Sunday, January 31, 2010
Week Jan. 25-31 | Your News & Comments
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31 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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How's your furlough going?
ReplyDeleteMy 20-week paid furlough just ended. Now I am unemployed.
ReplyDeleteWe had 4 day-side compositors, now we have 2. One resigned Monday, the other Tuesday. We do still have 3 night-side compositors, along with a night-side supervisor. Even though it will make everyone's job harder, you can't blame them for seeking more permanent employment.It's the not-knowing that's a killer. We were told last fall that our ad production department would close, but nothing has been said since. Several rumors going around, but nothing concrete. Someone has to know something!
ReplyDeleteAnyone else dealing with more unannounced paycuts? I know of more than a few large percentage paycuts of employees as of the new year. Different reasons given, including job responsibility changes and tough economy ...
ReplyDeleteEvery one I have heard of has come in the broadcast division. I'm guessing they are trying to force employees to leave if they feel they can hire someone else for less. What do you think Jim?
11:04 p.m.: Gannett has publicly announced only a broad target on consolidating ad production. In December, newspaper division president Bob Dickey told Wall Street: "All advertising production for the division will be centralized in two Gannett Production Centers, which will be completed in early 2011."
ReplyDelete11:07 p.m.: The only big, unannounced paycuts I've heard about were at the Cleveland TV station. But they may be going on at other worksites, too.
ReplyDeleteWhy do so many Gannett publications (at least 13 including USA Today) have exactly the same letter posted in their opinion sections (different days and all over the country) from someone named "Ellie Light" who lives in different cities? Do Gannett publications only verify the writers if the do not praise President Obama? A Google search of the name Ellie Light would be informitive. The Cleveland Plain Dealer first caught on to Ms Light's letters being published in many newspapers. There are at least 47 papers with crappy editors who failed to check to see if she is a real person. I'll bet if the letters had been critical of President Obama, they would have checked. No wonder American newspapers are in their death throws.
ReplyDeleteThe list from Gannett includes...
The Salinas Californian, Salisbury Daily Times, Chillicothe Gazette, Mansfield News-Journal, St. George (Utah) Spectrum, Staunton News-Leader, Sheboygan Press, Oshkosh Northwestern, Marshfield News-Herald, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, and USA Today. There may be more...
Ad consolidation starts March 15 in Wilmington.
ReplyDeleteTrouble... Newsday adds just 35 paid subscribers after launching pay wall on website...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.observer.com/2010/media/after-three-months-only-35-subscriptions-newsdays-web-site
So Toni Humphrey? goes to Louisville on March 3. They go live April 26. So does that mean when she comes to your site you have a little over a month before you go live? Are they on track with the roll outs, ahead, or behind? Somebody tell us, please.
ReplyDeleteProduction staff: you ARE going to go LIVE, it WILL work, and most of you WILL be let go. Face it, embrace it and MOVE ON! There is life after Gannett; you will breathe an AHHH when you are finally let go. No more wondering, no more guessing. You can do it. Stay in touch with your fellow staffers, enjoy the upcoming spring and summer.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could post a screengrab here. It's 12:30 a.m. Thursday (EST), and according to the Wilmington (Del.) News Journal, the State of the Union is still going on. The only reference to the speech is an item in the revolving carousel reminding people they can watch the speech, live! Yep, watch a live event two hours after it ended.
ReplyDeleteIt's embarrassing to hear the top brass talk about how we're a 24/7 news operation. Everyone else knows that's a flat-out lie; I think the EE and AME/news just really live in a state of incompetent denial. There simply aren't enough bodies left to post Web stuff at night and still keep the print copy flowing through - and that was even before the furloughs! The assignment editors are just trying to keep their heads above water. One day recently there was one editor handling assignments and copy for 30+ reporters. Utterly unsustainable.
And yet, with all the shit going on, they decided to send a reporter and photographer to Haiti for a week. I don't mean to knock them - they've done a wonderful job and turned out great copy and photos. But when we can barely fill the incredibly shrunken paper some days, is that the best use of our resources?
The 'real' rollouts for GPC (Generic Production Centers) started this past Monday - before that DesMoines and Indy were just trying to figure out how to do their own local sites.
ReplyDeleteEven if the GPC's do a lousy job and cost the company millions in revenue while they try to fix the problems, we'll all still be consolidated - consider how poorly the RTC and COE rollouts went and are currently running. At least the finance consolidation seemed to go better, though it took a hell of a long time to do.
If you are in sales and thinking about a career change, plan it for when you lose your local production. The next month you'll be writing more credits than orders.
6:18 a.m. - I am not sure if you are trying to be comforting to production folks or not. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and say you are... And, that I agree wholeheartedly. I left Gannett two years ago for a different newspaper chain hoping for greener pastures. Was laid off six months later. But, now, 12 months since my lay off, I have found a new career outside of newspapers using the same journalism skills I honed while working at Gannett. The pay is triple my old salary, the benefits much better, a stable schedule and my happiness can't be matched. To all of you who have been laid off, or those of you about to be laid off, or those who are steady in your job but unsure of what the future holds, just know there is life after newspapers. As much as you think it's newspapers you love, it's the skill set you employ that you enjoy. That skill set can be used in other industries. At least that has been my experience. Unemployment is very uncomfortable. But, it can also force you to look for other avenues you never considered before. Good luck to all who need it.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone received their W2 yet?
ReplyDelete12:55 a.m., I heard the W2s were being mailed out today.
ReplyDeleteMinneapolis Star Tribune just laid a bunch off.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.minnpost.com/braublog/2010/01/29/15437/the_star_tribunes_layoffbuyout_list
I just got my W2 here in NJ.
ReplyDeleteUSA Today has laid off 12 in advertising; five in circulation; and five to be eliminated this week in marketing.
ReplyDeleteEmployees are definitely confused why publisher Dave Hunke has not yet announced the furloughs that are already planned for.
Another one here from NJ
ReplyDeleteYepper! W-2 Came in the mail, today!
6:18 p.m.: What makes you think furloughs are planned at USA Today? If they were, and they were to be during the current quarter, Hunke would announced them already. Otherwise, management would have to squeeze them in during just two months, making staffing even more difficult.
ReplyDeleteFurloughs were announced in mid-January last year. I don't remember the exact date, but it was just before the Inauguration.
ReplyDeleteAt our site, we keep hearing how it is not working and we will not be going. I believe it probably is bombing big time, but I do not believe that we are going to be allowed to stay. What I do believe, according to the very early memo that was leaked, if the upper management keeps the workers, THEY GET BONUSES! Of course, us measly worker bees just get a boot up our ass on the way out the door, and the manager's get an even bigger bonus than the one the already get in February (they think we are stupid and don't know about that!) So don't believe your manager or GM when he says you're not going, he is trying to hold on to his fist full of dollars at the expense of your peace of mind while he is holding the butcher knife ready to plunge in your back.
ReplyDeleteMimi
Got my W-2 today.
ReplyDeleteThe name of the company it is from is neither Gannett, nor the name of my newspaper (not Mohawk Carpeting either, lol!} Is this common at other newspapers? And is there some actuarial reason for this that you know of, Jim?
11:47 p.m.: Some newspapers and other Gannett businesses continue to be owned under their original holding company's name. Spiedel, I think, is the name on some W-2s for Reno employees. But Gannett, in turn, owns Spiedel.
ReplyDeleteThere may be an accounting or tax advantage to maintaining these original names.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! I heard that there is some BIG...SUPER BIG news coming out tomorrow. Have you heard anything? I think there is a big executive management shake up from what my Publisher told me.
6:22 p.m.: Gannett reports fourth-quarter results tomorrow, and that always prompts speculation about other news. CEO Craig Dubow speaks to employees at 1 p.m. ET. We'll have to wait until then.
ReplyDeleteI got my W-2 form, and it said Gannett Satellite. So now I'm done with it forever!
ReplyDeleteMy W2 had my employer listed as Pacific Southern. What the hell? Used to be Indiana Newspapers. Who is Pacific Southern?
ReplyDeleteWhat's the big news?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteBut, think about this, what if you added a little content?