Over time, I've learned that some of those never-worked-for-Gannett fans are academics, other media company employees, and the occasional Wall Street analyst. Yesterday, I discovered another reader: the top editor of one of the nation's bigger metro newspapers. (I won't identify him by name, because our conversation didn't feel like it was meant for public consumption. I will say, though, that his paper just won a 2010 Pulitzer Prize.)
We met at this weekend's Logan Symposium, an investigative reporting conference held annually on the Berkeley campus of the University of California, across the bay from where I live in San Francisco; Frontline correspondent Lowell Bergman is the organizer. A friend introduced me to the editor, and before I could tell him what I did, he smiled and said: Oh, you're the Gannett Blog guy. I've never worked for Gannett, but I read you.Even more amusing, however, was being greeted by a former Gannett reporter (hi, there!) who recognized me from photos on this site. Two years ago, he worked at the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, N.J., during an infamous period in the newspaper's history. Anyone who recalls that incident would have laughed, as I did, when he said: "I'm the one who found the shit!"
Ah, yes: Poopgate.
[Image: today's paper, Newseum]
I have never worked at Gannett, knew none of its executives until I read this blog, and have no investments in GCI stock (although I do wonder why it keeps rising). So why do I read this blog? It's because it is better than any of the perils of Pauline soap operas, except it is real. There's the white hat Saridakis, brought in to lead Gannett into the digital future, who as the revenue picture shows fails, and heads off to other operations. There's Dubow, sidelined by what sounds like a very serious back opeation, who reemerges looking like a bearded hippie. Could it be the morphine for the back pain? What is Hunke going to do with USA Today after engineering the cutbacks inn Detroit, and will Tara's Content One be successful in cutting expenses at community newspapers? There's also the reports from the rank and file, including one plaintive former employee who felt his layoff unjustified, and repeatedly said that. Haven't heard from him recently. It's all anonymous, but it is all so real...and interesting.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteWould love to know what that top editor thinks of GCI's top management.
7:34pm: I'm impressed what you've learned through just reading the blog. As a non-Gannettoid, you're very bright and right on the ball!
ReplyDeleteI answered the poll non-Gannett. . . which is true. But it is also true I have a spouse that does work for a Gannett property. Spouse is still employed, but grossly overworked.
ReplyDeleteI started reading the blog to see if the company might go under entirely, at a time when that seemed like a possible result. What I found, in my opinion, was that while things were bad just then, they weren't as dire as the stock price indicated. As a result, with me doing the trading, we've made a six figure profit on GCI over the last year. Spouse may still be out of a job at some point, but at least we've provided a reasonable "severance package" (about two years salary) on our own actions in Gannett stock.
Jeepers, 11:27 pm! Where's my cut? ;)
ReplyDeleteOh, I hit the "donate" button once per quarter!
ReplyDelete