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| Hurst |
The Climb
She started in Gannett as head of market development in Florida at the Pensacola News Journal and the Fort Myers News-Press. Then, she was named president and publisher as follows:
- 1996: Hattiesburg American in Mississippi
- 2000: The Herald-Dispatch, Huntington, W. Va.
- 2003: The Idaho Statesman, Boise
- 2005: Lansing State Journal
- 2007: Lafayette
"Leslie has a proven record in every job she has done for Gannett and I am pleased Louisiana is getting such a terrific manager," newspaper division chief Sue Clark-Johnson is quoted saying (a bit woodenly) in the official statement when Corporate sent Hurst to Lafayette.
"I feel like I'm coming home," Hurst told the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, around that time. "I really love Louisiana culture, and I missed it when I left."
The Clip
The Independent Weekly in Lafayette published a fierce takedown on Jan. 20. In "Chain Reaction,'' the local weekly said, "Corporate newspaper giant Gannett has ransacked The Daily Advertiser, one of its most lucrative newspapers. And every penny of profit squeezed out of the daily has been wired straight to its Virginia headquarters."
Please post what I anticipate may be expressions of bafflement, outrage, and arch remarks in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
"I feel like I'm coming home," Hurst told the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, around that time. "I really love Louisiana culture, and I missed it when I left."
The Clip
The Independent Weekly in Lafayette published a fierce takedown on Jan. 20. In "Chain Reaction,'' the local weekly said, "Corporate newspaper giant Gannett has ransacked The Daily Advertiser, one of its most lucrative newspapers. And every penny of profit squeezed out of the daily has been wired straight to its Virginia headquarters."
Please post what I anticipate may be expressions of bafflement, outrage, and arch remarks in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
I think she's better than Ted Powers was...good or not is up in the air.
ReplyDeleteDon't quote the independant...for Christ's sake they did an April Fool's editon just like the High School and (sucky)college papers we print. Theirs accused the publisher of being a drunk and converting the paper to a $9 single sheet. And they reported it as fact.
ReplyDeleteYeah, now the Reno paper is stuck with Ted Powers...great!
ReplyDelete"Corporate newspaper giant Gannett has ransacked The Daily Advertiser, one of its most lucrative newspapers. And every penny of profit squeezed out of the daily has been wired straight to its Virginia headquarters."
ReplyDeleteThis is not new news. This is how Gannett works. Virginia doesn't care about the communities it uses to suck advertising dollars from, this is why publishers are swapped in and out. There are no roots to the community.
anything is better than Ted Powers
ReplyDeleteClearly Gannett's layoffs and furloughs have taken a toll on the basic reporting principle I learned in Journalism 101: Spell people's names right. Ted Power was the former publisher in Lafayette and current publisher in Reno.
ReplyDeleteLeslie Hurst was a joke in Boise and her departure was cheered. Sad to see this dreadful company promotes this kind of poor performer with more jobs.
ReplyDeleteShe once chastised an employee for taping a note to an expected visitor to the front door, after hours. The reception desk was closed and the door was locked. Rather than risk marring the sun shading film on the door, she removed the taped note and reprimanded the staffer. The source, on arrival, could not get in to the building for the meeting and left.
Gannett blows. No wonder they are 36th worst company to work for. they have brigades of these clowns and they gutted many, many good community papers to the profit model. And these paers are jokes.
glassdoors.com is right. Gannett is among the worst places in the country to work.
She graduated from Missouri. Nuf Said.
ReplyDeleteWork verification: Lake trash.
Ted Power is great. He knows his folks, he is always available to speak with and he cares about his people. Sorry LA, we love him.
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ReplyDeleteLeslie was a pleasure to work with in Lansing. She was a hard worker. She never left her office, however.
ReplyDeleteTed Power had/has plenty of flaws. He's arrogant and petty, but whoever thinks Hurst is an improvement over Power deserves a promotion -- according to Gannett wisdom.
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ReplyDeleteHurst is a suck-up. She has a "bubbly" personality she puts on any time someone from corporate is in the building, but the rest of the time she won't even make eye contact with those of us still fortunate enough to be in employment at property. She seems to pride herself on just how much distance she can keep between her employees and the community at large. She fits the Gannett profile of promotion -- totally dysfunctional and downright nasty at times. She doesn't mind belittling people or having overworked people do her Al Neuherth-style ridiculous bidding -- from car washes to specific brands of whatever catches her fancy. She can't drive or find her way out of a hole (no wonder she freaked when they told her she was headed to Lafayette). She has no scruples and may have dual-personalities -- or either that's the drink a'talking, or in her case, e-mailing. Her nasty-grams are infamous. I understand plenty of people are saving them in case they need them for evidence...but who are we kidding? Will there be a company left to use "the evidence" against?
ReplyDeleteA pleasure to work with in Lansing? We're kidding, right? Ughhh. Apparently we didn't have to do her personal gardening on the weekends, and are high enough up the ranks to expect the same from workerbees. In which case, it makes sense that someone would think she "was a pleasure". Whatever. She was a classic Prima-Donna taking advantage of her power. Like many of the others that reside in Lansing, and across the Gannett system. What a joke.
ReplyDeleteSHE has got to be the worst Publisher in the company. She stays at a location long enough to alienate everyone,just like she did in Lansing. Then after screwing everything up, the powers that be move her to her next assignment.
ReplyDeleteIn Lansing, the first thing done was to fire the admin asst. then redo her office, put in a kitchen, take a parking spot by the door that was reserved fo reporters.
She is a total fu*& up and I would say to her face if I had the chance.
Former Gannett Employee
Gardening? As I understand it some of the folks laid off were to pay for her to live in a hotel because she wasn't willing to buy Ted's house. Don't know if that's true or a really, really quiet rumor; enlighten me? But in Lafayette she's definatley made slaves of the circ dept.
ReplyDeleteI barely remember when Leslie was at Lansing, because I don't think I saw her in the newsroom a single time.
ReplyDeleteShe threw some bizarre paper-wide "spirit" event that featured her wearing a tux and tails, which was the first time I ever saw her, and she VERY clearly didn't get the tone of the town and the paper.
I also remember that all the paper-towel dispensers were transformed during her reign to the motion-activated kind instead of the regular ones where you just pull the paper towels out. It seemed like the stupidest, most unnecessary change ever.
In LA also, she took one of the hanicapped spots nearest the front door and reserver it for herself, and had to make one of the visitor spots a handicapped spot to be in compliance with the local laws. Now she has two spots in the front and she actually parks in the production area....to avoid everyone who might regonize her.... which aren't many.
ReplyDeleteHuh? >>As I understand it some of the folks laid off were to pay for her to live in a hotel because she wasn't willing to buy Ted's house. Don't know if that's true or a really, really quiet rumor; enlighten me?<<
ReplyDeletePlease explain what you mean so someone can attempt to enlighten. This sounds good.
Can anyone tell anything that Leslie Hurst has done along her Trail of Tears that benefitted the community? I'm trying to keep an open mind on this one, but I'm betting no one is able to come up with a single thing.
ReplyDeleteThis woman has no people skills and yes, abused the power that was given to her by the "higher ups." But that's typical of the Lansing newsroom. She did dress up like a conductor during one event and it was completely awkward and sad. The fact she was promoted make me happy not to be affiliated with the sinking ship anymore,
ReplyDeleteLafayette had to lay off 3 employees several months after she arrived, during which time she was living in an executive hotel instead of renting or purchasing a home or apartment. Our expense overrun, the hotel cost, and the three employees salaries were the same. Coincidence?
ReplyDeleteLeslie was the tipping force that drove me out of the newspaper industry when she arrived in Lansing. The worst publisher I have ever worked for. The comment about firing her asst, re-doing her office, etc. is right on. She is a classic example of the worst kind of publisher in Gannett: Zero people or managerial skills, but great at trimming the fat and slashing the budget come crunch time.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know I wasn't the only one who thought Leslie was a horrible fit for Lansing. Very true - she did spend tons of money on her office - putting in a kitchen, new furniture, etc. Rarely seen, at least in the advertising dept., she would not make eye contact or speak - even when greeted.
ReplyDeleteI worked for Leslie twice. Once in Hattiesburg and again in Lafayette.
ReplyDeleteSome things here ring true. She does like to email. Others not so much, I always found her fair and honest. I also felt like she worked hard and demanded the best of people. I knew what to expect from Leslie 100% of the time and that was not the case with some publishers.
I was downsized shortly after her arrival in Lafayette. From reading this it could have been to finance her hotel but I think it was just the start of the circulation purge.
I wish her and the rest of the folks at the big blue ball all the best.
Her love of using e-mail to blast OC members is legendary. I also know one person that was saving e-mails "just in case." There is no way that anyone in corporate HR or senior management would approve of such tactics, especially the belittling.
ReplyDeleteShe ran off a lot of good people, and no one at Corporate really seemed to care. She probably had a reason for every departure. She'd just say that the person wasn't dedicated enough, or wasn't part of the team.
Other than that, she was a pleasure to work for. I was lucky enough to have survived long enough for her to move on to her next "proving ground."
Leslie Hurst is a BIG FAT JOKE! She is the WORST publisher ever in Gannett history!!!! ENOUGH SAID!!!
ReplyDeleteSo this is the brain child responsible for the crappy reporting we now receive from the Opelousas Daily World? Never put a corporate hack in charge, they will slice and dice all in the name of the bottom line and not for the best interest of the community they used to serve. There goes the community's only watchdog. Cancel my subscription, again...
ReplyDeleteWhich one of these award winners, (Hurst or Richter) that is responsible for letting a psycho bitch post online on TDA/DW in La. ranting and raving? This psycho posts under Scarlettkatie on The Daily World, Opelousas and Katiescarlett on The Daily Advertiser. She belittles, humiliates, lies, and much more, the innocent public. No matter how many complaints are sent about her, nothing gets done. She has even posted that she is invinceable and an employee of Gannett and nothing can get done to her. Her posts sound like a dog in heat. She posts like she belongs on a street corner instead of a family paper. Maybe Scarlettkatie/Katiescarlett is Hurst or Richter. If she's just a reporter, then Hurst needs to pay for never doing something about this psycho. I agree. Corporate office needs to know what's happening and why the Lafayette and Opelousas paper is going under.
ReplyDeleteOne or more Gannett Blog readers have left comments today that are highly critical of Leslie Hurst and Denise Richter, who left the top editor's job at the Daily Advertiser and the Daily World last week.
ReplyDeleteI can't publish your comments, because they make serious allegations. If you have more proof, please post it -- or send me a note at jimhopkins@gmail.com. Thanks.
I have worked for both Hurst and Richter. To put it bluntly, neither one live on planet earth. To all you swamp folks, complain to corporate, complain to corporate, complain to corporate. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThis is in reference to the one that complains to no avail. Go directly to Leslie with your complaint. If I remember Leslie correctly, she will put an end to the nut in gone with the wind especially if she's just some employee on an ego trip. From what I remember about Leslie, she doesn't let anyone forget that SHE IS IN CHARGE. If still nothing gets done, then guess who the nut is that lives on a plantation? My suggestion is to notify SEVERAL in the corporate office. Call and send REGISTERED LETTERS OF COMPLAINT so they have to sign their name to get it. That way, you know it's going in the right hands and don't give up until you see results. Tell them "Peewee" sent ya!
ReplyDeleteThis is just my opinion for i have no proof but for the one wanting to know about scarlettkatie or katiescarlett, i believe this poster should be reported to the corporate office and i also believe this poster is no other than leslie j hurst. like i said, this is just my opinion and i am only 99.9% sure and if i am not mistaken, she has been in trouble with ethics before. again, just my opinion. thank you
ReplyDeleteHey Katie!
ReplyDeleteYou know that she keeps coming back to check on the comments. Guaranteed.
ReplyDeleteWhen Hurst was in Boise she purchased three large art photography pieces for the inside lobby area. They are actually photographs that show window frames with rain on the glass. Rumor has it the paper paid several thousand for each. These were purchased not long after dozens lost jobs at the paper in 2002. We were all hoping that when she left in 2005 that the depressing pieces would be shipped to her next job.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the photographs are still there today.
Hurst considers herself quite the art guru, no doubt she's purchasing large "masterpieces" for Louisiana as her kingdom crumbles around her. Don't worry. She won't notice.
ReplyDeleteIn Boise it was not uncommon for Ms. Hurst to send employees out to wash her car, or send them on errands to buy "horse" tape for her ankles. Her management style is to surround herself with people that are scared of her, or better yet, not quite as intelligent as she is. I do believe that she is very intelligent, it is just unfortunate that she focuses that asset on figuring out ways to elevate herself instead of those around her. She was responsible for losing (or terming) some of the best and brightest people at The Idaho Statesman. She is truly the Queen of Hearts, and all of you that work for her should figure out a way to get out of Wonderland before your head rolls.
ReplyDeleteHorse tape?
ReplyDeleteYes, Jim. It's widely known that she has all sorts of mysterious problems her ankles. (Hence the taking of various handicapped parking spaces in Lafayette for HRH to park 10 feet closer to the door.) Who knows what's going on in this lady's head? She seems pleasant enough at times, but then does this bizarre diasappearing act and occasionaly sends e-mails that make people shutter. It's stranger than fiction. You couldn't make it up.
ReplyDeleteI write using the name katiescarlett and have blogged/posted in the Daily World, the Daily Advertiser, The Alexandria Town Talk. I am no psycho, nor any other of the things the anonymous poster alleges - only one who loves to write and also loves to discuss things with others. Unfortunately, some folk seem to think the paper's posts are the key to romance, or other sorts of adventures. That, my friends, was the beginning of this vendetta that has been waged against me, alleging me to be first one Gannet reporter, then another - then the editor and finally the publisher. I don't, nor never have worked for Gannett and am none of the above. Just in the last 24 hours - this hatefulness has come between me and someone who had been commenting on my work and whose opinion and input I valued. It's really a pity that ill feelings to me get transferred to condemn Ms. Hurst and this venue has in turn, provided an opportunity for someone to hurt me. This from someone who is not adult enough to take the consequences for their own actions, i.e. having posts cut when they cross the line. You go ahead...you thing...you're carrying on a long tradition of hate - you must be descended from those who supported Hitler and later joined the klan. Today I learned how sick you really are and that just amazes me.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone doubts me - just go to the pages of the Town Talk or the Daily Advertiser, where I have posted. Forgot to say that I quit posting on the Daily World - just to avoid this....nut job's reptitive insults. But there's a whole world out there in cyberspace, isn't there?
Took your advice katiescarlet and went to all 3 sites. I don't see how you can say you quit posting because you are all over. Don't look like you're liked very much, does it? To tell you the truth, after reading your stuff for 2 days and comments, you seem like the nut. Seems to me that you have a hell of a jealousy problem everywhere you go. I agree that you can't possibly be Leslie Hurst. She's far too intelligent to go around making a fool of herself the way that you have.
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ReplyDeleteforgot to say, she is an employee of Gannett.
ReplyDeleteFollowing is an edited version of a comment posted by Anonymous@2:59 p.m. on Aug. 19, 2010:
ReplyDeleteThe Daily Advertiser and The Daily World poster that goes by katiescarlett/scarlettkatie/sparrow/and 1000 other aliases is [XXXXX]. Opelousas High School graduate of 1967. Always an outsider looking in.
What is new down there in Louisiana?
ReplyDeleteHurst first job in Gannett was NOT in Pensacola but rather Shreveport, La. where she was Marketing Director. That's why in the announcement story she noted "I feel like I'm coming home," and "I really love Louisiana culture, and I missed it when I left."
ReplyDelete