Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday | Oct. 31 | Got news, or a question?
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53 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."
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Good morning. How are you?
ReplyDeleteAny truth to rumors that they will be getting rid of online departments next and creating something similar to the RTC for the web sites?
ReplyDeleteThat wouldn't surprise me... they'll just outsource the online like they do the graphics design departments.....
ReplyDeleteWhy Gannett does such a good job killing quality and service with the RTC and the COE why not kill any hope for a successful digital future creating the a central online center to kill that business as well. What would be a good name? How about Digital Integration Ceneter (DIC). Any other suggestions?
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a logisitical nightmare to me.
ReplyDeleteWould the DIC be named after BOB?
ReplyDeleteWhy hasn't the entire RTC project been outsourced to Bangladesh?
ReplyDeleteNothing against the people who work there, after all the color blind need jobs too.
But considering the customer service needs are so low - don't even need to know English, really, to tone pix - it makes no sense why the RTC's were set up in the States at all.
Aside from the guys that push the big green button on the press and those after them, is there any function of the company that couldn't be consolidated and sent overseas?
ReplyDeleteस्थानीय, स्थानीय, स्थानीय
(Local, local, local in Hindi....)
From a different blog about the raising of prices at the Asheville paper.
ReplyDelete"quote"
Even though I firmly believe the ACT is a waste of good trees that I could be using as mulch. I feel if the raising of prices saves a few jobs, so be it. I know some very kind people at the ACT with families that depend on them. It is not their fault that Gannett Inc. dropped the ball on ramping up the digital side of the business a few years back. As for the paper, my opinion is that everything written in house should be front and center and everything else should be second string. The ACT has some great writers that need to be let out of their Gannett shackles to show off their talents. Who cares what Gannett thinks, it is Do or Die, you either grab the horse by the reins or you get bucked off. It's time for a mutiny, a good old down home Boston Tea Party. What are the thugs at Gannett gonna do, threaten you with another Lay Off.
"unquote"
I was going to say Happy Halloween, but things are scary enough. I'm worried and sad about December, but I'm even more worried about six months ago when they start talking shut downs and more mergers.
ReplyDeleteI meant six months from now, of course. (Or maybe I was feeling nostalgic for the "good old days.'')
ReplyDeleteTwenty employment posts over the past three days for the community publishing division alone.
ReplyDeleteHappy Halloween. Any MILF's you'd like to see dressed in a pink slip?
ReplyDeleteFor the 9999th time:
ReplyDeleteSO WHICH IS IT???
10% FEWER EMPLOYEES
OR 10% PAYROLL REDUCTION???
anyone?
please?
10:14 a.m.: I think it's going to be a combination of the two, depending on the particular newspaper. For example, bigger metro papers with aging (i.e.: well-paid) staff could reach their targeted cost savings by laying off fewer people. Smaller papers, however, won't have that option because they they typically employ younger (less well-paid) workers.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could offer a more definitive answer, but I still haven't heard back from official spokeswoman Tara Connell -- and, of course, I won't.
Looks like not even the Newseum is exempt from layoffs. 10% of their staff just got axed.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know which McLean GCI corporate departments are having staff cuts? And the date of their departures?
ReplyDelete10 percent of payroll.
ReplyDeletenobody does headcount its all about the budget.
Haven't read much here about the revelation (stated at the newsroom meeting earlier this week) that USA Today has NOT necessarily escaped layoffs and that some folks there might be cut by the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteAny thoughts on how hard USAT might get hit? Seems awfully heartless to leave folks there hanging.
I can tell you that it isn't easy focusing on any longterm projects, or even sometimes day to day stuff, when further cuts could derail so many things. What's the point of planning when everything could change in the drop of a hat...again? Just doesn't seem good for business, productivity or morale not to expedite whatever decision is going to be made.
We at USAT need to get this behind us. The sooner we're told of our fates, the better for everyone.
I strongly urge USAT management not to drag this out too much longer. We need a good new year, without contant threats hanging over us as they have this past year. There is a mountain of challenges before us, and this never-ending mystery and prolonging of personnel decisions isn't healthy.
Hey, suits... Get on with it! Do it before the holidays and let's all move on and try to put together 12 months of relative stability or find new jobs...whatever the case might be.
Jim, any educated guesses on what might happen and when? I can't get any answers from my bosses, and thought maybe you'd have some insights or inside sources who can shine a little more light on USAT's plans...or lack of plans.
7:37am: I think it would be pretty hard to outsource the photo and video shooters to India. Seems the cost of round-trip flights just to record the local United Way kickoff for 1A might be prohibitive...unless UW fronts the airfares!
ReplyDeleteOnce again, no cuts til we get out those holiday gift guides and cover the election. Then, all bets are off. Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeletePS. Jim, PO Box reminder when you get back home. I'll send you $10 AND Seasons Greetings.
Agreeing with 11:12 Jim- I won't use paypal but would be glad to send you $$.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteUSAT cuts waiting until after the election because the staff will have to concentrate on putting all that stuff together Tuesday night. I am thinking we will hear more about USAT sometime Thursday and in light of GCI revenue declines, I am expecting something between 7 percent and 10 percent.
ReplyDeleteIf Gannett is going to whack its workforce, it should at least have the class to offer a uniform severance deal at each of its properties.
ReplyDeleteHow does the staff at a newspaper that's offering an "involuntary" severance of one week of pay per year served up to 26 weeks feel when they read on this blog that Honolulu is giving TWO weeks of pay and health coverage per year served, or up to 52 WEEKS of pay, on a "voluntary" basis, no less!!!
OK, times are tough and payroll needs to be trimmed 10 percent while we chase the digital leprechaun looking for a mythical pot of gold. So, Mr. Dubow and Co., at least show some business class and dignity by offering a uniform, voluntary severance package to everyone, everywhere.
They shoot horses, don't they?
It seems so very risky of Gannett to offer different packages to different people at different sites when I think we call all agree that the company's HR function is centralized.
ReplyDeleteSo the powers that be are going to use us USATers until after the election, then they'll discard some of us, eh? Makes sense. Sad, but makes sense. If that happens, there won't be any trust in what we're told by upper management or their mouthpieces (known as MEs) for a very long time, if ever. I don't appreciate feeling like a prostitute, being paid, "complimented" and used until I my services are no longer wanted...or the services of friends who sit around me.
ReplyDeleteSo if there are cuts next Thursday or even a couple weeks after the election, the fallout is going to be more profound this time.
Remember, last time they caught us by surprise. Dropped off buyout envelopes on our desks (how classy and warm). This time they, people like Paulson, have talked for months about optimism and probabilities of there being no cuts, or their not knowing of any plans for staff reductions. If it turns out that was a smokescreen to get the paper through Nov. 4...
If we didn't have so much pride and desire to serve the readers, we should all walk out of the building at 5 p.m. Tuesday and let the elite, overpaid liars put out the election night paper.
Media General and McClatchy stock prices up double-digit percentages at noon. GCI not too far behind.
ReplyDeleteLee, which cut the dividend, is down over 20%.
Why are newspaper stocks soaring?
ReplyDeleteBecause the rest of the market is soaring.
ReplyDeleteGannett Stock is up
ReplyDeleteAZ Cardinals lead their division
What Next? Hell freezes over!
Happy Halloween
Stock is up because Wall Street likes to see corporations cutting things to the bone in order to make money....That's Gannett's rep.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love the fact that Currie's deciding the content fate of the products. This is a man idolizes Mickey Mouse. How appropriate.
As a circulator watching all these comments about declining circulation, I couldn't help but wonder as to how many of of those offering up advice and comment actualy had or have what is usualy a very discounted employee subscription. My gut tells me I've heard a lot of these folks before as they offered up a "why would I do that when I can pick it up at work" excuse or something just as creative and disconnected.
ReplyDeletetft
3:18, I paid for my subscription -- full-price for many years. We're not all weasels.
ReplyDeleteThe Westchester website has a huge presentation on UFO sightings. What are they going to top that with? Loch Ness Monster sightings or Bigfoot sightings. Now I see why that place gets bashed on this blog.
ReplyDelete25 jobs cut at the Newseum/Freedom Forum, by the way.
ReplyDeleteThose planning meetings in Westchester must be a real hoot.
ReplyDeleteVirgin Atlantic fired some employees over the postings employees made on personal social networking accounts.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.totallyflorida.com/blog/2008/10/virgin-atlantic-has-sacked-13-cabin.php
One NJ pub has been known to hunt down employees on facebook, myspace, etc. and print out pages of commentary for insertion into personnel files.
You USA Today folks make me want to vomit. You seem to think you're better than those of us out here at the "real" local papers. You've had all the perks, fancy equipment, nice surroundings, gym, cafeterias, and on and on. Now, you want others to feel sorry for you when we out here have been dumped on by Gannett for decades. One writer on the blog today (from USAT)asked for mercy in not being strung out about the future. Well, the rest of us have been treated like cattle and threatened forever. YOu need to share the pain. Come out here and look at the places we work in. The filth, dirty walls, carpets worn out decades ago, disgusting bathrooms and so on. Give us a break!
ReplyDeleteTo TFT: I had a subscription to my paper until we ran a Paris Hilton story, including silhouetted photo, with text wrapped around it, as the A1 centerpiece. That was it for me. Put it in the Nation page or the "Celebs" section, not the front of a local paper. I canceled my subscription the next day.
ReplyDelete5:35 PM
ReplyDeleteFilthy working conditions can be easily fixed. Transforming the Gannett culture of blatant age discrimnation will take some time and effort. It will happen. I've done my part. Have you?
5:35 - dude. Count to ten. Breath slowly. :)
ReplyDeletejust curious 5:57, how have you done your part?
ReplyDeleteDOES ANY ONE KNOW HOW MANY ARE WHEN THE ONES WILL BE LAID OFF AT THE CLARION LEDGER?????
ReplyDeleteAnon 11:49 a.m. - You've got the right idea. You and anyone else given the boot should likely contact legal counsel as there’s no doubt a wealth of information that would have to be disclosed– including savings gained from varying the offers and how long they’ve been in the works.
ReplyDeleteAnd, given Martore’s comment that Gannett doesn’t manage from month-to-month, you can be sure that they didn’t happen overnight. Plus, let’s not forget, all directives come from one location with one goal in mind, to ultimately benefit one entity’s bottom-line…Gannett’s.
Funny, Dubow shares that everyone is in this together, yet the company’s varying buyout offers supports something far different.
If a company claims to Wall Street its reducing headcount because of the economy, shouldn't Wall Street be told about all the job postings too?
ReplyDeleteI think these layoffs, and the ones before them, have everything to do with reducing soaring retirement benefit obligations rather than simply reducing staff.
Does anybody know what percentage of Gannetts profit comes from online? I doesn't have to be exact
ReplyDelete5:35 Instead of bitching about the conditions, why not get a group of your colleagues together, buy some sponges and Mr. Clean, and go in on the weekend and clean up the office. Might make it nicer to work there.
ReplyDeleteWall Street gets full disclosure of GCI financials....its the law.
ReplyDelete7:20 pm: Gannett does not give such percentage profit breakdowns. Good question, nonetheless!
ReplyDeleteto 5:35 Are you stupid???
ReplyDelete7:23 PM
ReplyDeleteDid you miss the $79 million post?
To 5:56
ReplyDeleteIf they had a picture of Paris Hilton on your paycheck, I'm sure you would have given it back.
Gimme a break. If it offended you that much, why not walk out in protest. Boy, you really showed them by cancelling your subscription. That's the kind of lame logic I was talking about.
tft