Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Week May 10-16 | Your News & Comments: Part 1

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53 comments:

  1. How was Mother's Day where you are?

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  2. Gannett copy editors in action, from The Detroit News:

    Less than a day after it opened, the Mexicantown Bagley Avenue Pedestrian Bridge was vandalized, Michigan Department of Transportation officials said.

    Numerous individuals have "tagged" the $5 million bridge with spray paint and used knives to carve into a wooden bench in the middle of the span. Others signed their names with pens and magic markers on the bench, officials said.

    In fact, an MDOT employee's video camera caught one woman as she used a colored pen to scrawl on a bench in the middle of the 400-foot-long bridge.

    "Yes, it was me," said Oneita Jackson, a copy editor at the Detroit Free Press and author of Sunday's "O Street" blog.

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  3. See? This is why people at Gannett can't have nice stuff.

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  4. Back in the old days we only put smiley faces on our own big blue balls. Now we have to go out in the community to desecrate?

    Where will outsourcing end?

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  5. How many female managers are left at the Asheville Citizen Times?

    *Marketing is exempt. LOL

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  6. OK is Mark Frisby and Laura going back to Gannett. How about Geonnotti and Gregory ?.

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  7. 9:02 You're acting as if they were missed in some way. Unless there's a contest to see how many newspapers one group of Bobby Collins proteges can drive into the ground, I would hope not...

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  8. if the new owners of Philly want to have labor harmony, they would be well-served by retaining Frisby ... the others, well, they could be out the door and no one would miss them ...

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  9. This morning another great move by USA. A stop that is selling out of 8 USAT's a day is now getting...6! They's also gotten into Denny's here, another restaurant. The rack out fromt only sell 1-2 a day and they get 6 to start. USA just keeps showing why their numbers are as junk as any other paper. Sad.

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  10. How could they leave the PD in Wilmington off the President's Ring list? She's the best in the company period.

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  11. I cannot remember who the PD is in Wilmington, but I do remember she was not a friendly person.

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  12. Being friendly is not a qualification to win a ring. In fact, it may be a strike against you.

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  13. Is the 11:21 post from a proof reader?

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  14. 11:21

    Do you have a better idea as to how USAT could set more accurate draws than the current system they use? I've advocated putting control back into the carrier's hands in the past -- and shot down each time.

    Has the Denny's thing you mentioned been successful?

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  15. Tues., 5/11 edition of USAToday consists of TWENTY-EIGHT pages; less than two of those are advertising.

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  16. Just an FYI to my fellow Gannett employee's. I ordered tickets from Tickets at work which is promoted as a Gannett benefit for us as employee's. I have not received my tickets I purchased for Six Flags theme parks. It has been two years and they refuse to refund the money and they refuse to work with me. I have dealt with a woman by the name of Jennifer Sandlerlin her e-mail address us jsanderlin@entertainmentbenefits.com Her phone number is 407-597-3552. If you have issues with tickets at work or entertainment benefits please notify the florida attorney generals office. As I have lost 149.00 to this gannett supported company. If more contact the AG we can get an investigation opened.

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  17. Here we are ... on the eve of the downfall.
    A false sense of security has been built on positive results from a soft rebound in the economy and too deep cuts that have offered a positive profit outlook for 2010. A few great journalists hang on, buying the spin and helping sustain the brand.
    New technology and solutions for advertisers to talk directly with their consumers are in the wings. Coupon offers abound in print but prove not to be the panacea publisher's preach from the boardroom. They can't get the local advertisers to pay when readers convert to online readership faster than ever before -- while sustaining their subscriptions due to ezpay. Three publishers quit on a conference call when their numbers have to be restated due to nonpayment.
    A new coupon and shopping application releases in late 2011 for smartphones that allow users to shop local the same way they shopped plane tickets on Travelocity.
    The bottom drops out when national advertisers identify diminishing returns in ROP and preprints. It still works to some degree, but there is a major shift to online that breaks the model. Google launched a service that delivers whatever deals are local through a simple search of a shopping list submission.
    Newspapers are forced to visit frequency due to declining preprint revenues., but their egos won't let them build a real plan around dropping 7-day delivery. They gamble on staying 7-day and charging for content online, cutting staff to sustain their profit levels. The loss of quality diminished brands to Shopper level.
    The end is near, but a few community weeklies unite to offer Saturday-only hyper-local print coverage and drop their websites.
    The daily newspaper folds in favor of online only, but only with a small crew of reporters and editors. A small sales force holds on selling online contests and prep sports data to a car dealership or two.

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  18. That wasn't a solid thought. But started to head somewhere interesting.

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  19. Newspapers have to start rethinking frequency. The longer they hold onto the 7-day approach, the longer they waste revenue sustaining an old, dying print model. Every other day, two days, five days and Mondays have to be in sights. It is the only way to address the expense issue in a serious and significant way that will deliver positive cash flow at old levels. 5-day publication cycles would reduce payrolls and newsprint in epic ways.
    Covering 7 days creates an expense double-down.

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  20. bridge was vandalized by a Gannett employee? was she arrested? fired?

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  21. >>Tues., 5/11 edition of USAToday consists of
    >>TWENTY-EIGHT pages; less than two of those
    >>are advertising.

    Yeah, I saw the ad layout for Tuesday's USAT. Wow. Do we have any ad salespeople?

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  22. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  23. This video shows what happened at the Free Press after the incident: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6560479/

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  24. How is it possible that the USA Today ad staff, with offices and lunches and action planning all across the country, cannot sell a single ad beyond the front page in today's newspaper?

    In May. With summer nearing. And sweeps week coming. And movies coming. And dieting coming. And traveling coming. And reading coming. And father's day coming?

    This is not a snarky person trying to make trouble. Seriously, HOW IS IT POSSIBLE that the ad staff can sell NO ADS??????

    That would be like a copy ediotr checking no stories. A reporter making no calls? An artist talking all day?

    HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?

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  25. "That would be like a copy ediotr checking no stories. A reporter making no calls? An artist talking all day?

    HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?"

    That's not only possible. It's frequent. Many copy editors check nothing. Many reporters write simply from press releases.

    I like how the poster messes up the word "editor," though.

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  26. That Detroit Free Press cartoon is classic. Thanks!

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  27. "USAToday: An economy of information, a wealth of ..."

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  28. I was a retail sales rep for many years at one of Gannett's local papers. In response to 5/11 10AM, why are you surprised. USA Today comes from the same place as Gannett itself where most of the people there are near-useless. These are the same folks that spew all kinds of crap and give (poor) direction and advice about everything, but they know next to nothing. If one of the local papers performed like what you describe, there would be hell to pay. I sat through dozens of Gannett seminars over the years on how to sell, what the customer wants, etc. And then there were the rollouts of sales programs, all of which were failures. More from the empty suits in Virginia. Everyone of these events was a complete waste of time. Wonder why things are like they are?

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  29. How come there are so many job listings for marketing/sales people? Is the turnover really high?

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  30. When the Gannett Blog has more ads than USA TODAY, it is time to worry. What are those ad people DOING in New York?

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  31. Maybe they're planning a meeting to meet about effective meeting planning. Isn't that what Gannett is all about? When in doubt-----meet!

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  32. Is there any way that the gannett employee in Detroit could be named VP Sales in Westchester ?

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  33. Anyone who hasn't done so should read the outrageously good article by James Fallows ("How to Save the News") in the current Atlantic Monthly. It's long (long-form journalism is what Atlantic does) but well worth the time. Simply put, it's a look at the future of the news business from Google's point of view. Gannett isn't mentioned (though other organizations are. Let's hope Gannett is one of the "hundreds" of organizations Fallows says are working anonymously with Google behind the scenes. I linked to the article from Romenesko. Or go to www.atlanticmonthly.com. Do it now.

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  34. "I'll have to punish you." - Editor Paul Anger

    "You do remember we work for Gannett." - Oneita

    http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6560479/

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  35. Failed Sales Strategies:

    "What color hat are you wearing to this meeting?"

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  36. Oops. I should have said triple dub theatlantic dot com: http://www.theatlantic.com.

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  37. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  38. How much of the decline in advertising in the USA Today and the local Gannett papers is being made up for by the growth in advertising in the web products? Or is online advertising wallowing as well?

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  39. Gannett doesn't provide much detail on individual properties. USA Today's overall ad revenue slide included online sales. But Gannett didn't break out print and online, so we don't know whether online performed better than print.

    Across all newspapers in the U.S. and the U.K., and including USAT, online ad revenues rose 5% in the first quarter from the year-before quarter, according to the latest quarterly 10-Q statement. Here's the relevant language from that statement:

    "The Company’s publishing operations, including its U.S. Community Publishing Group, the USA TODAY Group and the Newsquest Group, generate advertising revenues from the operation of Web sites that are associated with their traditional print businesses. These revenues are reflected within the retail, national and classified categories presented and discussed above, and they are separate and distinct from revenue generated by businesses included in the Company’s digital segment. These online/digital advertising revenues increased 5% for the quarter, due to strong results from the classified automotive, national and retail categories, offset slightly by a decline in online employment revenue. Excluding employment, online revenues in the U.S. Community Publishing Group were up 11%."

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  40. How many VP's does USAT have in their advertising department? If they have more than is necessary (LESS THAN TWO PAGES OF ADVERTISING in today's edition!!!), I know where I would aim the next time layoffs come 'round...

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  42. Did Sue Ihne ever win her case against the paper she was let go from?

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  43. I'd like to know about that suit, too. Problem is, settlements are often confidential.

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  44. The following from the AP today (May 11, 2010)

    SAN FRANCISCO - JPMorgan Chase & Co. is boosting its bet that better days are ahead for the slumping newspaper industry. It reported Tuesday that it now owns a 10.2 percent stake in USA Today publisher Gannett Co., making it the company's largest shareholder.

    JPMorgan disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it owned 24.3 million Gannett shares as of April 30, up from 7.4 million shares at the beginning of the year. It used a form that signals the investment is a passive one, not a prelude to a takeover attempt.

    And JPMorgan didn't make the investment with its own money; it bought the stock through investment arms that manage money for other institutions and individuals.

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  45. Susan Ihne's lawsuit against Randy Hammer and Gannett was settled according to Ashvegas Blog (the blog by the way, is now a part of the Asheville Citizen Times news, eekk):

    http://ashvegas.squarespace.com/journal/2009/10/23/breaking-news-former-citizen-times-editor-settles-lawsuit-ag.html

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  46. Jim on November 28,2008 you posted the profit margins and ad sales for each of Gannett's individual newspapers.
    Do you have or where could I find an up dated version of this information.

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  47. Jim,

    Check out this gannett photo gallery. Sexiest servers. Photo 15 is great!

    http://www.gopensacola.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=E6&Dato=20100501&Kategori=GOPENSACOLA08&Lopenr=5010803&Ref=PH

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  48. I don't have any updates on that, and I don't know where you could find one. That was confidential information, and wasn't supposed to get out.

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  49. Anyone peering into their crystal ball lately? I'm just wondering how long the print side of the business is going to last.

    Personally, I give some of the papers maybe three years. I used to be more optimistic, but no longer. The layoffs and consolidations, while needed to keep the good ship Gannett sailing along, seem to be the moves of a desperate management reacting far too late in the game.

    Gannett is like the old GM. Centering all the power that matters in corporate has left the locals with their hands tied. The idea, which seems to be a Gannett SOP, that anything can work anywhere, is a foolish concept.

    Gannett isn't alone in this. A lot of the print media companies are in the same boat. You can only cut so much newsprint and staff.

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  50. 12 pm: Does EVERYONE in Pensacola work as a bartender/server? And what's with all the bartenders who eat fire?

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  51. For Part 2 if this comment string, go here.

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  52. Everyone, especially Gannett's corporate management, has it wrong. There is nothing wrong with 7-day deliver of the paper IF and only if the paper has the content people want. Depite all the efforts and emphasism on online, the truth is it's not going to reach its goal of 20 percent of the revenue this year, or maybe any year. There are too many "free" ways to advertise online, so why pay a newspaper site? What people want in their paper is hyper-local reporting. With all the cuts and emphasis on online and unfunded mandates, Gannett's newsrooms are but shells of real newsrooms. There is no true reporting talent left, nobody knows how to develop sources to get good in-depth local stories. So what you get is bullshit, fed to you by PR hacks. USAT was worthwhile in its time, but it's the product that's truly outdated. National news is readily available online for free from a million places. That's the product that should discontinue printing and go online only, not the local papers. but Gannett, in its infinite wisdom, will put all of its resources into propping up USAT, and eventually the entire house of cards will come tumbling down.

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  53. Hey Jim how about a few bucks on the table on who beats the other to the bottom BP or GCI. I will take GCI:)

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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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