Sunday, June 20, 2010
Week of June 14-20 | Your News & Comments
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97 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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Wondering if anyone had any comments about Content One's World Cup pages? We're using them at the AZ Republic but frankly they don't look right. Because they're designed with USAT font's and style they look like they're just sort of slapped into the paper (which of course they are). Also the first day times were in Greenwich Mean Time. WTF? GMT? Really? How many readers know what 19:00GMT is in Standard Mountain Time? The second day they were in EDT.
ReplyDeleteThey think people won't notice? Care?
ReplyDeleteNo comments, because no one cares, other than people like you who are spare parts.
ReplyDelete10:52 -- Gannett no longer cares about putting out papers that people want to read. Management is just concerned with filling the space around advertisements. If they're able to do that with something newsworthy that people might actually look at, it's a bonus. The main goal is to fill pages as quickly and cheaply as possible to maximize profits.
ReplyDeleteThe days of worrying about matching fonts, consistent design, etc., are gone. The truth, of course, is that readers have never cared about these things as much as designers have. What they care about is quality content that is typo and error free. That went away long before these pre-packaged pages. So, I don't think anybody -- readers or management -- really give a damn.
My spouse's former firm was chosen in April as the executive recruiters (CT Partners) to find a replacement for the Chief Digital Officer and it sounds like they are having a very tough time convincing candidates to even look at the job.
ReplyDeleteOne reason for candidates not to agree to meet with the hiring company is that it seems like Gannett has a bad reputation for leadership. Also, the recruiters believe that many of the candidates are probably asking Saridakis directly for his advice prior to making a decision to meet with Martore and Dubow.
CT Partners is a good firm, but are probably in for a long haul on this assignment. They are estimating that by the end of 2010, they will have someone hired.
7:10 -- Most people that I know in the media business are trying to get out. Why would somebody who really knows what they're doing with digital products willing jump into a job with a company that focuses primarily on newspapers and TV stations?
ReplyDeleteI suppose there's the money. But if we're going for the type of person we need, that's probably not the big issue.
I've been attending a family function since Wednesday, and will return to a more active blogging schedule tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, I'm looking for any biographical information about longtime Gannett and USA Today sports journalist Don Collins; I understand he died last night after a lengthy illness. Friends are posting notes on his Facebook page.
Notice how few comments dribble in each day. Notice how lame they are. Notice how bitter the people's posts are, still fuming that Gannett didn't want them any more. Now how much is being made of $25 donation to founder of site, who failed in his outside venture and crawled back to this lame site, which is traffic dead. Notice how negative posts are given better exposure. You get the message: This site is Dead Meat as the company stages a strong comeback and can't be buried by Hopper no matter how hard and how long he tries.
ReplyDelete@4:39 PM
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are one of the corporate kiss butts who got protected. You probably don't have any idea how to do your job without hand holding.
I was one of the July casualties and found a job less than a week from being let go. I get to do what I love to do without having a bunch of clueless micro managers trying to figure out how to do it.
Gannett news is nothing but worthless drivel. I vowed never to buy another Gannett newspaper.
@4:39: Critics have been predicting the demise of Gannett Blog almost as long as I've been publishing it: since September 2007. Nearly three years later, those critics keep coming back. Why? They haven't been able to sustain a blog of their own.
ReplyDeleteAs to the posts on donations: Those follow a suggestion by a reader, who said I might draw more contributions by highlighting each one as they came in. That reader was absolutely correct.
Jim, do those three years include the several months you had the blog locked while you were on an island?
ReplyDelete10:24 pm: Of course. As I wrote, it's been nearly three years since September 2007.
ReplyDeleteHey 4:39 PM
ReplyDeleteWhy do you keep coming back to this blog if you believe it's such a failure? I read it because I like it. If I didn't, I'd stay away.
11:56, we come back to read the sorry responses of drones like yourself.
ReplyDeleteJim, only you would count your island hiatus as time when a blog was sustained.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the drones here could not figure out how to bring up another site, but I would not view that as an accomplishment.
You rely on factless rumors and innuendo, even though you have had three years to develop sources and get meaningful information. There are enough Gannett properties that you should have a steady, reliable stream of information.
You don't. You are the equivalent of a monkey banging on a typewriter, with the hope that one day something of Shakespearean quality will appear.
Get your hands off the practice of journalism, you dirty ape.
11:56 - odd how that's the same reasoning I try to offer people who like to complain about my paper, wood and electron versions. "If we suck so bad, stay away!"
ReplyDeleteBut some people just need to have a venue where they can be an asshole. That little bit of power in slinging a rude word. Ignore 'em, just like you ignore anybody else on the street who's babbling to themselves. Crazy might not be contagious but why chance it?
I have received calls from Paid Content asking me if David Hunke is stepping down and resigning. This is now the third person to confirm it.
ReplyDelete4:39---" Strong Comeback ?" Surely you jest!
ReplyDeleteJim says: "Critics have been predicting the demise of Gannett Blog almost as long as I've been publishing it..."
ReplyDelete... And critics were exactly right. Jim quit the blog after his spectacular meltdown at the shareholders meeting when he came across like a local gadfly whose medication had run out a few days earlier.
The blog only came back after his Ibiza blog was a failure. (If you write a blog and nobody listens, did it make a sound?)
Jim will quit again. Can't wait to see what pushes him over the cliff this time.
Hey 4:39. By commenting, you are keeping alive what you say is a dead blog. If it is dead, then stop commenting and it will go away.
ReplyDelete"Dirty ape," I must say, is mighty evocative writing -- especially at 2:20 in the morning!
ReplyDeleteWho are possible candidates to succeed Hunke -- now, or in the near future -- if he actually did step down, after being USAT publisher since only April 2009?
ReplyDeleteSomeone asking about a rumor is "confirmation"? How low have we sunk?
ReplyDeleteI read that solely as an additional sign the Hunke rumor/speculation is spreading.
ReplyDeleteJim: Categorically, Dave Hunke is not resigning.
ReplyDeleteGoing down that speculative path may be fun, but the Blog will end up looking silly again.
Not only is he not resigning but there is a major staff meeting on Thursday where he will discuss the future plans for verticals, digital products and more.
This is a big deal with signs in the lobby and more, and it is a signal to how out of it this Blog is that you don't even know about it.
But again, to foster this rumor is anti-journalistic. He is not resigning. Wishful thinking or not, you can take this to the bank.
And I am no troll, just someone who knows.
4:39, you appear to be one very ugly, bitter person currently working at GCI.
ReplyDelete@4:39 PM
ReplyDeletemy suggestion to you is save your money, as my experience at gannett was that the corporate suck up types were quickly thrown to the wolves as soon as their usefulness had begun to wane.
ass kissers typically have a short shelf life, so you may want to start saving your pocket change.
Big announcement Thursday at USAT? Wonder if it has anything to do with paid digital content.
ReplyDeleteMore belt tightening. Mandate came down today that the travel budget is frozen.
ReplyDeleteAt which site is that, 1:13 am?
ReplyDeleteHave another scotch Hunke and enjoy the ride!
ReplyDeleteWhen Dave leaves, you can bet Hudler or Hurst will be the next Prez of the Nation's Newspaper. The cards are falling into place.
ReplyDeleteLeslie Hurst, publisher in Lafayette, La., has way too little experience from a big operation perspective. Even Nashville Publisher Carol Hudler would be a stretch.
ReplyDeleteLafayette is a stretch for her. But she loves reading this blog.
ReplyDeleteI would put my money on Carolyn Washburn. She knows the importance of digital communications and how to motivate staff.
ReplyDeleteWashburn is an executive editor; she hasn't even been a publisher, yet.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteEx-Tucson Citizen staffer settles with Gannett:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/media-watch/Content?category=1063784
Way to go AJ Flick! Granted, conditions of the settlement are confidential, according to the story via 4:02's link, but I hope she got more than what she was initially offered.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the company was sued. They deserve it, based on what was reported.
Jim is still allowing attacks on people, even though he said he would not when he restarted the blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm re-posting the following comment from Anonymous@3:45 p.m. after eliminating some unnecessarily harsh language:
ReplyDelete"LH is XXXXX (was terrible in Lansing) and I agree with Jim on CH, if the hunkster is gone - look for your pal susie to take over."
Note: @3:45's reference is to Susie Ellwood, CEO of the Detroit Media Partnership, and a protegee of her predecessor, Dave Hunke, who is now USA Today's publisher.
6 pm: You're misquoting me, although you're not far off. Here's what I said on Jan. 4:
ReplyDelete"I'm working harder on keeping Gannett Blog's tone more civil. I'll still pursue company news aggressively, but I hope in a less provocative manner. Also, I'm moderating comments more carefully."
More civil means not letting nameless, bitter people attack the higher-ups in Gannett without foundation.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't know the difference between childish insults and criticism backed with facts, then you should give up.
I appreciate your frustration, but:
ReplyDelete1. Virtually everyone posting here is "nameless'' -- including you.
2. "Foundation" is a judgement call. In this gray area, I defer to allowing comments, since this blog is the only one where employees can share information freely, without fear of being punished. This is a fundamental First Amendment issue.
3. You are holding this blog to a commenting standard that few if any Gannett websites enforce. Why is that?
Jim, people who aren't trolls like like your blog. Keep on pluggin!
ReplyDelete3:45 here - apologies for the comment - I usually have more tact than that. Keep up the good work Jim.
ReplyDeleteTwo things:
ReplyDelete1. I hope USAT takes Curtis Riddle from Wilmington when Hunke quits. Getting rid of that tool would be a huge morale-booster, especially if he took David Ledford with him.
2. What the hell is a vertical????????
"This is a fundamental First Amendment issue." It's not. Read the Constitution. Companies can impose regulations, and they are not violating the First Amendment, as you and others claim, always erroneously.
ReplyDelete"Virtually everyone posting here is "nameless'' -- including you." That justifies nothing. You allow attacks on anyone and everyone, so I post without a name. I cannot rely on you to keep order. You have failed to do so too often.
"You are holding this blog to a commenting standard that few if any Gannett websites enforce. Why is that?" My answer to that would cause the comment to be rejected.
F 'em
ReplyDeleteWhat does Gannett's comment standard enforcement have to do with what you do on this blog?
ReplyDeleteI love how people who call out the shady "reporting" on this blog are instantly referred to as trolls. The slant on this blog is no different than the slant we see in major news publications or TV stations. You just have to see through it to get to the facts.
Ok, 3:45 and 11:14 here - I am a little confused that "brainless" is considered "harsh language" in describing someone but calling them a "tool" is not. Not as understanding now. Have a good day.
ReplyDeleteJim is brainless and a tool. He knows the difference.
ReplyDelete"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteJim is brainless and a tool. He knows the difference.
6/17/2010 12:37 PM"
Hey, 9:21, is this the kind of "shady reporting" you're talking about?
Z-z-z-z-z-z. This debate is boring. Let me summarize it this way: I won't be able to satisfy everyone who visits this blog.
ReplyDeleteNow, can we talk about something related more to Gannett -- like the prospect for the company creating a serious paywall?
So....is it possible the "big announcement" today could be raise related -- that USAT is giving em back?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the big announcement? Pay Wall?
ReplyDeleteSo? What was the big announcement?
ReplyDeleteA reader tells me Circulation Director Greg Castro at the Palm Springs Desert Sun will be replacing Rick Bell at The Des Moines Register and West Group as circulation chief. Anyone else heard this?
ReplyDeletePublisher told USAT staff today that layoffs are coming. Print product will shrink. But, he said, no more furloughs and pay freeze to end. No details
ReplyDelete10:40 pm: Did Hunke give a timetable for any layoffs?
ReplyDeleteHunke said the new plan will be announced this summer. He said the cost structure and org structure are tied to the classic newspaper model and that we must change them to reflect us as a media company (with print as one of the platforms). He said "major reorg" and "the company will be smaller." So you have to believe this will all be done prior to August/September budgeting.
ReplyDeleteUSAT publisher considering earlier deadlines, cutting editions and dropping late ball scores, box scores, etc as part of plan to shrink the paper, which he calls "legacy" product.
ReplyDeleteJim talks about the First Amendment, but he has been screening comments for days. The dissenting posts and the ones that shoot down rumors are deleted.
ReplyDelete... and so the USAT collapse begins. The organization is already behind the Wall Street Journal and New York Times in terms of respect, and there's no way it will get better (either in print or digital) by shrinking the staff. Assuming the people who posted these comments are telling the truth, it seems pretty clear that the flagship is screwed.
ReplyDeleteThis is a classic Gannett move. Cut the crap out of the product in order to improve short-term profits. If that means killing the company in the long run, so be it.
Too bad. I can't get out of this lousy company soon enough.
No paywall for now, he says.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who is posting these USAT-related comments, so I can't vouch for their truthfulness.
ReplyDeleteNobody reads that day-old, slim, sell sheet in the digital age! Send the horse out to pasture.
ReplyDeleteYou can't vouch for their truthfulness and you don't even have anything a day after Hunke's company-wide publisher's update. What is that about? Don't you even have one crowd-sourced reporter embedded in all of USA TODAY?
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that most of the USAT employees never comment, at least from how it seems here. When someone does comment you can tell they got their info second-person the way they change words here and there.
At least when it comes to USAT it seems this blog relies 100% on unsubstantiated comments that Jim cannot vouch for and nothing else. A day after Hunke's update with nothing but this is a prime example why so many non-trolls are making negative comments on the blog.
This is like what happened inside Kodak just before it failed to transform fast enough. News Corp. may be the Xerox to Gannett as the Kodak.
ReplyDeleteWhat the Pluck?
ReplyDeleteAnswer: More work for Deepak and Sahib I'm betting, not Joe and Jane (sorry TOTUS), starting July 1.
9:21 here. Hey 1:36. There's a big difference between a commenter and the person making the blog posts. Commenters are not self-proclaimed journalists.
ReplyDelete6:43 -- It's difficult to tell whether you're a cleverly disguised troll trying to discredit the blog or somebody with a legitimate complaint. But since I think you may be legit, I'll respond.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who's been reading this blog for awhile knows that some of the best information comes from anonymous posters. Is it possible for them to lie? Absolutely. But on many, many occassions, things that began as "rumors" by anonymous posters turned out to be true.
If the USAT stuff is true, we'll see continued talk about it in the days to come, followed by some sort of official confirmation and, ultimately, by the mentioned layoffs. That's the way it always works. So you, as a reader, need to use your own judgment as to the factual validity of the assertions here. Call some of your own sources at USAT and see what they say.
That's the way things work. I don't treat everything that pops up in the comment forum as fact, but I've got a lot of good information from it in the past. So, for me, it's worth reading. The only downer is I have to wade through all these comments criticizing Jim. Now that is a waste, but I will continue to do it.
I have also noticed in the past that the negative comments seem to ramp up right as the company announces negative news. I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but it's as though the company is actually planting comments designed to discredit the blog whenever it has to announce something bad.
If this is indeed a strategy (and I know it sounds silly), they are failing miserably. I pay more attention when the trolls start milling around because I've discovered the pattern. I'm guessing the USAT stuff is legit because it's clear that the paper is struggling financially and this seems like the sort of lame-brained "solution" Gannett executives would come up with.
You needn't bother slamming me or extending this discussion. The truth is, we'll see how it all shakes out in the coming weeks. Hopefully, there are no layoffs at USAT. It would be bad for all of us. But I'm not going to bet on that.
Good post 12:16. Exactly reflects the way I read this blog. There are kernels of truth in all this chaff, but you have to check it out. It's like picking up a rumor on your beat. I frankly don't like this crowdsource stuff because that has its failings of circulating rumors. But I don't know of any better tip sheet for what is going on in GCI and the future prospects of the paycheck my kids need.
ReplyDelete10:19AM: Deepak and Sahib didn't create Gannett's cathartic mission plan for the future. Something akin to the Red State Teabaggers didn't plan on BIG GOVERNMENT to bail their McCain-votin' pokies out with major welfare checks for the next decade. Oh the irony and hypocrisy.
ReplyDeleteI wish you'd ask everyone if they are getting a raise, since that has been reinstated, and how much their raise was.
ReplyDelete12:16 pm: I, too, have seen the same ratio of comments to negative news -- and that's after reading in the vicinity of 100,000 comments over nearly three years of layoffs, furloughs, and senior executive pay raises.
ReplyDeleteRegarding 12:16 p.m....I couldn't have said it better. No one takes the comments here as gospel, but enough of them pan out to make checking in here worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteAs for trolls...It's surprising that Gannett would waste its time. Then again, considering some the managers I've encountered over the years, it's not surprising at all.
As for the negative Jim commments....They have no impact.
A former reporter for WTSP (10 Connects) in Tampa Bay was arrested twice this week in incidents involving conflicts with her neighbors. St. Petersburg police said the incidents are related to a child custody battle with her ex-husband, himself a former anchorman at WTSP.
ReplyDeleteTo all the naysayers of the blog, some of us are smart enough to sift through innuendo and recognize real news. Time and again we've read things here that later materialize as fact. If you don't like what you see, keep moving and don't bore the rest of us. I leave you (whoever you are) with a favorite line from an 80's sitcom, "your brain could find shade in the solace of a snow pea". Gotta laugh at that!
ReplyDeleteGiven what 12:16 and Jim suggest about the pattern of trolls increasing when bad news is about to break, we must be heading for something really terrible.
ReplyDeleteJim's reliance on rumors and gossip proves Gannett made the right move in parting ways with him.
ReplyDeleteHe might think he's "giving it back to them" with this blog, but it's the opposite. He has discredited himself severely.
Keep up the good work Jim, and ignore the negative comments above. It's quite clear that what shows up here is what corporate is trying to hide.
ReplyDeleteHey, troll, after we caught you again posting comments on Gannett Blog from your company Blackberry in the bathroom stall, I thought you'd have the sense to move your operation to a public john. And please try to multi-task and remember to flush a little earlier while thumbing in your carpal movements. We know you're being paid to do it, but bathroom ventilation systems can't keep up with you.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteMore negative comments about Jim, sigh. Just because you say something doesn't make it true. Jim has not "severely discredited himself" as offered by 11:57AM. To the contrary and as 12:21pm noted, we learn about events on this blog that corporate isn't sharing with employees. That is a fact that cannot be disputed, even by those who consistently attempt to malign Jim. It's the old slight of hand trick but we aren't buying it. We won't be distracted. We'll keep signing-on to this blog because it provides info that won't ever be included on the intranet page, like employee lawsuits and settlements, digital employee departures, another round of layoffs slated for USAT, meetings with News Corp re paywalls, and on and on and on. All of this is irrefutable. So, troll if you must but please know it doesn't matter. Most of us just skip past the vitriol and go straight for the content that our leadership is not sharing.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of sharing, when is Gracia Martore going to hire a new CFO and CDO? No one can do as many jobs as this woman is attempting, at least not very well and especially if you already have a tendency to micromanage everything, that's what those of us in the field have heard she's notorious for doing. We've also heard she's smart and hardworking but she needs to focus on big picture stuff more. Hope you read this blog Mrs. Martore. We aren't all malcontents here. Some of us really care.
Anyone know what happened to Rick Bell, the former West chief for the west?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAs each day passes, Gannett continues down the path of distroying newsrooms and decreasing the value of each community newspaper. Once I leave my subsription ends as well. Just waiting for the right opportunity
ReplyDeleteMaurice Baumer, I couldnt have said it better my self. Good insights and great post. Its posters like you that make this blog great. Thank you from.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteGood to see Dumbir found some solid work sending out spam.
ReplyDeleteThere are only two types of employees left at Gannett. Those close to retirement that are just waiting it out, and those that suck so bad they couldnt leave if they wanted. Neither of these type of employees are the type that save companies such as Gannett.
ReplyDeleteDisagree, 3:26. I love my job despite the challenges, the murky future or the corporate leadership vacuum.
ReplyDeleteIt's an honor to play even a small part in a business that affects so many people in my community. Paper or online, people - my neighbors - are reading, arguing, buying, making decisions based on what we do every day.
I can't save Gannett. But each day, I do what I can to make my corner of it better. At least until I get laid off because Detroit & Phoenix can't make their numbers.
3:26, You forgot the third type of employee- the classic butt kisser, performing robotic duties, who's terrified of leaving the comfy nest into the messy real world.
ReplyDelete3:10 AM
ReplyDeleteHey Jim, the Trolls are so desperate that they stay up at 3am Sunday mornings and make up foreign blog accounts! With this economy, even THEY need foreign help! LOL
WOW!
ReplyDeleteWhat I've noticed in the past is when you see a lot of posters blogging - something BIG is about to go down! Thanks for the blog, Jim! Will get another payment out!
I'm reposting a comment left at 5:33 p.m. yesterday, with some material removed:
ReplyDeleteGreg Castro will be the circulation chief for the West Group. Confirmed from a memo written by PS Desert Sun publisher Rich Ramhoff.