The Pensacola News Journal is apparently still experimenting with producing two different front pages: One for home delivery, the other for rack sales aimed at young readers. Meanwhile, former long-time Publisher Denise Ivey is heading back to the paper as some sort of advisor, a tipster says: "Just heard the word 'consultant' being thrown around. Sounds like she'll be making a list."Ivey, you'll recall, was Pensacola publisher from 1994 to 2006, when she was named publisher of The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., and president of the former Mid-South Group of Gannett papers. Ivey lost those two posts during June's Friday Afternoon Massacre. Arnold Garson of Sioux Falls, S.D., replaced her as Louisville publisher, and the regional authority was moved to the newly formed South Group in Fort Myers, Fla. Ivey was bumped up to the newly created Louisville position of chairman, until her scheduled Jan. 1 retirement.
Like Gannett's other three Florida papers, the News Journal is in trouble over its exposure to the real estate collapse. Florida is one of four states (Arizona, California and Nevada are the others) that have lost enormous sums of housing-related advertising in the past year -- a loss that has pulled down Gannett's overall revenue and profits.
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Jim wrote: "Florida is one of three states (Arizona, California and Nevada are the others) that have lost enormous sums of housing-related advertising in the past year ..."
ReplyDeleteShouldn't that be one of FOUR states, then?
Sort of like Biden saying the most important issue is a three-letter word: J-O-B-S.
D'oh! Thanks! Fixed that.
ReplyDeleteShe should start at the top. Not sure what's scarier, this genius running things or the brilliant leadership in FM that keeps him there. This guy is the posterchild for why unions get established at companies.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there'll be a long line of disagreements to this one.
Ivey's return in Pensacola gives me reason to hope the paper will get better. It's been a steady downhill slide since she and Randy Hammer left. Couple their loss with a bad economy and what you have is a shell of what a decent community newspaper used to be. It's led by incompetents whose news judgment is a joke. The paper's reputation is in the basement.
ReplyDeleteHammer has been spending a lot of time in Pensacola lately as well. (yes he has a house here) I'll bet Randy would love to get away from Steve Brandt and the cluster he is creating in Asheville.
ReplyDeleteContent is the cake. Design is the icing.
ReplyDeleteGannett is the disease. A breakup and sale of the parts to private parties is the cure.
ReplyDeleteShe could "consult" the top dog and his executive editor right out the front door and I guarantee that the entire miserable staff would pay for a celebratory party out of their own empty pockets.
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ReplyDeleteI just removed a comment that contained a series of personal attacks, including on individuals who are not in management and therefore have no strategic responsibilities.
ReplyDelete