The Citizen also is reporting that potential buyers have been invited to visit the newsroom and interview employees next week. The paper has been on only day-to-day publishing status since two 11th-hour bidders emerged shortly before Gannett's original threatened March 21 shutdown.Connell's remarks brought official confirmation that Corporate had sent two executives Wednesday to Tucson from McLean, Va., headquarters: the News Department's Ann Clark, and Bob Oliver, a vice president for compensation and benefits.
"You have to understand, normally, we don't offer a newspaper for sale and say in exchange they might shut down," Connell said, by way of explaining Clark and Oliver's presence. "This is unusual and we're trying to have people there who can answer questions."
Connell's remarks are puzzling, however. If Corporate's chief concern is providing support for Gannett's 60 Citizen employees, why did Clark and Oliver parachute into the paper unannounced -- a a tipster told me? And what of reports that a reporter's column was spiked after Clark's arrival, because it may have reflected poorly on Gannett or the potential bidders?
Will there be editions through those interviews next week?
ReplyDeleteWas Friday the last day?
Losers both.
ReplyDeleteIf this is the sort of vapid lickspittle suckup useless craptastic lackeys that rise to the top of the Gannett septic system, thank god we're getting out.
I gotta say the value of this blog drops quickly when contributors turn juvenile. I respect that there are many many things Gannett should do (have done) better. I respect a healthy dose of criticism of current top management. But it makes perfectly good sense for Gannett to have these types of execs in Tucson to talk with employees about their benefits, etc. If I was working there I'd likely turn my anger toward them, but in the end I'd probably benefit by having them available. What would we all be saying if the paper closed and no one from corporate had gone there?
ReplyDeleteAs a former Gannetter who has dealt, sadly, a time or two with Ann Clark, I have no doubts her school marm' attitude and smug condescention went over Reeeeeeeal well in Tuscon ... LOL
ReplyDeleteGannett could not have sent a worse person to deal with stressed, angry and depressed people.
Ann Clark struck me as an arrogant, icy know-it-all in my one encounter with her when she came to the Gannett paper where I used to work. She seemed hypnotized by the corporate formulas and market research she spewed out to the staff during her visit.
ReplyDeleteI don't sense she has the journalistic chops to cover a two-alarm fire.
"Parachute into the paper unannounced." This is what I hate about your "reporting" Jim. You seem to look hard, at times, to put an anti-corporate spin on things. I have no doubt that your average copy editor didn't know they were coming. Were they wearing disguises? Actual parachutes? Now, if you are telling me the publisher and the editor didn't know until they walked into the room, that is something. Still, last time I looked, Gannett owns this property. Sounds a bit like a kid bitching that his parent had "parachuted into his room" and had something to say about how it looked.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteYesterday, you created such a mystery by refusing to identify who the high ranking corporate exec visitors were. Help me. Other than creating blog intrigue, what would have been harmed by simply saying who was visiting? Playing games like this makes you a lot like supervisors we all despise.
Truth is, the local management team called USCP management in McLean and asked for someone to come to deal with a newsroom spinning out of control.
ReplyDeleteAs Tara told the other local, the Arizona Daily Star:
ReplyDeleteGannett extended an invitation to buyers to speak with Citizen staffers next week, said company spokeswoman Tara Connell.
As such, "I think you can make the assumption that there will very likely be publishing going on," Connell said.
Thanks for clearing that up.
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ReplyDeleteTwo-alarm fire? Now, Now lets not get ahead of ourselves here people. Any fire requiring more than a fire extinguisher would be out of her league. And parachute critic, don't your examples sort of counterdict each other...?
ReplyDeleteCan someone please wipe that sick grin off of Craig's face!
ReplyDeleteQuestions to ask in Tucson:
ReplyDeleteThe news staff has been told prospective buyers will do a walk through of the Tucson Citizen newsroom the week of March 30.
But the "assets" consist of some newsroom computers and furniture and the domain name for the Tucson Citizen. The building, press, and so forth remain in the JOA.
Why would a prospective buyer need to walk through to see some old computers, you might ask?
Because dogs and ponies are on the horizon.
The Justice Department is leaning hard on Gannett to find a buyer. Gannett would have been content to close the operation and pay out about $200,000 in severance.
But thanks to the unintended consequences of its actions, Justice will end up causing Gannett to screw the employees out of their severance and "sell" the newspaper.
The visitors this week will likely be fake buyers who will purchase the domain name and resell it for a few dollars profit. They are being paraded through the newsroom as a dog-and-pony show for the Justice Department.
It doesn't get any more perverse than this.