Sunday, July 25, 2010
Week July 19-25 | Your News & Comments: Part 2
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59 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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For Part 1 of this thread, please go here.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Gannett Production Centers, 23 of the 81 U.S. community papers now direct their advertising artwork to the two GPCs, at Des Moines and Indianapolis.
ReplyDeleteThis afternoon, a near tornado hit Northern Westchester. It was described as a "disaster area" by cops. This happened at 5 p.m. Journal News/Lohud had nothing on the web site till around 10:30 at night. This comes after a small weekly, the Hudson Valley News, had the scoop on the site of the Chelsea Clinton wedding, Rhinebeck, NY, right in the heart of the Hudson Valley Journal News/Poughkeepsie Journal coverage area.
ReplyDeleteRe GPC - the schedule has changed alot. Michigan (but not Detroit, ONCE AGAIN) is up next, the Ohio and Wisconin groups for now the last ones to go this year.
ReplyDeleteAs to 10:44 p.m.....For all of the top editors floating around that place - managing editor, senior managing editor, vice president news, photog superchief - there's not a heck of a lot of leadership.
ReplyDeleteAnd these people couldn't find half of the communities they supposedly cover with a map and a gps.
Meanwhile, the reporting ranks have shrunk and that those remaining await the next ax to fall. The shame is that it never falls on the right place.
Hi Jim:
ReplyDeleteIs there a place on the blog where there are mugshots of the upper eschelon?
I am having trouble with Martore's and I think I'm confusing her's with someone else.
Thanks
The current Gannett employees that are still left,and there are a lot of them, must all have have a very stressful life.
ReplyDeleteThe day after day,week after week,waiting for the next round of layoffs and not knowing or even having a clue,who is next,what department is next,must be just excrutiating.
When I was still one of them,last year,I remember how just going to work was so terrible,because of the not knowing.Then every time my boss came into my office ,wondering if this was the ax time.I saw it happen over and over again.I left before they could put me into the unemployment pool....a place I had never been and didn't intend for Gannett to put me there.However for those remaining,and now again,
with all the consolidation and more cost cutting across the country,the stress must be greatly intensified.How can they possibly concentrate on putting out quality work or even
just giving maximum effort ,no matter which department they might work in,not knowing if this week or next week will be the last week.
That has to be a hell of a way to live!
Sorry. 1:51, but no. What trouble are you having?
ReplyDeleteAnyone compare the ad presence between iPad apps for the WSJ and USAT? Not even close. Shame.
ReplyDelete10:57 -- I actually feel less stress today than I did a year or so ago. I have somehow made it through all the layoffs and consolidations, but I know that more are coming. It's just a matter of when. I've taken the last couple years to make some financial moves that will help me weather the storm if I do get laid off. And I'm now looking at my job as a short-term gig.
ReplyDeleteSince (in this economy) I haven't found something that pays better than what I'm making at Gannett, I'm keeping my job for now. But if I get laid off tomorrow, I know exactly what I'll do and how I'll go about it. Life wouldn't necessarily be easy but (thanks largely to this blog) I have a good understanding of where the company is and where it's going. And I know that I won't be retiring with Gannett.
People who are still at Gannett and feel terribly stressed might do well to approach things the way I have. Know that there's a good chance (I'd say 50/50) that you won't have a job with Gannett five years from now. Adjust your spending a bit, just as you'd have to if you were laid off. Look into the type of training you would need to move to another career. Start making contacts in other fields. Take the mindset that you are not with Gannett for the longterm. This is just a job that is serving as a bridge to your next move.
This mindset isn't good for the company, but who cares? The company has not been good for our mindset. If Gannett wanted loyal employees intent on taking the company into the future, it would have recognized our value. To the Gannett brass we are all numbers on a sheet. And I think we'll all be happy if we look at the company the same way. Gannett is nothing more than a corporation that writes me a check every two weeks for services rendered. Sure, I like having that check, but if our association ends, it ends.
Looking at things this way has really made me a lot happier. Give it a try if you're struggling.
@11:47 AM, can you be more specific? Not all of us can afford an iPad to check out the differences...
ReplyDeleteSo true 10:08 am. And while the scaled down Journal News/Lohud.com reporting staff struggles with its workload, one of those top editors routinely watching college football highlights of his alma mater in his office. Another watches talk shows on her TV in her office. And the other local news editor never works a shift longer than 10 to 6.
ReplyDeleteIf you missed the last Jeep wrap, USA Today will be hiding its front page again on July 27th.
ReplyDelete1:13 pm: Will the advertiser be Jeep again? Or someone else?
ReplyDeleteI've mentioned this in another thread, but I am absolutely convinced that Gannett's future lies in a web-based layaway service. People could pay the big G for items they want. If they pay the full amount Gannett orders and ships the product to the purchaser for a fee, of course. If the purchaser fails to make a payment then they lose the purchase and Gannett pockets the cash. They could even have the items shipped to the local newspapers and have the carriers deliver the items. Heck, there are at least a few editors who could better spend their time motoring around town delivering product to people.
ReplyDeleteI commend 12:40 in the way to view careers at any Gannett location. You must think in the mindset that it is a well paid temporary position.
ReplyDeleteBefore I left and when I began about 9 years ago
I thought of my position as where I would finish my career and go into retirement.Obviously that
mindset went away in 08 when the layoffs began.
To think of Gannett as a place to retire from now
is like a game of chance.Sure there will be some
who actually do remain through the duration.But at what cost to their mental and health stability.
The people at my former location seem to have aged
tremendously and many experience deteriorating health conditions.Constant stress cannot be condusive to good mental and physical health.
In my last months I experienced this downward turn as well.I believe there are many who still see Gannett as the only game (job) still out there for them and they are so stuck in their ways that they couldn't possible envision themselves anywhere else.
I think for some ,they will just endure everything that is thrown at them until they are pushed off the
Gannett cliff and into unemployment.For others,like myself,and 12:40 ,you plan for the end and make changes,choices and do it your way.
Jim said...
ReplyDelete1:13 pm: Will the advertiser be Jeep again? Or someone else?
Jeep.
I bet Gannett could make a lot of money by doing a bulk sell on these wraps on all of their local papers on the same day! Imagine the cashola that would roll in!
ReplyDeleteI just wonder when those inky-dinky ads at the bottom of the front pages are going to start to get taller, like a lot of the Euro papers do? Hmmmm. Just a matter of time.
Just wait until NewsGate is installed. I bet most, if not all, national stories will be USAT bylined.
The WSJ IPad articles have rolling ads for major accounts that change every time a page is loaded. The ad is conveniently tucked away as a tab in the bottom of the news story.
ReplyDeleteThis display is a clever way to keep the ad available and that tab is the named advertiser.
On USA TODAY, it's still very spotty... ads are flat, but all page loads (except section fronts) have no ads at all. It does not appear that USA TODAY has decided to properly monetize the page viewing.
Today, there are four advertisers in the ad boxes on the section fronts: Barnes and Noble, Coca Cola, Jeep and Cap One.
If you change the orientation of the page, the ads appear at the bottom.
If the app is still free, why aren't there more ads on the pages? If these advertisers are on the section fronts, why wouldn't they also like to be on the news article pages?
There must be a good reason, but I wonder...
You wrote:
ReplyDelete"Regarding the Gannett Production Centers, 23 of the 81 U.S. community papers now direct their advertising artwork to the two GPCs, at Des Moines and Indianapolis."
For anyone, who has not gone through the graphic production consolidation, the void of information is a black hole for us. NO ONE is telling anyone how it works, who is left, what role sales plays in the process, what role people kept have, who becomes responsible for the production part of pagination, what remains of people who compile the classifieds in production, why have no jobs in the two hubs ever been shown internally for people to apply for if they want. No one who has gone through this is sharing anything. These issues are driving us all quite nuts. Jim, can you find more info?
5:30 pm: I share your frustration, and continue looking for more information.
ReplyDelete5:30 PM-
ReplyDeleteHow it works? Poorly
Who is left? 1-4 ads builders who will quickly wish they had been let go with their co-workers. They will be spending their time correcting ads from the GPC.
Sales Role: You will layout the ad, upload the graphics, layout, instructions and wait. Your proof will come back and you'll make corrections and upload them. Repeat 1-3 times. You and your customers will get their proofs AFTER proof back deadlines, making your corrections late.
Classified and page pagination stays with the site. I'm sure they're next to be consolidation.
Did those left over people get hand picked? or did they have to re-apply?
ReplyDeletewhat about 2 ad pro? does this mean that it wont exist if the sales reps are responsible for uploading ads and graphics?
so the 5 hubs essentially become 2 ad pro?
all the 2 ad pro positions would be axed automatically?
why do you think they are not telling the papers who have not been "officially" told
You're not going to find out much about GPC because the designers who were fired aren't wasting there time reminicing about Gannett on this blog or elsewhere. Sorry, thats an editorial dept. thing.
ReplyDeleteEmployees who still have a job aren't going to complain because there too damn busy, and they don't want to be in the same local job market with a glut of other designers right now.
There's no good reason for GPC to hire current designers. They would have ideas of customer service, to advertisers and reps, that do not fit with GPC's purpose. Why untrain and retrain, when you can hire monkeys off the street and train them once?
No monkeys? Hoosiers and Amish, as the case may be.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletePretty much spot on 11:14pm.It is a very frustrating situation to have to work within. It is not user friendly or customer centric in the least.
ReplyDeleteThe GPC has no perceived or actual connection to the finished product. As far as they are concerned they are punching out widgets and have strict quotas to meet. Communication with the GPC is scripted. You can tell they are using a cheat sheet to address common issues, forget it if you have to go off script.
Big accounts and deadline situations (ads been out for small corrections all day and you need it now) will finally be handled in-house.
1-2 computers will have DPS access. And for the amount of work needing to be done on-site this is not enough. People on-site who in the past never touch an ad, will now be involved in building and correcting ads.
The process looks great on paper but in reality is not functional.
But hey, that's Gannett. Now let's do the same thing in the IC's
Following is an edited comment posted by Anonymous@9:12 a.m.:
ReplyDeleteRe 12:46 p.m....So how the heck do these Westchester slackers keep rolling along? What is the defect in Gannett management that keeps ineffective, lazy, and often tyranical mangers in place while decimating the ranks that actually produce a product?
I gotta say it's a mystery to me how some of these people got to where they are. News judgement? That's been absent in Westchester for years. Credibility with the troops? Long gone. An eye beyond the next day's paper? It doesn't exist.
Think of the money the company could save by eliminating the [XXXXX]] news positions. And also the [XXXXX], whatever hat he wears today.
And why not have one publisher for Westchester and Poughkeepsie?
There's more to coming to work than smoking cigs, drinking cokes, watching TV, and walking around trying to look busy.
What's going on among the select caste in Westchester is a form of grand larceny in the workplace. It has been going on for years. You should be used to it by now.
ReplyDeleteRe: 12:46 PM's comments...At the Cherry Hill NJ Courier Post the same situation exists. Although there have been some personnel changes in "higher management" over the past year+, there are real dumbos present in most departments. The worst one is sales.
ReplyDeleteThe key question about those rolling ads. Are they creating top of mind awareness with potential consumers? What is the content of the ad? Are you clicking on the ad to learn more? Are they making you want to buy? If not, the ads are not effective and the long-term outlook for those clients continuing to advertise is grim.
ReplyDeletePer the Jeep covers...my returns for that day was 52 percent and as expected, the next monday they cut my draws citing bad sales. Half my stops sold out!
ReplyDeleteThis along with even more thinning of the paper is making it impossible to sell anything. Almost wish USA would just close it's doors instead of making us suffer a slow, agonizing, self induced death!
One of the reasons Westchester has languisged for so many years is the pervasive crappiness of attitude as evidenced above.
ReplyDeleteI've been there, worked there, know it well, and this endless denunciations of "management" has been a part of the Westchester mindset for decades. The managers there are no worse (and in some cases, way better), than managers elsewhere.
What the staff should be worried about is how to become a worthy competitor to the New York City papers, Newsday and the Bergen Record rather than bitching down in the Harrison "cafeteria" all the time.
Westchester is in one of the richest smartest counties in America. But the paper does not live up to its readership. That should be the focus, not some dispute the photo editor had with some photographer who spent the afternoon shooting a recital in Scarsdale rather than pursuing news.
The good reporters and editors and staffers, and the managers, deserve far better than the endless crap spewed by a few malcontents here. The criticism should be the quality of the product and how to make it better. Not the fact that some editor appears to be watching TV.
"The Daily Item" lives!
11:57 a.m., you obviously have not stepped foot in The Journal News for at least 10 years because your observations are so far off the mark it's not funny. The other comments on the lack of energy and vision by the current unnecessary layers are spot on. One thing that cannot be argued is that they are doing a very bad job. As noted, they have been scooped on every major story of late, including the site of Chelsea Clinton's wedding and did not report a tornado in Northern Westchester that hit at 5 p.m. on Wednesday until 10:30 p.m. that day on Lohud.com.
ReplyDeleteWell said, 11:57 a.m.....Now, to make the better product a reality you have to put effective management in place.
ReplyDeleteThat's the big black hole in Westchester, a group of cronies who really don't care about the newspaper. I know numerous people who left there long before the buyouts/layoffs for that very reason.
Most of the reporters and the front-line editors do care about the paper, and work hard for it every day.
The same cannot be said the editorial management. Whether it's better than other Gannett sites isn't the issue. It's simply not good enough.
And as far as competing with the city big boys, hey, that's been tried and repeatedly failed because the company wasn't willing to make the investment.
You don't cover the Big Apple from a corporate park wasteland in Harrison.
Jim said...
ReplyDeleteSorry. 1:51, but no. What trouble are you having?
I was looking for a mug shot of Tara, as it is not on the corporate site.
Thanks.
1:35 pm: Please try a Google Images search; I believe you'll find one there.
ReplyDeleteIt is too late to fix the problems in Westchester. The top managers at The Journal News that use to work at the Crystal Towers are clueless. The smoke and mirrors act is failing, they can fool corporate but not the readers. They take care of their cronies and crooners while the product sinks deeper and deeper
ReplyDelete"The Daily Item" lives!
ReplyDeleteAlong with the:
"Distorter Repatch" (WP)
"Sterile Hatesman" (YK)
"The Daily Anguish" (MV)
And the other 5 LOCAL dailies.
And the Bronxville Weekly.
Bring 'em all back.
Gannett was upgraded to a buy today from Barrington Research. End of year EST $21 a share
ReplyDeleteKroger launches new digital coupon center
ReplyDeleteCincinnati ( July 22, 2010 ) The Kroger Co. said Thursday it has launched a new online tool designed for customer savings. Customers load offers directly onto their Kroger Plus Card or loyalty cards for other stores Kroger operates including City
Market, Dillons, Fred Meyer, Fry's, Jay C, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith's.
"Our customers asked to make online coupons easier for them to use and we listened. The time and money they can save
is just the latest way Kroger delivers more value to its customers."
The site is accessible via kroger.com/digitalcoupons.
As broadband proliferates and more inserters find their niche online, it's closing time for the newspaper division.
6:16 AM:
ReplyDeleteThink of the GPC as 2AdPro, but worst.
9:13 AM:
We have 2 with access to DPS by way of Aqua connect, which is a piece of sheit. Slower than hell.
ATOL isn't much better on busy days. I wait 30-60 seconds for it to just let me type an order number in!
So as the consolidations continue- how long before they billing systems, mactive and G2..DC can't have any of the original designers of G2 left as no one(IT)seems to be able to solve the current daily issues. all we hear is all will be solved with G3..like the coming of Christ! well we're still waiting. There is no productivity with the extremely slow systems and GPC adds to the sales staff frustration of spending hours on admin work instead of sales, yet they are now supposed to be a World Class Sales Force or lose their jobs...you can't be world class anything with what we have to work with in terms of equipment, systems and no bodies to troubleshoot issues...it's really depressing.
ReplyDeleteTo the Westchester complainers: Seriously, anyone who spends their time blaming managers is a loser.
ReplyDeleteSure, there are exceptionally bad ones at times, but if Westchester is getting beat on stories, I'd look inward rather than up.
Complaining is a loser's trait. Doing is a winner's trait. Try it sometime.
10:13 pm contact Larry Lappe in Des Moines. He's the ONLY G2/G3 expert in Gannett.
ReplyDeleteappreciate.
They lied to us in Reno, Nevada. In September 2009 with the announcement of production consolidation, in order to avert its already skeletal graphic artist staff from jumping ship, leaving RGJmedia in the lurch, the artists were told if they stayed that they would received an additional bonus for doing so. When the Reno layoffs were announced Thursday, 22 July 2010, of said skeletal staff, oddly only the graphic artists had any recollection of that assurance.
ReplyDeleteHow many got laid off, 6:20?
ReplyDeleteEight. All have the option to apply for three new "Customer Fulfillment Center" positions, the job descriptions for which have nothing to do with their expertise.
ReplyDelete5:38,
ReplyDeleteUnless you've stepped foot inside the Journal News the last 10 years and witnessed the lack of energy/leadership/competence by the editorial managers, you really should not speak on this subject. Those of us who are there or are still there know how bad it is. Sadly, corporate is complete clueless as these incompetent managers are proficient at one thing - "managing up" (i.e. sucking up to their superiors).
I have been at the Journal-News in the last 10 years and I know the players, some good, some bad, a few abysmal, one terrific.
ReplyDeleteIf The Journal-News missed the site of Chelsea's wedding it sure isn't the fault of management. It's time for that paper to wake up and regain its territory. It won't happen by pointing fingers instead of being on the phone.
As for Journal News inept editorial management. To 5:38 ... Work there for a week. Wait, make that a day. Then call me. It's beyond bad.
ReplyDelete10:48pm:
ReplyDelete"Sadly, corporate is complete clueless as these incompetent managers are proficient at one thing - "managing up" (i.e. sucking up to their superiors)."
The key is to show your critical review of your manager to THEIR boss.
Sounds like 5:38 is the one who knows what's going on.
ReplyDeleteToo much whining, not enough doing. That's a common thread at Gannett Blog.
Corporate or division is clueless or both. Completely different people
ReplyDeleteCan any give any information tells were Dennis Host is going or has went. He was with Gannett for Many years. I have been told he has given his notice. What is doing now?
ReplyDelete•Owner at D. Host Photography
•Marketing Specialist at Gannett
•Market Development Director at St Cloud Times
Honors and AwardsGannett Chairman's Ring Winner: 2008
Gannett President's Ring Winner: First runner up, 2003; 2004; Market Development Executive of the Year 2005; 2006
Minnesota Newspaper Association Newspaper Contest: Numerous first and second place awards: 1984-2008
NAA - "Marketing Master" finalist, 2005, 2006
NAA ACME Awards: Best in Show winner, two Honorable Mentions, 2005; Honorable Mention, 2003; Certificate of Merit, 2002
Gannett MAC Awards: Winner, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
International Promotional Products Assoc: Golden Pyramid Award for Promotional Excellence and Execution, 2001
Corporate is very justified in backing up the Journal News editorial management. After all, going from 145,000 circulation/daily to 45,000/daily in 3 years takes a "special" kind of skill! Way to go HF!
ReplyDelete11:36 PM - please visit ABCs website to review circulation numbers. If you're going to talk trash about Westchester at least get your numbers correct. Statements like the one you posted merely show your ignorance.
ReplyDeleteSorry I don't go by inflated circulation numbers by the real numbers people in the know tell me. I'm hearing the 45,000 figure is actually too high. Just amazing.
ReplyDelete11:09 AM - Well, you know the old saying.... "Ignorance is bliss." You must be one happy camper.
ReplyDeleteNot happy at all. It's very sad what the lack of competent editorial leadership the last 10 years has done to a once-proud newspaper. Very sad indeed.
ReplyDelete