The latest shoe to drop came today in the form of an oddly worded announcement from quadrantONE, a statement that spells possible trouble for the online ad sales partnership Gannett co-owns with three other media giants. QuadrantONE named a new national sales chief who's apparently reporting to the board of directors -- rather than to the CEO, Andy Ellenthal (above), who is rumored to have quit the company. QuadrantONE's website still lists him as CEO. But a source told me weeks ago that he'd resigned, a departure that paidContent reported last week.
Gannett Digital Ventures President Jack Williams (left), a quadrantONE board member, breezily noted today's hiring of Mario Dietz, with nary a whisper about Ellenthal's status. "With Mario coming aboard," Williams said, "quadrantONE is poised with greater sales agility and organization. The company has already come fast out of the gate this year, so Mario joins us at just the right time."Indeed. Ellenthal was a former colleague of Gannett departing Chief Digital Officer Chris Saridakis, who's bolting for an e-commerce company outside Philadelphia; the two worked together at ad services company Pointroll and ad placement firm DoubleClick. Saridakis's leaving, coupled with Ellenthal's reported departure, seems more than coincidental.
Meanwhile, Gannett still hasn't accounted for Saridakis's exit, much less named his replacement. All we've gotten was an unconvincing assurance that all is well in Gannett's digital wing. Tomorrow, Wall Street stock analysts are expected to ask Dubow and President Gracia Martore what the heck is going on, when the two answer questions during a 10 a.m. ET first-quarter earnings conference call.
Those influential analysts also ought to pound them about why Gannett has now missed key digital performance targets for two consecutive years. After all, digital is the engine of future growth, especially amid further expected declines in print ad revenue.
What questions do you want the analysts to ask management? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.
Here's a question I want answered: The Community Newspaper division has been hit hard with layoffs and consolidations. Are these now over, or do you intend to make further cuts. And since the community newspapers were a source of much of GCI's revenues, are you not concerned that you are destroying the heart of this company?
ReplyDeleteWhy did you contribute to the UK and union pension funds for years, but not the biggest company retirement fund?
ReplyDeleteAlso, Craig---Tell me how many Gannett news products you read yesterday? Today? Please tell me how many mistakes/corrections you noticed, and tell me again just how many news employees lost jobs last year and the year before. Do mistakes and corrections in news stories and/or ads bug you?
I'd like an analyst to tie together how we are reporting digital revenue vs. print/broadcast and the seeming inability to find a frickin' focus and stick to it.
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ReplyDelete"Could you share with us the value Mr. Williams brings to company? Let me be more specific. In the past decade or so he has presided over one still-born digital initiative after another. And after more than a decade of trying Mr. William's digital revenues continue to lag industry averages. Would you mind sharing with stockholders what Mr. William's primary skill is -- other than holding on to his job."
ReplyDeleteWilliams should have reference checked Mario Diaz.
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