Friday, June 18, 2010

USAT | What did Hunke tell the staff meeting?

After yesterday's employee meeting led by USA Today Publisher Dave Hunke, comments herehere, and here -- if accurate -- suggest a long summer ahead.

12 comments:

  1. Publisher said no pay wall for now. Layoffs coming. Paper will be smaller. Considering earlier deadlines, trimming editions, and drop late scores, box scores, etc.

    But he loves the Ipad.

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  2. What he said sounds ominous, but he doesn't have concrete details. I think this is why people didn't bother to post this. Bottom line: they are looking at an array of things as USAT transits to the digital age. But I think we knew that.

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  3. Did Hunke actually say layoffs are coming?

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

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  5. There's big news that will affect at least one of Gannett's Michigan properties.

    It's been known for a while, but it has not surfaced here. I don't think Jim could find his butt with his own hands, but maybe he'll surprise us and take advantage of this hint:

    What does a turkey do when it flies upside down?

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  6. Is that a trick question 3:08? If turkeys could fly, then maybe he/she knows of some miracle that is about to occur in Detroit...

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  7. Turkeys can fly, ignoramus.

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  8. Sounds like an acquisition or merger.

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  9. He called them "involuntary layoffs," and it didn't even come up until the Q&A session and someone asked if USAT would be hiring more multimedia people. So either Hunke buried the lede or he has so little regard for us that he just plumb forgot to mention the fact that some of us are going to be laid off, and soon.

    So if you didn't know you were a fixed cost and actually thought you were a valued employee who helped build the so-called legacy product, that should open your eyes.

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  10. What I find curious is at the end of WUSA-9 news broadcast, it used to show in credits that it was a Gannett entity. Now, it shows that its a Detroit Newsgroup entity. Interesting??

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  11. 1. When a turkey flies upside down he gobbles up (nice one, 8:58).

    2. Wow Jim - that sure was a clever retort.

    3. All layoffs are involuntary (idiot).

    4. Turkeys can fly, ignoramus. (true, true)

    5. WUSA-9 IS a Detroit Newsgroup entity. It was the main reason Gannett purchased the Detroit papers.

    6. Hunke said the details had not yet been worked out; there are teams working through the details and he is listening to them as they help develop the future path (listen to the presentation and you would understand that fact, moron).

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  12. Yikes! "Help develop the future path" = management-ease.

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