Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday | Your News & Comments
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47 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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BREAKING NEWS:
ReplyDeleteIn a move unrelated to the rumoured layoffs, Digital Directors will now be known as "click whores."
This comment I just read from late yesterday (really, early this morning) is quite good. I copied it here so others wouldn't miss the read. That is, until it is deleted by the blog owner. I see Jim is back to not monitoring everything so perhaps it will at least stay here for a while.
ReplyDeleteTruth.
Anonymous said...
3:40 -
oh, yes, please Jim, save us! Please stay around a little while longer so if/when the big bad wolf comes on July 8th you can tally up the bodies and pretend you're the one with the inside info and get a bigger swelled head!
Maybe you should hire another bodyguard to follow you around all the time - or better still! the bodyguard could wear a t-shirt that says "my name is Jim Hopkins" so that you can read it anytime you forget what your name is and not have to go around asking various and sundry people the burning question you asked at the stockholders meeting!
Of course, this entry will more than likely never see the light of day - like my others, it will be deleted - or, hey! maybe you'll print it just to make everyone feel bad for poor little Jim, getting picked on while he does this great service for humanity.
6/24/2009 11:21 PM
Don't like it? Start your own Gannett blog. Until then, quit kvetching -- or get lost. This site is offered gratis, and you're an ungrateful freerider.
ReplyDeleteJim said...
ReplyDeleteDon't like it? Start your own Gannett blog. Until then, quit kvetching -- or get lost. This site is offered gratis, and you're an ungrateful freerider.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oohhh.....Snap! Good point, Jim. :-)
WTF! That was at least a round-the-world double-snap, Blaine!
ReplyDeleteFrom 6/24/2009 9:17 PM Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteNJ group is going to be hit hard. The classified is not bringing in money so look for tons of layoffs in that area. It is going to be a sad day across the Garden State.
-------
This should come as no big surprise! Why? Because the names of multiple winners of the NAPA Awards (Classified area) from a few months ago were included in the December 2008 layoffs! Those winners brought in a lot of $$$ as well and their clients absolutely loved them! So the sadness across the Garden State actually started on December 2, 2008.
Jim rules and I love this blog!
ReplyDeleteSnap!!!
ReplyDeleteGo Jim! I'm guessing the complainers will be so bored after July 10 they'll have to go dredge up things to b*tch about on the Gannettoid site.
ReplyDeleteIf you morons haven't noticed, Classified is now known as "cars.com" "career builder" "monster.com" "hotjobs.com" "craigslist" "ebay"...and so on. not those little boxes with the print to small to read in the paper. that is called obsolete. ever hear of a typewriter? or a vhs? well add print classified to that graveyard, if there was a vhs blog in 1998 it would have sounded the same way.
ReplyDeleteWith all the rumors/talk about layoffs and pending doom, has anybody heard anything from mangers of a positive note? Anything suggesting a plan going forward, a concept that might improve something- the paper, online...
ReplyDeleteIn the manager's defense, they may be a bit busy preparing for the layoffs and while this blog won't be around, if there's no new plan or direction following layoffs, (other than sharing work of those gone), it wold be a clear sign of a company winding down operations, not looking to the future.
Last I heard was that the lists are at corporate and the units are waiting for the approval of HR to make those changes in personnel.
ReplyDeleteMost of the layoffs will be managers as they requested no "worker bees"
They all will be gone by July 8th.
Rows upon rows of file cabinets housing clips which went back to the early 1900s were junked when the Courier News moved out of its Bridgewater building earlier this year. PG said that there's no room for a library in the new office. And besides, "everything's on microfilm", he said. Shame there's no index to most of it, so anyone researching anything will be looking for a needle in a haystack.
ReplyDeleteThe paper is celebrating its 125th anniversary this Sunday with an advertiser supported section about the history of the paper. Wonder how much of the editorial content will be regurgitated from a similar section 25 years ago.
Aaaah, 4:24 so that is why they transferred all the Digital Directors to Reno.....:P
ReplyDeleteI hope the company finally does the right thing and gets rid of the abysmal editors and hopelessly untalented staffers that have leeched onto Gannett papers all these years. One big impediment to that, of course, is that so many Gannett exec editors are abysmally untalented leeches themselves. If they had any honor whatsoever, they would have resigned in protest long ago.
ReplyDeleteIf the NJ group is going to get "hit hard" let's hope that the morons in the retail advertising department who've been protected at the Courier-Post are next on the list. This group, led by a totally clueless director and her band of sit around the office and do absolutely nothing to bring in revenue so-called supervisors/managers, should have gone before and msut go now. In this tough economy and changing world, Gannett's Cherry Hill operation needs to make sure that everybody, all of them to a man/women, is out on the street seeking profitable business. That has not been the case and everyone here knows it, except maybe the publisher. This is nothing new! Most of the expereienced and productive sales people left some time ago and all that are left are little friends of the director who she keeps in place to make her look like she's the one! Truth is these useless 'friends' worship at the director's altar of incompetence to cover for her. We have watched the heart of this newspaper undergoe massive brain surgery in the editorial world while the games and nonsense continue in advertising. Doesn't make sense now or before. It's party time at local bars, lunch plans, gossip, personal business and the like which is the normal course of events here.
ReplyDeleteGannett has ordered pay cuts for most employees beginning July 1.
ReplyDeleteFrom 6/24/2009 9:17 PM Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteNJ group is going to be hit hard. The classified is not bringing in money so look for tons of layoffs in that area. It is going to be a sad day across the Garden State.
-------
This should come as no big surprise! Why? Because the names of multiple winners of the NAPA Awards (Classified area) from a few months ago were included in the December 2008 layoffs! Those winners brought in a lot of $$$ as well and their clients absolutely loved them! So the sadness across the Garden State actually started on December 2, 2008.
6/25/2009 8:56 AM
CORRECTION: NJPA AWARDS
The pay cuts were announced earlier this week, and they're for the broadcast division. We don't know what the newspapers will be doing, tho' the talk has centered on layoffs.
ReplyDeleteFYI: The heartless trolls are here again; you're not seeing their comments much, because I'm rejecting them before they get published in the first place.
ReplyDeleteSenor Delete Key is having a good day.
4:24am -- Sure is true at my site, in more ways than one.
ReplyDelete6/25/2009 11:02 AM -- Hey dumbass, if it wasn't for forced upsells from print liners there would be no ads on careerbuilder, apartments.com, cars.com etc.
ReplyDeleteSo, no print = no online.
Wow. I've been outside Gannett for nearly two years now and just yesterday called one of the larger papers to share a tip. It's one of those kinds of tips that I would have jumped right on since it involves taxpayers' money. Well----didn't even get a thanks for making that call. Fuck Gannett.
ReplyDeleteto chuckinjersey
ReplyDeleteAttaway to needlessly scare people about their pay. Those pay cuts refer just to broadcast employees. Unfortunate for them, but, at least so far, not affecting those in other divisions.
1:21, that's because the people who're left behind either a) wouldn't know a news tip if it walked up, shook their hands and said, "Hi, I'm A News Tip," or b) (and more likely, by the way) they're so beaten down, demoralized, overworked and stressed about the future that they simply can't muster the excitement or energy that a good news tip used to inspire.
ReplyDeleteIt's very sad.
11:02 AM wrote: "If you morons haven't noticed, Classified is now known as "cars.com" "career builder" "monster.com" "hotjobs.com" "craigslist" "ebay"...and so on. not those little boxes with the print to small to read in the paper. that is called obsolete. ever hear of a typewriter? or a vhs? well add print classified to that graveyard, if there was a vhs blog in 1998 it would have sounded the same way."
ReplyDeleteRight on. I never would have sold all my college text books for significant coin using the local newspaper's classifieds or the student paper's classifieds. I did however get a good chunk of my money back using Amazon.com.
Let the classifieds join vhs tapes, film cameras and cassette tapes.
So the proposed 12 percent pay cut the Indy guild said it was offered is bogus or just a talking point?
ReplyDeleteJim said...
ReplyDeleteDon't like it? Start your own Gannett blog. Until then, quit kvetching -- or get lost. This site is offered gratis, and you're an ungrateful freerider.
6/25/2009 6:59 AM
I may be a freerider but I was grateful at one time: when this was the Gannett blog and not the Ibiza promo blog.
I'll do neither. I'll bitch all I want and I would never waste my time on running my own blog because i have no interest is using that as a stepping stone to another blog. In fact, your comments encourage me to do more kvetching!
Blah, blah, blah.
It's always possible that rumors are just rumors and little comments on this blog get printed elsewhere. But the following starts giving credibility to a very unfortunate picture that continues to point fingers at the corporate leadership's poor management of the company.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.televisionbroadcast.com/article/83066
It depresses me to think I have to share the planet with morons like 11:21 PM, If there is such thing as karma, you have a world of hurt hurling directly at you! Enjoy the pain.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope that the bloated middle management gets cut cut cut here in NJ. Off to the beach they go! Now maybe we can get some work done.
ReplyDelete1:19, I'm pretty sure ebay, monster, autotrader.com and craigslist don't need print publications to feed off of.
ReplyDelete6/25/2009 3:57 PM - Yes, I know of classified ventures. The ancient classified online servicing system that has been around for about 10-12 years. Every night we send all our classified liners there.
ReplyDeleteWe also send upsell liners to cars.com, careerbuilder, apartments.com, and homefinder.
So, who's the idiot now?
6/25/2009 6:57 PM -- Actually autotrader does take feeds from newspapers on upsells.
ReplyDeleteGannett does not own any of those sites, so it's a moot point.
6/25/2009 4:20 PM -- I did. Granted, there are additional ads on apartments.com, careerbuilder and cars.com that are not upsells from classified. Most are.
ReplyDeleteI could post figures, but that would not be ethical.
Finally, regarding print -vs- digital adverting revenue.
ReplyDelete2008 Publishing revenue: 4.9 BILLION
2008 Publishing circ rev: 1.2 BILLION
2008 Digital revenue: 70 MILLION
2008 Broadcasting revenue: 789 MILLION
Source: 2008 annual report
So, if print advertising disappeared, do you really think digital is going to save us?
If you do, drink more Kool-aid.
Talked to a friend at one of the larger Gannett papers who says the work conditions are "simply terrible". New levels of low morale seem to be achieved daily. Overworked staff know something's coming and can only do their jobs and wait following which they'll wait for the next one. Nobody wants to make eye contact, any closed door draws concern by those working under the person whose office is closed.
ReplyDeleteJust curious, why does everyone think middle managers will be cut this time?
ReplyDeletewho else is left
ReplyDeleteTo Just Curious: One would hope the middles would be weeded out because they are obviously not doing their jobs.
ReplyDeleteClassified Ventures is cars.com and apartments.com. And Yes. Gannett owns a piece. ShEEEEsh.
ReplyDelete9;07 Because middle managers were consulted on the last two layoffs, and involved in decisions of who went and who stayed. They were not consulted when this list was put together, and the belief is that corporate is going for salary savings this time, not just FTEs (body counts.) If there are going to be layoffs, there are newspapers with precious little low-level staff left to cut.
ReplyDeletecheck out this article on the Westchester paper.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.westchestermagazine.com/Westchester-Magazine/July-2009/Paper-Jam/
anybody else having trouble getting onto the hewitt benefits site to check their 401(k)s?
ReplyDelete8:39 makes a great point, online revenue was always estimated to be approx 10-15% of print revenue. What's not included in the totals was where the online revenue was originally- in print. Ad reps cannibalized existing accounts for a better, hip, more targeted vehicle and as we all know, online is king!
ReplyDeleteOdd how it works especially considering the volume of online ads in the newspaper every day. Anybody have the totals for online viewers and ad revenue compared to previous years?
12:19 AM -- I have believe I heard that online is down so far. Thanks for pointing out that the digital revenue, in most cases, is just moving revenue from print and is not incremental.
ReplyDelete1:19 if I gave you a piece of paper that said "turn over" on each side and checked back with you tomorrow. You'd still be turning it over.......There is no point in argunig with the inept and inane.... Wanna answer that phone now, I think you missed a couple stops on your route this morning!
ReplyDeleteEntering ads and hitting send dosen't quailfy you as an online expert. That is called your email.