Thursday, December 04, 2008

Part 2 | Real Time comments Thurs. open forum

This section is now closed to new comments; please go to Part 3.
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82 comments:

  1. Jim12/04/2008 11:51 AM

    Here's a fresh open-comment thread. Use it wisely, and have fun!

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  2. Anonymous12/04/2008 11:54 AM

    For DETROIT info - see thread below - come on it is time for Detroit insiders to share!

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  3. Anonymous12/04/2008 11:55 AM

    I suppose "significantly less" than 3,000 meant actual people out of a job. Total job losses appear to be headed for that mark.

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  4. Anonymous12/04/2008 11:55 AM

    To 11:10 from the previous batch of posts, do not despair. Tomorrow will be a better day - it takes time. You should find someone to talk to though. You are not alone. God bless.

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  5. Jim12/04/2008 11:56 AM

    in a comment in Part 1 of today's thread, a reader expressed feelings of great sadness that included suicidal thoughts. Several readers wondered if the company's employee assistance program was available to laid-off employees.

    Company spokeswoman Tara Connell has just reminded us in an e-mail: "Information about the employee assistance program was included in the layoff letter employees received. It is available immediately and continues through the severance period, and beyond if needed."

    Is there a 1-800 for that service, anyone?

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  6. Anonymous12/04/2008 11:59 AM

    JH: I assume you simply tire of writing the same intros in section after section. But in light of the layoffs, the discussion of suicidal thoughts, the possible drastic changes possible in Detroit.....you say "have fun"? Think of how badly you and your buds would skewer a GCI exec for saying such a thing at a time like this.

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  7. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:01 PM

    There have been several suicides that can be indirectly tied to newspaper layoffs.

    People can't underestimate the impact it has on someone when the only career they've ever known is ripped for them without a decent reason.

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  8. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:02 PM

    Still no news in Tucson. There was a short article on the Daily Star's website saying that the Citizen was cutting, but the article can't be found now. It quoted Jennifer Boice as saying that they would not be discussing things with the press until Thursday, so I would take that to mean things are going to start happening today. There's already so many empty cubicles down here, so any cuts are going to really hurt.

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  9. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:04 PM

    To all those people complaining about negativity on the board: People got laid off yesterday or the day before. FFS, give them time. Complaining and commisirating is part of the process. I'd say you're the negative ones for not being able to tolerate reasonable and appropiate pain and disappointment.

    And for those defending Gannett: the company doesn't need your defense. Why side with them over fellow workers? Yes, the newspaper industry is going through upheaval that is neither entirely Gannett's fault or avoidable. But I've worked for five other publishing companies over the years and ALL of them treated their employees better than Gannett.

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  10. Shirley in Texas12/04/2008 12:06 PM

    I fully understand the feeling of being cast adrift expressed by one of the laid off Gannett employees.
    I'm still struggling to accept my new identity, one not connected to a byline or column sig.
    Some of us lavish so much time attention to our careers, letting them take the place of other close relationships, that when the career ends we feel stunned and disoriented. Where to go? What to do?
    We are starting over and it is hard. But it isn't awful.
    Do not despair.
    This, too, shall pass.

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  11. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:08 PM

    In Lansing: the entire staffs of custom pubs and the young reader publication Noise were cut yesterday (a combined total of about 7 or 8 from those departments), but plans apparently don't include getting rid of the publications themselves. They will still be produced, with freelancers. Not sure what the grand plan is here, but it's still unfolding.

    Official story:
    http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20081204/NEWS03/812040345/1004/NEWS03

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  12. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:08 PM

    Reno news:
    1 city side reporter
    1 sports reporter
    1 copy editor
    1 videographer (voluntary)
    part-time features writer
    part-time photographer
    2 from custom publishing group
    1 city side job will not be filled

    I think that is the total news side, but does not include those in the weeklies and other departments, which were already reported on this blog.

    The Reno office did have counselors from the employee assistance program on site yesterday.

    The layoffs all seemed to be done by seniority (those with least seniority with Gannett were let go), as the EE told us would happen.

    I too am worried about the next round coming sooner rather than later.

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  13. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:11 PM

    The following from an E&P story about the latest report from Fitch Ratings:

    "Fitch believes more newspapers and newspaper groups will default, be shut down and be liquidated in 2009 and several cities could go without a daily print newspaper by 2010," the Chicago-based credit ratings firm said in a report on the outlook for U.S. media and entertainment.

    "Fitch is generally pessimistic across the board, assigning negative outlets to nearly all sectors from Yellow Pages to radio and TV and theme parks. But the newspaper industry is the most at risk of defaulting, it says.

    "Much of the business risk for the media sector is likely to continue to be concentrated within the newspaper sub-sector," the report says. "Fitch expects newspaper industry revenue growth will be negative for the foreseeable future as both ad pricing and linage will be under pressure within each of the four main components of newspaper companies' revenue streams: circulation and local, classified and national advertising. Newsprint costs could rise, and it could be difficult to offset revenue declines with cost cuts."

    "Fitch rates the debt of two newspaper companies, The McClatchy Co. and Tribune Co. as junk, with serious possibilities of default. It also assigns a negative outlook to both the companies and the newspaper sector, meaning their credit ratings are likely to deteriorate further.

    "If Fitch is pessimistic about the outlook for newspapers and other media, it's because it sees a harsh economic climate ahead."

    Bottom line -- it's ugly out there and is only going to get more so.

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  14. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:19 PM

    No suicides, please. If you give me your zip code, I'll tell you who to call. If this is too much work, call 9-1-1. If you really want to hurt yourself, eat a candy bar. Suicide is a permanent answer to a temporary problem.

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  15. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:24 PM

    Why is Dickeys meeting not being reported. Was it canceled? What's going on at corporate? Did I miss some postings? I think I have layoff and GannettBlog fatigue!!

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  16. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:26 PM

    Death knells ring, are you listenin'?
    Those let go, are a' bristlin'.
    A horrible sight,
    Cuts left and right,
    Wallowing in Dubow's Wasteland.

    Gone away, are some good birds,
    Here to stay, corporate's real turds.
    As Craig rolls along,
    Doing us wrong,
    Wallowing in Dubow's Wasteland.

    In the tower they will build a snow job,
    Telling us that things will turn around.
    We'll be back, they say, and we'll say, 'No, man!'
    You've run a one-great firm into the ground.

    Then next year, they'll conspire,
    To see who else, they can fire.
    More phones will ring,
    And the reaper will bring,
    Walking papers ... in Dubow's ... Wasteland.

    May God bless us, everyone.
    A sincere wish to my brothers and sisters in Gannett, those immediately past and those painfully present, for as happy a holiday season as is possible.

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  17. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:28 PM

    5:34 - you really encapsulated my feelings on the matter. It's the people that I worked with who I'll miss rather than the job itself. I even invited one of my co-workers over for Thanksgiving this year just because her and her husband didn't have family close by and we had a wonderful time.
    My co-workers (three of which were also canned) were talented, dedicated people willing to do anything to make our product the best it could be. Having worked at two other Gannett papers prior (glutton for punishment, I know), I've never had that experience before and I doubt I will again. I could trust those folks to do anything. The fact that management didn't realize their skills and didn't make some effort to save at least one of them and their talents makes me realize how short-sighted the top brass truly were and how little they really want to change.
    I feel sorry for the friends that I still have there because their workloads will likely double as a result and they will be left to put out what they know is an inferior product. And I'm hoping those that have the ability to find work elsewhere will do so as fast as they can before their souls get sucked out any further.
    What kills me is how the folks in charge keep trying to tell people that they believe in the quality of the product and that they're making changes to make sure they give the readers what they really want. The reality is that these folks all stuck their heads in the sand and didn't actually do anything to anticipate what they all knew was coming.
    I am grateful that I was able to get out now. I doubt I'll ever go back to newspapers - it's not worth the stress and the stupidity that you encounter trying to follow what corporate wants.

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  18. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:29 PM

    Look at all the wage slaves scurry. Hurriedly searching for word they'll still have a job tomorrow, or if a co-worker will be on the desk tonight. We're supposed to be communicators, journalists, documentors, but somewhere along the way we lost the ability to see what lies right in front of our noses.
    Break free the shackles that enslave you, they are in your own mind.
    You are not your job, you are not your house, your car, your toys.
    "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together." Said John Lennon, but he's only partly right, we are all that surrounds us in the natural world and we are all connected by this wonderful thing called life. But we’ve handed over the keys to the kingdom to those that would keep us happy with materialism.
    So, what's the solution to our problem? It is merely in the way we think.
    We sit upon the precipice of the next, and have the ability to turn the fourth estate into the first second and thirds all at once. We hold the keys to information and information presentation. Dropping the dialectic of the materialists, we can transcend directly into consciousness shifting mediums of reality, but only if we view what once was our means of survival in a materialist world as a means of freeing the entire world from the structures that keep them enslaved. We must be communicators of the possibilities that exist when we drop the antiquated notion that we are free and separate individuals. We, as communicators, have the necessary tools to provide understanding to the masses. We do not need paper, we do not need ink. These were tools of our fathers that we have clung to as though they give us license and credibility. All they have done was limit the discussion, they have halted journalism from becoming a tool of mass social consciousness.
    The most difficult part of this journey is taking the first step into rejecting the monetary system that keeps us shackled. Information is a resource, not a commodity.
    Some of you are still staring at the shadows of the illusions projected on the wall by the corporatocracy. For you the first step will be realizing that there are no shackles, the next step will be seeing the shadows for what they are.
    For those that can see the shadows for what they are, know this you helped make shadows for your bosses, now you can make shadows of your bosses.
    Be well, bona ventura!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__gl5UC_21I&NR=1

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  19. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:35 PM

    This is from Tim Chavez's Political Salsa Site. Letter to employees from Ellen Leifeld. She got the year wrong so does that mean the layoffs don't take effect until 2009?

    http://politicalsalsa.blogspot.com/2008/12/message-from-publisher-covering-up.html

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  20. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:38 PM

    @ 12:29 - Uh, so, what you're saying is we should band together and start a news website with a local-local focus and people that can actually sell online ads?

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  21. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:40 PM

    Anyone who is feeling suicidal - Gannett is not worth it. You have this online family and we all are going through similar feelings of "Who am I now?" Talk here with us. Maybe you can help me figure out my next move.

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  22. Anonymous12/04/2008 12:55 PM

    I feel kind of like I did after the election when it was hard to not keep reading political stories all day long. After thinking about nothing but the layoff since the end of Oct., I am feeling funny for it to be over.

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  23. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:00 PM

    12:26

    Thanks for the chuckle. I got my "Golden Ticket" on Tuesday and am still numb, I think. But you did make me smile at your quite creative sing-along.

    All the best to you and yours!

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  24. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:03 PM

    No, 12:38, you missed the point entirely.

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  25. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:20 PM

    @ 1:03 - Maybe. Maybe not. Your words are beautiful, but how do you propose we take the first step to "rejecting the monetary system that keeps us shackled"? We all need to live, and here in Michigan, I still need that monetary system to keep the heat on.

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  26. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:28 PM

    In Des Moines, they layed off our feature cartoonist Brian Duffy. He worked here for over 20 years! There goes the local connection to our newspaper.

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  27. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:31 PM

    11:10 - I am so sorry that you were laid off. My heart goes out to all that lost their jobs. Please find some help as soon as possible. Suicide deeply hurts those left behind. I know from personal experience in my family. Please don't even consider it. The EAP is there for you until your severance runs out. Most importantly you need to talk with your pastor, if you don't have one, there are so many of them around you. You don't have to be a member of a church to seek this kind of help. They will welcome you with open arms and guide you in the right direction. Seek God's help, He is ALWAYS there for you.

    I will pray for you even though I don't know you.

    God Bless

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  28. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:32 PM

    For those just laid off, helpful information on your rights:

    http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/termination/index.htm

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  29. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:36 PM

    Jim - survived the week so far, and payday is tomorrow. $10 should be in your account. Thanks for a great service and keep up the excellent work.

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  30. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:36 PM

    Jim, 11:10's post is very serious and I commend you for you post to seek help. Would you consider adding a sidebar with EAP numbers for all employees laid off and those that are left working? So many people are looking at this blog and this might be the only place they can see it.

    You don't have to post this message, just thought it could help.

    If I were at work right now I would provide the number. I did, however, call our HR person to verify it it was still available and the answer is yes, like you posted.

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  31. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:40 PM

    12:29 -- do you have health insurance?

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  32. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:47 PM

    In The Tennessean Tuesday, there was a staff-written story on the layoffs at Thomas Nelson Publishing. Today there is a long, bylined story on payroll cuts at HCA, the Nashville based hospital chain. Under it is a 4-inch "press release," no byline, no sourcing, no comment from publisher or editors, about Tennessean cutting 92 jobs. Worse, a local TV station last night reported on the cuts and who was the spokesman? Bob Faricy, the marketing director. Where's the leadership?
    Perhaps if the executive or managing editor actually had ties to or gave a flip about Middle Tennessee (he still has home in Va. where wife still lives; her husband maintains home and law practice in New York while she lives in rented condo)things might be different.

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  33. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:48 PM

    All printing that had been done at Advantage Press will be transferred to the Newark Advocate.

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  34. Anonymous12/04/2008 1:54 PM

    Anyone from advertising in fort myers laid off?

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  35. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:06 PM

    Transferring anything from anywhere to Newark is a major step down the evolutionary chain, I fear.

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  36. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:12 PM

    Hello, everyone. The idea of starting a news web site keeps popping up, so now that I've absorbed my own layoff, at least in my stronger moments, and I'm no longer so sick to my stomach that I can't talk or think, as I have been on and off for the past five weeks, I thought I'd toss this out there for general consumption.

    Will journalism survive the mess it's currently in? Hell, yes (although Gannett might not). Can you be a part of it? Very possibly. In reality, after the dust settles and we get our personal bearings back, we may realize that there is actually an opportunity within this dark cloud.

    Check out this story from the NY Times on Nov. 17:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/business/media/18voice.html?scp=2&sq=news%20web%20sites&st=cse

    Independent local news web sites are not only possible but are actually up and running in some places, for reasons you would expect and with some success. They may indeed be prototypes for the journalism of the future.

    Moreover, perhaps there really is some type of network possibility here, as someone alluded to on one of the earlier layoff threads. Gannett is geographically scattered, and there are now laid-off journalists in virtually all Gannett cities. What does that tell you?

    At the very least, some of the sites are now ripe for competitive web startups. There's something here, folks. We just have to figure out what it is.

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  37. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:14 PM

    What exactly is that SEC filing for cash tender offer for floating rate notes?

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  38. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:17 PM

    Just found out from a friend at the Rocky Mountain News that the paper is for sale...

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  39. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:27 PM

    A total of 10 people gone at The News Leader in Staunton, Va.

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  40. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:28 PM

    Scripps has put the rocky mountain news up for sale.

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  41. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:33 PM

    12:02pm said, "Still no news in Tucson."

    There probably won't be much because Gannett laid waste to The Tucson Citizen (and by collateral damage, The Arizona Daily Star) back in the 1970's.

    Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

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  42. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:37 PM

    I have a long-standing bet that the Scripps-operated Naples News and GCI-owned Ft. Myers merge their printing operations.

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  43. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:44 PM

    What's the best health insurance deal out there?

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  44. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:49 PM

    12:19 - 93291

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  45. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:50 PM

    To those of you feeling suicidal:

    Please, please talk to someone. What you are going through is crushing. If you feel you can't talk to your spouse about what you're feeling, please call a hospital, or as someone earlier suggested, call 9-1-1. You and your family will survive this job loss, please know, believe and understand that.

    But your family may not survive the aftermath if you choose suicide. I have had those thoughts, I know how deep the pain can be that can drive you to that point. But you will cause your family far more pain than you can possibly imagine if you do this. I've seen the aftereffects with someone close to me.

    Please, please choose to live. It will get better.

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  46. Anonymous12/04/2008 2:57 PM

    What about some of the Pbs at smaller newspapers? Couldnt most of these newspapers operate with a GM rather then a controller? They have already done this at a few newspapers, but what about St George, Vislaia, Monroe, Great Falls, etc?
    Instead if cutting the front linbers are dept heads that are involved with the day-to-day, shouldnt we eliminate Pubs?
    We lost positions that are going to significantly impact product and revenue. We could have saved 5-5 of these positions if we eliminated the Publisher.

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  47. Anonymous12/04/2008 3:22 PM

    Naples is building a brand new plant. And because it was designed 6 years ago my guess it has a lot more horsepower than the current model requires! Seems like Fort Meyers moving ops over there would make sense.

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  48. Anonymous12/04/2008 3:30 PM

    What other depts. and who was cut at the Des Moines Register?

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  49. Anonymous12/04/2008 3:33 PM

    2:49 These are some numbers:
    (559)781-7462 - Central CA Family Crisis Center
    (559)627-3775 - Mountain View Counseling
    or
    hotline (415)726-6655

    Please don't wait - pick up the phone. Good luck and God bless.

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  50. Anonymous12/04/2008 3:35 PM

    Does anyone know the positions that were cut at the Statesman in Salem?

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  51. Anonymous12/04/2008 3:38 PM

    To 2:44 - The best I've found (and I posted on another thread) is through MediaBistro's AvantGuild membership program. I think I paid $50 to join, and my monthly premiums are reasonable for a family of four (two 'rents, two kiddos under 5). There are a few catches, in terms of pre-existing conditions and well exams (there's a waiting period for preventative care), but we went for it because we were getting killed by COBRA and then by another insurer.
    Good luck to you. Hang in there.

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  52. Anonymous12/04/2008 4:01 PM

    i was part of Tuesday's layoffs.
    I didn't know what tod do with my 401K so I called my Financial adviser and made an appointment.

    during our meting amy advisor called h.r. in Virginia to ask about the 401K. He was told I'm not in the system yet , and we need to wait until we all recd' a packet in the mail which is supposeely coming to all the people who were laid off.

    basically, we have to WAIT for paperwork to see what we can do .

    this is our money but Gannett is preventing us from rolling it over right way. Is this against the law for the company to hold up money after your job has been eliminated?

    i would like some feed back?

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  53. Anonymous12/04/2008 4:04 PM

    Salem lost 12 and 7 positions will also remain unfilled.

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  54. Anonymous12/04/2008 4:13 PM

    Here's the news story on Des Moines. Duffy is among the departed.

    http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008812040360

    For anyone interested in Des Moines, I am working on raising money to start something new. I'd be interested in finding a few folks to work with. You can reach me at editor@blognetnews.com

    (I am a former Gannettoid from USAT and DetNews.)

    ReplyDelete
  55. Anonymous12/04/2008 4:25 PM

    I used to work at the Press-Gazette in Green Bay, and when I was there, they were the most profitable newspaper in America with something like a 41.5 percent profit. What's asinine is that the publishers wonder where the readers are going. Well, you're giving the readers less to read. So they stop buying. So you cut staff. So there's less to read. It just never ends. Soon, there will be a USA Today, and each of the Gannett cities will have five reporters and they'll produce their four-page local "section" with news/sports/feature/opinion to put into the big paper. Gannett sucks. Good luck to all of you.

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  56. Anonymous12/04/2008 4:29 PM

    I was laid off Tuesady, my paperwork says that Employyee Assistance Program is available "during this period of job transition" for what it's worth the number is 800-273-0220.

    A friend who is a publisher of community newspapers outside of Gannett wrote to ma and said< "This will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest debacles in publishing history. When you look at the margins a lot of the Gannett papers still generate, this wholeselling of many veterans in an attempt to influence Wall Street is nothing short of insanity." I say true that.

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  57. Dutch619m12/04/2008 4:31 PM

    2:14pm "What exactly is that SEC filing for cash tender offer for floating rate notes?"

    Gannett is offering to buy back some of it's notes from creditors for $950 on the $1,000.

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  58. Anonymous12/04/2008 4:33 PM

    4:01, I am not sure but I believe since you are receiving severence, technically you are still on the payroll, you can't do a rollover until the severence runs out, the financial advisor should be able to determine if this is correct.
    Good luck to you!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Anonymous12/04/2008 4:34 PM

    Also, don't let them forget to tell you about the pension you were quietly drawing all those years. Be sure to ask them about the pension paperwork and how you can roll that over, too. It's completely separate from your 401K. Based on the ages and years of experience of the employees who were laid off this week, most everyone should be eligible for the pension. The pension check is a pretty sweet chunk of change.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Unknown12/04/2008 4:42 PM

    Following up the prior mention of suicidal thoughts. Please reach out for help. Many people care and can help turn things around.
    The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a 24-hour, toll-free service available to anyone. Call (800) 273-TALK, which is (800) 273-8255.
    You will be routed to the closest crisis center in your area. There are more than 130 crisis centers across the country. Your call is free and confidential.
    Some reasons to call are listed below.
    * Call to speak with someone who cares
    * Call if you feel you might be in danger of hurting yourself
    * Call to find referrals to mental health services in your area
    * Call to speak to a crisis worker about someone you're concerned about

    ReplyDelete
  61. Anonymous12/04/2008 4:50 PM

    In Salem, the newsroom lost one copy editor, who didn't leave voluntarily, and three people who left on their own (the arts reporter, an outdoors reporter and the graphic designer). The opinion editor was moved the arts reporter position.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Anonymous12/04/2008 4:54 PM

    You're eligible for the pension check as long as you've been there for five years -- make sure you follow up on it and get that check!

    (Just don't forget to set aside 10 percent of the actual check to pay for the tax. Ten percent will already be taken out of it by the time you get it but you'll still need to pay more.)

    If you follow up, you should get the check within two weeks of filing the paperwork.

    That money is YOURS.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Anonymous12/04/2008 4:56 PM

    Blog.tucsonweekly.com has news from the Tucson Citizen, including this memo from acting editor Jennifer Boice:

    I just wanted to let you all know that we have completed the cuts in the newsroom.

    They are in line with Gannett’s goal of a 10 percent cut in personnel costs for 2009. We had some open positions, people who cut hours voluntarily, one who accepted the severance, and a few people who had their hours trimmed involuntarily. Two people were laid off.

    TNI also utilized restructuring, open positions and voluntary cutbacks effectively, which means the number laid off these also was less than expected: fewer than 10.

    As part of the cost reduction, I have frozen everyone’s salaries for a year. That decision, which minimized the number of people to be laid off, affects every employee here. TNI decided not to go that route, so Citizen employees are the only ones affected.

    Gannett’s goal was to position itself to meet the weak economy straight on. Its projections for newspapers’ performance next year is pessimistically realistic, to my mind. Unless things go seriously south, we likely aren’t looking at more cuts any time soon. I hope.

    This has been a difficult time for everyone­ uncertainty is a killer. However, I hope we now can focus our full attention on creating a terrific newspaper and killer Web site.

    Jennifer

    In answer to some questions I have received, the opportunity for flexible hours continues. There is a form you can fill out at any time. Just make sure your editor is in the loop and can work with your proposal.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Anonymous12/04/2008 4:58 PM

    Carroll, Ohio printing plant closing with loss of 50 jobs

    http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20081204/NEWS01/812040318/-1/

    ReplyDelete
  65. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:00 PM

    Ohio printing plant closing...

    http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20081204/NEWS01/812040318/-1/

    ReplyDelete
  66. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:06 PM

    4:31 No big deal. Looks like they are repurchasing some of the debt that was due to be recalled next year when the bonds were scheduled to expire. Investment houses might decide they have more options for spending that money now than in 2009, so some might bite.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:08 PM

    2:49, I posted some numbers in your area awhile back. Please let us know how you are doing.
    A lot of us know how you feel and I am sure a lot of us care that you are OK.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:10 PM

    19 people were laid off at the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader.

    In editorial:

    Sarah Overstreet
    Ed Peaco - national news editor
    Jan Peterson - features editor
    John Dengler - graphic design
    Plus one unfilled reporter position

    http://chatterbyrondavis.blogspot.com/2008/12/news-leader-cuts-19.html

    Local bloggers are blasting Gannett
    http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2008/12/news-leader-gives-shallow-sendoff-to.html

    http://lifeofjason.com/2008/12/04/overstreet-out-at-news-leader/

    ReplyDelete
  69. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:13 PM

    Not to minimize the agony for everybody laid off in Gannettland, but just today four companies laid off a total of 20,650 workers. Sucks everywhere.

    http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/04/news/companies/ATNT/index.htm?postversion=2008120409

    ReplyDelete
  70. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:24 PM

    Gannett-Newhouse merger afoot?

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  71. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:26 PM

    (Mostly) non-layoff related topic: Anyone have a general idea of what MomsLikeMe aggregate user count is? Anywhere near 850,000?

    Just found this on techcrunch:
    With 850K Users In 2 Months, Circle Of Moms Comes Out Of Nowhere

    http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/04/with-850k-users-in-2-months-circle-of-moms-comes-out-of-nowhere/

    I'm pretty sure our recently hired full-time 'moms' evangelist is still employed. How bout your site? Do you have an employee dedicated solely to a 'moms' site?

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  72. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:31 PM

    4:01, regarding the 401k (and this goes for the pension, too):

    They have 30 days from your last day of work to send you the paperwork regarding your money. When I left a year ago for another job, I got my paperwork a month after I left the job.

    Then you have time to decide what to do with the money. Once you notify them of what you want to do -- especially if you're rolling it out -- they have a time limit to send the money to you, which I think is 30 days from the day they receive your instructions, but doublecheck that.

    Go ahead with the meeting with the financial advisor. I met with mine even though I didn't have the paperwork in hand to start discussing what the options were and what might suit my situation best (I took a pay cut when I left, but leaving saved my life). Then, once I had the paperwork, it was merely a matter of filling out what I needed to fill out and sending it back to the company.

    Be aware that if you plan to roll out your pension -- I did -- you will need a notarized signature from your spouse saying they approve of the rollover. It's not a big deal, but it can slow you down if you're not paying attention to that.

    One piece of advice: When you mail your paperwork to the company, keep copies of it and send it certified mail, return receipt requested. That way you know when they received it and when the clock started ticking on them sending the rollover check.

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  73. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:34 PM

    East Brunswick must be hurting. Today's HNT has five stories on the front page -- three of which are bylined "Staff report". Of course, one of those stories is about pet photos.

    http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=NJ_HNT&ref_pge=gal&b_pge=1

    ReplyDelete
  74. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:35 PM

    Whats the breakdown at Nashville?

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  75. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:40 PM

    When I was laid off two years ago, our HR critter explained that I wasn't getting "severance" but "salary continuation".
    And since I'm still considered an employee for fringe benefits etc., I wasn't eligible to receive un-employment benefits until that all expired.
    Also, although 401k contribution from the company stopped, my contributions were still deducted and applied.
    It was only after my final day that I could roll-over the money since I was no longer "employed".

    A lot of people where I worked are not aware they are actually covered by a pension.
    So be sure to ask for the figures.
    And be prepared to wait because HR is just so overworked, overwhelmed, these take time because they have to be done by hand, etc. <<=== Their words, not mine.
    Mine can be summed up simply: incompetent.

    The "new" pension plan is a lump sum check.
    I retired under the old plan and get a check every month.
    It's nice to get something for my 30+ years.
    But I cringe everytime I think the greedy bastards deduct one half of my social security payment from my pension as an "offset".
    Their rationale was "we paid half".
    So my 55% pension (they also dropped credit from 2% year to .7% per year after 25 years) suddenly becomes in reality a 30% pension. And then if you want spousal benefits on the pension whack off another 17%.
    Do I need to mention the Gannett retiree insurance plan.
    A mere $1100 per month for myself and spouse.
    So us retirees don't really have it all that good either except I don't have to put up with the daily Gannett crap and they can't (I hope) eliminate this "job".

    ReplyDelete
  76. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:46 PM

    I entertained the idea of suicide - briefly - after being let go but realized I had no life insurance to leave my spouse and children. Then I turned things over to God and have forged ahead. Things are rough and they will continue to be for some time, I think.

    The will of God will not take you where the grace of God cannot keep you.

    Hang in there...everyone. Lose your pride and lean on your friends. That's what they're there for.

    God Bless

    ReplyDelete
  77. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:47 PM

    5:26: Moms is still flourishing in Wilmington, which I believe was one of the pilot sites. There's one dedicated staffer. It's associated with a print tab called Delaware Parent, and there's lots of cross-pollination between the main paper's features department and Moms. In a staff meeting Wednesday, the EE singled out Moms as an example of new initiatives that can bring in more revenue, along with the "Green" project being developed.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:50 PM

    Tucson Citizen was notified their salaries will be frozen for a year. Does anyone know if ALL Gannett employees will have salaries frozen too?

    ReplyDelete
  79. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:51 PM

    Louisville waited until today to can an amazing photographer/photo desk editor... she had the day off yesterday and came in thinking she was safe...

    Monsters.

    ReplyDelete
  80. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:58 PM

    Jim's blog is popping up everywhere I look. Just noticed someone referred to it on a community website way down in South Mississippi!

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  81. Anonymous12/04/2008 5:58 PM

    "Staff report"... so who actually remains in East Brunswick?? I see 23 people cut, only seven names were listed here.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Anonymous12/04/2008 6:01 PM

    Actually, 5:31 p.m. I believe they have longer than 30 days under the law to process your pension payout. I was laid off in August and did not get the payout paperwork for quite awhile--I think it was October. I did call Tysons once to ask what was going on, they promised to get it to me within a week, and they did. Once you submit it there is another delay while they process your request. I finally received my payout just last Saturday, and believe me, I did not delay on any of it. My financial adviser urged me to get the money out and deposited as soon as possible, as he is very nervous about pension fund stability.

    ReplyDelete

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