Monday, September 22, 2008

Monday | Sept. 22 | Got news, or a question?

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35 comments:

  1. I've just started this new open-comments thread. You can always return to earlier editions by clicking on the Real Time Comments label in the blue sidebar, to the right.

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  2. My understanding is that Gannett will shut down the print operation in Fort Collins and outsource both USAT and the Coloradoan to the Denver JOA plant. Ownership of the newspaper will be turned over to Dean Singleton, to add to his Colorado empire, by years end.

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  3. Hmmm. What's the problem with The Coloradoan?

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  4. Market share has tanked! USAT printing will be done at cost in Denver.

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  5. Sounds plausible, since Craig Dubow was in Denver last week with the head of broadcast division. He was there, ostensibly, to tout KUSA's new information center, but seemed odd to me that CEO would come just for that. Maybe he was also making a deal with Singleton ...

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  6. I heard Craig Dubow was in Costa Rica last week. Anyone know what this is about?

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  7. RE: Anon 12:52 Dubow in Costa Rica we can hope. What's he doing? Two options leap to mind: looking for a) retirement villa (maybe he'll be profiled on House Hunters on cable) or b) (related to a) a place to stash his ill gotten gains in case the SEC comes a callin?

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  8. Something is definitely up in Nashville. There are a lot of managers walking around with sullen faces.

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  9. Re: Nashville. Of course the managers there have sullen faces: The ones in the newsroom work for Mark Silverman, Gannett corporate's attack chihuahua.

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  10. Hmmm. Isn't that Denver JOA plant actually owned and operated by Scripps? Singleton just a partner in the JOA. Also, if what you say is true, it is going to get a tad crowded in that pressroom since the Denver JOA starting earlier this year also publishes the Scripps Boulder paper.

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  11. GCI decline accelerates:
    http://tinyurl.com/3nsbnp

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  12. HELP!!
    I need to know how to get my 401k money? I am "retired" now and I want my money. I need to know how to get it out of gannett account and rolled into my bank account.
    Thanks.

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  13. If you are "retired," check your mail. You already got it mailed to you in a month after your departure.

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  14. THis just in ...
    Gannett's Talent Development Program Participants Graduate
    MCLEAN, Va.-(Business Wire)-September 18, 2008 - Gannett (NYSE:GCI) has graduated the second class of its innovative and award-winning Talent Development Program, which recruits, hires and trains top U.S. graduating college seniors annually.

    The program identifies candidates while they are still in college and guides them through to pre-assigned jobs at Gannett operations around the country.

    The class of 31 was chosen from among 1,260 applications received early in the year. The program participants then experienced a summer of on-the-job training and mentoring in multiple disciplines at Gannett sites around the country. A third class will be chosen next spring from applications received beginning Oct. 20.

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  15. Anyone know the racial breakdown of those 31 graduates?

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  16. Has anyone heard from Gary Watson recently?

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  17. Have Gracia or Craig ever visited a newspaper? Please post if they have ever been to your location.

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  18. jim, here is a list with pics of the 2008 grads

    http://www.gannett.com/leadershipanddiversity/08talentparticipants.htm

    az pressman

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  19. looks pretty diverse to me. In fact, extremely diverse.

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  20. Anyone, more to the point, know the TALENT breakdown of those 31 grads?

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  21. Anyone heard if the author of the CJR article on Gannett Blog - who is a writer in Wilmington - has gotten any backlash/talkings-to/"words of advice"/lousy assignments in response?

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  22. Almost everyone in those talent classes have been top notch, and several have been hired full-time.

    An actual good thing the company is doing.

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  23. 5:23 PM, I hope you’re being sarcastic as nine males is hardly representative of a diverse group when you consider that the pool consists of 31 graduates. And, it’s hard to believe that the degrees to which Gannett sought from the 1,260 applicants skewed that way either.

    And, by the way, Thomson Newspapers “innovated” a very similar program at its newspapers more than ten years ago.

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  24. Are the jobs they're going into new jobs, jobs previously held by people laid off, or make-work jobs?

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  25. Hey 7:46...Jim asked for racial break out ,not sex....plus when did being Male qualify for a diversity group? Give me a break! Men have had 200 plus years of favored HR status.

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  26. What would you do? I've worked for less than 5 years for Gannett (several years with KR before - and left on my own before it fell apart). I moved from the newsroom out from under a tyrant of an ME into the revenue-producing side several months ago. I love my new job. However, have been offered an opportunity out of the industry - and while the pay, benefits are there - it won't be quite what I love, in fact it could be a little boring and not as fulfilling. With the state of newspapers, would you leave? I hate job hopping and though I've been told my job is safe, is anyone's really? Am really torn ...

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  27. The "talent" they had is hardly innovative. More or less they are pains in the ass. They don't know what they're talking about half the time. Just another waste of gannett money...

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  28. 9:53 if you have your hands in anything digital you will stand a pretty good chance of job security. But even if its not digital, I believe you should never leave a job you like for one you don't out of fear. Its like selling your soul and in the long run, you will be looking for another job. Thomas Jefferson said "If we give up freedom for security we have neither".

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  29. Fort Collins cut the AD as part of the last round of layoffs. I believe the production director was also cut. I guess you don't need a production director if you're not going to print the paper anymore.

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  30. I want to hear more about the alleged 5-7K layoff coming, as rumored on the blog's 9/21 comments.

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  31. 4:10 --

    CD and GM did visit a few FL papers when SC-J first took the helm. What was shocking to me and so many other directors in the room was how little presence the guy had. Whenever McCorkindale walked into the room, you knew he was the chief of something. Dubow seemed abnormally detached from running anything by the comments he had and didn't seem to interested in anything going on at the paper. Zero charisma. Gracia at least was a bit engaging.

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  32. 8:55 – I wasn’t answering Jim’s question, I was responding to the comment that someone thought this group was diverse. It’s clearly not. Some could argue that it’s even discriminatory. But, please don’t take my word for it, ask any HR professional – preferably outside of Gannett, to explain it, including their take on your perceived definition.

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  33. 11:32: I'd like to learn more about those 5k/7k layoff rumors, too. FYI: I just left the following comment on that 9/21 comment thread:

    It is true that the recent job cuts were low vs. competitors. Here are the numbers in context:

    The 1,000 jobs cut last month -- 600 layoffs, plus 400 open positions eliminated -- totaled 3% of the approximately 30,000 positions in the newspaper division.

    It's even lower, however, when you consider that those 1,000 positions were only about 2.2% of Gannett's total 46,000 (or so) positions.

    So, once more: I wouldn't dismiss those layoff rumors just yet. Holiday advertising spending will be crucial.

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  34. @7:46 PM -- You may be overlooking the fact the women now outnumber men in many journalism programs. The program quite likely had more female than male applicants.

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  35. @11 p.m. True. Women have made up the majority of journalism/mass commuication undergraduates for more than 20 years. According to the Pew Center for Civic Journalism, women account for about two-third of all journalism students but only one-third of all journalism jobs.

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Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."

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