Monday, February 02, 2009
Monday | Feb. 2 | Your News & Comments
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89 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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Oy: Monday.
ReplyDeleteYeesh, people.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think? All managers are competent reviewers? I've mentioned the story on here about how I was not called a team player because I wouldn't go to my manager's summer barbecues (designed to heighten a sense of team playing). Even after I listed the number of times I came to co-workers' rescue the number stayed low and there was no way to fight it.
Some managers subscribe to the theory that there is always room for improvement so they can't give a great score. (What they don;t realize is that people who legitimately earn great scores usually never give up improving on themselves. They work hard to get better.)
Some managers beat you down with low scores because they want you to stay under their thumb.
Some managers give high scores because they personally like you (funny, you never hear anyone complaining about that).
Some managers just have no idea how the department is run and roll dice.
Anyone see where more of our furlough money went? I saw Careerbuilder and Cars.com commercials in the Superbowl. Aren't those $3 million commercials during the Super Bowl? Also, anyone catch Careerbuilder sign in the far right background of the arena in the stands?
ReplyDeleteNice to know when times are going so well for Gannett that they put their dollars saved from workers to hard work.
Golf, now Super Bowl. Oh, don't forget to see how many papers were forced by publishers to put a house ad in Monday's paper about how many more people read today's paper than Superbowl. Survey says? Talk about a waste of our energies to make the paper smaller!
I was just wondering about the furlough which is place now, could the Gannett Co. or each unit's Publishers seeking to see how each unit operates without key people? Could it be the plan for the next layoff based on this info?
ReplyDeleteThis is just my thought, reply if you wish..
14 years at a NJ paper, never received a full raise till last year. 2.5% the max in my dept. (ADS) Best review ever too. I had some 5's. Secret: come to work sick. I always stayed home in the past, with DR. notes when I came back. Always got a lousy raise. So, after recieving NO Raise in 2006 for 2005 (out 15 days in 2005) it was recommended by a manager to use my personal days or vacation days instead of calling out "sick". My reviews and raises improved. In 2007 I called out only 2-3 times and (used personal days or vacation days). Thus, I received a full raise and got some 5's on my evaluation. My supervisor was a great guy (F.R.) and was layed off in the August layoffs, he gave me those 5's. Just goes to show: give them what they want, perfect or near perfect attendance. Or be a a**-kissing, brown noser. That works too! I'm not one of those! Never will be either.
ReplyDeleteTo 1:34--And then you have managers and directors who hire dimwits like one in Westchester who when asked why she hired a dimwit she replied---" Do you think that I am going to hire someone smarter than me?" I guess that is Westchester's idea of a team.
ReplyDeleteSuperbowl Commercial for CareerBuilder.com
ReplyDeleteAt a cost of three million dollars. After viewing it all I remembered was how much better the Monster.com commercial was.
I would be pissed if I was a share holder.
Anyone else out there have to do six-month reviews of their workers, with self-evaluations, too? That includes part timers! I'm drowning...
ReplyDeleteMy employee subscription has continued to be delivered after my December layoff. No one mentioned anything about it at the time of the layoff and I have never received a bill.
ReplyDeleteSaturday I received a postcard in the mail serving as a "friendly reminder" that I may have overlooked paying my bill. Duh! Maybe if this company didn't miss sending bills to its customers on a regular basis upper management wouldn't have to keep laying people off and forcing furloughs.
Does Finance screw up the Advertising bills as well? Do they send post cards to advertisers asking them to pay bills that have never been generated?
Print - "Here's a friendly reminder to pay the $30,000 from last month."
Digital - "Here's a friendly reminder to pay the $412.11 for your annual contract. Please pay it immediately as our long term strategy of killing the print product will fail if we don't start generating some real digital ad revenue soon."
I assume we're continuing the appraisal thread. Once upon a time at the Mothership, I was in a class on appraisals/reviews. The instructor was a group president.
ReplyDelete5 - Expert in your field, inside and outside of Gannett.
4 - Expert in your field, inside Gannett. Other Gannett sites are calling you
3 - Great employee
2 - Needs improvment, quickly.
1 - Should not be working for you.
OK.
ReplyDeleteGive something Gannett credit where credit is due.
The CareerBuilder.com Super Bowl ad was the best of all the ads played during the game.
Gross, but terrific.
If corporate would show that kind of innovative and original thinking, Gannett would be soaring right now ... or at least better weathering the economic storm.
[Standing O for the ad agency!]
Sunday night:
ReplyDeleteI crawl under the covers to stave off the chill in the unheated apartment, ready to have the most wonderful experience. I take it in my hands, smooth the creases, shake it a little, and then begin reading the Week in Review section of the Sunday New York Times. There was no battery needed, no electricity save my reading light; no eyestrain and glare from a screen, no heat from the laptop burning my thighs. Hell, I don't even own a laptop. I read with abandon my favorite NYT columnists, mulled over their words, set the paper aside, and began doing the NYT Magazine crossword puzzle. Too tired for that. I'll put it down and start again in the morning. And I won't have to boot up to do it.
I'm a laid-off career journalist.
And I'm damn angry at the companies who have taken the sex appeal out of newspapers. Where's the marketing? Why can't newspapers be cool again? Why have you surrendered to electronics? Don't say because it's making you money, because you know it isn't.
It's time for the young turks and turkettes in the newspaper business to come up with a way to turn this debacle around. Don't let it all slip through your fingers, folks.
Actually, viewing the ad several times on YouTube, it occurs to me that the ad is a perfect reflection of the emotional burden being placed on Gannett employees every day.
ReplyDeleteI really identify with that screamer lady.
Todays Greenville News' downsized classifieds is running 50 'Autos' and '4x4/SUV' ads. 24 of the ads (by my quick count) are by the Lexus dealership here. As our publisher drives a Lexus, I'm just wondering if the numerous dealership classifieds and the frequent Lexus double truck ads are paid for by the Lexus dealership at reduced rates or given gratis. Is it a coincidence or is there a 'special' relationship for Lexus with Gannett publishers. Just wondering.
ReplyDeleteIs it too much to ask that at least part of this blog could be Gannett workers talking about possible improvements or how we can pull ourselves -- all of us -- out of this mess?
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the constant complaints here that go so far beyond reality it makes me ashamed to work with such a bunch of negative people.
Yes the furloughs suck, there are bad managers and some people didn't get a 5 instead of a 3. All true. But to just rant about people over and over without relief makes reading this blog -- except for the actual news Jim breaks -- a supremely depressing experience.
"Everything's stupid." "No one knows anything." "My boss is a psychopath." Etc. etc. Gawd!!
We are better than this, Gannett bloggers. Show some backbone and spirit. And dignity at least.
As a former manager (almost 25 years total) let me weigh in here.
ReplyDeleteI did reviews honestly and fairly. If I didn't like someone on a personal level I still tried to remain impartial when doing their review/raise recommendation.
I'm sure not all Gannett managers do this. But the ones I've worked with were mostly fair-minded men and women.
The problem is the system was flawed and upper level managers (publishers, that's you) have no guts and won't back up your recommendation.
Doing an annual review is important and most managers don't have time to really do an adequate job. Some of them do it half-heartedly "just to get it done" and that's unfortunate.
Bottom line: Do a good job and you'll likely get a decent review. But no matter how well you do you won't get a 5; I got 4s and then suddenly those became 3.5s and 3s.
Hmmmmm.
Stock's down almost 9 percent this morning.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you wondering why the board has taken no action, just go look at who is on the board.
I'll leave it up to your imagination.
But really.... Donna Shalalallalalalalalalala?
STEELERS baby!!!
ReplyDeleteGCI Gannett Co., Inc 5.23 -0.54
ReplyDeleteAt 10am ET today, Gannett stock down 49 cents to $5.28/share. 52 week low is $5.00/share. Junk status! Will it go to the one year low or lower today? Gee, Craig and Gracia did a wonderful job Friday and maybe the shareholders are seeing what's really going on. Time to clean house and get a new Board as well.
ReplyDeleteSuperbowl.. did anyone see the totally stupid CareerBuilder commercial. It was horrible and I hope not one cent of my furlough went to pay for that 3 Million peice of CRAP! Monster was at least entertaining.
ReplyDeleteMany of us who have been laid off & are still jobless are parents of high school seniors headed to college next year. If you are filling out the FAFSA (federal financial aid form), make sure to check the category saying you are a "dislocated worker" as you want to make sure the college knows that your future income may be quite different from your past income. You can file the FAFSA right now, before you do your taxes, and amend it later. Some private colleges also want a second form called the CSS that gives you space to explain special circumstances like layoffs. You might want to get in touch with the financial aid office at the schools where your senior is applying and make sure there isn't anything else you need to do to make it clear that you need more financial help than your 2008 tax return might indicate. All of this plus worrying about college costs in general just puts more stress on laid-off Gannett workers but it has to be done.
ReplyDeleteSeem like all's quite on the "Eastern front" today?
ReplyDeleteStock is just getting hammered today. I fear we will be left with nothing but an obscenely glistening monument to some corporate egos, a jet, and some mothballed presses.
ReplyDeleteFrom the NYTimes.com
ReplyDeleteFor instance, Careerbuilder.com, owned by a consortium of media companies like Gannett and McClatchy, offered support to workers worried about changing jobs in a wretched economy.
The commercial, by Wieden & Kennedy, used exaggerated humor to suggest that “even if you make loads of money” — symbolized by a man drinking gold bars liquefied in a blender — “it may be time” to look around.
9:18 What Super Bowl ads were you watching? The CareerBuilder Ad was by far the most stupid ad of the entire day! Let me see, here is a program that is supposed to be upbeat and help peole get jobs...talking about how people hate their jobs. Ya got's to giv'em one thing. That ad was totally on the mark with how 95% of all people 'still' on the payroll for Gannett feel about their careers!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I completely identified with the folks in the careerbuilder.com ad. And I was told in a meeting not to bother giving out 5s in evals because no one gets them. I suppose if someone could walk on water, win a Pulitzer and figure out how to make our stock go back into the 80s like it was pre-Dubow, they might get a 5.
ReplyDelete9:20 AM said, without giving it much thought, "It's time for the young turks and turkettes in the newspaper business to come up with a way to turn this debacle around. Don't let it all slip through your fingers, folks."
ReplyDeleteAnd how would you recommend implementing that marketing, after the budget's been eliminated?
2/02/2009 10:18 AM said:
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, my psychotic ex-editor at Louisville prepared a scathing annual review after I felt I had a pretty good year. He accused me of threatening him (never happened) and blamed me for some critical mistakes he had made. I was just dumbstruck and refused to sign it. I filed a written protest with his supervisor and in effect said it was unfair and over the top. I offered documentation to back up my case. It was changed from a 2.5 to a 3. Luckily, this nut was shown the door a few months later.
There are just so many possible candidates here.....I'm guessing it was Chuckles the Clown, but I could be wrong....
How many papers missed deadlines Sunday night because the RTC was understaffed for the Super Bowl? We sure did.
ReplyDeleteWere furloughs to blame? Or did RTC management forget about the Super Bowl?
If they stopped devaluing this company, and writing down assets by $5.9 billion, the stock price would stabilize or increase. Then they say the board is considering the dividend, and you see what happens.
ReplyDeleteDoes any body know about cuts in Cherry Hill today ?.
ReplyDeleteDid any Gannett newspapers have a connection to Google? According to JobDig, Google didn't find the newspaper/google partnership rewarding.
ReplyDelete"Even Google Is Giving Up On Newspapers
Posted on Wednesday 21 January 2009
Google has a vested interest in making sure that quality journalism not only survives, but thrives in the decades ahead. CEO Eric Schmidt has identified the demise (and maybe even death) of the daily newspaper industry and the decline of journalism in general as a concern for Google. As such, the giant has to be exploring ways in which it can achieve its business objectives by strategically support efforts to maintain a sufficient quantity of high-quality journallistic content on the web. One of the means by which it was trying to do so was helping the newspapers sell advertising in its newspapers. But the effort has not been successul and Google announced this week that it was scrapping the initiative. This stands as yet another blow to an industry that is quickly running out of supporters and alternatives to its dismal business model."
9:44 My boss is a certified psychopath. She's a nutcase-private life included.
ReplyDeleteCheck out this story about Brad Robertson, the publisher at the Burlington Free Press
ReplyDeletehttp://www.7dvt.com/2009high-noon-burlington-free-press
9:48 Your one of the few I commend you! Our managers are drivin with thoughts by EE's AD's etc. I'm not aloud to think on my own.
ReplyDeleteAny news on a post-Paulson USA TODAY?
ReplyDelete9:44 - Lead by example. You want posters to give "possible improvements or how we can pull ourselves -- all of us -- out of this mess." Sounds good. But where was yours?
ReplyDeleteReally, just how much can the individual employee, furloughed worker or laid-off one do?
The RTC has had a very hard time meeting our deadlines, so we've resorted to having or staff photographers correct their images
ReplyDeleteand sending images that need to be pathed to RTC flunkies. Toni Humphreys and her crew has become our little newsroom joke.
Any word on anymore cuts? I fail to believe that furloughs will be enough to stem the losses in revenues. Plus, furloughs every quarter are only a temporary solution to a long-term problem. I am concerned about friends still employed with Gannett.
ReplyDeleteIf there is a cut, my husband is going to volunteer to go...He just wants out, ( hopefully with his pension intact)!!...He's been with Gannett, down in the plant, almost 30yrs, and he just turned 50...Not a great age, or economic time, to be looking for a new job, but he's willing to roll the dice.
ReplyDeleteHe's in good physical condition, and can still do physical work, so we're hoping since he has what might be considered lower expectations as far as what he's looking for in job satisfaction, he'll be able to find something within a year.
Anyway, maybe his volunteering will free up a position for someone who wants and needs to stay.
On USAT: Corporate could save money not filling the Paulson position, and run it the way they want to. I am expecting huge layoffs at USAT anyday now.
ReplyDeleteFurlough I am sure was not enough. Be prepared for HUGE layoffs in the 2nd qtr. Especially in places like here in MI that are doing extremely poorly.
ReplyDeleteH
Waaay back in 1986, the small company I worked for publishing magazines for cable companies had the hourly employees take an unpaid day off every month "for the good of the company." We weren't happy about it, but at least it was a day away from the office. Most of us used those days to look for a new job. It took about three years after that for the company to go under. I was happily working at my new job at, you guessed it, a newspaper. Twenty one years later, I find myself asking the same question: When does this rat jump off the sinking ship?
ReplyDeleteMoody's downgrades Gannett on continued revenue challenges
ReplyDeleteBy Wallace Witkowski
Last update: 3:31 p.m. EST Feb. 2, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Moody's Investors Service downgraded Gannett Co. (GCI:Gannett Co., Inc
News , chart , profile , more
Last: 5.30-0.47-8.15%
3:59pm 02/02/2009
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GCI 5.30, -0.47, -8.1%) and may downgrade the media company further because of declines in revenue and challenges for the company's newspaper and broadcast operations. Moody's cut Gannett's senior unsecured rating to Baa3 from Baa2, and its commercial paper rating to Prime-3 from Prime-2. About $1.6 billion in debt is affected
Moody's Investors just cut GCI to junk because the company is heading towards insolvency. "Moody's is concerned that Gannett's free cash flow, while still positive, is deteriorating rapidly from very strong historical levels despite revenue-enhancement initiatives and cost reduction efforts," the rating agency said. In an incredibly worded statement, Moody's doubts Gannett can cut any more and questioned whether the company can meet its debt obligations in the future. This means bankruptcy.
ReplyDelete"Gannett's traditional ability to mitigate pressure on leverage through debt reduction is diminishing as it also faces the maturity of its entire debt capital structure by April 2012," Moody's said.
Moody's cut GCI to its lowest investment grade, and said it is putting the company on watch.
The furloughs aren't producing the sort of savings Wall Street wants to see for this company. I think I know what that means. Damn.
ReplyDeleteD'ya think these downgrades are circulated ahead of time among investors? Look at the performance of GCI in the last couple of days. Someone must have known something.
ReplyDelete3:37 -
ReplyDeleteUnless your husband has especially caring managers who have some degree of local autonomy and control, his volunteering won't save a single soul. They'll just consider that gravy.
If there's a specific person in a worse personal situation than yours - young kids, spouse with cancer, etc. - he might want to consider making a quid-pro-quo deal. But just volunteering... no, that won't help anyone.
Of course people knew something. What? You think "insider trading" is illegal? Or maybe they read this blog.
ReplyDelete2:24 ... yeah, it's horrible, ain't it? RTC is a waste. I feel sorry for the people who have to work there.
ReplyDeleteOK - Everyone it's time to stand up and be counted. Let's skip lunch each day for the next month and buy Gannett stock. Let's make something GOOD happen.
ReplyDeleteThere almost certainly will be more layoffs at USA TODAY whether Paulson's job is filled or not. The company still sees too many fat paychecks being received by people who are still primarily print journalists/editors. While some dabble on the web site, it isn't enough to justify the high salaries to corporate. USA TODAY is on a mission to clear out all of those who made a good living off the newspaper (and BTW, that was a two-way street because the paper made the company a fortune on the backs of those journalists)and to replace them with lower salaried, higher tech-skilled folks. It's not right. The techies are lacking in some profound areas and the web site is a joke amongst the demographic USAT thirsts for. It won't lead to better journalism on either platform, but the company is in a struggle for its survival and can't afford to maintain many staffers making close to or over six figures. If you make that kind of money, you most likely will be gone in the next two years. No other Gannett paper has a newsroom with so many high salaries. Some have already been booted. Others are about to be booted. And all the furloughs in the world aren't going to prevent that. In fact, the furloughs are pretty much a joke to the people who saving money matters to the most. It will buy the paper another quarter at best, but then the layoffs will come again. And they will be paper-wide. The newsroom will take a big hit, simply because of the numbers in that department, but other smaller departments will be all but wiped out. Anything primarily print-related has to be eliminated sooner than you might expect. It's probably better to leave on your own at this point. It won't be any easier finding a new job as you get older and the economy worsens. USA TODAY, unlike most Gannett properties, is just too fat in corporate's eyes. And it's not going to be accepted much longer. Some will transitioned gracefully into digital jobs, but the bigger salaried people will be lost, regardless of whether they embrace the web site or not.
ReplyDeleteDon't make the mistake of thinking that just because you learn how to get something published on a web site that that will protect you. USA TODAY has been seen as bloated for many years, and it was only because the paper was so profitable and branded that past editors were able to keep all the salaries and resources. With Paulson gone, the paper is poised to downsize and it's going hit hardest in the newsroom. Word is, expect a 20-25% staff reduction by 2010,p perhaps in phases. Most of those hits will involve senior staffers. Some jobs will be turned into part-time positions. Many newsroom print operations will be farmed out or handled by part-timers. Others positions will will be straight layoffs with less severance than the last round. This is the preliminary expectations for the nation's newspaper. If that changes, well, it will be because of other forces. But I don't expect to see much variation from this plan. Please plan accordingly as so many of those who were surprisingly let go in all departments are struggling because they were caught off guard by the USA TODAY hatchet and, in reality, aren't of an age where changing careers is the easiest thing anyway. If you are paid anywhere near $100K and don't have an escape plan for the next six to 18 months, you are going to be collecting unemployment. And most folks I know, can't survive on unemployment checks. If there is a perception that your job can be done by others, even if not as well, you will be gone. The company is not interested in tweaking quality at this point, regardless of what they say. And regardless of who the new editor is, print does NOT matter anymore. Don't rationalize it by thinking that the paper pays the bills so therefore your job is safe. This is a company very willing to move fast now, even at the risk of losing its main and current revenue stream. It's all or nothing in it's gambling on the future. There will be many distortions, lies and trickery laid on you, but it's not for your benefit. USA TODAY is on its own timetable now. The goal is to have you give your time, hope and expertise for just awhile longer...then you will be gone quicker than you can ever imagine. I can only say that if you haven't seen the writing on the wall yet, and don't believe what I am writing here, then you are probably going to be in a worse position when they eliminate your job. Plan now. By doing so, you are protecting yourself and sticking it to this newspaper before they can stick it to you. USA TODAY, as we've known it, is on life support.
4:36
ReplyDeleteWell, if it would help someone else that would be nice!!
I hope I didn't make it sound like he was doing it purely for unselfish purposes...Uhhhhhh, not quite!! :) We have 3 in college, and a 10yr old in parochial school, so don't think we aren't edgy about it.
We just don't know which is worse, stay and maybe not have anything at the end of the day...Or leave with something, and keep your fingers crossed that he's able to find half-way sustainable work for the next 10yrs.
Skip lunch????? Not on Cherry Hill's life
ReplyDeleteRest in peace, GCI. After reading Moody's, I'm at a loss for words right now for an appropriate headstone.
ReplyDeleteOK. Here's what I want to know:
ReplyDeleteTo those other souls out there who were laid off in December (or earlier), where are you finding work? What industries are you interviewing in (if any)? And to my former newsroom folks, how are you leveraging your news skills into a new position in another field?
I really would like to know how other people are selling their skill set.
As for me, I have an interview tomorrow for a copywriting/graphic design job for an online outdoor furnishings retailer.
I find that most "other" people out there don't understand the skill set that journalists have,and am wondering how other people are overcoming this.
Just like McClatchy, debt is dragging this company under. Corporate rolled up all these profits, so why did they need to take on such excessive debt that they now clearly cannot repay.
ReplyDeleteWhat, suggest improvements to Gannett? Have you ever made a suggestion to improve the paper, improve flow of information, whatever? I have, and they were totally ignored. At least until a few years later when the company rolled out slightly different versions of the changes and conveniently forgot their origin. The company has a suggestion program that pays $25 or more for ideas that it adopts. Sorry. I don't make $25 suggestions. If I make a suggestion to help save the company, I would want a Dubow-sized bonus. Better yet to give the suggestion to another company open-minded and nimble enough to act on it.
ReplyDeleteUnlike other Gannett newspapers, USA Today has paid its newsroom fairly well. Now I understand that salary is relative to other industries, where one lives, etc. But I am just saying that the slave wages at most of the other Gannett papers are considerably lower than USA Today. While USA Today probably will always pay better, I do see Gannett wanting to cut into that payroll by eliminating more positions. Print and senior positions will continue to disappear, probably fairly rapidly this year. The economy will be a good excuse to get the flagship more in line with other Gannett papers. That, of course, will make this no better a place to work than many other GCI properties. In fact, with the cost of living here, it will be a worse place to work as those left behind will be buried in responsibilities.
ReplyDeleteThe Career Builder commercial was filmed on location @several Gannett sites using real life employees. This was done to save money on making of the commercial.But without there knowing it the company has actually shown the world it's true colors
ReplyDeleteusa today is a sinking ship...it no longer holds any prestige for any working journalist familiar with the situation...just as it was about to turn the journalistic corner, the roof collapsed and now all the fools who want to have a "fun" web site are running the fun show! I say clear the place out...put folks out of their misery and turn the keys over to the clowns.
ReplyDeleteHow many times have you made suggestions regarding publications and had your manager use them as their own???? at least 4-here. Anyone else?
ReplyDeleteAPP "ADS" to the Rescue
ReplyDeleteAnon@123P: Courier News (NJ) made deadline -- barely.
ReplyDeleteThat stream of consciousness about USA TODAY's print demise and the switch to digital and all the rest sounds like wishful thinking from a corporate type who believes being bold is an all-or-nothing proposition.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that USA TODAY is quite lean for what it tries to do, especially with all the new products.
Want o be bold and go all-or-nothing? Realize we're a big company that does many things right and grow THOSE things. Sitting at your desk and writing some cooler-than-thou Doomsday post is equivalent to a Super Bowl parody ad.
USA Today is actually a quite heroic thing done by way too few people. As opposed to armchair advisers.
Jim Kroeze will save us. Here I come to save the day!!
ReplyDelete4:40, why skip lunch? All we'd need to skip would be a cup of coffee at the local Kwik-E-Mart to buy Gannett stock...
ReplyDeleteMy spouse just made me even more mad today even after all that money we spent on advertising for the Super Bowl.
ReplyDeleteUSA Today just gave two unemployed brothers from Indiana one million bucks for their winning ad. Enjoy the money, maybe they could start a soup kitchen with the winnings.
As a 10 year employee, eight as a supervisor, I was told that I'd never be able to give out a five because no one ever gets them. So far, so true.
ReplyDeleteIf you are waiting for buyouts, I don't think you will see those again. My manager said that at a recent meeting, the powers that be acknowledged buyouts were a mistake because they attracted some of the more valued workers they wanted to keep. He said they also found productivity declined because editors had to deal more with newbie reporters and replace what old-timers were doing in mentoring the cubs. I found this interesting and shows how easy it is to disturb a society like a newsroom.
ReplyDeleteI'm convinced that there is a plan, at this point. As ill-conceived as it must be, the brass must have an idea of what Gannett will look like in a year, right? It seems to me that Gannett has put the breaks on the online movement in recent months. Is there a clear direction now or are they making things up at this point? I'm just shocked that the board hasn't acted yet. The bottomline is that there are a lot of smart employees who know that this company has failed in its fiduciary responsibility to its shareholders and lenders. I suspect that most of us can provide specific examples. So what gives with the board? Are these people out to lunch or just in DoBow's pocket.
ReplyDeleteWho is this Jim Krueze character I see mentioned thats going to save us?
ReplyDelete6:42:
ReplyDeleteUSA Today didn't give anyone a million dollars for an ad. Those brothers won a Dorito's contest for amateurs to design a Super Bowl ad, with a priz of $1 million. That ad that the brothers created wound up winning USA Today's Super Bowl meter contest. But there was no prize money. Please, let's stop making stuff up
http://tinyurl.com/de5xx4
7:28, sadly it is looking like the plan is to suck the very life-force from the beast and leave the rotting carcass for the highest bidder. Who would want to buy a carcass? AOL Time Warner?
ReplyDeleteHi, Dummy!
ReplyDeleteDoritos paid the brothers $1 million for the magic ball commercial, not USA Today. The only connection is that the ad was most popular with USA Today's poll participants. They thought it was the funniest Super Bowl ad.
Bye, dummy!
Hey "DUMMY"
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many people were walking around there office's today and saying "Hey dummy" ??
ReplyDeleteMaybe there plan might of worked a little
6:11. You want to see lean, go to the other 80some GCI papers. They are doing the same things USAT's newsroom is doing. They are going digital. They are creating new products. They are putting out a paper. And they are doing it with far fewer high salaried staffers and no gym. They have virtually no one in their newsrooms approaching 100k salaries. Hell, even Jim made about or over 100k while there, as do many reporters, graphics people, assigning and deputy editors. It's not like USAT columnists have a rabid following. Some of the DMEs do virtually nothing other than sell themselves.
ReplyDeletePlease don't tell me USAT is lean. In comparison with what? It publishes a small paper (in terms of pages) five days a week. No Sunday edition to deal with. It has no real stars but a lot of star salaries. Some of the columns that appear in paper are embarrassing.
Sorry, I am not trying to bash USAT, and especially not trying to demean its newsroom, but looking at it through the prism of GCI, you guys are in for a rough time. Anything even vaguely perceived as fat is going to be trimmed. The perception elsewhere is that USAT is too pampered with a newsroom that lacks flexibility and diversity of skills. Those designing pages at other GCI papers choose their own pictures. They don't have an army of people to edit one story. They have a few tech-savvy people who are teaching others how to be more self-sufficient, while USAT keeps hiring whiz kids to save the day.
Look, USAT has some real good, solid people. Are they worth the money? Not in the eyes of GCI. Not anymore. And not in the opinion of those at other Gannett papers doing as much or more with fewer resources.
USAT the paper, with it's now very outdated and expensive production process, is going to go away. Probably sooner than the community dailies. It wants to be a national/international digital player and needs to dramatically cut costs in print to do so. The journalism no longer matters so saying you're lean is pretty much a moot point. Yes, maybe you are a little lean if you want to do great journalism, but not lean enough if the brand is going to be transitioned into the digital entertainment world.
USAT is no longer about journalism, and it certainly not about print. I admire those trying to cling to their values, but folks, it's over. I don't advocate cutbacks or layoffs. In fact, I hate them. But the facts are what they are. USAT is fat in Gannettland. The paper and top salaried print people, and maybe even some web site frauds, need to go so that the company can do what it wants with the brand. Harsh, yup. But how can you deny what is happening? Look around at the empty desks. Look at the paper. Look at the lack of awards in the last couple of years. Look at who replaces every lost journalist there. Look at who has the clout.
USAT print isn't even close to lean enough for what is coming.
8:49 plus USAT is draining profits from the community papers.
ReplyDeleteUSA Today is going to be something else other than a news provider. It's not going to be a journalism giant on any platform. In fact, was it ever really in the same league as the Post or Times? Maybe it was getting there, but that was derailed. I see a tremendous lack of substance in the paper lately, and assume that is because the resources are being sucked out of the newsroom. Being that it's a young paper/brand, the transition to digital entertainment and soft info/news won't be like reinventing the wheel. It's a relatively short leap. It will continue to use gimmicky visuals, bright colors and wow you with interactive nonsense that contributes to the dumbing down of America. Online content -- I think that's what they call it -- speaks to me like a used car salesman. It will be all about hits and tricks to get you to click and eventually the public will be annoyed and everything that was great about the Internet will be ruined.
ReplyDeleteIf USA Today were alone in this silly pursuit, I'd be more harsh in my criticism. However, the media -- from the nightly network news to PBS shows -- are all in a frenzy to get you to click around on their web sites. You can't watch a damn football game without being annoyed by the constant pitching of web sites. I watched a report on ABC news tonight that left out a key piece of information from the story. Just horrible journalism in the eyes of this old editor. But then I discovered that the omission was probably intentional and that they just wanted you to go to the web site to fill in the gaping holes. I for one am tired of these games. And being a former journalist, I hate what is happening to newspapers and all media. USA Today included. I am to the point where I feel many of the problems we face today with the economy and the war are reflective of the lack of good watchdog journalism. The sloppier the media gets, the more trite the "news" becomes, the more our democracy is at risk.
USA Today was never my favorite paper. But I saw value in it because it got people who wouldn't normally read a paper to pick up a copy now and then so they might at least have a clue as to what is going on in the world. That has changed. The paper is not what it was 10 years ago. The web site gives me nothing substantive I can trust. Is that damn site even edited?
I am seeing these changes as a former insider. Eventually,the public, at least folks who would like real news and real enterprise, will see the folly of the digital news reports that have all but thrown out the time-tested values and ethics of journalism. Too many of my former colleagues have lost their jobs. With them, the trust of media reports has also left the room.
While I don't see a compelling need to cut down trees forever to create newsprint, I do see a profound value in newspaper principles surviving this digital onslaught. While everyone is focused on how to get a web site up or to massage it to get more hits, the journalism is disappearing. Layoff victims are almost always print people. The problem with that should seem obvious, but in corporate America, the lack of commonsense and honor are anything but obvious to CEOs, publishers, etc.
On the bright side, this is a perfect opportunity for someone to create a real journalistic web site, of respected authors, edited by accomplished editors and targeted towards people with an appetite for something more than news about American Idol. Someone or some organization will make a great name for themselves by one day producing such a trusted site. I predict it will be run by laid off editors from all corners of the once great newsrooms. Their skills will be passed down to younger people who want to carry the torch instead of trashing their elders. It will be a site that technically runs smoothly and doesn't annoy the crap out of readers. It will be a site run by people who understand how to write a headline, press an Freedom of Information Act or avoid a libel suit. It will be a site that puts things in perspective and doesn't scream at the reader. And it won't be initiated by large companies like Gannett or run by the current crop USA Today'ers. I look forward to that day.
USA Today is a joke once again. It forced its way to number 1 in circulation through sketchy means, but was making positive strides in terms of substances. Just as it rose quickly to the top, it will now fall because it lost it values. Too much lost talent. Too much anger. Too many bad ideas.
ReplyDeleteThe paper for years was hated in the journalistic community. It certainly was loathed by other Gannett news people. Still is. The paper is a template, and not even a decent one anymore. The web site is awful on every level. It locks up my computer. It has nothing on it that I can't get more reliably elsewhere.
The brand really needs to go away.
Curious about what others think about this:
ReplyDeleteFurloughs have been around for years. In the past, they were mainly used in manufacturing during temporary plant closures. Now, organizations in various sectors appear to be rediscovering furloughs — and are using them in unprecedented numbers.
But firms that use furloughs on a regular basis to prop up the bottom line are not only risking low morale among the rank and file: They also walk a tight rope when it comes to wage and hour laws. While hourly workers can be furloughed as often as managers at private employers want, salaried employees that are not entitled to overtime cannot be furloughed repeatedly, says Loren Smith, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor.
Frequent deductions in pay create a situation where you are treating salaried workers like hourly workers, he says. “Employees can lose their exempt status and might be entitled to overtime in the future.”
See the whole link here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28695591/
Here's why I'm curious - in the call Friday, Crystal Castle didn't rule out more furloughs later this year. I'm a manager. How many before I'm no longer exempt - I'd LOVE to get the OT from all the hours I put in...
Love all the usat bashing. LOL. I like many of the peeps there, but the place is a train wreck waiting to happen. Stripped the heart and soul right out of a once successful product produced by some pretty top shelf pros. Not all was perfect, but compared to now, those were the good old days back on the Potomac! The brand is big enough to survive, I think. Yet I tend to agree that the darkest days are still ahead for usat. If they keep making decisions like they have in the last year or two, maybe the palace will implode sooner.
ReplyDeleteI grow tired of the Gannettoids, who say “be positve”. I try to do my job each and every day with a smile on my face and a good addititude. But I find the youngsters are brain washed and it is very frightening. You can still time for the blinders to be taken off and see what is truly happening. Because I tell the truth, which has happened over and over again, I am labeled as negative. I have always been a supporter of the underdog and always support my workers. But I'm finding the younger workers truly believe there is a holy grail. Kids, open your eyes and stop drinking the Kool Aid. You could be next because Metromix and the younger community pubs could be gone in a blink of any eye. Internet advertising, is what, 10% of Gannett profits? You'll be left with kids that have no clue but how to take photos and put them on facebook with a Metromix link. You really think this is going to drive revenue? Lets see what happens when the actual worker bees leave and you are left with the workers who thought they would never have to do any honest days work, because the older workers would pick up the slack. Your time is coming, should be interesting to say the least.
ReplyDeleteThis bashing of USAT is so misguided. USAT is the one brand Gannett has that is actually worth something. It is very profitable. Without the newspaper, there is no website, and the web types need to remember that. The print product is paying their salaries. The website is not paying the bills.
ReplyDeleteThere is absolutely no one who will go to the USAT website without the newspaper driving the brand. None. If Dubow and his management team think they can strip the print product to nothing, they will find themselves without a national brand and vital revenue stream. If this management team has given up on journalism, as some here suggest, then this company will soon be split up or bankrupt. Social websites and shopper websites will not sustain this company.
As for carping about salaries, get over it. The USAT salaries are not in the same league as those paid at competing papers -- Times, Post, LA Times, etc. To complain about somebody making a little more than your job in a much smaller market is simply small minded and short sighted. There is no one in USAT's newsroom getting rich, beyond the publisher and departed editor. Don't get carried away with envy and small thinking.
So many falsehoods, so little time:
ReplyDelete1)USAT's website has made money for several years now (not so sure about this year, though). It doesn't make a pile of cash, but it isn't a drain.
2)I find it hilarious that people talk about the "techies" that the USAT website keeps hiring. Do you know anything about these alleged "techies?" They almost all have master's degrees in JOURNALISM from the Ivies or one of the big journalism schools -- and they're at the top of their classes. They also generally have professional experience. They are often young, but it's the young people who understand this medium. They can work across platforms, they can (usually) write and edit, and if they're taking your job, it might be because you haven't upgraded your skills since The Cars were the most popular band in the land.
3)Do you understand that 'newspaper' vs. 'website' is a false choice? In the very near future, news organizations are going to have to serve up stuff to all sorts of digital platforms -- portable devices, on-demand video services, specialized feeds, who-knows-what -- and the winners are going to be the news organizations that can adapt to an ever-changing marketplace. I don't feel good about the future of most newspapers on that front; a lot of newspapers are still trying to adjust to the 1970s.
Whatever gets you through, I guess.
"the brass must have an idea of what Gannett will look like in a year, right? "
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure of that. It seems to me like the plan has forever been to throw buckets of water on fires and put all your resources into anything that shows even a slight potential for making money.
You could call that a plan I suppose, but I think it's more a lack of a plan (or maybe a slew of technical mis-judgements) that's causing so many knee-jerk reactions/decisions at the highest levels of Gannett management.
Dubow's recent speech leaned towards blaming the whole situation within the newspaper industry on the current economic crisis. In reality, the downward spiral in the newspaper industry had been going on for years. The Gannett boat was just too big with too many layers of management to steer the ship through the choppy waters with the speed necessary to avoid running her aground.
"portable devices, on-demand video services, specialized feeds, who-knows-what -- and the winners are going to be the news organizations that can adapt to an ever-changing marketplace."
ReplyDeleteGannett's there already, they just don't realize it. Behind the curtains is an SQL server running Saxotech. Pretty good DB in fact.
Any kid out of a current 2 year IT program can write SQL queries to create XML. XML translates to pretty much anything and to any devices. It's what it was designed to do.
Of course, the flipside is, we pretty much all loose our jobs since the information can flow anywhere from anywere to anywhere without anyone lifting a finger.
Scary thing is... the architecture's there. If we weren't in such economic turmoil right now, we might have already been able to throw the switch.