Sunday, February 14, 2010
Week Feb. 8-14 | Your News & Comments
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64 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 'bout those Saints?!
ReplyDeleteLarry St. Cyr to the rescue!!!!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Jim!
They sure came marching in!
ReplyDeleteWho or what department sends the ads to the GPC site? Production staff or sales reps or inside sales reps? Who receives and proofs them? How do they look (compared to 2AdPro)?
ReplyDeleteVery happy that the Saints won, but what does this have to do with Gannett? Remember, Jim, keep with the subject!
ReplyDeleteFair enough, @11:40; I was struggling for a conversation starter.
ReplyDeleteNext: a gender/age survey of this blog's readers; results will provide context for people's comments.
ReplyDeleteI am M/53
I am F/47.
ReplyDeleteF/44
ReplyDeleteJim I am sure that 11:40PM works at the Journal News. I think he, she or it was mixing the Kool Aid while typing away.
ReplyDeleteM/50
ReplyDeleteF/49 Ha Ha, No I don't work at the Journal News and would never serve Kool Aid. Just want to hear some news about Gannett.
ReplyDeleteF/65, retired-by-layoff
ReplyDeletef/29
ReplyDeleteF/46
ReplyDeleteM/38
ReplyDeleteF/45
ReplyDeleteF/60 also retired by layoff
ReplyDeleteM/64, retired by choice. Had enough of the mickey mouse bull and pettiness of Gannett
ReplyDeleteI am F/52 and laid off in August.
ReplyDeleteM/60, also "retired" by choice, looking for greener pastures.
ReplyDeleteM/62 semi-retired by 12/08 layoff
ReplyDeleteF/52 and still employeed
ReplyDeleteM/52 left by choice. Twice the salary with gubmint, twice the happiness with projects, resulting in cherry cheeked wife.
ReplyDeletea lovely surprise yesterday: because of the '08 contribution freeze, and because i'm "old," i got more than $2500 put into my 401(k) yesterday, and will get similar amounts for the next 6 years. (i'm in indy & was grandfathered in a pension plan.)
ReplyDeleteit's nowhere near what i lost in gci stock a few years back, but it's nice to get a few more $$ out of them, considering what early retirement cost me.
jim, i'm still wondering what (if anything) to do about the fact my gannett w-2s for '09 say "pacific southern" on them.
Male, white, 56
ReplyDeleteFrom what I see with this impromptu survey is that Gannett has a bunch of worn out old time journalists!!! This says it all. A bunch of compalining journalists that need to retire. You are all spending too much time complaining about how much money the executive management team makes instead of doing your jobs.
ReplyDeleteM/52...PT for Gannett
ReplyDeleteOn the age of readers posted here, bear in mind that my informal "where do you work?" survey at the top of the green sidebar, right, about 37% say they are former Gannettoids.
ReplyDeleteHey 11:04, where did you learn how to read? Jim said a survey of the blog's readers, not current Gannett employees.
ReplyDeleteI took part in the survey, I was laid off, not retired (no where near retirement) and I am NOT a " worn out old time journalist", I was in advertising. Press men, advertising sales as well as production, finance, circulation were all hit, not just the newsroom. And I, for one, am also sick of hearing about overpaid and over compensated executives who are consumed with their American greed, whether from Gannett, the banking industry, auto makers, politicians and who ever else has been in the news.
ReplyDeleteI am 29. Quit Gannett. Happy about the move. Better pay. Better benefits. A happier wife. My dog loves that I am home more often. And, I still use my journalism skill set that I did as a reporter every day. I don't care about the execs at Gannett. I care about many good friends, still in the newsroom, who are afraid over their jobs and pay. I read Gannett blog for them.
ReplyDelete11:04..YOU are what is wrong with Gannett, not those you speak of. Nice reporting skills you show there- sort of read, sort of gather info, and then post wrong "facts". If you don't work for Gannett, apply- you're just what they're looking for.
ReplyDeleteM/30, quit Gannett. Now I build the web sites management wouldn't let me build while at Gannett. Better money, better hours, better life.
ReplyDeleteI am 64, male. I quit Gannett five years ago because I was embarrassed what it had done to my hometown newspaper. I worked there almost 40 years, and until the 1990s had always been proud of how the newspaper served the community, even during the lean years when we had to underwrite the startup of USA Today. Since leaving Gannett I have freelanced for larger papers and magazines interested in our under-reported region, taught at a local university and, most of all, enjoyed pleasant times with family and friends.
ReplyDeleteCan someone give me the details about the extra dollars deposited in 401K if you are above a certain age. I did not receive this extra contribution. Who qualifies for this?
ReplyDeleteM/46
ReplyDeletei normal sign my post but where i'm at i'm the only M/46 in the dept. most, probably 2/3, are older and i'm not a reporter
M 37. Quit a Gannett division late last year and couldn't be happier about the decision. Better job, better pay, better benefits, better commute, and, most importantly, better management.
ReplyDeleteF/45. @11:04--I'm worn down by Gannett, but not old-time or worn out. I'm more multi-media savvy than some of my younger coworkers. If I complain, it's because I remember when print media focused on news, not infotainment a la Metromix.
ReplyDeleteM/42 (still employed)
ReplyDelete@11:04: I will leave Gannett as soon as I have the opportunity, but I am not what most companies would consider worn out. In fact, mid-career workers are the most productive in many industries. People younger often lack experience and expertise.
You should note that all of the top players in Gannett are older than 40. If you're including them in your blanket statement, maybe you have a point.
The fact that you're complaining about others not doing their jobs while posting to a blog says a lot about you. Now get back to work!
I am 64 and quit my job at a Gannett newspaper's advertising department. I got completely fed up with the incompetent (so called) management and the ass kissers they kept around to make them look good. Most of all, I could no longer go out and sell the garbage programs that the idiots in management put together to make them look good. The days of working with advertising clients for their good left a long time ago. My own personal credibility and morals were more important to me than what working for Gannett brought to me. Glad I'm gone! Have a much better life and can sleep at night.
ReplyDeleteMost of all, I could no longer go out and sell the garbage programs that the idiots in management put together to make them look good. The days of working with advertising clients for their good left a long time ago. My own personal credibility and morals were more important to me than what working for Gannett brought to me. Glad I'm gone! Have a much better life and can sleep at night.
ReplyDelete2/11/2010 6:10 PM
Bless you for your honesty and I hope you'll have a wonderful life after Gannett! I am sure you will succeed in whatever you plan for the future! Good luck to you!
I don't think anyone should be allowed to post that they've found a better job after Gannett without being more specific about what job they found. Give us some hope here!
ReplyDeleteI'm F/52 and also laid off in August. 11:04, shame on you! I now freelance for Gannett's competition, am making better money and have more freedom to report on news, not just filler.
ReplyDeleteA sentiment many ex-Gannettoids have...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.laobserved.com/archive/2010/02/dan_neil_hits_the_road_lo.php
I worked in IT for Gannett. I left before i got layed off after 20 years. I took a paycut but it was worth it i can still pay the bills and I have some stability now. It was a breath of fresh air to get away from Gannett. They are crooks you are working for thiefs.
ReplyDeleteF/49 July '09 Layoffs - production artist
ReplyDeleteTo 11:04...
ReplyDeleteI work in production and am in the latter stages of my "career." Used to be a press operator, still am I guess by definition, but got fed up with the daily bullshit. By management's own admission I was considered an excellent worker but what pains me the most is that they never came to me and asked why I stepped down. It was beneath them I guess. My actions did piss management off. They sorely miss the numbers I put up, but apparently not enough to ask why I did what I did. The whole culture is top-down management to the extreme at Gannett. I mean, them coming to you and asking, "What's the problem... What can we do to make your life easier?" Never happens. And it's to their own detriment.
Hiring freeze is over for New Jersey group. Memo put out today lists a dozen jobs. Among them are 2 reporting positions - 1 each at Asbury and the HNT. I don't think they've hired a new reporter in almost 3 years (unless you count promoting a part-time clerk to full-time reporter).
ReplyDeleteDang, Jim, here I took you seriously and haven't been checking this URL since you left! Imagine my surprise to see a reference elsewhere, punch over, and find a ton of recent posts!
ReplyDeleteM/49 reporter, still employed with Gannett.
ReplyDeleteAlso in listed in NJ was a Field Acquisition position (sales rep) for the CN. They have also created some "new" positions and moved people into those spots. Some were actually demotions.
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/ykq3dk6
ReplyDeleteAppleton wins awards for ads currently built in Green Bay. Nothing sent to 2adpro was nominated.
M/44 - VERY happy former Gannett Ad dude - still in the business but with a better company. There is hope for this industry - just need to go seize it - good luck to you all!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of jobs, wonder why the city editor for Springfield is posted under corporate openings rather than community publishing.
ReplyDeleteM/44, position was eliminated in 2008. Would go back to Gannett in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteM/44, position was eliminated in 2008. Would go back to Gannett in a heartbeat.
2/13/2010 2:49 PM
Nooooooooo, you really really don't want to. You would be surprised what changes took place. Seize the day instead of thinking of a dump!
anonymous 5:38, i was among people 40+ who were "grandfathered" under the central newspapers (indy, phoenix etc) pension plan. we had to choose, several years ago, between the gannett lump and the central plan. at no point was the gannett plan as good as the central plan for someone my age. when gannett "froze" pension contributions in mid-'08, federal law required it to treat people who were 55 or older and had chosen the pension plan differently (presumably because we had less time to compensate by saving more for retirement in other ways).
ReplyDeleteconsidering that i got laid off well before full social security age and also lost the chance to contribute to my 401(k) for the years i had expected to continue working, the +/- $2,500 a year is chump change, but i'll take it, every freaking penny of it -- especially since i thought i'd lost out on it when laid off.
F/34
ReplyDeleteF/55
ReplyDelete2:49pm, 2/13: if you worked at Crystal Palace, you would not want to go back. The place is not what it used to be. The good people are gone, and you wouldn't want to be around what's left.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of bosses, Hollis Townes in Asbury Park was heaven-sent
ReplyDeletei did not work at corporate, I worked at several of the newspapers. Meet and worked with some great people, A lot of them are now gone unfortunatley. But becuase of Gannett I was able to do thngs and see places I would have never seen before. I learned a lot on how to treat people (depsite the way they have laid people off the past 3 years), and I would be in a far worse place then I am now if it were not for Gannett.
ReplyDeleteNot many companies are what they were a few years ago, the economy took a major dump and Gannett was not alone in lay offs. The economy was not Gannett's fault, they just did what they had to do to survive.
@8:22 p.m. - "Not many companies are what they were a few years ago, the economy took a major dump and Gannett was not alone in lay offs. The economy was not Gannett's fault, they just did what they had to do to survive."
ReplyDeleteOh really? What warrants Martore's fat-cat salary? Survive, you say? LOL LOL. Every rose has a thorn.