Friday, June 19, 2009
Friday | June 19 | Your News & Comments
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30 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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There has been months of mudslinging and comments about sexual preference but what it really comes down to is that none of us would be here if we didn't really like what we do for a living. All of us — managers, VPs, carriers, truck drivers — all of us enjoy our jobs and want to continue to do what we do. Yes, we complain, but those of us still working, want to continue to do a day's pay, provide for ourselves and our families and want to feel appreciated. Nothing more, nothing less. We are all here because we want Gannett to listen to our cries for help. We want them to value what we do. We want them to see us as individuals. Not numbers or quotas — just people trying to earn an honest days pay. We want to continue to do our jobs to the best of our ability, we want to be told the truth about our futures. That's all we want. Gannett, please listen to us. We all still need our jobs, our health insurance and our pensions. We don't want to see newspapers die. We want to help move this industry forward but without your support and honesty we can't do it. Please don't throw us to the curb. Listen to our input. You may actually learn something.So, what do you say — can we do this together or do you choose to do it alone. Our industry depends on it.
ReplyDeleteYou better have a very good source for the layoff rumor. Otherwise your on the edge of hurting a lot of folks. That would be unforgivable.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteYou better have a very good source for the layoff rumor. Otherwise your on the edge of hurting a lot of folks. That would be unforgivable.
6/19/2009 12:31 AM
I couldn't agree me.
The notion of a 4,800 person layoff in July is simply silly. I am in a position to know if something like that was coming down the pike and it just isn't going to happen. Sure, there will always be layoffs of some sort and that will never stop.
It is just incredible how some people want to push the fear scenarios so hard.
One day at a time folks. Worrying doesn't get you anything but indigestion.
Saw this below from last night. Whomever wrote this makes way too much sense for anyone in position of dictating the coming cuts at USA Today to listen to. But its food for thoght. Here's essentially what was written
ReplyDelete"Dump every former dme who is still on the payroll doing lesser work or cut their wages to average salary level of reporters or AEs. Dump the high paid former AEs in News managing no one. Assess the rationale for two dmes in every section. Eliminate 1A desk. Reassign senior assignment editors to fill AE slots. Cut back copy desks. Seriously consider losing a number of columnists and reporters, especially those in the paper less than once or twice a every month. Everyone must start doing more heavy lifting and get their hands dirty. Do this and you get 50 to 75 eliminatable slots pretty quickly."
I do not have a handled over dot.com staffing or the photo/graphics department. I can tell you as an editorial rank-and-filer, what the person above suggests would actually do much improve morale - if overall pay cuts were minimal. Why? There is bloat here. And there are ample competent people willing to step up and take up the slack. Many have been pigeonholed, marginalized and under utilized for years because they didn't fit the demographic,gender, color or ass-kissing mold of who was in power at the time. Getting rid of dead weight, and we are talking LOTS of unproductive dead weight spread out throughout editorial, would not only make economic sense, it would restore a sense of fairness and make people feel like they are valued for competency and experience.
Gannett is run by vampires.
ReplyDelete1. Corporate will never give a final accounting; it never has. That will be left to someone other than me, because I am out of here July 10.
ReplyDelete2. In late October, Connell said the December layoffs would be "significantly" less than 3,000. In the end, I stopped counting at 2,184. That did not include all of several worksites, including USA Today, where I estimate there were another 80 jobs cut, beyond around 20 in editorial.
I would be delighted if my sources were wrong this time.
1. "Thank you" to Sparky for giving Jim the ultimatum...Sparky or the GannettBlog. Now my husband does not come home complaining about the "blogger"
ReplyDelete2. "Thank you" to Craig Dubow for throwing out Craig Moon. Now my husband comes home complaining about a new guy named "Chunky"
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Gannett-Shares-Fall-On-Fears-paidcontent-3280814658.html?x=0&.v=8
ReplyDeleteJim said...
ReplyDelete1. Corporate will never give a final accounting; it never has. That will be left to someone other than me, because I am out of here July 10.
2. In late October, Connell said the December layoffs would be "significantly" less than 3,000. In the end, I stopped counting at 2,184. That did not include all of several worksites, including USA Today, where I estimate there were another 80 jobs cut, beyond around 20 in editorial.
6/19/2009 7:58 AM
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1. Corporate is responsible for giving an accounting to the share holders as a whole, not you as an individual.
2. If you take the 2,184, add in the 80 plus the 20 you mention you get 2,284. I'd say 24% less than 3,000 is "significantly less." That's just me. Of course, no one remembers the truth of 2,284 because, in true propoganda fashion, the 3,000 figure has been the one used and the one many cling to when they want to be afraid.
Good lucj with the Ibiza thing. You sure are spending enough time promoting it here during your final days, letting us hang onto nothing much of anything.
Anyone else think the threat of layoffs has employees selling thier Gannett stock? The stock has dropped the past few days since the rumor of layoffs on July 8th.
ReplyDelete6:13 -- I certainly hope you're right, but ...
ReplyDelete... I've read this blog for a long while and each time Jim has reported upcoming layoffs from a "reliable" source they have come true.
Sure there have been details that were off, but not by much. And that can be blamed on Gannett's absolute refusal to communicate with Jim and employees.
Also, no matter how bad the news, there's always someone on here saying that it's all speculation and rumor. In fact, I remember the blog being littered with posts such as that during a two-day period where I was watching friends get the axe. It's almost as though corporate has ordered people to pop up here and write, "It's not really going to be that bad." I'm not sure what the point would be, but what does one think when people are denying layoffs even as they're happening.
Here's hoping you really are in the know.
10:55 -- People tend to stick with the 3,000 number because corporate never supplied an accurate figure for the December layoffs, and it has done many large site by site layoffs since the big one. If you count those, I'm sure we're up to 3,000. Perhaps more.
ReplyDeleteI know it's easier for many people to pretend things are better than they are than to face facts, but if GCI wants a different number circulated, they should provide it.
10:59 -- I always sell my Gannett stock. There's no value in it. Sure, people who had the guts to buy in at $1.85, then sell at $5 made some money, but that type of game isn't for long-term investors. It's basically like playing roulette.
There are many undervalued stocks out there these days that I would buy before GCI.
10:59 Employee stock ownership is not sufficient to move the price of GCI by a cent. So, no, I don't see employee stock sales as being responsible for the stock price drop. Rather it is investors hearing the reports of continued ad revenue weakness in Period 4 and 5, and continuing into 6. That is going to show up in the 2q report coming out next month. I am expecting a miserable report, and I guess so are investors. SO they are selling on the rumors.
ReplyDeleteNo matter the reasoning behind the blogs, it appears that the majority of what has been written has been correct! the only thing that I can say is that I hope everyone takes heed to what is actually said. My philospy is that if you cannot clearly state the truth--then it must somewhere be tainted with untruths. I don't think that a little honesty is too much to ask for--especially for loyal employees. But instead upper management seems to act as if they don't say anything-the workers will continue to just work aimlessly without being able to come to rational conclusions on their own!
ReplyDeleteGreenville had a meeting the other day to "basically put everyone's mind at ease"..WTF!!! if there was not going to be layoffs and people would not be losing their jobs, then why can't someone just come out and say that?! The execs at Greenville do the same thing that they have always done--and that is word play and a twisting of #'s...it is easy to say well we didn't let go a dozen people--and it be the truth--when in reality they let go 8! Yes it is not a dozen--but to those 8 people--they could care less about the #'s! Unless someone can tell me with certainty that a train is not coming, I will continue to believe one is barreling down the tracks...especially if I seem smoke, hear whistles, and the bells are going off saying TRAIN COMING! at that point, it won't matter to me if it is a big train, or a small one!
ReplyDeleteWe lay people off, pay the ones left less, shrink our products, shut down presses and outsource key quality-control tasks.
ReplyDeleteIn response, advertisers and subscribers throw in the towel.
So what do we do next?
The same thing, all over.
Explain to me WHY we need to pay execs multi-million dollar salaries, bennies and bonus for that?
"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
- George Santayana
Reuters report dated June 19th contained the following reply to their inquiry about possible layoffs in July:
ReplyDelete"A Gannett rep said that the company doesn’t comment on rumors, however, “We have been doing job-related actions for some time, we are doing them and we will continue doing them as long as the economy remains difficult.”
Sure seems that this is confirmation that they are doing layoffs and expect more.
12:26 you are a moron, and as far as the rumor. 2 things happen: 1. It does and people get whacked and you know about it.
ReplyDelete2. It dosen't happen, but if it did you knew about it, and life goes on.
I'd rather know or get a clue about something catastrophic ahead of time before it happens. And if it dosen't happen then all for the better. Grow the hell up, the first 3 posts on here sound like something a 8 year old would whine about.
Nobody wants anyone to be laid-off. All I ask is -regarding the Journal News, Westchester County, New York. Does Corporate really think that the idiots running this place are " Gettin er done?" The Circulation numbers are awful, and the product itself--well-- it is considered a joke.YET---the same people are running the show, perhaps you need someone there who knows SOMETHING !!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLonnie Hartley -- one of Minnesota's most important political news gatekeepers --was laid off this week by Gannett-owned KARE 11.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politicsinminnesota.com/2009/jun18/3346/political-news-tragedy-kare-11
Are you really back with Sparky Jim? I missed that. If so, I am really happy for you.
ReplyDeleteI will miss the blog, but we'll all be psychologically better off without it.
It's kind of like sitting around talking about could we, will we, when will we die? And being surprised it could happen.
Best not to dwell on it. And work and/or live life to the fullest.
NJ FORMER EMPLOYEES:
ReplyDeleteWHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR INITIAL 26 WEEKS UNEMPLOYMENT RUNS OUT? THERE ARE EXTENSIONS, but are there any "hitches" on them. Like-- are they guaranteed or problematic?
THANKS!
A MUST READ.... go to Google News, do a search for Gannett, and read the article by "The Daily Deal". You will be amazed. Click on to alerts for more up to date information.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy for Jim moving on to new endeavors and horizons; My question is: Who is going watchdog the corporate media giant now. Answer, likely no one. Most other news agencies simply put in a few graphs in their stories about what is going on in the storie. Lately we are down at the bottom of story about layoffs or somewhere in the middle about the newspaper industry in general. As the fifth branch becomes more dominant, I believe it's time for us to take our communication skills and seek other endeavors. Perhaps other fields could benefit from what we have to offer as communicators.
ReplyDeleteWow. No use posting here anymore? Messages don't show up. Nothing I wrote (HOURS ago) was offensive. Plus I was trying to share some info I have access to that people were asking for---
ReplyDelete306-repost it or put it on gannettoid.com. DON'T STAY SILENT!
ReplyDeleteGannettoid? and I have his comment buried by the other 3 posts of the day?
ReplyDeletewe'll all be psychologically better off without it.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of like sitting around talking about could we, will we, when will we die? And being surprised it could happen.
Best not to dwell on it. And work and/or live life to the fullest.
6/19/2009 5:11 PM
Live life to the fullest. That's my motto. Whatever happens, happens. I could get hit by a car checking the mail but I don't dwell on the thought.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteWow. No use posting here anymore? Messages don't show up. Nothing I wrote (HOURS ago) was offensive. Plus I was trying to share some info I have access to that people were asking for---
6/20/2009 3:06 AM
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That has happened to me many times. It happens often when I make a realistic comment that is critical of Jim's use of the blog. Like all the Ibiza promotion. I'll be surprised if this comment makes it.
Shrug...
Look at the pattern that Gannett has followed for over a year and it will provide a clue whether or not there will be more layoffs.
ReplyDelete