Sunday, August 22, 2010

Week of Aug. 16-22 | Your News & Comments

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82 comments:

  1. Labor Day -- and the end of the summer-long slow-news cycle -- is just three weeks from today.

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  2. Did a Gannett reporter cross the line?

    http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Tebow-autograph-flap-raises-hard-media-questions;_ylt=AnpZ4FD_rE65tAiPma2F5a45nYcB?urn=nfl-262717

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  3. Problems in the newsroom at Cherry Hill. The new guy is in deep trouble.

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  4. Not a Gannett employee, merely a subscriber...

    SPoke to our carrier the other day... Heard an interesting rumor, that there might possibly be efforts underway to void the JOA and only have the Detroit Free Press... who knows whether they were telling the truth or not, but interesting times in Detroit...

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  5. 5:26: Elaborate. What do you mean by deep trouble? Very curious....

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  6. So, what are the problems in the Cherry Hill newsroom? How about the problems in the advertising department?

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  7. What's up with all the corporate folks coming to town and holding big meetings? The one in Phoenix is set for September 9. The meeting is being held at the Phoenix Civic Center because the meeting will be too large to hold on Gannett properties. Anything similar scheduled in other places? What are your thoughts on what will be presented at the meeting?

    If I've missed earlier posts on this, please bring me up-to-date.

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  8. 5:26, whaa? I thought people liked him.

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  9. What happened in Cherry Hill?

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  10. The reporter MIGHT have been with the Enquirer, but he or she might also have been any one of a dozen or so other reporters to cover the Bengals for various papers and outlets.

    Who knows until the guy is named.

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  11. 5:47's post about voiding the JOA in Detroit...

    It has been five years since Gannett sold the News to Media News and purchased the Freep. It's never been really clear what the terms of the agreement are but I think that this month is a milestone regarding changes to the structure and how much Singleton will receive from here on out.

    I think that Singleton will now share in the profit (or loss) rather than receiving a fixed amount every year. If I'm not mistaken, the Partnership has been paying for all the expenses of the Detroit News newsroom plus kicking in several million a year. If true, Detroit has probably been a money maker for Singleton over the first five years.

    It wouldn't surprise me to see something happen in Detroit now. Maybe the News goes online only or Singleton walks? Maybe Gannett gives Singleton a deal to take over the Freep and Gannett walks?

    Jim, do you have access to the terms of the amended JOA in Detroit?

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  12. At one time I stopped by this blog daily. Then things got crazy and it was once every few days until it closed.

    Then it reopened so I once again stopped by every few days. That was a learning experience - learning because I learned that was far too often. So I stopped by once a week which quickly became once every few weeks.

    Sadly, even a bi-monthly visit appears to be a waste of time. There is nothing and even the blog owner misses time "out to lunch" with no posts allowed (have a system in place for the world to keep moving when you are out). In fact, this thread was started and then even salted by the owner at 4:22 am with no comments until nearly 12 hours later. We even have supposed subscriber comments quoting carriers rumors as sources! If that is "crowd sourcing" it's not for me.

    So I might be back through a few weeks from now but my expectations are quite low there will be anything of substance.

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  13. 6:48 am: I can no longer allow people to post directly, because of an onslaught of spam.

    I can't sit by my computer day and night, approving and posting comments. I, too, need vacations.

    Finally, this blog has always relied on news from readers. With that in mind, what do you have for us today?

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  14. 6:40 am: I believe most of the JOA terms are confidential.

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  15. Jim you could always rely on professional moderation to alleviate the spam but then everybody would cry about how nobody in India knows which Gannett blog comments are worthy.

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  16. Has anyone heard information about how all the consolidations and cut-backs might effect the
    struggling markets that most of the weekies
    face?
    From what I've heard many of the weekies have seen revenues sink as much as 50%.
    How long do they survive,with all the other
    majors struggling as well.

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  17. GCI finally has a larger market cap than the washington post. WPO for about 8 months was a larger company with regards to Market cap size. Not anymore!!

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  18. 6:40 a.m.: There is no change in the Detroit JOA scheduled for this month. In fact, Gannett is INCREASING its payments to Singleton this year, in 2011 AND 2012 in exchange for Singleton running The Detroit News. And given that the News' circulation makes up about 40 percent of the combined daily circulation of the News and Free Press, Gannett has no incentive to make the News a Web-only product -- a rumor that deluded Free Press staffers have been peddling for the last five years.
    Here are the relevant graphs from a recent Crain's Detroit Business article on Gannett's payments to Singleton: "Gannett has increased its annual payments [to Singleton's MediaNews Group] by a total of $3.1 million for 2009-2012, but reduced the 2013-2015 payments to $1.2 million yearly from $1.9 million yearly.

    "The partnership will continue to subsidize The News' editorial expenses, including newsroom salaries, monthly through the end of the JOA."

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  19. 8/16/2010 10:11 PM - Probably a Yahoo kick off party. I heard there's a meeting in Cinny this week.

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  20. 11:44 am: Given the DMP's weak finances, aren't Gannett and MediaNews basically subsidizing the entire partnership -- not just the News' newsroom?

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  21. USA TODAY made one of the dumbest mistakes I have ever witnessed.

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  22. Jim: Gannett, which owns 95 percent of the partnership, is subsidizing the whole thing. Singleton negotiated a deal where his company is being paid to run the News. His MediaNews Group is NOT affected by any losses the Detroit Media Partnership suffers. Gannett has to take the hit. That explains why Hunke and his team engineered a radical overhaul of the Detroit papers' delivery model last year. Gannett wanted to stanch its losses. It appears this change has largely succeeded. But I still put my money on Gannett turning over the whole thing to Singleton soon because Dubow and Martore know the Detroit area will NEVER become a richly profitable media market.
    Singleton would then create a merged Detroit News and Free Press. That's exactly what happened in Honolulu.

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  23. 12:24 pm: What USAT mistake are you referring to?

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  24. Jim...they let go of one of the most important people at USA TODAY. BIG MISTAKE in my opinion.

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  25. I completely agree with you anon 1:19pm. One of the few people that actually did something around here!

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  26. Who at USAT are you referring to?

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  27. We are doomed.

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  28. without him around we are.

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  29. 4:48 = Troll?

    Considering the rumors for USAT and the trolls haven't been too bad lately.....wonder how big this bomb is gonna be?

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  30. Regarding the Tebow autograph, it wasn't a Gannett reporter: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2010/08/16/about-autographgate/

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  31. So Jim says he can't allow people to post directly - but doesn't require anything other than anonymous posters. Nice safetly valve but a lame way to do things.

    So Jim says he must take a vacation - then decide to allow a better way to post or assign another moderator. Lame. I have to have someone cover my work if I want to take time off.

    So Jim says this blog has always relied on reader news and asks what do I have to offer. I've never offered anything and do not feel compelled to offer anything. Why? Who will pay me? Why should I offer something so Jim can gain hits? Why should I add something substantial to the editorial moaning and groaning and try to provide factual news rather than rumors from a reader they got from a carrier who go it from who knows where? And then Jim does nothing to substantiate anything. At least with the old blog Jim checked a few things and would do some homeowrk. Now this blog has become what Jim loathes - constantly repackaged nothing and dodging questions when legitimate questions/challenges are posed.

    Insane.

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  32. Sounds like the Crystal Palace spin doctors are winding up in advance of another blood bath. Keep poking, Jim. Plenty of rot in there!

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  33. Troll Alert!

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  34. 6:13 here.

    I'm as far from the palace as you can get.

    Just because someone doesn't agree with the way Jim does business or how others always just complain doesn't automatically qualify me as a troll. I'm for from it. Get over yourself.

    My point is this blog only exists now so Jim can skim a little money from hits. He doesn't care about any of us. Otherwise he would have left it in its grave like he did when he left it the first time.

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  35. Apparently, at least one Green Bay tv reporter did the same at an appearance by Arnold Palmer and Nancy Lopez a week ago.

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  36. And a reporter in the Milwaukee Brewers home opener back in April asked Ryan Braun for an autograph in the post-game lockerroom. There are those who respect the rules and then those who either choose to ignore them or are just plain stupid.

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  37. Detroit Media Partnership asks unionized employees for 12% pay cuts
    The partnership that manages the joint business operations of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News is asking its unionized staff to take a 12-percent pay cut, a union negotiator said.
    http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100813/FREE/100819934/1025

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  38. Gannett Digital8/18/2010 9:28 AM

    Corporate is looking to make a big investment in Narrative Science!!! Jack Williams and Gracia Martore have been courting the CEO of the start up that creates news stories with a computer model.

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  39. There seems to be alot of talk to layoffs in 4th quarter...anyone else. Positions are not being filled here, two in the last month.

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  40. Falling circulation + falling revenue + falling stock price = More layoffs

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  41. Jim complains about spam posts, and then he approves spam at 9:41!

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! No wonder Jim is no longer at Gannett!

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  42. as the layoffs are concerned how can they not fill sales positions if they are bringing money in.

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

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  44. This is from the article 9:16 a.m. referenced.

    Unpaid furloughs, which were negotiated as a cost-cutting measure to save jobs this year, were not among management's proposals.
    However, a four-day workweek is being considered for some employees, according to information made public by the union.
    Management also is seeking a 2-year deal instead of the typical three years, and wants a wage freeze for those two years.

    Interesting that nowhere in the article is Gannett mentioned!

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  45. Jim is not at Gannett!
    And a lucky ,smart man for that !!!!!!
    Layoffs happen ,even for sales people,as their
    areas of responsibilities are condensed into
    other reps areas.They may lose some sales through the cracks,but not enough to nearly
    compensate for the savings gained of not having their salary,commisions and benefits expense.
    Layoffs are next,we all know that.
    That has been the mode of operation since early
    2008. Stock down,revenue down,profit down,circulation down.....good employees down
    and gone.

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  46. CP/Cherry Hill. Circulation down; negociations at standstill. Pressman/Mailers/Drivers gave permission to their union board to go out. Gannet wants to Rape existing contract; Givebacks. Rape Pension; give nothing to union pension.G. wants to follow whatever Inquirer investors do.
    Building/equipment in Cherry Hill; paid for; unlike Inquirer. Owe nothing to the banks.

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  47. We could save a lot of money by getting rid of Tom Callinan at the Cincinnati Enquirer. Everyone knows the publisher runs the newsroom. Callinan just bends over. His salary would cover the salaries of three young reporters. Or by Gannett's playbook, 5 reporters.

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  48. Still wondering about comment in regard to problems in the newsroom 'new guy in deep trouble' at Cherry Hill. Assuming new guy is new editor? Wondering what trouble is. His doing? Wouldn't be surprised.

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  49. the newsroom bosses in Lansing are hiring back positions that had been "eliminated". Guess they are hiring on folks for full time reporting/writing jobs who had gladly been freelance. My question: Why on earth would Gannett want to pay benefits to someone who was happily working without benefits? Who would approve such a measure? Doesn't this cut into all of the corporate folks' bonuses?

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  50. People are bailing out of the advertising department in Tucson. Almost a fifth of the department has left over the last two months. All of them quit, no firings. It's been crazy.

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  51. From a US News and World Report story on Yahoo. 15 Things You Shouldn't Be Paying For:

    The News -- Leave it to a blogger to try and kill off traditional print. I'm not anti-newspaper. I just don't find them practical anymore. Skip the daily .50 cents and get your news online. And for you dedicated coupon clippers, you can get most of your Sunday coupons online now too.

    http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/110384/things-you-shouldnt-be-paying-for?mod=bb-budgeting

    ... how about magazines, anyone find them "practical" anymore

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  52. re: "People are bailing out of the advertising department in Tucson..." @10:36am

    Things are very strange up here in Phoenix, too. Mid-level managers are being hammered over quality after all the cuts Gannett has made. These managers will be set up as scapegoats for sure. I'm not a manager, but I can sense something coming. I think Gannett is in trouble and will be lashing out at everyone.

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  53. Gannett has a direct connection to the Beltway pundit shows seen on weekend TV.

    "The McLaughlin Group" is produced at Gannett-owned WUSA9 in Washington and airs on WUSA9 on Sunday morning. Since many PBS stations carry "The McLaughlin Group," PBS' ombudsman has been flooded with complaints that the program is filled with right-wing bias and is racist as well.

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  55. as the layoffs are concerned how can they not fill sales positions if they are bringing money in.


    Don't kid yourself I was in sales for Ten years. The layoffs were 90% sales staff.
    Sales staff makes more money and the paper I worked at did not have sales people they were order takers. Gannett is not afraid to dump those that bring money in for them. It is said but I was there and I was gone in 10 minutes. Knowing not a things about the layoffs. The breaking news came from this blog. I told myself they will not get rid of me. They did. I have sense worked to take all my old customers with me.

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  56. I would love a four day work week. I wish Gannett would make this optional

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  57. Cuts weaken properties, performance and eventually, profits. They've gone too far. We were never very fat to start with, were we? Now it's summer and vacations are leaving staffs at skeletal levels and it shows. Next (hope not) may come part two of the double dip recession.... then we'll see more destruction.

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  58. I wonder if there is a company that makes automated corporate management software? God knows it wouldn't be hard to provide better performance than the idiots in Virginia.

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  59. As the economy sinks into another recession, we are certain to take another round of cuts. They have already gone too far, as we will see in the next two quarterly reports as revenues are no longer coming in. Our business has gone elsewhere or evaporated.

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  60. So, Jim, have you verified that California shield law applies to you? If not, do you worry about Barbara Wall knocking on the door with a lawsuit to get the names/emails of your anonymous tipsters?

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  61. NJ Group waiting for consolidation....please hold.

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  62. 10:15 do you think you keep your 5-day pay in a 4-day week?

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  63. Hey, chucky, gannett's left-wing bias has been one of the reasons it's circulation is in the tank.

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  64. Where is USA Today's leadership? With so many abrupt resignations and retirements and no signs of Hunke who had assured transparency in something on the intranet called TRANSFORMATION -- Who is now heading USATODAY.com? Circulation? Advertising administration? Marketing? HR? What do Motiff and Davis intend to do next?

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  65. I challenge anyone to find an intelligent comment uttered by Rudd Davis. Like her or not, Susan Motiff knows finance, if not much else. Davis is just lost. The real world will eat him alive.

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  66. http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/article/20100821/SPJ0101/8210512/Guilty-plea-entered-for-William-Mansavage-of-Plover-in-fatal-OWI-crash

    Who is editing the Stevens Point Journal?

    Guilty plea entered for William Mansavage of Plover in fatal OWI crash.

    Mansavage remained silent during his arraignment. As a result, Portage County Judge Thomas Flugaur entered a plea of not guilty to both the initial charge and a charge of "homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle while having a prohibited alcohol concentration."

    So was the plea Guilty or Not Guilty? You decide.

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  68. The New Jersey group blew a story that had a direct connection to the state. Bobby Thomson, who hit "The Shot Heart Round the World" in the 1951 National League pennant playoff, died this week. He lived in Watchung for many years before moving to Georgia to be near his daughter.

    Thomson's fame was such that even the BBC in England reported on his death. Closer to home he earned the back page of the New York Daily News, a big front-page spread in the Newark Star-Ledger ... and Page 11 (with a Page One tease) in the Courier News.

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  69. To the anonymous person at 12:07 p.m. Thursday who wrote an item about Gannett giving up control of the Detroit JOA to Singleton in October: Do you have any more details? Is this simply a rumor or something firmer than a rumor? Here's what you posted:

    Anonymous said...

    Gannett is going to give up the Detroit Free Press and hand over all control to Dean Singleton in October. The Freepers and News union staff will have to reapply for most positions when the JOA is dissolved. Pay will be cut by at least 12% across the board and salary caps will be imposed. As much as 40% of staff will be cut. The Detroit News will be the dominant paper, but BOTH PAPERS will still exist (this is what I'm hearing). It is unclear how this is going to work. I'm not finding this out. Anybody know how both can still exist in print? A new JOA perhaps? I just know the Free Press will be MUCH more geared for online.
    8/19/2010 12:07 PM

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  71. 10:17, welcome to the model of how off-site editing/layout will work. Nice.

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  73. You know, I'm really irritated about that Cherry Hill comment regarding the new guy, with no additional info in the week that followed it. Here's what I know: New guy holds regular meetings and tells it straight, a big change from the previous guy. New guy stays cool, calm and collected; haven't seen him otherwise yet. New guy is genuinely nice, sending out daily e-mails praising work he likes. New guy is ... not in deep trouble as far as most (all?) of us can see.

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  74. From Crain's Detroit Business

    The latest apocalyptic, existential doom rumor-mongering about The Detroit News/Detroit Free Press
    Posted 8/19/2010 7:57 PM EDT on crainsdetroit.com
    Someone forwarded to me a copy-paste of something posted at The Gannett Blog this week that floats a dire scenario for the fate of The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press.

    Here is what was written:

    Gannett is going to give up the Detroit Free Press and hand over all control to Dean Singleton in October. The Freepers and News union staff will have to reapply for most positions when the JOA is dissolved. Pay will be cut by at least 12% across the board and salary caps will be imposed. As much as 40% of staff will be cut. The Detroit News will be the dominant paper, but BOTH PAPERS will still exist (this is what I'm hearing). It is unclear how this is going to work. I'm not finding this out. Anybody know how both can still exist in print? A new JOA perhaps? I just know the Free Press will be MUCH more geared for online.
    8/19/2010 12:07 PM

    I don't see the comment there now, but there is a thread with plenty of commentary about the newspaper situation in Detroit. (Link) Gannett Blog is visited by people inside the newspapers and inside Gannett corporate, so it's a mix of smoke-filled room truth and fantasy in some of these comments.

    I spoke to a source tonight who would be in a position to know if something was up with the ownership of the newspapers, and he said he's unaware of anything going on.

    Is that true? Who knows. The newspaper business remains unstable and uncertain. The newspapers continue to lose money. Insiders pretty much agree that something eventually will happen to change the status quo of two daily print newspapers in Detroit. What's interesting about this latest rumor is that is has The News as the major survivor. Usually, it's the Free Press in these doomsday scenarios.

    The pay cut stuff is true. I reported that here.

    And for an update on what management has had to say about the status of the newspapers recently, and for details on the JOA, go here. You have to be a subscriber to read that one, and if you're not, you should be.

    The JOA is a public document, by the way. I have a copy of it, including the addendum from last year that covers the print home delivery changes. There's nothing too crazy in it.

    These things crop up every few months, especially amid contract negotiations for the newsroom unions. Reporters, by their nature, are creative and gossipy creatures prone to imaging the very worst about any situation, especially their own. But that doesn't mean there's no truth to it. We'll continue to watch developments, so check back.

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  75. Quiz time. What Wisconsin site had this headline up most of Saturday?

    Man who lived with 178 cats, and a refridgerator full of dead kittens, charged with improper sanitation

    More than half the story comments are directed at how many errors are in the newspaper.

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  76. 12:37 am: Just wait. All is not what it appears to be. It's all for show. Praise in public, rip you to shreds for nothing in private. Moody, takes everything personally. Lift his ego, give him big ideas to steal, you're probably good.

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  77. QUOTE: Lift his ego, give him big ideas to steal, you're probably good.

    You know, it's attitudes like the above that make me think far worse of the person making the charge than the person he or she is talking about.

    Your ideas are being "stolen" by your manager?? Oh please. If you are talented, that will come through. But that sounds like a petulant, angry, non-team player who I'd want out of the organization. Or did I steal that idea? Pitiful.

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  78. any news on the page design hubs?

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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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