too much. I do believe, however, that these offensive Gannett managers will be paid back by a universe that frowns about such lowlifes. They're penalties might not come in their professional careers, or even in this life, but they will experience some sort of cosmic payback. You can take that to the bank.

    ReplyDelete
  143. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:54 PM

    Speaking as one of today's Gannett casualties and a former radio program director who has had to terminate people due to various reasons, I can assure you that the people who are breaking the news to people are cold, heartless folk.

    It is not an easy thing to do because you come to know and respect these people and also realize that they have families.

    Maybe the person who told you that you were done is a cold unemotional person.

    The people I worked for and with in Appleton are not. It's family.

    ReplyDelete
  144. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:54 PM

    Lol -- looks like *I* do... See? Get out of news, lose your ability to spell..

    ReplyDelete
  145. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:55 PM

    From: Garson, Arnold
    Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 4:50 PM
    Subject: Going foward

    As you all know by now, all Gannett newspapers are in the process of reducing staff this week as a result of the continuing difficult revenue environment. When we entered the furlough program early in 2009, I had hoped that this step might buy us enough time for the economy to begin healing, and that another round of job eliminations wouldn't be necessary. We have, in fact, seen signs of economic improvement, but not enough to justify maintaining our current expense base going forward. We are, thus, at the unfortunate place where job eliminations have become necessary.

    The Courier-Journal is eliminating 44 positions, 7 percent of its workforce, through layoff. Every department is affected, and restructuring will occur in a number of areas as we consolidate our reduced workforce for maximum efficiency and productivity.
    All employees being layed off will receive transtion pay for a period of time based on years of service. All those affected by the layoffs now have been notified.

    This action is painful for all of us. Many of the affected employees have played a significant role in shaping the institution that The Courier-Journal has become in its community. Unfortunately, they simply happened to be in jobs that could be consolidated as we looked for ways to manage through this difficult and ongoing recession. My messge to them is, "Thank you for all you have done. Your work here has mattered."

    I want to emphasize that our continuing employee base of about 575 will remain the largest media workforce of any kind in the state. Our values, tradition and commitment as a public trust are unchanged. You will see it in our news content and in our sales results every day. The Courier-Journal still offers the most efficient way for advertisers in the Louisville market to reach a mass of consumers with a mass of information at a given point in time. And there is no media organization in the Louisville market that comes close to matching the breadth and depth of The Courier-Journal's journalistic prowess.

    Thank you for your support and understanding during these difficult times.

    Arnold Garson
    President and Publisher
    The Courier-Journal / courier-journal.com

    ReplyDelete
  146. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:55 PM

    What sites are NOT done with layoffs?

    And why?

    Rumors acceptable, if well-founded.

    ReplyDelete
  147. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:56 PM

    Fort Myers News-Press
    (former employee, hearing this news from a current employee)
    5 Graphic Designers
    1 Graphic Designer Manager
    1 HR
    2 Maintenance

    Some in Circ and News, but numbers aren't clear since this particular employee is in Advertising. I'm sure there are more, but those were the ones we knew personally.

    ReplyDelete
  148. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:56 PM

    As you have been told, the current economic picture has made it necessary for The News-Press to once again restructure our business. As a result, as many as 27 employees will have lost their jobs from the elimination of their positions, and several more will be moving into new positions or getting a reduced work schedule. All affected employees have been notified, and the changes take effect immediately.

    The restructure includes a lot of operational changes, and I list some of them below:

    The way we handle credit and collections has changed completely, effective with our move into Gannett’s Consolidated Credit Center, located in Springfield. Former credit manager Mark Haidet has left the company last week and Ann Palmer has assumed a new role as the local coordinator between The News-Press and the Credit Collections Center.
    We’ve reduced our ad operations by a number of people, noting our lower volume of ads overall. We also recognize the need to outsource more ad building work than we currently do.
    We have closed our internal printing department and will outsource the work.
    We are reorganizing the management of the sales and the marketing departments to concentrate more of our resources toward growing business from local advertisers. The specific changes are too numerous to mention, but anybody interested can attend the advertising division meeting next Tuesday morning.
    We are restructuring the business systems side of IT with the departure of our Business Systems Manager, Paula Yates. These positions will report into finance systems manager Wendy Swartz.
    We have fewer circulation administration positions, making us more reliant on Gannett’s COE and our remaining managers to manage subscriber calls.
    There have been reductions in almost every department, not all of them mentioned above. Because they impact good people, these decisions are very, very difficult. But they are necessary. Too many businesses have failed by not reacting quickly or deeply enough to their economic realities. We refuse to fall into that trap.

    I am sure that the question all of you may have is “when does this end?” Clearly, none of us are in the position to see exactly when we will recover. But I can say this: we remain a profitable business, with a stable share of the ad dollar and a growing audience. Most of the expenses we’ve removed will never come back, and we will learn how to operate with a lower cost structure. As the market turns, we will reinvest in sales, marketing and content resources that will only make us stronger. Until then, I thank you for your patience and your understanding.

    I also invite you to attend one of the “State of the Company” meetings Wednesday, July 15 at 9 am and 4 pm in the upstairs conference room.

    Sincerely,

    Carol




    Carol Hudler, President & Publisher, The News-Press
    President, South Group, Gannett US Community Publishing

    ReplyDelete
  149. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:57 PM

    To 11:43 a.m.:

    Regarding the Argus Leader, my former colleagues tell me that two of its six suburban weeklies will fold. One of those reporters who also worked part-time in S.F. was let go, along with a reporter from a different weekly paper. A SF Biz Journal writer is gone, too.

    I also heard two press workers were cut as well. Not sure about other departments.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:57 PM

    Sweet dreams, Martore, if you think you'll sleep well tonight and in the days, weeks and months ahead - I hope not.

    ReplyDelete
  151. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:59 PM

    I second 5:53 hey Marsha and Joe at the Daily Record did you read that? Oh I forgot you both can't read, hence the typos in our ads.........

    ReplyDelete
  152. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:59 PM

    Did Julie E wear all black again today in Cincy? Yes Jules, you're going to a funeral, only it's not the one you think. Your own is coming up soon. The way you dick people over only to make room to suck someone elses, you can't escape much longer.

    ReplyDelete
  153. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:59 PM

    5:54 p.m. So did the family cry when they laid YOU off?

    ReplyDelete
  154. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:59 PM

    I'm sure the tally hasn't been updated on Jim's main page for awhile. If we are at 25 papers reporting 66 layoffs so far -- watch out.

    ReplyDelete
  155. Anonymous7/09/2009 5:59 PM

    Most everyone who agreed to work at Gannett should have known what they were getting into. Historically, this is the worst newspaper chain to work for. I knew that before I was even out of college in the early 80s, but took a job here anyway because, well, they just own so many damn papers in the places I wanted to live. Professors warned me against getting in bed with the devil. Editors at a non-Gannett paper I interned at said the same thing. So now that the economy has turned bad, the worst aspects of Gannett are rather apparent. No loyalty. Betrayal on a grand scale. And what will now be an even more over-worked staff at countless papers chain-wide.

    ReplyDelete
  156. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:00 PM

    Can someone supply a name for the senior reporter who got axed in Green Bay?

    ReplyDelete
  157. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:01 PM

    "expense base"... I thought Soylent Green is people

    ReplyDelete
  158. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:02 PM

    Does anyone know anything about Lansing?

    ReplyDelete
  159. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:04 PM

    The Arizona Republic is a mess, people don't know what's going on, there's been no communication, some friends are gone with no direction regarding their positions. We've got a President, VP's, a Senior VP whatever that is, all very helpful at a time in need. One thing that's always enjoyable is watching senior management in meetings, they all sit around and mirror each other. Nobody smiles unless their superior smiles, an nobody disagrees with their superior and no ideas are ever brought to the table that might require thought. Always the most fun were meetings where the Marketing department would provide support data to support any suck up initiative. Irrelevant data from other markets, different times and when there wasn't enough data- Bring on the graphs. What a joke and these people are still in charge?

    ReplyDelete
  160. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:05 PM

    Terry Anderson in Green Bay

    ReplyDelete
  161. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:06 PM

    Does anyone in the Obama administration care that companies like Gannett are doing what they are doing? Or is the president only concerned about the auto-makers and banks? I mean something is very wrong here. Gannett is making money but still unloading payroll? There seems to be no logic to whom they are getting rid of. Shouldn't someone in government take a look at this? Not trying to make this a political thing, but something just smells like Hell with this situation and this company in particular.

    Meanwhile, another thousand or so Americans are out on the streets while everyone is worried about Michael Jackson and Iran uprisings.

    Absolutely insane.

    ReplyDelete
  162. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:06 PM

    @5:45

    I don't think it "tells" anything. More than just journalists are being let go. Sales people, Ad Designers, Support Staff, etc. also feel the wrath of Gannett and are getting hit with this. The person who made the "we work for our advertisers" statement could work in advertising.

    ReplyDelete
  163. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:08 PM

    All this for a penny.

    ReplyDelete
  164. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:08 PM

    Greenville SC??? What departments and who???

    ReplyDelete
  165. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:09 PM

    Speaking of the marketing dept. in Phoenix (6:04) How did that dept. fair on this day? anyone know? The crotch and her underling the baby gorilla.

    ReplyDelete
  166. Oregon Media Central7/09/2009 6:09 PM

    "Talk of three in the building" laid off so far at Statesman Journal (Salem, OR). HR's door has been closed most of the afternoon...

    ReplyDelete
  167. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:10 PM

    The Baxter Bulletin in Mountain Home lost at least two today.
    City Editor was let go, as well as a classified/receptionist person.
    Less than 40 people left in all departments combined.

    ReplyDelete
  168. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:10 PM

    Heard a NNCO paper - the Chillicothe, Ohio Gazette was affected. Don't know how.

    ReplyDelete
  169. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:10 PM

    Jackson, TN - 15 Full Time

    ReplyDelete
  170. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:10 PM

    Rochester lost the copy desk chief. Have not heard anything else from the newsroom yet.

    ReplyDelete
  171. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:12 PM

    can you give initials of the Rochester copy desk chief? I worked in Ithaca and know some good people up there, but don't know the organization well enough to have the titles memorized.

    ReplyDelete
  172. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:12 PM

    What's going on with news in Lansing?

    ReplyDelete
  173. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:13 PM

    Journalists are generally good people. Sad to see them going. They have certain ideals that perhaps other professions don't have. But that's all being shattered now.

    I wonder what's going to happen to our society when journalists and other hard-working, sincere people in other once-honorable professions are no longer employable?

    The backbone of this country is weakening. You can't have responsible workers being treated ruthlessly and expect society to just roll along.

    Corporate America has taken us down a very dark road and I suspect things are going to get worse because companies like Gannett can't see anything other than the bottom line.

    It's one thing to have layoffs when you can't meet payroll. It's another thing to layoff folks because profits aren't high enough.

    ReplyDelete
  174. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:15 PM

    Astonishing to see how many copy editors have been cut. Proves that good journalism is dead within Gannett. These were the folks who quietly went about their business of upholding their papers' credibility. Yet, they have been hit hard while these do-nothing managers survive.

    ReplyDelete
  175. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:16 PM

    Rumor has it that there were two gone from the newsroom in Lansing today, possibly more layoffs tomorrow (departments not specified).

    Incidentally, my word verification is "duped."

    ReplyDelete
  176. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:17 PM

    Still a ways to go to reach 1,400. Jim, or anyone, any thoughts on where all those other job losses might come from?

    ReplyDelete
  177. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:19 PM

    I have seen the final body count tally at The Arizona Republic and it stands at 113.There were three waves of meetings with human retards scheduled throughout the day with the long procession of ex eployees making the walk to the garage with boxes in hand afterwards. I heard someone refer to is as a "Perp Walk" SOB's couldn't have everyone go offsite then clean out their desks on the weekend? Of course the executioners all say the same thing about it being the hardest thing to do, while rubbing their eyes to make them redder-hurry up,we have a celebratory tee time at six tonight,

    ReplyDelete
  178. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:20 PM

    4:13 I agree and the Arizona Republic inherited Karen Crotchfelt from Reno who claims to have been the industries leader when it comes to those wonderful products. For a good time, look at- http://www.naa.org/Resources/Publications/PRESSTIME/PRESSTIME-2004-December/PRESSTIME-20Under40-Dec04-4.aspx
    Karen took credit for “finding the sweet spots” in phoenix to market her special publications. The million dollars she bragged about generating came from existing advertising channels in the paper. Now that the publications are gone, all she did is facilitate the loss of advertising and her own selfish agenda. And lets not forget the people who she hired and fired for her little experiments that she went so far out of her way to take credit for and run from responsibility. Thank god she fired all those responsible!

    ReplyDelete
  179. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:20 PM

    Word of advice to J-school students. Stay clear of Gannett when you graduate. I don't care if you're offered a job in broadcast or online. This company is a menace. The worst of the worst are running it into the ground. Print has all but been killed off and even digital and broadcast are in trouble. Your future isn't here. Take your talents elsewhere. Listen to the people who have been screwed by this company.

    ReplyDelete
  180. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:22 PM

    The Jackson Sun has eliminated 15 full-time and six part-time positions to offset declines in revenue due to difficult economic conditions.
    Advertisement

    The cuts coincide with reductions at other newspapers owned by The Jackson Sun's parent company, Gannett. About 1,400 jobs are being eliminated among Gannett newspapers across the country.

    One of the affected employees at The Jackson Sun has taken another vacant position at the newspaper.

    Those who have lost their jobs are eligible for a transitional pay program that, when combined with unemployment benefits, pays them their full salary for a certain number of weeks. The duration of the benefit varies based on the employee's length of service.

    Roy Heatherly, president and publisher of The Jackson Sun, said each Gannett newspaper was given an expense-savings goal and developed a local plan to meet that commitment. The savings will be generated by both payroll and non-payroll reductions.

    Every department at The Jackson Sun was affected by the cuts, Heatherly said.

    “I want to stress that the jobs eliminated reflect our current economy and not the employees' work,” he said. “This has been very tough on everyone at The Jackson Sun.

    “We value each of those employees and the contributions they have made to us,” Heatherly said. “Unfortunately, we must take these steps today in an effort to build a bridge to recovery.”

    ReplyDelete
  181. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:26 PM

    Any names or initials of those cut in Richmond, Indiana?

    ReplyDelete
  182. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:26 PM

    Does the executive editor at the JN ever plan to make a statement to his workers?

    7/09/2009 3:41 PM


    He's on vacation (extended?)

    ReplyDelete
  183. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:27 PM

    This is a dark day in journalism but let's not make the acts of the Gannett HR people and paper heads out to be the worst possible way to handle it. (Your "severance" sucks, though.)

    When my non-Gannett cut my job and those of several others, we had one-by-one marches to the executioner. They did these things all day. The first meeting was mine at 10 a.m. The last, from what I was told, was held at 6:30 p.m. We got a week per year of severance pay, with health bennies ending at the end of the month.

    It's happening everywhere folks.

    ReplyDelete
  184. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:28 PM

    Gannett Co. Inc. has eliminated 106 full-time and 19 part-time positions at its six newspapers in New Jersey due to the continued impact of the recession.


    The company began notifying the affected employees late Wednesday night and the notifications continued throughout Thursday at the Asbury Park Press, the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, the Home News Tribune in East Brunswick, the Courier News in Somerville, the Daily Record in Parsippany and the Daily Journal in Vineland.

    “We had hoped to avoid additional reductions in our workforce,” said Thomas M. Donovan, president and publisher of the Asbury Park Press and vice president of Gannett’s East Newspaper Group. “But, unfortunately, this recession is deep and severe. Advertising revenues have not rebounded and, as we looked at economic forecasts for the second half of 2009, we had to make further reductions.’’

    ReplyDelete
  185. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:29 PM

    From: Knuth, Mike
    Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 5:29 PM
    To: Sheboygan-All
    Subject: Positions Eliminated


    Hello:

    I wanted to make you aware we eliminated four staff positions today, and thus we had to say goodbye to four excellent employees.

    All four of these employees did great work in their respective areas, and all four deserve our best wishes and support as they move forward.

    Donna Hoffmann, Christin Schwartz, Eileen Hoffman and Jamie Piontkowski should be proud of what they have accomplished at The Sheboygan Press, and I am proud to say I had the chance to work with all four of them at different times during their careers at The Sheboygan Press.

    I know you will join me in wishing Donna, Christin, Eileen and Jamie the best of luck as they move into the future.

    Mike Knuth
    General Manager/Executive Editor, The Sheboygan Press
    (920) 453-5128
    mknuth@sheboygan.gannett.com

    ReplyDelete
  186. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:30 PM

    Lansing: 5 down in Advertising so far, including mid-level management.

    Bus Office: 2 down, including Controller and ARM.

    Circ: 4? Including Director.

    News: 2 so far.... brunt of them coming tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  187. Anonymous7/09/2009 6:30 PM

    Make sure you understand your severence package. Our wonderful controller explained it ALL WRONG. What a GEM she is.

    ReplyDelete

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