Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Part 1 | Wednesday's Layoff News & Comments

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233 comments:

  1. Anonymous7/08/2009 6:57 AM

    So is it today? And if not, could it be? The weight of the unknown is really too friggin heavy.

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  2. Anonymous7/08/2009 7:01 AM

    Wow. Wow. Wow.

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  3. Anonymous7/08/2009 7:05 AM

    With the outsourcing of severance, you don't need H.R. there to do the notice.

    Much easier to stick the department manager with a handout, "read this, call this 800 number if you have any questions, Herb here will watch as you pack your stuff, good luck," and your career is done.

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  4. Jim7/08/2009 7:13 AM

    Corporate would be financing the layoff on the backs of already cash-strapped state government: i.e., you, the taxpayer. They can use the resulting savings to justify 2009 all-cash bonuses, while possibly getting their millions of dollars in stock options above water. Meanwhile, Martore and other GMC members are entitled to lifetime medical benefits for themselves and their families, I believe.

    Wow beyond words.

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  5. Anonymous7/08/2009 7:19 AM

    It will happen today (at least in some parts) in NJ. APP ME has meetings scheduled that are mandatory for those that were told about them. One at noon on site, the other later in the afternoon down south.

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  6. Anonymous7/08/2009 7:22 AM

    I read once "it's not tax evasion, it's tax avoidance - which is every American's god-given duty". Might have been a Nelson DeMille book.

    Jim, we can't expect the leadership to act honorably if there's nothing in it for them. The corporation only answers to the stockholders - and if Ariel Investment doesn't care about building profit/paying bonuses on the state's back, corporate won't either.

    Heck, as a legal citizen, I own GM, right?

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  7. Anonymous7/08/2009 7:59 AM

    7:05, it's funny you mention not needing HR there. Here at the Daily Press & Argus, our full time HR person has so little to do due to the massive cuts and DMP changes in the past year that she's now in charge of Business, Classifieds, Graphics and the building receptionists. Which, honestly, is a train wreck. If classifieds were doing poorly before, how great are they gonna be with HR in charge? Except now, anyone with an actual HR question gets the standard "check the YBR site. It's not my responsibility" answer.

    She's either figured out that Detroit can send an HR person one day a week out to Howell to do her job, or head is so far up the publisher's ass that the giant sucking sound it would make for him to remove it would create a force loud enough to pull the crazy outta Britney Spears.

    So, we're all watching and waiting this week, to see if it will finally happen. At this point, I just want it over with, and am waiting to see if the last round in April was it for us.

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  8. Anonymous7/08/2009 8:16 AM

    I watched a very interesting Eli Stone the other day. It had to do with a laid off worker suing a former CEO for Executive Malpractice. After laying off 300 of the companies employees, he was fired but given a 41 million golden parachute. The premise was that CEO's should be held to the same standards of Lawyers and Doctors.

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  9. Anonymous7/08/2009 8:22 AM

    "head is so far up the publisher's ass that the giant sucking sound it would make for him to remove it would create a force loud enough to pull the crazy outta Britney Spears."

    I'm REALLY going to miss this place. A smile on a day like this is priceless.

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  10. Anonymous7/08/2009 8:23 AM

    Anyone know why Cincy is getting such a big hit?

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  11. Anonymous7/08/2009 8:32 AM

    If you are offered a lump sum....TAKE IT! Do not let them pay bi-weekly because it can be taken away from you if it is bi-weekly....OH YES THEY CAN

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  12. Anonymous7/08/2009 8:35 AM

    wow 7:59, did you really just go there.


    What did YOU volunteer to do after the last round of layoffs crippled our office? I'm curious because we're all in this together and if everyone wasn't working their asses off and doing work across different departments there is no WAY we would get this paper out, and no I'm not the HR person. Nice guess though.

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  13. Anonymous7/08/2009 8:46 AM

    8:35, I didn't comment on any other departments not working together. I think everyone ELSE is doing a great job, and far better than we thought we would during the initial shock period of the last layoff.
    I agree that we're all working together to get the 6 page newspaper out. I didn't indicate otherwise.

    Your anger is misdirected. I think the building is surviving in spite of, not because of her leadership. I said she was not qualified to lead these departments. Her degree is in Human Resources. Not business, sales or graphic design. That is not some blatent, imaginary criticism.

    I'm not going to get in a pissing match about it though. This week is stressful enough without worrying about the "man behind the moniter" and who each of is while we're working together.

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  14. Anonymous7/08/2009 8:54 AM

    i think today is the day for cinci.

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  15. Anonymous7/08/2009 8:55 AM

    Something tells me we are going to hear soon about bolstering and expanding ContentOne. Tara's departure as corporate flack now clears the way for her to pay full attention to ContentOne, and not be distracted by ringing phones and not answering all those media calls. In fact, as they cutback, strikes me ContentOne is going to become key to providing copy that newspapers need to continue to pretend to be newspapers. So will ContentOne originate or draw on USA TODAY. I think draw on USA TODAY. (I also think it will be an unmitigated disaster. Readers and advertisers know canned copy when they read it, as the thinning of USA TODAY Weekend shows.

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  16. Anonymous7/08/2009 8:57 AM

    Until we act as one, Corporate America will continue to screw employees, particularly in rough economic times. Gannett is one of the worst offenders and is using the bad economy and its own fiscal irresponsibility (see the Crystal Palace) to mess with our careers and our very lives.

    Until those who "have it good" start understanding that one day this company will come after them too, and join up with the rest of us to protect jobs and to weed out unfit managers, nothing will change.

    Unfortunately, those who have it good simply don't have the motivation or backbone to stand up against various wrongdoings in the workplace. They can't seem to connect the dots or don't want to admit there are profound problems from within. They tend to be self centered and therefore see no reason to join up with those fighting the good fight. Some are simply naive.

    I believe that unemployment will get far worse. I believe that major companies like Gannett will go under, not because of the economy, but because of their reactions to it. They are not only robbing our money, they are stealing from our families, from our sense of self, and destroying the spirit of many once-proud employees. Their bottom-line mentality combined with ongoing greed at the top makes for an explosive situation that will eventually doom them. They are currently grabbing all the riches they can as many of them do see the end coming soon.

    Meanwhile, we only speak in fragmented voices here and in subtle ways in other venues. We seem afraid to organize. I've seen meetings at the nation's newspaper where obvious b.s. was being liberally spewed while the masses attending the meetings said nothing.

    Keep a watchful eye on the layoffs this week. The last round saw many highly qualified but aging employees lose their jobs. It's very sad, as many former colleagues have not found employment since that dreadful day when age discrimination and other not-so-noble reasons led to the loss of hundreds of jobs. If that happens again, and no one says boo or stands up for their fallen coworkers, then expect this sort of corporate abuse to continue. You aren't as safe as you think as long as you remain silent.

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  17. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:07 AM

    DMRegister starting today

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  18. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:07 AM

    7/08/2009 8:57 AM

    Exactly......weed out unfit managers......OH YEAH!!! But the sad news is that they are at all newspaper companies.....100's of them..................

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  19. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:08 AM

    Jim,

    I see that you are not hurting for cash.

    I wish I could afford to move to another country.

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  20. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:10 AM

    OK, it's about 9 a.m. ET. All is quiet at USA TODAY. Of course, we allegedly aren't facing layoffs. I feel for those at other properties who are awaiting cuts. However, I don't trust anything that is said at this newspaper anymore and somewhat expect to be called into someone's office by the end of the day. I am not alone in those feelings. And I am not the drama-queen type. But there is so much mistrust in the air that I feel this has gone from being a once-energetic place to work to something far more depressing. Even in between layoffs, buyouts and furloughs, there is a sense that this paper will eventually get hit much harder. Not the best conditions to work under. Those who could leave on their own terms have.

    Yes, right now we all have jobs that appear to be safe this week, but what about next week or a month later? How does anyone plan things like college educations or buying new houses or cars anymore when you can't count on a job being there in six months? What assurances we've been given in the past have not held true. When we were hit by layoffs last December, there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to whom managers selected. The lack of logic in that round opened the door to a feeling that anything is possible from now on. You could do a great job and still be gone in the blink of an eye.

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  21. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:13 AM

    It says a lot that they hired an outside consulting company to do the HR work. That means they are taking no prisoners, nobody is safe and no friendships will help. Upper management and news look out.

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  22. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:16 AM

    Latest from NJ: Further consolidation on the way. Layoffs will barely graze editorial and not touch reporters. Some non-daily niche pubs have been eliminated effective Monday.

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  23. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:16 AM

    I'm curious to see where the stock will open and how far it will drop again today.

    Yesterday's late afternoon free fall was quite interesting indeed.

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  24. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:20 AM

    I've heard today for most departments and the rest tomorrow. Top dogs have a timetable to complete the process - letting shooting fish in a barrel begin!

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  25. Jim7/08/2009 9:30 AM

    8:55 has been paying attention! This is why USAT escapes layoffs. It becomes the defacto production and news-gathering hub for ContentOne and all community websites. Connell becomes effective USAT editor. She usurps News Department's authority. This explains why Moon and Paulson quit. She won. Masterful job.

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  26. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:30 AM

    Readers and advertisers know canned copy when they read it, as the thinning of USA TODAY Weekend shows.

    8:55 - First of all, it's USA WEEKEND.

    I'm so sick of people (fellow Gannettites, no less!) picking on USA WEEKEND. Until the recession settled in (and maybe even still), it was in the top 5 of the company's money-making publications. And 99% of what is printed in USA WEEKEND is written specifically for the magazine by staff or freelance writers. It's not canned/wire content. How many newspapers can say the same?

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  27. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:33 AM

    Any word on APP advertising side? Hope they cut the fat for real this time.

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  28. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:38 AM

    But USAT most likely won't escape layoffs this time. They're just not happening this week. The ax should fall by the end of the month, after Hunke looks over everybody's numbers and figures out what/who he wants to cut. I think they're playing it like, "Oh, we'll review the numbers and see; maybe we won't need to make any cuts." But please -- there's no way they won't lay off people.

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  29. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:45 AM

    Editor and VP of The Cincinnati Enquirer typed out the following on Facebook about 11 o'clock Tuesday night:

    Dating myself: Last words of Gary Gilmore come to mind: Let's do it. More recent from 9/11: Let's roll. No easy way to face tomorrow. No exit from it, though. No one else to do the job. It's my job. Period. Then, back to good work and the future. Let's do it.

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  30. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:48 AM

    USA Weekend has so much canned copy it reeks of botulism.
    From a recent edition: Make a Difference Day winners honored by Sen. Kennedy, who hasn't been seen on the Senate floor for months because he's in the hospital with brain cancer.
    " Tips to keep your cookout healthful, but satisfying."
    "Dr. Tedd offers helpful tips to heal from summer's cuts and bruises."
    "Affordable travel toys for summer trips."
    "Most caring coach awards."
    You get the thrust. This used to be a newsy magazine. Now it's just awards and advertorials.

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  31. Arazi7/08/2009 9:52 AM

    Our HR chick is on vacation this week. Ha.

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  32. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:57 AM

    Jim, your explanation of why USAT is escaping layoffs makes sense. I thought Paulson left because he knew more layoffs were coming and didn't want to be a part of that again. I didn't anticipate Tara, in essence, taking over the newsroom and ContentOne taking over USAT, if that is the direction this is going. I too find it very odd that USAT has escaped layoffs.

    Tara will need allies. She's burned many bridges and a lot of people weren't crazy about her even before she left for her PR job at corporate. She will need people who she can trust. Many existing editors will cave in and pretend to like and agree with her, but she's going to need more than the usual ass-kissers who will back stab anyone if they get a chance. She's going to need loyal people who are genuinely in her corner. I am not so sure there are many people like that from within USAT, so she might have to build her own staff by recruiting from the outside. I wouldn't want to inherit a newsroom that is almost totally against me. I'd want my own people, asap. People who I have a positive history with who can come in at various newsroom management levels and sort of push her agenda.

    Do you think USAT will allow her to hand pick upper and mid-level editors and others from the outside? Furthermore, will she have the clout to open up jobs by getting rid of some existing folks? Or will she just have to deal with the hand she's been dealt?

    BTW, I intentionally avoided giving my opinion about her. I am just curious as to what might happen next at USAT, if indeed Tara holds the power you claim she does. I will be curious to see if she continues to forget about those who once supported her but who have fallen off her radar screen, or if she looks to renew certain relationships that could benefit her in her new job.

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  33. Anonymous7/08/2009 9:58 AM

    I really hate this place.

    I'm not being pro-Jim nor anti-Jim, pro-Gannett nor anti-Gannett.

    But it takes the worst of a miserable situation (a truly dysfunctional company that is not merely reducing staff, but doing it in a heartless and inhumane manner), and compounds it with the lowest and most vile forms of comments (all managers are jerks, our products suck, our co-workers are lazy, there's no future). Even nihilists would shudder.

    It's an unpleasant and miserable read. Every day.

    There is no way to sugarcoat the truth, but there's also no need to deepen the wounds by painting even darker pictures.

    Will the company recover? I actually don't think so, not in the long run. The choices being made are so short-sighted that I can see no light.

    But the company is desperately in need of something noble, even a glimmer of hope or even vision. Moms like me, or whatever it is, is hardly inspiring stuff.

    Still, I'd like to believe somehow we can all get through this death march.

    But personal attacks, idle speculation in the event some of it might be right (Tara taking over; congressional hearings -- please, Jim. Get a grip' Content One is an annoying sideshow, even at full strength).

    In the end, this blog is what the company deserves. If Jim is the voice of the people, what does that say?

    And those of you who sit at your terminals, typing your little crappy attacks at your co-workers.

    It's a death spiral from top to bottom.

    I hate this place.

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  34. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:00 AM

    9:30 was USA Weekend really a money maker or were Gannett publications forced to distribute the product to bolster it?

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  35. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:03 AM

    USA WEEKEND is a cash cow and has always brought in huge amounts of money. It is one of Gannett's few grownup products, money-wise, and even as it falls on hard times with the rest of the industry, is doing fine, comparatively.

    There may be shell games with circulation or partnerships and the like, but it has always been a profit center.

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  36. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:05 AM

    For years prior to my departure in December from Gannett, I viewed the company and the way it operated as "rinky dink". We never seemed to be able to spend money on our products and the money we made just ended up going in some black hole. This is why it stuns me that someone like that Pence lady would come and work for Gannett. I guess everyone needs a job.

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  37. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:05 AM

    As many have previously said, it's incredible how cruel the last few days and weeks must have been like for current employees. How can they work? How can they concentrate? They are making copies of files, forwarding emails, physically and mentally packing up.

    For those that will be left next week it will almost be worse, with the amount of work that will need to be done and the uncertainty of the future.

    I was a 2008 casualty, and it was the best thing that could have happened. I can't imagine what it's like now.

    Thanks, Jim, for all you did. And good luck to everyone in the coming days.

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  38. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:08 AM

    Fort Collins here:

    Well, lets hope it’s over today.
    It might be in Fort Collins. Our publisher just had a package delivered to her from a company named “TOTAL MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.”.
    If you want to lookup info on it, the web address is – www.subpay.com.

    Good Luck to all of us today.

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  39. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:14 AM

    10:05 could not have said it any better. Though I hate to act happy about the fact that I lost a job that I worked hard for, was dedicated to and rose through the ranks to get, I have never been happier since that day in 8/08. Though I worry about our financial future, I know that somehow we will always make ends meet.

    As for those still left there now and those who will be left after this week, I feel so sorry for them. I can't imagine what it is like.

    Jim - I can't thank you enough for creating this blog. Despite all of the naysayers and nitpickers, you have to know that you ave done a world of good. You will be missed sorely, but I hope that you enjoy every second of your new freedom! :)

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  40. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:14 AM

    8:57 EXACTAMUNDO. wE WERE JUST SAYING WE should organize..but how?

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  41. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:17 AM

    The axe falls in Wisconsin Thursday afternoon. Hurry up and wait.

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  42. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:23 AM

    So does the restructuing pause in New York suburban have something to do with ContentOne?

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  43. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:37 AM

    What kind of nut job would quote a serial killer? This is someone in charge of other people?

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  44. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:38 AM

    How many in Des Moines? You would think someone in the newsroom would have leaked it by now.

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  45. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:41 AM

    I worry many of us who post to the blog have hurt our friends still at a Gannett company. I was a 2008 casualty and one can always look back and think "would I have wanted to know when I was to be fired?". I don't think there's a good answer other than I would like to know if I wasn't going to be fired and even then, I would be hurting for fellow employees who might be.

    What has been accomplished is to show the company's complete lack of discipline, structure, planning and vision which one might hope would be helpful going forward. Unfortunately, I think we also made the work environment a living hell as people knew layoffs were coming weeks ago. And worse, corporate dancing around their questions turned into reality with Dickey's letter further weakening the corporate-employee relationship. I suspect 1,000 people will lose their jobs in the next couple days and next week Wall Street will be told how this is good for the company who's been so bad to their employees.

    What's not being said is that these moves don't just offset losses in revenue, they begin the move to a smaller company. If ContentOne was such a good idea, they would have implemented it long ago, but it's not. It's a way of owning 80 papers and operating them with a dramatically and dangerously reduced infrastructure. In the next 6 months, advertisers will be questioning their contracts and rates given the drops in circulation and reduced individuality and quality of papers. They will in many cases get out of existing contracts and reduce spending throwing off existing budgets. Circulation will continue to drop with the reports for the period covering November showing the largest decline due to last years election coverage. 2009 will be one of the worst years in the industry and even if 2010 improves, the damage will already be done. What would they do, have ContentOne ramp up? No, what's being done is irreversible and worse, will accelerate the drops in ad sales, circulation and content quality. One of the best examples of this damage is the hiring of an experienced, full-time communications person to control what people know and manage perception outside the company. It will be interesting to see her spin what's coming.

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  46. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:43 AM

    I'm with 10:14. As part of the March layoffs, it took me most of the summer to get over the "ohmygodwhatNOW?" feeling. I'd been with my newspaper for 14 years. I'm 32. My whole adult life. I probably never would have the guts to leave on my own.
    But I didn't realize how sick I was making myself, how miserable I was, and how much I had come to resent the company that bought us from private owners a few years ago.
    There is something very freeing about waking up in the morning and NOT laying in bed, trying to think of ways to call in sick.
    So, while I miss the coworkers I grew up with, I don't miss the dread. I survived what I really would have thought would be the thing that would break me. You all will too.

    Thanks Jim. For giving me a place to come and feel like I was not alone.

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  47. Anonymous7/08/2009 10:46 AM

    Jim, in the midths of layoffs this week, could you possibly keep this blog running a few more days? You say you're shutting down on Friday(AM?) if you do, we'll be missing critical info coming in on Friday as some cuts might be announced till then. Thanks for all you're work!!

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  48. Anonymous7/08/2009 11:12 AM

    (To the tune of "My way")

    And now the end is near.
    Gannett you can kiss my big rear.
    I'm sad...but just a tad.
    But for the workers who are still here.

    (I have other stuff to do now so feel free to continue the songwriting as we stand in defiance of Gannett's attempts to beat us into submission. But we will not go quietly into the night...Dubow, O'Connell, Shalala et al)

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  49. Anonymous7/08/2009 11:15 AM

    Never a dull moment in Appleton...
    411 AWARD NOMINATIONS: We're now collecting nominations for the June 411 rally! Let's recognize as many of our co-workers as possible for their creativity, dedication or thoughtfulness. Nominate another employee (or yourself) for an exceptional job, and you both may win big at the next rally.
    Please send the following information to XXXXXXX@XXXXX
    -- Your name, title and contact information
    -- Nominee's name and title
    -- Reason for nominating

    Let's give someone a chance to win a prize so they can leave happily when they get whacked.

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  50. Anonymous7/08/2009 11:36 AM

    From what I am hearing - most layoffs won't occur until tomorrow. Nice. Another day of waiting. Excellent job Gannett. Hey execs! You should give yourselves a bonus!

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  51. Anonymous7/08/2009 11:38 AM

    It's started in Cincy

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  52. Anonymous7/08/2009 11:41 AM

    Jim's ego will not allow him to shut down the blog on Friday as announced. He is a phony who still can't get over the fact that he no longer works for USA TODAY.

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  53. Anonymous7/08/2009 11:41 AM

    What depts in Cincy?

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  54. Anonymous7/08/2009 11:41 AM

    Someone mentioned "those of you who sit at your terminals, typing your little crappy attacks at your co-workers" and suggested this was because of what's going on at Gannett.. but I remember far more vicious attacks on a message board during the '90s, when newspapers were still going strong. it was not limited to Gannett employees - all of the newspaper employees trashed each other. I can't remember the name of the message board - it offered the ability for people to comment on the working environment, etc. - but it was eventually shut down because of all the attacks.
    .. so no this is not a unique situation to have reporters and editors attacking each other on an industry web site

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  55. Anonymous7/08/2009 11:43 AM

    looks like editorial has started in Cincy.

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  56. Anonymous7/08/2009 11:49 AM

    The message board was Newsmait. It was awesome.

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  57. Anonymous7/08/2009 11:55 AM

    from Total Management Solutions Inc. web site (subpay.com):

    "SUB-Pay Plan Administration

    Complete Outsourcing Solution

    When it comes to reducing your workforce and managing a SUB-Pay Plan at the same time, the last thing your company needs is to add more responsibilities to the human resources, legal, payroll, and tax departments.

    With TMS as your SUB-Pay Plan administrator you won’t have to.

    Our services assist your company and your displaced employees throughout the entire SUB-Pay Plan process."

    ReplyDelete
  58. Anonymous7/08/2009 11:58 AM

    8:57 -- Amen. I've felt this way for a long time and I'm probably one of the loudest "complainers" at my site.

    But what do you suggest we do?

    I get the feeling that any attempt to unionize would be shot down by an employee base that is more fearful than angered. And that frustrates me.

    Any suggestions besides just complaining and painting yourself as somebody who doesn't play for the team. I've already got that reputation, even though I'm hopeful my complaints will help my colleagues more than they realize.

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  59. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:03 PM

    11:58 a.m. "I get the feeling that any attempt to unionize would be shot down by an employee base that is more fearful than angered."

    You must not know any unionized reporters.

    The reporters I know who insist on having a union are those who are fearful, though they wouldn't want to admit it.

    They publicly proclaim seniority as their primary reason for existing.

    Nevermind quality or skill.

    Please, people. Those of us who sit at desks, in this century, in this corporate world, do not need UNIONS.

    That's the last thing anyone should be suggesting right now.

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  60. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:04 PM

    9:10 -- When a company like Gannett can make 2008 profits that rival its best in the last two decades, yet make cuts like this there is no security. And there never will be.

    Basically, the company would have weathered the financial downturn wonderfully if it hadn't gone on a spending spree and amassed so much debt. The memos we get can say all they want about "trying" financial times. The bottom line is most Gannett properties are still making money hand over fist. They are simply not making the mass amounts needed to make up for the foolish debt Dubow and company amassed.

    A company that puts itself in a position where it "HAS" to maintain a profit margin in excess of 10% is poorly run ... no matter how they spin it.

    Flagship or not, you need to get out as quickly as you can.

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  61. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:06 PM

    Jim: Have you tried asking Robin, the Mafia princess who is the new corporate flack, for info on layoffs? Maybe a new approach from corporate, but I doubt it.
    BTW: Her father was convicted of racketeering:
    http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/11/nyregion/ex-biaggi-partner-gets-jail-in-wedtech-case.html

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  62. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:07 PM

    Just moving around the building in Phoenix is exhausting. Maybe it's just me, but the smug, arrogant managers actually seem to be worse as if they know something, don't care or are above it all.

    This is just terrible.

    It's like a bunch of drunk people all acting like they're not drunk at the same time!

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  63. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:13 PM

    9:45 -- These long-time Gannett editors don't get it, do they?

    Back to "good work" my ass.

    More like, back to a disgruntled workforce that is going through the paces simply because it has to pay the bills. The more cuts they make, the less the remaining staff cares.

    Sure, they'll get the paper out. But good work -- with few exceptions -- is a thing of the past.

    Keep deluding yourself, though, Tom.

    By the way, how insulting is it to the heroic folks on United 93 to use their rally cry to go into a round of layoffs. They gave up their lives to keep a terrorist-controlled plane from plowing into American innocents.

    You are using it to walk into your cushy office, bow to GCI commands by handing out pink slips, and then go have a nice dinner with the family.

    The arrogance is both astounding and sickening.

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  64. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:14 PM

    I think Robin has to be given the benefit of the doubt and I don't think it's fair to look into her families past which she has no control over. That said, I am concerned that her first communication might refer to to approximately 1,400 people being whacked and others simply unaccounted for.

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  65. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:15 PM

    Looks like the first post from our new corporate flack, 12:03! Welcome to the board, Robin Pence!

    ReplyDelete
  66. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:16 PM

    11:58. Depends on which team you want to play for, I guess. We can start small. Look, we don't have to form a union right now. There are small, everyday-type things one can do in the work place to support each other and the whole. For instance, how many of you expressed any sort of grievance about the laying off of a colleague last go-around? Did you speak out in support of your fallen brothers and sisters? Did you tell management what a hardship it was going to create? Or did you just let it go, glad that it wasn't you? If you did nothing, said nothing, then management probably figured they made the right choices and that the extra work or apparent injustices of who they let go didn't really matter to the masses who survived. I hate to even compare the two, but does Nazi Germany come to mind in any of this?

    Being silent can create bad karma and a downward momentum. It will also create a climate where it will be impossible to do your job and will set the stage for management doing something awful to you. Yes, they will eventually come for you if you stay here long enough. Doesn't matter how much ass you kiss. Aging employees is not something Gannett has ever embraced.

    Support those who were or are about to be laid off, and by doing so, you support yourselves. Speak up at meetings when something sounds absurd. Others should piggyback on those questions and support the initial person who stood up. Don't leave each other hanging.

    If down the road, a union is to be formed, then so be it. But right now, just stepping up and supporting each other and the reputations of those who have left would be a positive step in sending management the message that we are indeed united. We are the company!

    ReplyDelete
  67. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:24 PM

    12:03 -- Are you suggesting that "quality and skill" will get you by.

    In my site, it has been quite the opposite. Many of the people let go were the most qualified and most skillful.

    In their place today stand less-experienced, less talented and cheaper employees.

    I like what you're saying, but I'm not sure it holds up.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:26 PM

    Three words everyone: Class Action Suit!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  69. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:26 PM

    Jim, what happened to NJ Confidential which you broght back the other day?

    ReplyDelete
  70. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:27 PM

    What about the Westchester thread? Weren't you going to bump that up, too? Where is that?

    ReplyDelete
  71. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:29 PM

    11:58. Depends on which team you want to play for, I guess. We can start small. Look, we don't have to form a union right now. There are small, everyday-type things one can do in the work place to support each other and the whole. For instance, how many of you expressed any sort of grievance about the laying off of a colleague last go-around? Did you speak out in support of your fallen brothers and sisters? Did you tell management what a hardship it was going to create? Or did you just let it go, glad that it wasn't you?

    What I did: resigned my job after being reassigned. They had to hire back one of the people they had laid off, someone who needed the job more than I did. It was important to me to control my own fate, rather than leave it up to them.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:36 PM

    Just musing:
    Seems like it's career Gannett folks -- editors, reporters, etc. -- who survive, drink the kool-aid, defend the company, far more than those who have worked for other newspapers before coming to Gannett. Anyone else find this to be true?

    ReplyDelete
  73. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:46 PM

    Phoenix layoffs scheduled for today.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:53 PM

    12:29 I agree with you totally, I said the same thing before. It riled a few people up, but talk is cheap and actually doing it is tough.

    I said....I kept working till they started fucking with my job. When they started fucking with my job; I fucking left.

    It's not easy to it that way, but I made my point. Control your own fate. Quit waiting around for everyone to decide your fate for you.

    Make sure you tell them to stick it on the way out the door.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:55 PM

    This is just amazing.

    All you people who voted for the socialist administration we now have are all the ones losing jobs.

    Do you not see that since the Dems got control of the congress in 2006 that the economy tanked. And yet most of the media is in Barry's pocket.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:58 PM

    I went to the sub-pay site. They advise Gannett on how to save money getting rid of people - very 1984. I think we should keep track of the age of the people also their sex and perhaps their medical history. Something smells here.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Anonymous7/08/2009 12:58 PM

    Heard at Phoenix they are going to be calling people after work today to let them know, so not only do we have to stay on edge all through the work day, now people are going to be waiting by their phones all night on edge too.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:11 PM

    Word is that the CN/HNT will not be hit in the editorial/reporting departed. It is already decimated and staffed by the worst possible management. The actual reporters, now called satff writers, could not being doing any more for any less pay or cooperation.

    The real hits are coming in the advertising and ad services departments. Incompetent leadership and total lack of cooperation cannot be tolerated any longer. Bernita and a few others do a good job, but they can't carry the entire department. This is so sad and so unnecessary!
    The thorn in everyone's side must go.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:13 PM

    At a Wisconsin paper, and we've been told it's happening Thursday.

    ReplyDelete
  80. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:14 PM

    Heard the same thing about Phoenix, that some managers will call their employees and let them know if they are "safe".
    That's pretty crappy for the employees who don't get the phone call. Have to agree with an earlier post, Phoenix managers are smug and arrogant. If you think your job is safe, think again. You better know where all the bodies are buried or who cheated on his wife to be safe.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:14 PM

    And today's stock free fall has begun.


    How low can it go while the employees are in Limbo?

    ReplyDelete
  82. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:20 PM

    I suggest that everyone working the day shift on Wednesday turn off their phones after going home. Or just don't answer or return a call from supervisors after-hours. Better yet, call your manager's office number early Thursday morning (when you know they're gone) saying you'll be out sick on Thursday and Friday. Damn flu again! Go to the doctor to fill up on prescriptions and maybe a checkup just in case you're on the chopping block. Get a note from the doctor to show your boss if you're not cut upon returning to the office on Monday.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:22 PM

    Calling staff at home makes no sense. So if I don't answer my phone, then they can not lay me off, and I still have a JOB.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:25 PM

    Calling the employee at home saves money. Those that aren't scheduled to work, don't get paid to come in. Those that are needed in the field, know they need to show up so the papers get delivered.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:26 PM

    1:22 No you don't get it. They are only going to call those who will have a job. Those who are on the layoff list won't get a phone call. So if you aren't called, you know you won't have a job.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:34 PM

    9:58 AM sums it up only too well.

    That's the Internet in general, too. A nasty place sometimes.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:34 PM

    If 1:14 is correct, it would possibly be the most... I can't find the words.

    It strikes me as impossible the company, any company, could find a less personal, more painful way of administering layoffs. Are they so blind to not recognize not only how this effects people leaving, but those staying!

    ReplyDelete
  88. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:35 PM

    Phx - no one knows who is getting calls. Last time both types of folks got them. Some got "your job is safe" calls, others got the bad news on the phone. So unless the person who is making the calls is blogging (I suppose that's possible, although odd) then take what you read here with a grain of salt.

    ReplyDelete
  89. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:39 PM

    Pull a George Constanza and show up at work even if you get the call that you're gone on Thursday. Wear a T-shirt, shorts and flip flops. Or a pimp tux or suit. After it all goes down, shout out "Yes!!!" Chug a beer and kiss the hottest chick in the office. Do a chartwheel and high-five people as you leave the office. Don't turn in any of the company's property at that time. Force them to contact you again to get that all back. Say you were too disturbed and weren't thinking straight after the announcement. Forget something important when you show up to turn everything in. Make things as difficult as possible for the managers that let you go.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:40 PM

    Am I the only one who finds that this editor Callinan at Cincy posting such bizarre relective comments on Facebook the night BEFORE firings is, well...

    Kinda creepy????

    In fact, I'd seriously question the social skils of someone who wrote such things if they worked for me - at least I'd tell them to can the Facebook musings.

    Yep, kinda creeeeeeeepy!

    ReplyDelete
  91. nanci7/08/2009 1:41 PM

    This from Reuters- "As Gannett (NYSE: GCI) continues to be roiled with huge debt problems, an absent CEO, and hundreds more layoffs across its community newspapers, its digital division appears to be a sea of calm. In fact, to hear Josh Resnik, Gannett Digital’s VP and GM of the Gannett Digital Media Network, PointRoll CEO Jason Tafler and Ripple6 CEO Sang Kim, tell it, things are going just fine on their respective ends. As Gannett prepares for its Q2 earnings report next Wednesday morning, the digital unit faces a question left over from the previous quarter: do they represent a meaningful strength amid the company’s general weakness?"

    Answer- Who cares! Online represents approximately 15% of the Gannett revenue and relies on support from millions of dollars of house ads in print. Congratulations- 15% of the company is doing well. That's reassuring as the 85% and huge debt sends you to bankruptcy! The fun will be the wild scramble as corporate execs to to position themselves with online.

    ReplyDelete
  92. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:41 PM

    Ha! 1:39 p.m. - I LIKE your style!

    ReplyDelete
  93. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:49 PM

    Digital is blessed. They take labor from the papers to write Metromix or monitor Moms, and digital gets the credit for the revenues that come in. It's as bad as the days when the Soviet empire collapsed. Commissars made millions because the state continued to pay the employees, but the commissars got all the revenues from selling what they made.

    ReplyDelete
  94. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:49 PM

    1:39 Hurray!! I like that spirit!

    ReplyDelete
  95. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:55 PM

    Is anything going on? Weren't these layoffs suppose to start in earnest today? Is it possible they are going to delay them another day or two and wait for this blog to shut down? There is no rule that says Jim can't keep the blog going for as long as Gannett wants to drag this out. I hope he considers that.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:56 PM

    Phx has lost at least 2 in digital

    ReplyDelete
  97. Anonymous7/08/2009 1:58 PM

    1:35PM Your words are spoken like a manager who has made the calls. Anything on a blog is to be taken with a "grain of salt". Please don't insult our intelligence and expose the lack of your own at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
  98. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:01 PM

    Cincy just laid off all of cinweekly/metromix staff. ALL. That's 8-10.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:03 PM

    1:49, you should tell the Digital staff in Cincinnati who are getting laid off today just how blessed they are. I haven't seen a single reporter taken out - but plenty from Digital. Jerk.

    ReplyDelete
  100. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:07 PM

    So, did anyone who was cut already share the severance terms?????????

    ReplyDelete
  101. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:07 PM

    Heads are starting to roll in Salisbury.

    ReplyDelete
  102. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:08 PM

    Digital cuts? Both in Px and Cincy?

    Interesting.....

    Just a hunch but I think there is going to be big news next Wednesday regarding the digital initiative.

    ReplyDelete
  103. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:10 PM

    1:55 PM wrote: "Is it possible they are going to delay them another day or two and wait for this blog to shut down? There is no rule that says Jim can't keep the blog going for as long as Gannett wants to drag this out."

    Man, that's some crazy talk there.

    Wow.

    ReplyDelete
  104. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:12 PM

    2:03 Looks like Cincy has started with middle management/news and digital. I'll bet they'll wait til the end to whack the reporters.

    ReplyDelete
  105. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:14 PM

    Well thanks Indy press room. I enjoyed the time I spent there. Most of the foremans were great (even though there were 10 of you to the 50 pressman) Thanks for "trying" to bring me back for the 5 months I've been off due to the local 128-n not wanting to take 2 weeks off, and then not letting me know directly that your efforts have failed because the crystal palace has completely fucked up everything and everybodies lives. Sure the economy sucks right now, but gci has been fucked up even longer.

    PEACE

    former Indy pressman

    ReplyDelete
  106. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:15 PM

    @1:39

    Thanks for the laugh!
    Much needed.
    I'm too out-of-shape to do a cartwheel. (hmm, injured on the job?).

    ReplyDelete
  107. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:16 PM

    did anyone get cut from bridgewater NJ courier news yet?

    ReplyDelete
  108. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:27 PM

    I'm sitting here wondering why that miserable company wasted resources by having two different papers write about Steve McNair's Mississippi roots. One appeared in the hattiesburg paper (local reporter by-lined) and now there is one in the Tennessee paper (Tennessee by-line) today. Sure seems like a big waste of resources, particularly at a time when reporters are supposedly being laid off. Ya think ContentOne is responsible for the duplication?

    ReplyDelete
  109. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:30 PM

    They're making cuts in digital? This is a surprise. Anyone care to elaborate please?

    ReplyDelete
  110. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:38 PM

    Dear 1:22--I got the call at home, on my day off. But here's the good news. I got paid for that day...

    ReplyDelete
  111. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:39 PM

    2:27

    No. I'd blame that one on papers not communicating. We were just complaining at my Wisconsin site, which should be a primate example of content sharing, about the lack thereof.

    There is sometimes impressive collaboration, but it's not consistent enough.

    Blame it on ego.

    Blame it on competition, rather than thinking like one company.

    People in Gannett need to start THINKING like one company, spread out across the country, instead of competing sites.

    Only then can we truly be efficient with fewer resources.

    ReplyDelete
  112. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:42 PM

    Hellllllooooooooooooooooo????? Severance terms????????????????

    ReplyDelete
  113. MyBoss7/08/2009 2:43 PM

    1. Layoffs will be 3,000 minimum. Dickey's note is misleading and incorrect
    2. Corporate executives are celebrating the closing of Gannettblog.
    3. There is a consultant firm working with Tara Connell to help her figure out what Content One is supposed to be when it grows up.

    ReplyDelete
  114. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:47 PM

    More details MyBoss!!!???!?

    Please don't leave us. Please continue to post on Gannettoid. We need you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  115. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:48 PM

    Left Gannett 1 year ago. Loving it. Never look back.

    ReplyDelete
  116. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:52 PM

    MyBoss: Do you know severance terms?

    ReplyDelete
  117. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:52 PM

    Any more word on APP?

    ReplyDelete
  118. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:53 PM

    2:48 p.m. "Left Gannett 1 year ago. Loving it. Never look back."

    You're on a Gannett blog.

    Obviously you look back.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:54 PM

    The chubby executive editor of the AZ Republic told the newsroom about 2 years ago that the print circulation would hit 1 million by 2010. And she said it with a straight face. Sadly, none of the defeated journalists in the crowd even questioned her ridiculous projection. Da suits suck.

    ReplyDelete
  120. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:57 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  121. Anonymous7/08/2009 2:58 PM

    One glance over me shoulder on the last day, me pretty. The last day.

    ReplyDelete
  122. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:03 PM

    I finally got through to the Department of Economic Security in Arizona. In order to collect unemployment you must first exhaust your severance pay. You're ineligible if still collecting severance.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:04 PM

    Its going down in Lansing right now!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  124. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:05 PM

    MyBoss said...Corporate executives are celebrating the closing of Gannettblog...Jim, please keep this blog going! Its like giving into corporate.Maybe they'll delay the layoffs till next week when this blog is shut off so all of us will be in the dark! We need to keep this going to inform the uninformed employees and to piss Gannett off!

    ReplyDelete
  125. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:06 PM

    Would someone please deliver to us what "your" severance package looks like. There are many who have to do some planning. I've been told that Gannett may pay a lump sum, after you meet the requirement of applying for and being granted unemployment. The lump sum being the 1-week per year you've worked up to 26 weeks... less the unemployment you will receive for that same time frame. This is truly unbelievable.

    ReplyDelete
  126. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:07 PM

    I doubt someone who just lost their job is going to run directly here to share the severance package. Just sayin'

    ReplyDelete
  127. sunflower19817/08/2009 3:08 PM

    2:53 PM
    I don't know if I speak for the original poster, but I care about the friends I left behind. I left (mercifully) voluntarily in May and feel like I'm experiencing a rebirth of freedom and joy. Freedom from the dread, worry, oppressive atmosphere, and constant reminders that I was lucky to be there. There is life outside of Gannett, and for the most part, it's better. I am, however, concerned for my friends today and I'm glad this blog is here so I can have some idea of what might be happening.

    ReplyDelete
  128. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:10 PM

    MyBoss said...Layoffs will be 3,000 minimum. Dickey's note is misleading and incorrect...Jim, keep this blog open till next week please! If this person is right (and they usually are), then you can't openly prove them wrong about the 1400 number of layoffs! Its all quiet at my paper, I bet my bosses were told to wait to next week to lay off.

    ReplyDelete
  129. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:11 PM

    Audio Record layoff phone call

    ReplyDelete
  130. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:14 PM

    I hear the entire Nuestra staff is out at Vineland can anyone confirm?

    ReplyDelete
  131. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:16 PM

    Jim: Could the discrepancy between all the layoff estimates (4300, 1400 and now 3000+) have something to do with layoffs yet to happen at USAT/Detroit?

    ReplyDelete
  132. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:17 PM

    3:04, any names in Lansing?

    ReplyDelete
  133. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:18 PM

    How many work at USA Weekend?

    ReplyDelete
  134. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:19 PM

    Everyone, get on the phone and call your supervisor or any other Gannett suit just to say "Hi." Maybe they'll wet their drawers as the phone is ringing.

    ReplyDelete
  135. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:21 PM

    I absolutely believe that Gannett management is concerned about how the layoff news will be shared on this blog and is pursuing strategies to limit that news here. The people who ridicule that possibility here are probably part of the braintrust that's managing this massacre.

    ReplyDelete
  136. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:21 PM

    3:04 - Seconding that request, please!

    ReplyDelete
  137. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:22 PM

    Make sure you call from "PRIVATE" number.

    Actually call everyone at your location at home tonight tell them they are fired then NOBODY shows up tomorrow! :)

    ReplyDelete
  138. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:24 PM

    severance is as follows: you can only collect if you qualify for unemployment. If you do, then you receive unemployment, and gannett adds to that total to bring it up to your current salary for the period of weeks you will receive (1 week for every year in my case).

    You must call and qualify for every weeks payment.

    It's like the hoops insurance companies make you jump through.

    If only they would spend as much time trying to improve the products as they do trying to cut costs.... well, use your imagination.

    ReplyDelete
  139. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:24 PM

    3:04 - Thirdening that request, please!

    ReplyDelete
  140. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:25 PM

    Any news from Cherry Hill? Will they have enough staff to publish Thursday?

    ReplyDelete
  141. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:28 PM

    2:48 and 3:21 expose themselves immediately as the idiots of the day.

    ReplyDelete
  142. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:28 PM

    2:57: With all her money, surely some plastic surgery would help.

    ReplyDelete
  143. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:29 PM

    A tweet from James Jackson in Cincy earlier today, "I've found forgiveness in my heart for those who've wronged me (save one). I hope others may do so for me, though I've not earned it."

    ReplyDelete
  144. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:29 PM

    The first head just rolled at Florida Today ... from advertising

    ReplyDelete
  145. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:30 PM

    3:28 you must be freaking jealous.

    ReplyDelete
  146. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:32 PM

    2:57: With all her money, surely some plastic surgery would help.

    7/08/2009 3:28 PM

    That is the best laugh I have ahd all day...

    But I do not think that plastic surgery would help..

    ReplyDelete
  147. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:35 PM

    3:32- She's way beyond plastic surgery help. Although maybe she'd be some plastic surgeon's dream of a makeover!

    ReplyDelete
  148. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:36 PM

    The bloodletting is underway at The News Journal in Wilmington, DE. The first fired was the the first lieutenant of the dayside copy desk chief. Guess he figured it was easier to throw him under the bus than risk his own neck.

    ReplyDelete
  149. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:37 PM

    is the severance package "after" unemployment benefits where there's a union contract? if so, there's gonna be a lot of fur flying. pressmen & teamsters & guild won't take kindly at all . . . & i expect dept of labor won't either.

    my verification word is "revil" -- should that be "revile"? or "gannett r evil"?

    ReplyDelete
  150. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:37 PM

    I wish they'd allow me to trade places with someone who got laid off and didn't want to be. I'd gladly take the nudge.

    ReplyDelete
  151. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:40 PM

    I just looked at the corporate website and they are recruiting an AD for cherry hill--posted yesterday. Seems odd

    ReplyDelete
  152. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:40 PM

    @3:37 - you and me both.

    ReplyDelete
  153. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:41 PM

    who has news on Lansing? anybody?

    ReplyDelete
  154. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:42 PM

    3:28 - Are you one of the rats who doesn't want his lies and bad acts to be dissected and discussed here?

    ReplyDelete
  155. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:43 PM

    It's only the circulation director so far from Lansing.

    ReplyDelete
  156. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:43 PM

    3:18 -- About half of them.

    OK, I don't work there, but it's an old joke and I couldn't pass up the belt-high fastball.

    ReplyDelete
  157. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:46 PM

    what were the digital titles lost in Phoenix?

    ReplyDelete
  158. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:47 PM

    I hope I get laid off.

    ReplyDelete
  159. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:48 PM

    Sorry, but the unions really don't stand a chance against this company. Just the facts. If they were so effective, we'd see a lot more of them saving jobs at their sites. I haven't seen that so far.

    ReplyDelete
  160. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:48 PM

    I got the ax in the last go-round. Friends now ask if I miss the grind of the newsroom. I tell them that what I miss died years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  161. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:48 PM

    Did any sites ASK for volunteers this time???????????????????????????

    ReplyDelete
  162. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:49 PM

    Hear, hear 3:48!

    ReplyDelete
  163. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:49 PM

    I don't think any sites asked for volunteers, but I know a managing editor who is being laid off per his request.

    ReplyDelete
  164. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:51 PM

    any news from bridgewater nj courier news yet??

    ReplyDelete
  165. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:51 PM

    Louisville CJ death toll: 3 from marketing.

    Looks like editorial might wait another day.

    ReplyDelete
  166. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:53 PM

    Any layoffs at Des Moines Register? I heard newsroom was going to get hit this afternoon.

    ReplyDelete
  167. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:53 PM

    Good old teamster style response is the only way businesses will stop treating their employees like garbage and using them as scapegoats for executive incompetence and malfeasance. Someday you'll all learn that. Until then, guys like Dubozo, his cronies, the corrupt board, and all the elitists that control rank-and-file employees everywhere will do whatever they want and all you will be able to do is bend over and take it.

    ReplyDelete
  168. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:54 PM

    and still no signs of layoffs at the hnt and cn. Jim, can u please bump up Jersey confidential?

    ReplyDelete
  169. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:55 PM

    "all you will be able to do is bend over and take it."

    Stop insulting Jim that way.

    ReplyDelete
  170. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:56 PM

    I asked to be laid off, and was turned down. Guess the list was set in stone some time ago. No volunteers this time around.

    ReplyDelete
  171. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:57 PM

    Any news from Wilmington De? even rumours?

    ReplyDelete
  172. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:58 PM

    CiN Weekly (Cincy) folks are clearing out their desks now.

    ReplyDelete
  173. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:58 PM

    Jersey has to wait another day?

    ReplyDelete
  174. Anonymous7/08/2009 3:59 PM

    Between this and the Gannettoid blog, there doesn't appear to be much news coming from GCI properties. Seems the company wants to drag this out a little longer. Amazing level of insensitivity in this company's head honchos. You can say it's just business, but people deserve better than what we are given by this chain year in and year out.

    I hope the J-schools take note of how Gannett has operated during these difficult times and steers future potential journalists away from this company.

    ReplyDelete
  175. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:00 PM

    They are dropping like flies here in Cincy.

    ReplyDelete
  176. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:00 PM

    "I hope the J-schools take note of how Gannett has operated during these difficult times and steers future potential journalists away from this company."

    You don't get much more delusional than this guy.

    ReplyDelete
  177. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:02 PM

    Is anyone from Corporate getting shown the door? Please report.

    ReplyDelete
  178. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:02 PM

    The new campus of the Arizona State School of Journalism is right across the street from the Arizona Republic. As veteran salaries flow out the door, a tsunami of cheap labor is crashing into the newsroom.

    ReplyDelete
  179. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:03 PM

    Westchester's magazine is GONE. I guess that's part of the reorg.

    ReplyDelete
  180. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:03 PM

    4:00 PM "I hope the J-schools take note of how Gannett has operated during these difficult times and steers future potential journalists away from this company."

    You don't get much more delusional than this guy.


    You are so correct. All J schools do is turn out elitist liberals. Fair and balanced has gone by the way of the dodo bird.

    ReplyDelete
  181. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:03 PM

    DuBOZO! I hadn't heard that one before. I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  182. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:04 PM

    Who gets to turn the lights out in Lansing?

    ReplyDelete
  183. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:04 PM

    I love it when you click on MyBoss, it takes you to Gannett's website. When Gracia sees that, he's going to be mad.

    ReplyDelete
  184. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:04 PM

    Are the Moms Sites taking a hit?

    ReplyDelete
  185. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:06 PM

    "I got the ax in the last go-round. Friends now ask if I miss the grind of the newsroom. I tell them that what I miss died years ago."

    Now you're talking! (My word verification: resess)

    ReplyDelete
  186. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:06 PM

    I hear the severance is 2 weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  187. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:07 PM

    The bleeding began late this morning in Rochester, starting with Marketing, IT and other supporting departments. News is next. Rumor has it that 40 plus employees and 1 executive will be axed by days end tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  188. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:07 PM

    DuBOZO. that has to be the best I have heard in a long time..

    Actually I remember the Bozo show from childhood and that is insulting to the real Bozo.

    Maybe we could use the term DuBufoon.

    ReplyDelete
  189. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:10 PM

    @ 4:04 why, did you hear of more layoffs?

    ReplyDelete
  190. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:13 PM

    Any word on the NNCO (Newspaper Network of Central Ohio) cuts?

    ReplyDelete
  191. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:13 PM

    we lost an online reporter in Burlington Vt. more TK tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  192. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:15 PM

    2:54, The executive at the Az Republic announcing 1 million in circ in 2010 forgot to add-
    -When monkeys fly out of my ass!
    -Wait, that's next year?
    -How many 0's in million?
    -I meant total circulation for the whole year!

    ReplyDelete
  193. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:17 PM

    Editorial Page Ed at Cincy gone.

    ReplyDelete
  194. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:18 PM

    Two let go from marketing department in Louisville. It's starting.

    ReplyDelete
  195. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:19 PM

    Rochester, can you be more specific? what departments or positions and any idea of how many? PLEASE....

    ReplyDelete
  196. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:20 PM

    Why on earth would Robin Pence fly over to GCI as the ship sinks???

    ReplyDelete
  197. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:24 PM

    Is Content One going to write Editorials for all the papers?

    ReplyDelete
  198. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:27 PM

    COMPANY EMAIL JUST SENT:
    Gracia Martore, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will take your questions in an audiocast at 2 p.m. (ET), Wednesday, July 15 following Gannett’s second-quarter conference call. E-mail your questions now and during the audiocast by clicking http://gannett.gci/chat/live.asp?chatid=189.

    We suggest you start your audio feed 10-15 minutes ahead of the actual event time to check for sound. Talk with your local IT department if you have any questions.

    ReplyDelete
  199. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:28 PM

    I got laid off today in Cincy. The whole Metromix/Cin/Magazine division, including the boss was let go. First off, allow me to say what idiots these people are to let a guy like that go. This is a manager you want to keep because everyone works their XXX off for him. Michael Perry, you're a rockstar, no matter what they did to you.
    As for the rest of us, it was pretty brutal. They brought us all in at once and told us together. The HR guy didn't have all the answers. One woman even bust out her last expense form right there. She must have known what was going on. Callinan sat there nodding off as usual, and didn't even give us the whole "you guys are great speech."

    ReplyDelete
  200. Anonymous7/08/2009 4:29 PM

    I just got this email:

    'Gracia Martore, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will take your questions in an audiocast at 2 p.m. (ET), Wednesday, July 15 following Gannett’s second-quarter conference call. E-mail your questions now and during the audiocast by clicking http://gannett.gci/chat/live.asp

    We suggest you start your audio feed 10-15 minutes ahead of the actual event time to check for sound. Talk with your local IT department if you have any questions."

    Does anyone else see this as incredibly bad form to send this on a day like today? I guess Pence needs to work on some things...

    ReplyDelete

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