Publishers in Indianapolis and Fort Myers, Fla., have kept employees up to date on how many of them are likely to be laid off over the next two weeks. Indeed, Indianapolis Star Publisher Michael Kane recently lowered his estimate by nearly half -- surely, welcome news for employees trying to plan ahead.Nothing would be more cruel than sitting on information like this until early December -- the deadline Corporate has set for the 84-daily community newspaper division to reduce employment by 10%.
Kane's revised estimate: fewer than 55 layoffs among about 1,100 employees. In Fort Myers, which has about 600 employees, Publisher Carol Hudler reportedly is forecasting about 100 job cuts -- including 80 layoffs; the rest are unoccupied positions.
Both Kane and Hudler are group presidents, which ought to mean downstream pubs in their regions are following their lead. Are they?
How are you preparing for the 10% cut? Post replies in the comments section, below. E-mail gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.[Image: today's Star front page, Newseum]
Randy Lovely at the Republic held a series of newsroom meetings yesterday updating us on the progress. Cuts will be 7 to 8 percent instead of 10. Operational changes will account for the rest of the cuts. He wasn't specific about plans but gave us an overview. He's also sent out weekly Lotus notes. I've been at the Republic for a number of years and through a number of top editors and I have to say that Randy is probably the finest we've had in my time.
ReplyDeleteHigher paying jobs are being cut.
ReplyDeleteI have wondered if all the revenues from the Obama crap that have been sold - an unanticipted source of income in the prior Q - might have lessened the need for such draconian cuts.
ReplyDeleteAt The Tennessean, the publisher announced Thursday that about 100 positions will be cut -- 22 of them are already vacant, so that means 78 current employees will be laid off.
ReplyDeleteThe final announcement will be either Dec. 4 or 5.
3:35.
ReplyDeleteSorry, no. These cuts are being made to help offset future losses.
We never see our pub, much less hear from him.
ReplyDeleteTo 2:39: You write "higher paying jobs will be cut" ... What do you base this on? Do you know something? If so, be a grown-up journalist and attribute it. If not, shut the eff up. In fact, that goes for about 90 percent of what's being said here. ... People spewing without thought, spreading fear when that's our greatest enemy. ... this sucks for everybody, and the fear-mongering only makes it worse.
ReplyDelete10:07- Are you in Springfield?
ReplyDelete3:15 - Say the publisher announces that 75 positions are cut at your 1,000 employee site, and they have met corporate's 10% payroll cost reduction.
ReplyDeleteWhen fewer than 10% of the body count is cut, and 10% cut on payroll is the mandate, then the positions cut HAVE to be above-the-site-average in pay.
Not every position eliminated has to be high wage. The more whales you kill, the fewer minnows die. But there are only so many whales, and down the road, getting new minnows is easier than growing new whales.
If people haven't been paying attention, here or at work, here's a news flash: You better be contributing more value than you cost the company in wages and benefits. If you're the third assistant to the assistant M.E., just what will the reader notice when you are gone?
The publishers aren't stupid. Although they may like having directors to insulate them from the rabble, if firing a director means you get to keep three or four salespeople or writers, you'll do it.
If you think your high pay means you're more important, add up how much value you actually added by being at work last week. And then look to see who is going to be at work on Thursday or Friday of this week.
Guess what? The people that are on the job this Friday - those are the ones that publishers need to keep. They're running the press, writing the stories, updating the web, designing ads.
High paid employees are on the list because firing them gets the publisher closer to 10% without losing as much ability to run his/her business.
Why does a company that has centralized everything else even need publishers?
ReplyDeleteTo 6:25: I'm in the south - and I'll leave it at that. :-) Good luck to you all!
ReplyDelete