Sunday, September 12, 2010
Week of Sept. 6-12 | Your News & Comments
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65 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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Are you working today?
ReplyDeleteYes,
ReplyDeletePart of the day..
not for Gannett and lovin' it !
In the past ,as former manager for Gannett,
I would have worked holidays and hated it.
I hope you all find the life after Gannett
as I have. You will enjoy your life again!!!!!!
Light work day from a GCI Mothership Ex-Pat, Jim. Work is out there to be done, so just getting a bit of a head start on the week but will still enjoy a holiday. There's still about eight hours of quality pool time to enjoy before they shut that down for the season here ...
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the USAT ad sales analysis. I knew it was bad but, since I have no reason whatsoever to buy the product anymore (as many consumers are also concluding), I haven't seen it lately to examine the lack of actual sold ads versus house ads. Have a good rest of the holiday, folks! For those still hanging on, get started on your exit plan now before an exit plan is thrusted upon you.
I suppose it's a bad day for Gannett folks.
ReplyDeleteLabor day is over and nothing has changed,
the drudgery of another day at Gannett land
is back.
I am an ex Gannett employ,I left close to a year ago and I can't even imagine how bad it must be by now. More stress to increase revenue,
to produce more with less people, and knowing that nothing will really help the overall situation.I know ,I was neck deep in stress as a manager.I took the step to get away,it was a very,very tough decision to do so.
I wish you all well ,and the strength to make that same decision,you won't regret it.
Whats this I hear that the NJ papers are consolidating? Guess that means layoffs!
ReplyDeleteI sure would like to hear more details about the alleged consolidation of the New Jersey newspapers; so far, these comments have been a lot of hot air.
ReplyDeleteI think something is in the works for New Jersey, if you look at the report this week from the Star-Ledger about more buyouts and layoffs. If the state's largest newspaper is in trouble, then the rest of us are in it, too. I am not liking this double-dip recession.
ReplyDeletehere is your NJ consolidation:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/the_star-ledger_announces_staf.html
Not to perpetuate New Jersey's laughingstock reputation, but not only is all the Jersey talk hot air, it is smelly hot air.
ReplyDeleteegads, buyout offers? If any lesson needs to be learned is that in this climate when a buyout is offered -- TAKE IT. Next step is layoffs. Geez this patterns gets old. Where's the innovation Gannett?
ReplyDeleteNJ consolidation is accurate. Be prepared.
ReplyDelete3:22 Based on your Jersey joke, I think I can see what ails our local newspapers....lack of original and interesting content.
ReplyDeleteAdvance has been consolidating papers for over a year now in Michigan. Hundreds have been laid off since may of 09 by consolidating Saginaw - Bay City - Flint and also Grand Rapids - Jackson and the other westside papers are all somehow doing a specific job whether it be ads, press sharing, or HR duties. Why not New Jersey also?
ReplyDeleteThe Star-Ledger's problems are astonishing. This is a paper that once openly defied unions with a pledge of lifetime work guarantees as long as unions were kept out. They were, and management broke its word. Now it is even more downhill. I never dreamed this would happen, and it should shake everyone's belief in having a old fashioned newspaper job in 2015. We are deader than the Dodo.
ReplyDeleteJersey's hot air may be smelly at times, but what do you expect from the most densely populated state in the union? Don't know why so many people still want to live there, what with all the issues they have. Must be a popular place to live for some reason.
ReplyDeleteGannett will continue consolidating until there's nothing left to consolidate. There's already a glaring lack of leadership coming up the ranks since all the good people are gone. So they have to take the few good people left and put them over "consolidation projects." Imagine all of the West group being published in Des Moines, with a few reporters scattered about. Or maybe the South will all be done in Nashville. Perhaps USAT can just take us all over, and forget the printed product entirely. The coming model is going to look a lot like Detroit. No home delivery except on a couple key days, the rest being in racks or preferably online. Great time to get out of what's left of journalism.
ReplyDeleteGannett Offset in Atlanta will print the Macon Telegraph beginning in late October. The Telegraph is a McClatchy daily currently printed at its sister paper in Columbus GA.
ReplyDeleteAll good information about the seemingly
ReplyDeleteendless kaos in the Gannett organization.
Does anyone have any new information about
changes happening at any of the weekly papers?
Are they just too small for anyone to care about
and are just being left alone?
When would the NJ consolidations happen?
ReplyDeleteThe anemic Journal News still flops when trying to cover major stories. The story of the two men that were killed by fumes in a manhole is proof that TJN management has no clue how to cover news. Who's decision was it to depict what happen with a cartoon on the front page?
ReplyDeleteAre USA Today's layoffs coming this month?
ReplyDeleteyes, USA Today layoffs are coming this month.
ReplyDeleteendless kaos...lol
ReplyDeleteHey everyone: www.jobvent.com needs to be updated - the bad reviews outnumber the good!
ReplyDeleteGlad that the Gannett employee caught my spelling error. Don't you wish that was all you had to worry about? With all the chaos in Gannett
ReplyDeleteand your job probably being eliminated !!
Big meeting in Phoenix tomorrow. What will the news be? Bus rides for staff at KPNX and other locations to get to the Civic Center, maybe the folks from the AZ Republic can just walk over.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen this many ads in USA Today in quite a long time, today's edition is huge. Did someone wake up the advertising department?
ReplyDeleteMaxwell Smart spells it KAOS. lol
ReplyDeleteI just went to jobvent.com site.There are posts
ReplyDeletefrom all over the country such as here.
Yes, chaos is widespread throughout Gannettland,
as we all know. Lots of layoffs it appears,in small numbers,that are obviously not news worthy
and not being talked about.I wonder if there
is a way to find the total layoff number through
out the Gannett Corp.
It appears the situation is similiar in most locations.Do anything to increase revenue!
In my local weekly,editorial content is now being used as leverage to sell advertising.
In other words,we will cover your town ,area,
or event IF, (big if)you agree to spend advertising dollars with the publication. No spend...no coverage! Editorial managers are now,
in effect,sales managers. Is this unscrupulous
or what ?! In all my years in the newspaper business,editorial departments and advertising departments were totally separate entities.
This is how you separated being able to buy
favorable coverage,critical coverage,or simply
no coverage.I am trying to find out if this
is against Newspaper Associations policies and if there are possible reprimands for this practice.
5:36,
ReplyDeleteGee, you're right. We just woke up and realized we're supposed to sell advertising into USAT. What have we been waiting for? Bad economy - no problem. Circulation declines - not even an issue. Mediocre editorial product - who cares. Murdoch kicking our butts - no worries.
I can't imagine what's been keeping us from selling more ads into USA TODAY. It should be so easy. The other day I rolled out of bed and closed 6 full pages in Q4. Easy as pie.
Regarding concerns about difficulties in rolling over 401k accounts....I did it recently without a hitch. All online. No problem.
ReplyDeleteHey 12:32, said just like a typical VP in USAT ad sales! Lots of excuses, no imagination or selling skills, none at all. What about the fantastic USAT braaaand? The braaaand! Guess you had Webber or Lavington as your mentor. So, what's next? Or is 6 full page ads the quota for Q4, so its time to hit the golf course or the annual lavish sales meeting boondoggle?
ReplyDeleteThe Reno paper had a great story about a Triple-A player who spent the season living in the clubhouse.
ReplyDeleteBeing the lame operation it is, the paper buried the story on the bottom of the sports cover. And of course ran the usual manure on A1.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHow is the ad process working in Reno, now that you're GPC'd?
ReplyDeleteYes, and how much did those ads cost us in expense account write-offs. These ad sales "execs" have expense accounts that would make Mark Hurd, former head of HP, blush. I pass these offices all the time and see these execs inside gossiping or talking on the phone or passing time waiting for lunchtime so they can use their expense accounts. How about if they got out and knocked on doors instead and tried to get ads from those who normally don't advertise in the newspaper.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteFollowing is an edited version of a comment posted at 9:01 a.m.:
ReplyDeleteDon't be impressed with USA Today's ads. Consider the rates and bonus ads and make goods that are necessary. While every one else at USA Today takes more and more cuts in the newsroom, circulation, marketing and every where else, advertising just keeps adding more and more across the country. Will someone please explain why [XXXXX, XXXXX, XXXXX] and Lee Jones keep getting a free ride?
Well,
ReplyDeleteChaos is a very appropriate term to use
when describing Gannett Land.
Read the responses from the "visited"
sites. Not one Gannett leader with the five million dollar salary will come even close to saying
"No more layoffs,No more closings" that means EXPECT THEM !!!! You know they are coming.
7:56,
ReplyDeleteThat's it....you discovered the secret to the transformation. If we could just convince companies to advertise in USA TODAY we would be in great shape. The notion has never occurred to us, but now it MUST go into the plan.
Thank you.
7:45 given the GPC process started in Reno right before the Holiday weekend it went very well. We lost some wonderful artists but truth be told it is working.
ReplyDeleteSorry 12:59 it is obvious you are just an unhappy person because the readers disagree with you. Circulation home delivery is a great barometer of how readers feel about the quality of the news product and it is up dramatically. So take your shots about our great news team, and subscribe to the Nevada Appeal! The Reno IC team rocks!
ReplyDeleteJim are you still watching over the blog? Over the last two weeks it seems like you take hours between updates. What gives?
ReplyDeleteSorry about that. My web access has been limited recently. Things should get back to normal within a couple weeks.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I haven't been on the blog in awhile! Are there still people working in the Neptune, New Jersey office? What dept.s are left? Did finance finally consolidate and move to the mid-west? Please advise! thx
ReplyDelete@11:25
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Reno IC rocks. But due to extreme short-handedness, they drop the ball on big stuff CONSTANTLY. It's not their fault. There just isn't enough time, or manpower to handle the news.
What else is new, right?
Home delivery is up right now. They compare this year to last year. Last year was pretty bad, and now that they've got all departments selling subscriptions, Reno will beat last year's numbers easily.
I wonder how many subscribers will re-up?
Jim, I know this isn't Gannett related, but where do you live in relation to the gas explosion? The stories moved too late for our paper to get in more than a brief.
ReplyDeleteSan Bruno, where the explosion occurred, is about 15 minutes' south of where we live.
ReplyDeleteTVNewsCheck has 3 items about Gannett TV stations.
ReplyDeleteWUSA9 in Washington DC and WZZM-13 in Grand Rapids are each setting up a big batch of hyperlocal websites. Today's THV in Little Rock will air local news in high definition starting this fall.
The items have been featured on the TVNewsCheck homepage today and will continue to be through the weekend.
itkilvu:
ReplyDeleteOld news-->
http://gannett.com/news/pressrelease/2010/pr061510.htm
The consolidation of news across GCP markets is underway. All you need to to see are the cross over stories that are featured on the home pages of the 3 southern Gannett sites in Central Wisconsin.
ReplyDeleteJust get it over with already! Turn them into regional papers that cover all 4 markets, WDH MNH WRT and SPJ. Print ONE paper 7 days a week, and let the chips fall where they may. the stories are already shared. Why pretend they are separate papers when they are not. The stories are simply staggered by a day or two. Put all the news into one larger package, with more pages and sections each day of the week and distribute to all 4 markets.
At least the customer "might" feel they are getting their money's worth.
Sorry 2:31 the Reno hd numbers are now closing in on 2008. You can throw all the darts you want but readers are digging the RGJ and the numbers prove it. But you keep whining about the staffing. We both know you don't work in the newsroom. This newsroom continues to be recognized for great work. Keep it up team. Don't let the naysayers get you down. You rock!
ReplyDeleteSo tell us 2:23 p.m., what's the secret? What has Reno done? To what do you attribute the gains?
ReplyDeleteWhat's the great work that's been done? Has there been a shift to more investigative work? Are you hyper-hyper localing? What is it?
I'm sure a lot of us would like to know!
I was stunned today to see a silly and amateurish (I am being kind) video on the USA Today website. It was about NFL rule changes and apparently produced in house. It featured a young lady who I could not understand and another apparent staffer who I hope is a better journalist than actor. I suppose this is part of the new dumbing down of the brand. What was astonishing was how prominent this video was played on the home page, like decision makers felt it was the best thing USAT had to offer on a newsy day. Since this morning it has been moved, but gosh, if this is the kind of crap USA Today thinks will save it I am just speechless.
ReplyDelete11:13 AM
ReplyDeleteWe in NJ want it to be over with already as well. All that you wrote pertains to our NJ Newspaper Group and I couldn't have said it better.
Debate on ongoing cuts behind doors:
ReplyDeleteMore furloughs
Pay cuts
Pay cuts at under-performing newspapers only
Another 5-10% staff cut, depending on newspaper performance
Freeze all hiring for one year with exceptions on pressroom and delivery.
Which works best at your site?
Cut the product, again.
@2:33
ReplyDeleteNobody is whining about Reno Staffing.
Just pointing out reality. They are understaffed.
Lots of News, and not enough people to cover it.
That is the reality of Reno, and many other places.
Look at this Saturday Headline:
"Sparks man asks loitering teens when they are doing and gets stabbed, police said"
"When they are doing"?
That is the sign of a hurried worker.
Keeping the baby bears in Central Wis does have a value. Printing a Central Wisconsin Daily to cover all four markets would require rates that would price most of the rinky-dink businesses in the southern three right out of Gannett and into the shoppers.
ReplyDeleteOnce the regional copy desks are running, everybody will get the same pleasure as you see now. All fonts match your USAToday pages, all wire fill stories exactly the same on any given day.
More hijinks at the Journal News.
ReplyDeleteMany local sports stories linked to the new HSSports.Net frame show up as jibberish when you click on them. Case in point, a cross country story on the right panel of the sports homepage at Lohud:
http://www.highschoolsports.net/local/westchester/article/20109120413
Also, Lohud promises a live streaming video of today's North Rockland versus New Rochelle HS football game on its homepage. But if you go to the link, a replay of a Peekskill-Ossining boys basketball game from last January is being replayed.
@ 6:53, I assume you mean this video: http://www.usatoday.com/video/index.htm#/Sports/Infomotion%3A+New+NFL+rules+for+2010/43169522001/43205315001/606387693001
ReplyDeleteWow... I guess that took less time than creating a decent info-graphic?
That's pathetic. So vertical loosely translated is crap?
ReplyDeleteAll this talk about numbers in Reno being up is highly misleading. There are signs posted about circulation being up on Sundays and Wednesdays. The question is: Is it up on the other days as well?
ReplyDeleteThe last numbers I saw had Reno's daily circulation figures running about 20,000 lower than 10 years ago. That's a massive drop for a paper in a community that has grown substantially during that same 10-year period.
I haven't posted to this thread previously, and I don't have anything against the Reno IC. There are some great reporters and editors there. Let's look at things realistically, though, and not just spout propaganda designed to make people at other daily papers feel bad.
I agree that everyone needs to keep their heads up and do their jobs, but spinning the facts isn't doing anyone any favors. If the paper has returned to 2008 levels, big deal. Yes, that's better than falling lower, but 2008 numbers were by no means impressive.
Have we really reached the point where we're going to celebrate the return to numbers that were seen as dismal when they came out?
And there's no disputing the typos, like the one pointed out by a previous poster. They are commonplace on the Web site.
Just watched the video. Embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteIts my understanding Reno's circ is up because they have made the deals so cheap who would say no. I was at my local store and a circ sales person tried to sign me up for less than 1.50 a week, including Sunday. Pretty cheap considering they sell single copy for 75 cents on weekdays and 1.50 on sundays. Do the math its a savings of 75% off the single copy price. Problem with this is people will never pay full price for the daily mailer again.
ReplyDeleteMost likely that wasn't a circ sales person in Reno, instead a hired gun that gets paid $25 a pop for any new starts.
ReplyDeleteFigure out what your 13 week home delivery rate is and scratch your head. Ours is $26.01. Even with the best churn numbers in the country, it takes a while to pay off that finders fee.
Of course, if the Center of Excellence actually was, we wouldn't have to rebuy pissed off readers.