Thursday, September 04, 2008
Thursday | Sept. 4 | Got news, or a question?
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Put it here, in this open post. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
49 comments:
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."
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I've just started this new open-comments string. You can always return to earlier editions by clicking on the Real Time Comments label in the blue sidebar, to the right.
ReplyDeleteOKay I know this is off topic but does anyone feel repulsed about the republican political ticket................an ancient old man, oldest ever even George Washington, and a young lady! Yes I did say lady because she looks like she has enough on her plate! I just always headjerk when I see something like that in the supermarket. I hope "McCain" has a good ticker!He lets loose a hollar and we have a hockey mom running the country! Oh my just a comment.I think being from arizona myself that if "McCain was so great.................why didn't he beat George W. bush in the year 2000? I feel this is relevant because of the "Anti-union" stances from the republicans over the decades!! I used to have good republican freinds until we became the "red and blue" states...............divide and conquer sounds like the civil war isn't over..........good grief hooray for all the americans!!
ReplyDeleteI think Palin is brilliant. She rocked the house and the media last night. Never underestimate the power of someone NOT from the elite media or the old inner sanctum ...ineffective Washington. Americans are millions strong. Many will relate to her.
ReplyDelete5:43 what are you afraid of? A strong woman who is a Governor, as well as a mom? I admire her for balancing family and work so well. Women everywhere might not agree with her politics but she is a breath of fresh air among all the same old same old politicians.
ReplyDeletesigned: a Democrat who will not vote for Obama. Palin is a rising star and I love the thought of someone in the white house fighting for the little guys. Actually knowing what that means because she is one of them. Good bye elite Washington, Yale educated politicians and Limosine Liberals.
What a speech she gave. I was surprised---shocked actually.
ReplyDeleteObama now has a real opponent.
ReplyDeletewow...she articulated brilliantly what McCain and the Republicans have struggled to articulate all year. Love her. She has a lot more substance than anyone gave her credit for. Maybe history will show McCain made a brave and brilliant choice. I was shocked by her performance. McCain is a moderate and I like him. But he bores me and is old. She balances that very well.
Did she work as a journalist, anyone know? If so, when and where?
ReplyDeleteJust search for Palin and television and sports and Alaska in YouTube. Some sweet 1980s footage of her as a sportscaster.
ReplyDeleteRegarding posters who bash commenters on this blog ... Devotion to one's company is good, certainly. But blind devotion is not. Some of the bashers seem to be so blindly devoted to Gannett that they cannot, will not, do not see any problems with the company. Which is part of the problem with Gannett. If employees go to managers and say, "There's a problem with X. How can we fix it?" the answer often is something to the effect of, "That's not a problem. Quit complaining." Ignoring problems does not make them go away.
ReplyDeleteTo the person who did not like Palin. Just remember, it was a FEMALE, newspapers woman, who for a while, the so called Washington power brokers, were afraid of, "Katie Graham".
ReplyDeleteHas anyone heard if Gannett is going to buy the Daytona Beach News-Journal?
ReplyDeleteOn Daytona: GCI could, but they won't. Why should they? Florida Today is a competitor, and it would make more economic sense to let Dayton fold than take it over and kill it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with 10:01. My bosses create situations based on highly speculative and often unrealistic or unproven theories that turn into significant problems, then they won't admit it even when the evidence of the wreckage is clear, then compound these problems by building upon them rather than ditching the faulty plan and starting over. Sorry for the long sentence! It's a duct tape approach to repairing what's broken. I think it's due to a combination of arrogance and ignorance (from not being tied more directly to the work itself) that creates an appearance of big bosses sticking their heads into the sand, or worse, condemning employees who speak up. And for anyone who doubts that a fair number of Gannett managers are NOT receptive to constructive suggestions or red flags from their staffs, just read this blog. You will see this theme repeated over and over. Maybe some people do whine too much, but these bosses have over-compensated by shutting down all complaints. Those complaints could often raise points to save a lot of hassles later on, but no one is hearing those voices in certain corners of at least one Gannett paper. It has reached the stage in my department where I am being told by my bosses that there is great enthusiasm amongst the staff for plan A or B, when in fact I intimately know many of the people that the bosses claim are enthusiastic, and those people are NOT enthusiastic or optimistic. They are pretending to be for fear of being seen as a whiner. They see the cracks in the plans rather clearly, but will not let on that they do. Will not suggest they are even mildly apprehensive anymore because of what they have experienced or witnessed happening to others who have the courage to speak up. They pretty much tell these bosses what they want to hear, and empower the bosses further, unfortunately. I have to bite my tongue when one of these bosses tells me that someone is really excited about something that I know is causing great heartache in that person's life. Not just worry or concern, but real stress. It becomes a cycle that repeats itself over and over, Bad planning, phony support of the plan, cracks, breakdown, repeat all of the above. I am obviously describing an extreme situation that I am close to at USA TODAY, and not saying that every department is run this way. However, I do suspect there is an overall cultural problem within Gannett that creates this sad style of management to varying degrees. Why else would it be so common to read about it on here? Why else would so mnay people have basically the same feelings and observations? There are some good managers who have found a more honorable and effective way around this transparent and destructive style of getting things done, but I think they are rather rare. Bosses in my office are easily fooled into thinking everything is fine with the troops lately. It's really incredible to hear them talk about how everything is progressing, when five minutes later people are shaking their heads to each other or in private. It's even more incredible when one of the bosses approaches one of the troops and asks how things really are and expect that worker to give an honest answer. Most of the time, the troops just smile and say all is well. It is similar to a military environment, expect in the Gannett military the generals are misguided and use some shortsighted techniques to get things done, don't listen to their captains on the ground and generally are out to save their own butts on a daily basis. Again, I realize this isn't the case in some departments or at all Gannett papers, but it is pretty true of enough departments and bosses that it could do some serious damage in the longrun to a company that is already trying to navigate through trying times.
ReplyDeleteLoved Palin's speech for one compelling reason: She came across as a real person. Regardless of politics, I found it refreshing. In a world full of packaging (as we see at USAT), it was nice to hear from someone who seemed to be authentic. Someone far away from the slickness of America's large, trendy areas. God knows, after all the manipulation of daily life at Gannett, where lies aren't even considered lies anymore, I think many of us are searching for something different, something more genuine and sincere.
ReplyDeleteWell said 10:47, I thought it was just the managers at my southern New York site, but from reading this blog I get the felling they are all bad.
ReplyDeleteWell, to all you who see not cause for concern in Palin, get ready to lose your reproductive rights (remember Roe V Wade?) and expect a lot more of your brothers and sisters dieing in IRaq ( No, it really isn't ALMOST resolved, unlike her comments.) Please don't get taken in by the rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteYou can make your decisions on her politics as to whether she should be VP, but 5:43 a.m.'s comments about being repulsed -- they're not dating, for goodness sake. They're running mates. I work with women who are significantly younger than me all the time. I'm not dating them; I'm working with them. Geesh! Good for her for accomplishing so much as a mere "hockey mom."
ReplyDeleteTo the Palin fans: Grow up. She's a career politician. Of course she can deliver a speech compentently. The real issue are her stands on the problems facing the nation. Examine those stands, then come to a conclusion about her.
ReplyDeleteIf Palin comes across as a real person, does that mean she would qualify as a Real Life Real News source? Har har.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point 11:55... I didn't need to hear he speech because I know her stand on two of my KEY issues. She will not get my vote because of that fact.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a great speech. But then again, I'm not one for truth or issues.
ReplyDeleteExactly what did she recite that was so compelling? I'm not being obtuse or flip here, I'm just curious as to what was so substantive about her speech.
Sure, she's against tax increases. Aren't we all? She's against foreign oil dependence. Great. She's all for stepping up to help high-needs children. Show me a human who isn't. She digs hockey. Sweet, eh.
As far as an introduction to Sarah Palin goes, sure she scored. She can read the hell out of a teleprompter and knows how to pause for the applause.
But what, pray tell, did she really say that has folks so gung ho?
Hey, 11:55...Is it a matter of "growing up" or do we just need to conform to your opinions. Always amazes me how people want to force their views on everyone else on blogs. It's like no one can just state how they feel about the company, politics, etc., without being ridiculed. A strange thing when you consider that most of the folks on this blog are journalists and should be open to different views, even if they don't agree.
ReplyDelete10:47 -- Everything you just described, I have witnessed at the Arizona Republic. I've seen employees nod and agree with their bosses as the next pet project or desperate initiative was dumped on his/her desk. And then as soon as the boss walks away, the person practically crumples because they're already so overloaded, and they know this latest task won't improve anything, and will take at least 6 months to be phased out into the *next* workload-adding gimmick. A few months ago I actually saw a mid-level editor break down and sob after most people had gone home for the night, because the boss had dumped yet another silly and time-consuming task on her overloaded plate. The saddest part is the fact that our extra hours and stress are spent doing work that we're no longer proud of. Journalists here have become more like admin assistants, being knocked back and forth by the whims and "bright ideas" of our directors. The thing that keeps me going is that I respect and enjoy my colleagues so much. They are talented and committed professionals, and we do whatever management dumps on us and do it well. We've become much closer and have created a de facto support system as we struggle through this and figure out where to take our careers next.
ReplyDeleteThere is no substance in political speeches. What it really comes down to is whether you feel someone has good intentions for the whole of society or leans more towards being selfish and self-absorbed. It's a feel thing. You're never going to get detailed plans from anyone running for office. So you are left having to go with your gut on how they will deal with a job in terms of being honest, smart, sincere, able to communicate and think on their feet. I thought Palin did well to present a picture of an able, selfless, self-made person. Beyond that, I can't vouch for her or Obama or anyone else.
ReplyDeleteA Palin detractor said: "I feel this is relevant because of the "Anti-union" stances from the republicans over the decades!!"
ReplyDeleteDidn't Bill Clinton embrace NAFTA, a Republican bill? This turned out great for unions by the way. With friends like Bill, who needs enemies?
re palins speech
ReplyDeleteit wasn't all her speech, while i'm sure she had some input, the majority of it was written by Matthew Scully an ex-W bush speech writer. so don't be falling in love with on the first date. she may surprise us all but the national stage can bear a lot of pressure on people.
later
AZ pressman
Please, there was no substance in Palin's speech Compared to McCain, anyone would sound good. She won't get my vote for many reasons but two in particular- her stand on abortion and her lack of environmental concerns. Did she address much of anything last night?
ReplyDeleteHate to break it to my male counterparts but a lot of women will not vote with their husbands ....we often don't! This election may surprise people.
ReplyDeleteI heard that Gannett and highschoolsports.net had some sort of falling-out. Does anyone know?
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Daytona Beach paper:
ReplyDeleteIt is not a competitor of Florida Today. Their coverage/circulation ends at the Brevard/Volusia county line.
The N-J would fit with GCI's other efforts in allowing consolidation of copy desks, etc.
And the N-J has no competition any more. Why wouldn't GCI want it?
2:41, I didn't hear her address anything at all. She and McCain are so out of touch it's frightening.
ReplyDeleteAny word what's going to happen at the Norwich Bulletin tomorrow? Meetings with the publisher re: the paper's "future" have been scheduled...
ReplyDeleteIsn't the Bulletin now under Gatehouse Media? Gannett sold the site a year ago I believe.
ReplyDeleteSo it is...thanks. Gannett's site for it still comes up in Google results. Plus you all are so helpful, I was just hoping. :)
ReplyDeleteOur celebrity-compulsive culture drove the tv ratings for the Palin speech. As a performer she really was magnificent. No stumbles and generally effective pauses for effect. But it's a just a speech, just a performance, just a reading of someone else's work that, as usual, contained the usual serving up of outright lies and falsehoods about her opponents and her very own background. Scratch the surface of this woman and you will find a breathtaking superficiality that will be revealed quickly once she gets across the table from Joe Biden. She should go back to Alaska, run the state,take care of her family and think about national office down the road, not at this uncertain time.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right 6:26.
ReplyDeleteJust like it drives the celebrity of Obama. Zero sippo experience. But a talented performer.
ReplyDelete"This was and probably still is a very common practice for Gannett. Once you're a target, watch your back. It's been an accepted way of management for a very long time. If Jim were to do some research on this, he'd be surprised by his findings"
ReplyDeleteThis is from an earlier post and I think the subject of MANAGEMENT’S TARGETS will get a lot of feedback and deserves its own entry
Great....a blog I love reading turning into yet another place for my-politics-are-right-and-if-you-don't-agree-you're-stupid screeds. I can get that crap from Air America or Rush.
ReplyDelete6:26 - I concur - the woman just touts the line of the Bush administration and not much else.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, I forgot that her sister just bought a service station and if Obama comes into office she will have to pay more taxes. Well, buhuhuhu, what else is new?
The Republicans just simply forget that regardless of who comes into the White House more taxes will have to be paid. Looking at the overall picture we all have to pay higher taxes thanks to the Bush administration and the failed Iraq war. The trillions of the deficit will have to be paid.
And hearing the holier-than-thou Palin delivering a speech that tries to get God involved is just appalling. God didn't create the war - that was Bush and nobody else.
Gosh, hearing her talk I almost believed we were transported back 100 years and waiting for the crowd to pull out their guns.
As Biden said not one word about creating jobs, the economy, or anything else that interests us working stiffs.
I'll guess with her it is just like with Gannett Executive Suite: Only the upper echolon counts and not much else.
Tribune Company has laid off roughly 20 percent of their newsrooms. A far worse situation than Gannett.
ReplyDeleteAccording to MarketWatch today.
Regarding Daytona Beach:
ReplyDelete1. Area is heading into a depression thanks to end of Shuttle flights, and years of gaps between new flights. That is going to mean an economic downturn in the region, on top of what already is happening Florida-wide.
2. Makes more sense for someone like Scripps to expand their operations from Stuart-Vero Beach north through Cocoa Beach to Daytona.
3. Price is costly, and no bottom yet seen in advertising recession, so it is unclear what the revenue/profit base is now. Presses are Goss Metroliners, installed in 1991 and need of multi-million dollar retrofits and upgrading, which also costly.
How about separating out the partisan political chaff under its own subhed so we know what to skip over if we come here for Gannett- or industry-related posts?
ReplyDeleteamen to that 3:49am!
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you 3:49. I did think we had some kind of theme (like the newspaper industry?) here on the blog.
ReplyDelete12:23 PM is right - I've been subject to one of these random projects myself. When it didn't succeed because I was given NO real time to accomplish it, now I'm a target for the publisher's anger.
ReplyDeleteAlmost like it was a setup from the start - like I was meant to fail.
12:56 PM, "This was and probably still is a very common practice for Gannett. Once you're a target, watch your back. It's been an accepted way of management for a very long time. If Jim were to do some research on this, he'd be surprised by his findings." It bears repeating.
ReplyDeleteDamn jim, I stirred up a political hornets nest with my first comment in this "open" part of your blog!
ReplyDelete4:28 PM wrote: "I heard that Gannett and highschoolsports.net had some sort of falling-out. Does anyone know?"
ReplyDeleteMy understanding (not being in the sports dept.) is that, after working on highschoolsports.net for the last 6 weeks or so, everything was still so f'ed up that Corporate decided to abandon it.
And now that PrepsFactory is no longer supported either, our sports guys are back to typing agate by hand over the phone. What a joy.
Jim, can you dig up any more dirt on this? Seems like quite a screwup.