Regarding the broadcasting division replacing all local webmasters with a smaller number of regional staffers, a reader says in an e-mail
Corporate has decided the television station employees don't need a HR person on site. Instead, they're supposed to call Corporate or one of the two regional HR folks who were retained. I realize some of your viewers have a negative perception of HR but on the broadcast side we were there to help employees and most of us took this very seriously. We were told last Tuesday that Friday would be our last day. It’s just another sign of how desperate Gannett.
Monday, May 18, 2009
12 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."
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Many, many years ago, before Gannett bought our paper, the HR people were there to help employees.
ReplyDeleteAfter Gannett came in, the HR people's jobs seemed to change: they were there to protect the company.
For this reason alone, I wasn't sorry to see them let go.
Although many of the HR folks tied to Corporate are there to protect the company, many of the local reps who are being let go, or were let go last Dec. were there to help the employees.
ReplyDeleteLetting them go was/is removing the last local level of employee protection.
Sad....very sad indeed.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteMany, many years ago, before Gannett bought our paper, the HR people were there to help employees.
After Gannett came in, the HR people's jobs seemed to change: they were there to protect the company.
For this reason alone, I wasn't sorry to see them let go.
5/18/2009 12:15 PM
As a victim of HR's inefficiency I couldn't agree more with this statement. HR here at corporate couldn't care less about any employees as long as they don't rattle any chains and actually make them perform their duties.
I am sure there are many good HR reps in the field at the different units, however, here, nobody is contacting HR knowing full well that it is fruitless to get any response or help. The only thing they are capable of is interviewing and helping with the hiring process. Oh, I forgot: even that is outsourced. Since this is pretty much off the table - guess what: not much work to do left.
So, for me, HR is a joke and what good is a department if nobody is using it?
One of the regional HR people retained is the HR lady at KARE11 in Minneapolis/St. Paul --who is the other one?
ReplyDeleteI miss Thursday bagel day.....and the updates when the ice cream truck was by elm chevy....I miss HR......
ReplyDeletei am in complete agreement with the first and third comments here.
ReplyDeleteit would be poetic justice to watch corporate outsource all HR functions on both the print and broadcast sides.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI believe the other HR person was KUSA's Patricia Whitehouse. She was the most amazing HR manager I've met in my life, and she went out of her way to make sure the employees she dealt with felt there was someone who would stick up for them.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that she'll be able to give that level of attention to half of 22 TV stations, but I know she'll try. I also fear that she'll completely burn herself out in the process...
This is all part of the process by which Gannett is reducing "corporate" functions in order to spin of the Broadcast division.
ReplyDeleteDubow and Martore are trying to sell of this division to pay down debt.
If they are trying to sell off Broadcast then they are going about it very strangely indeed. Their engineering decisions in the last year would make it very difficult and expensive to incorporate Gannett's TV stations with another buyer's setup (Hearst-Argyle?) The individual TV stations really aren't fully functioning independent units anymore.
ReplyDeleteI think every broadcast station in Gannett would love to be sold off this sinking slave ship. Our station is making money, but Gannett takes all our profit and demands more cut backs. Please Scripps, Turner, ABC, CBS, Young... anyone!
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Gannett has laid off enough seasoned professionals from our station they could start their own rival station. Maybe the solution is to start our own local station and put Gannett's channel out of business. They've seemed to forgotten that the viewers and advertisers are loyal to people, not a number on the dial.
And, as far as morale goes, morale has never sunk as low as it has with our HR rep gone. Everyone loved our HR rep. HR was the only friendly face we had of Gannett. They've lost our loyalty, respect, and trust.