Real Time Comments is parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
Please post your replies 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.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
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."
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
File this under 100% speculation, better written by John Grisham:
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting if one pissed-off former publisher was in cahoots with another former publisher and a third retired executive -- all plotting an offer for a major media company whose desperate investors might entertain a pennies-on-the dollar tender. All that's needed is for the capital markets to thaw.
Then again, I'm the former USAT reporter no one knew when I left -- right, guys?
Maybe. But let's not forget that this major media company is still profitable in these, the worst of times. GCI the stock is priced for Armageddon, and the big A isn't going to happen. They may want it for cents on the dollar, and they may even get it for cents on the dollar. But it will take somewhat more cents than last Thursday's pre-holiday closing price of roughly 330 cents.
ReplyDeleteDepends on your definition of profitable, 9:59. If it were as profitable as you seem to believe, the stock would not be selling at $3 and declining.
ReplyDeleteRe Jim's "Grisham" plot:
ReplyDeleteI know for a fact that Gary Watson would dearly like to demonstrate to the world that Gannett made a mistake when Dubow was picked over him for the top job.
That said, I doubt even Watson would want to step into the path of this trainwreck that GCI has become.
Word I heard is quite a number of publishers are getting the hit, some out the door and others knocked down to editor-level spots.
ReplyDeleteWatson isn't in the group I'm watching. I doubt they'd have him. Too many alpha males/females already.
ReplyDeleteRe: pubs getting canned. In hindsight, Corporate was sending a signal when they apparently threatened to bust Skippy H. down to GM in Hattiesburg. She slept in her office for days during Hurricane Gustav for crissakes!
When the Moon is in Vega ...
ReplyDeleteHmmm: Pissed-off pub's Tweet appears to be deleted. Maybe it was unauthorized. Or maybe Dubow got the message.
ReplyDeleteAnother maddeningly cryptic message: Happy Fourth, wherever you are, SEC enforcement. Come on in. The keywords to ponder: breakdown and nervous. (Re: the latter. I sure am!)
ReplyDelete[Hands covering ears] La, la, la, la! I can't hear you, Anonymous Summer of Love commenter . . .
ReplyDeleteIs Ms. Black, back? You decide!
ReplyDeleteRunning a disinformation campaign off an iPhone while beachside is easy-peasy, Corporate! Like:
ReplyDeleteWow.
Publisher demotions to editor won't happen at the AZ Republic. The publisher does not know the first thing about running a newsroom.
ReplyDeleteOh wait, maybe that does, indeed, make him a perfect choice!
Anyone hearing anything about Honululu? Rumors are they could shut it down. There is a big difference between the original 4500 rumor and the 1400 layoff. Could a shutdown of a newspaper be looming to make up the difference corporate needs?
ReplyDeleteMoving this to a more recent thread in hopes of some discussion:
ReplyDeleteI would be interested in hearing if other Cincinnati Enquirer employees following this blog have a sense of what departments will be impacted by the estimated 100 cuts.
Not sure if it is Hawaii, but I am pretty sure a sale or closure of a CP is in the works.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the signs that a sale or closure for New Jersey's Courier-Post may be in the works? Have you seen anyone in suits wandering around who hasn't been there before?
ReplyDeleteNo, CP meant Community Paper, not Courier-Post, although I would certainly not be surprised to see some negotiations with Newhouse .
ReplyDeleteAnon at 1:20, I have my suspicions, based on past layoffs and what I've heard in some closed door meetings, but that's all they are: suspicions.
ReplyDeleteI'd say the production desk is going to be hit hardest. Whether that means going to the universal production desk with Indy or NNCO (as has been rumored), or not, I don't know.
I'd also guess most of the CiN Weekly/Metromix staff could be affected, as would a number of middle manager types. I wouldn't expect to see reporters affected, but then again, you never know.
12:38 - they may be trying to sell the paper. There's the matter of an $82 million press that was built in 2004 that still needs to be paid.
ReplyDeleteIn a letter to the staff last week, the publisher essentially said that there will be no layoffs in Honolulu. This was also confirmed in a meeting with the union.
Honolulu must be doing well to be excluded from the wrath of the impending layoffs.
Sorry to hear what you guys are going through over there, but has anyone heard anything about status of Newsquest amid all this chaos. We're hearing rumours of similar job cuts over here (and they have already been substantial)or even sell-off of Newsquest as a group or its individual parts. Any news appreciated.
ReplyDeletewhats the word at the courier post?
ReplyDelete"Honolulu must be doing well to be excluded from the wrath of the impending layoffs."
ReplyDeleteWhat in the world are YOU smoking?!?!?! The Advertiser has been giving it all away in a two newspaper town for years now. They have lost untold millions there trying to shut down the competition there with no success.
With tourism down, unemployment up and soft real estate, you are kidding yourself!
As far as those presses go, gotta remember those units can be pulled up at any time and shipped anywhere. They will be sold off in the impending fire sale as there is a ten year wait for similar brand new units.
"Honolulu must be doing well to be excluded from the wrath of the impending layoffs."
ReplyDeleteI also forgot that the rank and file there got a 10% pay cut after the union got poor mouthed by Gannett in the most recent contract negotiated his year.
Dream on.............
Jim --
ReplyDeleteAny word on whether some papers (and which ones) are adopting an all-Internet format or something similar to Detroit's model? I recall a poster on here in the last few weeks hinting that was a possibility for a Midwest cluster of papers (Ohio?, Indiana? Michigan? I don't recall which).
Also, is there a chance of closures along with layoffs?
Do you have any information about layoffs for USA Today employees at any of the business centers across the country? We have a meeting on Wednesday and am concerned that perhaps layoffs will occur before the meeting...
ReplyDeleteso you are shutting down on the 9th. you are not going to give the people that stood by you the whole day on Friday the 10th. now that is sad
ReplyDeleteHere's what's even more sad: Very few people are populating Gannettoid's website, despite a lot of hard work he's done.
ReplyDeleteWhat's more, you are the only person who's commented on this more specific shutdown date, since I posted it at 9:08 a.m. today. That doesn't show a whole lot of interest in keeping an independent website viable for the inevitable layoffs that will keep on coming.
I would love to hear if anyone knows anything about courier-post layoffs, but I guess we all have to wait till july 8th. I think I want to stay, but this is getting old and leaving might be better.
ReplyDeleteRe: Cincinnati
ReplyDeleteThey would have to close entire products to hit 100 in Cincy. Metromix would be a natural target. It was only a matter of time after that sales manager was moved. He was good. And the delivery guy. Now there are open racks everywhere and old copies sitting around town. Is Metromix going into a national product to take over all these weeklies?
Jim, Have you considered that more people are over here rather than Gannettoid because of you? Love you or hate you, you certainly have made this blog a lot more exciting than the other place!
ReplyDeleteSorry to see you go ...
Part of the limited commenting may be because of the holiday and/or because people are worried and they are trying to figure out what to do if the ax falls.
ReplyDeleteI suspect people will migrate to Gannettoid starting on the 10th. One thing keeping me here is that this site is more user-friendly -- and Jim provides original content. So far, Gannettoid consists mainly of a forum for posting. The comment threads here are easier to use.
ReplyDeletePeople will move when they have to.
The sheer numbers (100) in Cincinnati suggest a restructuring, not just a whacking. Outsourcing printing, copy desks? Closing bureaus or possibly more department mergers within the newsroom? There isn't a lot to cut in that newsroom, relatively speaking.
ReplyDeleteIt's 1:41 a.m. where I live. Time to log off. First thing tomorrow, I'll read and post as many of your comments as possible.
ReplyDeleteI didn't comment on the shutdown because it doesn't matter. You'll shut down when you want to. And then we'll go to Gannettoid and hope for the best.
ReplyDeleteI'm told the list is 65 in Cherry Hill.
ReplyDeleteNewhouse is not in the market to buy ANY Newspapers.
ReplyDeleteIf Jim can't keep the site open a few days longer please go to Gannettoid to report the incidents of layoffs. Layoffs at our site is rumored to be Thursday so it will be interesting to read how each paper treated their employees as far as letting them go and explainations to those left. Seems "restructuring" is the word those left will be the most fearful of as well as wondering how the hell do they absorb the workload - can't imagine how those left can do more.
ReplyDeleteI sit here now dreading going to work and numb to if I get shown the door after 26 yrs. If I don't then I fear for my pension and haven't gotten one interview in efforts to just GET OUT. I work with GOOD PEOPLE, all who gave hours to GCI. Watching my friends leave in December was horrendous and it's been like watching the Titantic ever since.No one has a clue how to save this mess. We all have families and bills, no one deserves the treatment Gannett has shown us. I believe what goes around comes around for those at the top. I hope somehow we get to all see it just for some type of satifaction.
Thanks Jim for your hard, incredibly underpaid work on this blog. In your honor a song as my last metaphor filled post.
ReplyDeleteWith aplogies to Bobby Darin and music lovers!
Sung to the tune of Mack The Knife!
Gracia the Knife!
Oh, the CFO, babe, has such teeth, dear
And she shows them pearly whites
Just a hacksaw has old Martore, babe
And she wields it... ah... in plain sight
Ya know when that shark bites, with her teeth, babe
FTE counts start to fall
A tight smile though wears Old Gracia, babe
While she makes the earnings call.
Now out at Tucson... uuh,huh...whoo,, sunny morning..uuh,huh
Lies a paper just oozin life...eeek!
And whose that someone killing papers
Could that someone be Gracia the knife.
There's a plane guys... huh,huh,huh... at the airport don't cha know
With a load of pink slips just a droppin' on down
And she claims it's just for the deadweights, dear
Five will get you ten old Gracia's back in town
Now, d'ja hear bout Craig Dubow? He disappeared, babe
After drawing out, our hard earned cash
And Now Gracia's taken over.
Gonna cut, close, reduce and slash.
Now...Cincinnati... ho,ho.. yeah and Rochester
Ooh, Honolulu and Detroit town
On the cuts keep coming at ya
Now that Gracia's back in town
Aah... I said Broadcast... whoa.. Newsquest
First some paycuts, then another round,
Then some furloughs, then consolidations
Now that Gracia's back in town.
Bought back stock babe, Loaded up on debt
And she's run us, into the ground.
And the Pension, is underfunded
Now that Gracia's back in town.
Look out , Gracia's back!
http://www.bobbydarin.net/macklyrics.html
"First thing tomorrow, I'll read and post as many of your comments as possible."
ReplyDeleteDon't do too much work there, big guy. It's not as if people gave you money for this service or anything.
your moon love is showing jim
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete12:15 pm. You got the tense correct: GAVE. But not giving. In total, including this week, I have put in well over 4,000 hours on this blog since Sept. 11, 2007.
ReplyDeleteA relative handful of core readers -- perhaps 1,000 -- gave me $8,000. I took in $3,000 in ad sales. That's an average of $2.75 an hour.
My direct expenses totaled $1,000 for monthly web analytics software. (I've had significant data charges for the time I've worked outside the U.S., but I do not list those here. And I don't treat the cost of my MacBook as an expense, because I use it for my other blog.)
In the end, I chose to donate the total $11,000 to Investigative Reporters and Editors.
So, I did not profit from this experience. It has been a public service that Ive enjoyed. I'm sorry if you are disappointed.
"So, I did not profit from this experience."
ReplyDeleteWah. Maybe if you had done a better job, then you would have seen more donations.
8:11 - The same could be said of newspapers and Gannett. So "wah" right back at ya.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone heard about Asheville???
ReplyDelete