Sunday, April 19, 2009
18 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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RE: Publisher's Circulation Fulfillment & The Asbury Park Press
ReplyDeleteI was in the Neptune home delivery warehouse Thurday-04-16-2009 to visit and reminisce with co-workers and carriers.
I was amazed at the bizarre dynamic between the P.C.F. people and the Press people. Press people -including me- pleasantly said "Good Morning" to our replacements; press people offered to help with route books to facilitate the May 3rd transfer of Power.
The P.C.F. people DID NOT even acknowledge the existence of Press people. They had blank stares...NO REPLIES.....NOTHING. Either it's a company policy in dealing people being replaced (Dead-Men(women)-Walking) or they just -collectively- possess the Personality of a Concrete Block.
I've been saving the C-N for the landlady all week while she's down South. Gives me the opportunity to compile a roundup of the C-N's latest faux pas:
ReplyDeleteMonday -- News blip in Community Life page about a plant sale. Last graf includes "... contact your local county Cooperative Extension office ..." The phone number to call was omitted.
Tuesday -- 3 notable deaths in the same day: Marilyn Chambers (nothing), Harry Kalas (big story and picture in sports), Mark Fidrych (agate in sports). Also nothing about Phil Spector being convicted of murder.
Wednesday -- NFL schedules announced; Giants schedule written out, Jets schedule omitted. Also nothing about Oscar de la Hoya retiring from boxing.
Thursday -- Tea party story reported twice, once on Page 1, once in Daily Briefing.
Friday -- Downplaying the fact that the Obama gov't is letting the CIA off the hook on torture. (Buried within related story in Daily Briefing.)
Saturday -- Promoting an advertorial and giving away your M.O. on Page 1 above the fold: "Home-delivery customers will find the section in the Saturday insert package. Newsstand customers will find the section with Sunday's paper."
Of course the C-N prints reams of copy about baseball and lots of feel-good fluff. Are baseball box scores that sacred?
APP has to be nice and work with PCF or they lose there severance
ReplyDelete9:02 Press people have been (I've been) courteous and in some cases NICE to P.C.F. people, NOT because of a Sward of Damacles -NO SEVERANCE- hanging over our (my) heads, but because it's the RIGHT WAY to behave; also is demonstrates a bit of Class.
ReplyDeleteMy point is the P.C.F. people are just down right rude to Press People and to their new/prospective carriers. NO MANNERS, NO CLASS.
I understand my Lay-Off is the result of 1) Horrendous Global Economy, 2) Industry Specific Evolutionary Changes in News/Information Dissemination (to the detriment of Newspapers in general), 3) and inability of Gannett to adapt fast enough ahead of the tidalwave caused by 1 & 2. I don't blame P.C.F. It is JUST BUSINESS. But execute the Transition with dignity & respect; "There But for the Grace of God" P.C.F.ers.
Remember how in Godfather 2, young 20 year old Vito Corleone was fired by his boss in the little market?? That's how you treat people.
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ReplyDeleteThe Courier-Post needs to get rid of the Ad Director and her 3 zone managers. They foster a culture of unaccountability in the retail advertising department. Most of the retail sales personnel are so stuck in their ways that it takes a shower of gift cards, contests and prizes to get them to push themselves.
ReplyDeleteShe lost their best sales rep last year becuse the AD wouldn't promote him into one of zone manager positions even though he was very qualified for those jobs. Instead she promoted young, attractive & ultimately stupid "yes-Joans".
The best talent is laid off or flees on their own. The middle aged ladies-who-lunch miss their goals, keep their jobs and keep the paper at a level of sub-mediocrity. Ageism is huge when it comes to promoting, but favoritism reigns supreme in the AD's world.
These managers have got to go if the Courier-Post wants a shot at pulling itself out of this mess.
Saturday 0:06, you are right on the target with your assessment of the sad situation in the courier post adverting department The so-called managers who report to to the AD are ass kissers who are kept there because the AD doesn't want anyone in place who is smarter than she (and it doesn't take much to find people like that.) The salesman you referred to who was highly qualified to be an effective manager was kept on as a sales person on the street because he was the only sales type on the staff at the time who was building business and bringing on new clients. So, instead of putting this guy in the manager position, he was kept down. Although he was a gentleman about it, he left and didn't make waves because he knew what a loser the AD is and was. Now these idiots replace this good sales person with the former marketing director who was booted out last fall when Gannett dumped directors. Sales in the area have plummeted (not because of the economy...territory is very lucrative and alive) and this guy has no clue at all, but, he is a buddy of the publisher and kisses the ADs ass just to keep some form of a job. It's reported that he took this job (probably begged to get it) because he couldnt get work in the real world
ReplyDeleteRegarding the other long term sales people, most of them are hangers on. One lady who has been there well over 20 years has been a com;plete waste for most of her time there. This lady is the only person who sells to the nearby casino industry in Atlanticy City area and the NJ shore. When things were good economically, she sat on her ass and made believe she was working...ha!Her performance has been a joke for so many years, but she's kept on because there is "something" in the past and present. She and several of the others spend most time doing personal stuff, gossiping, and planning parties and lunch. The rest of the incompetents there are in the same category. There is one manager who has the smarts and skills but is another ass kisser and stays there because he probably pulling down a pretty salary and can't get work else where either. One of the 'secretaries' in that dept is another one who is so incompetent it is the joke of the building, yet she is kept around so she can do her personal stuff all day in between stories about her kids. And it goes on and on and on. What a joke. What happened to the idea that you pull your weight or get thrown out. ONly applies to certain peopole not the AD's friends and fools.
Building news, fuckers! No one cares about the incompetent boobs whose careers resemble yours more than you want to believe.
ReplyDelete12:22 Please explain what that statement is supposed to mean.I don't get it.
ReplyDeletePEE. CEE. F. MIGHT BE TAKING OVER A.P.P. CIRCULATION MANAGERS JOBS BUT THE ATTITUDE OF THESE PCF DISTRICT MANAGERS WILL BE THE DOWNFALL OF WHY IT WILL FALL APART FAST .I WILL BE WAITING TO SEE HOW PROFESSIONAL THEY CLAIM TO BE WHEN THESES PROFESSIONALS ARE DOING DOWN ROUTES UNTIL THE COWS COME HOME .I THINK THEY MIGHT HAVE A PREMENITION OF WHAT IS WAITING AROUND THE CORNER FOR THEM AND THAT MIGHT BE WHY THEY HAVE AN ATTITUDE!!LETS GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO PROVE THEMSELVES PROFESSIONALS AS THEY CLAIM TO BE . " NJR "
ReplyDeleteChuckinJersey raises a good point about the deterioration of the news judgment. I've seen it eroding for years at the APP too, some days more than others.
ReplyDeleteGannett has a pattern of not valuing institutional knowledge and professional mentoring.
In the best days of newspapers, when there was news competition in the market, it was the best-and-the-brightest in the newsroom that got promoted to the news and copy desks. These jobs weren't treated as nothing but mechanical assembly lines a monkey can perform.
The buyout and the layoffs that took mostly senior journalists has a big impact. Gannett sees only the $$$$, but, as they say, "You get what you pay for."
Stupid way to run this business.
PCF replaced my home delivery carrier and since then I have had copies missing with no replacement; two copies delivered; no easy way to contact them about dual delivery. Now three copies are being delivered and my recycling tasks have tripled. The automated menu does not allow for such a problem to be reported.
ReplyDeleteBuilding news, fuckers! Stop complaining about people who make more money than you do and have the same bad habits as you.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIs building news fuckers your name or is there something your trying to say.I thought we were over this.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteMore splendid faux pas today in the C-N:
ReplyDeleteThe Daily Briefing, force-fed from Reston, appeared in print with 2 1/2 inches of white space at the bottom of the rail.The advertorial promo on Page 1 (see above) was rerun, same place as Saturday, reworded accordingly.
Hey NJ rocks, aka "Joe's Pizzaria." How many subscribers are going to be lost due to PCF's refusals to porch deliver the papers. I can't wait to see the melt down in Neptune when PCF takes over. There's nothing to fear "ahoy" will be there to save the day!!!! FYI - heads up people, PCF is over hiring the amount of dm's they need. They will cut you loose once things settle down, if not you'll be in down route hell!!!!!
ReplyDelete