Thursday, November 04, 2010
Week Nov. 1-7 | Your Layoff Comments: Part 4
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89 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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Any word on who got laid off in Reno?
ReplyDeleteIt's entertaining when the losers come in here asking for details. You are journalists, aren't you? Get them.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder so many whiners in here have been dumped by Gannett. They never knew how to do their jobs.
I'll help start. Please offer a few stats:
ReplyDelete1. How many people in corporate or how many regional VPs are there who actually worked the streets as a journalists for more than 3 years. And how many came from other fields? As extra credit.. how many can say they are close friends with Phil Currie? Would names be OK here?
2. Can any of the people in corporate trade places with an editor or reporter for a day .. and know their way around the sand box?
3. When is the last time any of the regional VPs talked with the readers in the markets they oversee, meeting with advertisers and community leaders at the same time? Yes, publishers do this, but how do you make decisions about who stays and who goes without knowing.
How long until the East Coast or West Coast finds out what hits 'em?
ReplyDeleteAt least one copy editor gone in Binghamton.
ReplyDeletesounds like St. Cloud won't have any layoffs this quarter. already have cut hours on some staffers so that we've effectively cut 1.5 people from the staff. some full-timers now work 32 hours, or 20 hours.
ReplyDeleteI agree with previous posts about trolls. They add credibility to the blog because a nerve has been struck and they crave the attention of the heavy comment threads that feed their beast. Don't fight 'em; enjoy them for the value they bring. A troll would never spend their time on a thread without grist. Their blather is an attempt to get people to shutdown.
ReplyDeleteGannett knew this was coming long ago. See comments from Q3 on this blog.
ReplyDeleteDancin' on the boardwalk here in ole Jersey. Looking forward to the fresh hires coming in to our east coast hub. My condolences to the rest of you. Try applying for a job at the Asbury Park Press. Really.
ReplyDeleteAnon 7:56: You sound unhappy.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the smaller pubs are getting hit harder than the large metro pubs. It doesn't look proportionate.
ReplyDeleteOur manager said news print costs are up 22%+, along with advertising being down even from last year. We'll see how they stick it to employees for health insurance soon enough.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow is going to be one of the darkest days in Gannett history.
ReplyDeleteWord is those newspapers that didn't account for the large increase in newsprint prices are the ones getting hit the hardest. Newsprint has been steadily increasing all year, so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Other than FTEs, newsprint accounts for the largest expense at any newspaper. Look for reduced page counts and probably reduced publication days.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know of any layoffs at Lafayette, La. or Alexandria, La.?
ReplyDeleteThree laid off in Salisbury at The Daily Times today (accounting and circulation), no word on affiliated weeklies till tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteRipple6 is the greatest contribution Chris Saridakis made to Gannett!!
ReplyDeleteCan anyone provide more details about the bloodbath in Wisconsin (or even Jackson, Miss.--shocking).
ReplyDeleteGannett is paranoid about keeping this round of layoffs on the downlow. We were told (verbally) today not to speak to any reporters/news outlets calling, not to confirm or deny anything if we answered a call and to refer all questions to Robin Pence.
Nothing in writing about anything so far, no lifting-the-troop-morale meeings, nothing. This blog has been indispensible, from the My Boss warning post to the running count.
Employees at my site checked the blog on their phones periodically today, texted and emailed to check the fat of colleagues at other papers. We fear it isn't over.
9:16 here. "Fat" should be "fate." Where's an editor...oh, they were all laid off.
ReplyDeleteOnly 1 in Wilmington
ReplyDeleteWow, Jim's blog is one of the most impressive/impactful modes of communication in recent history. There are no other venues that offer this kind of interaction and information. If I were to return to school, this blog would be the focus of my studies. It combines journalism, freedom of expression, watchdogism and collaboration.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jim
For writing my thesis.
Does anyone know if NJ is definitely safe from this round?
ReplyDeleteRipple6 isn't worth 6 bucks. Buyer beware!
ReplyDeleteHey 7:56, way to show off your classy. I'd say "Hope you're next." But since you're likely either Craig or a Craig enabler, guess you'll just keep sittin' pretty where you are, collecting big checks/bonuses and continuing to destroy product for short-term personal gain, to the point where no sane consumer on earth would spend a nickle to buy them.
ReplyDelete4 pressmen and 1 in prepress at Florida Today. No one is sure if that's the last of it.
ReplyDeleteany info who in Rochester other than the photo editor and the 4 vacant slots?
ReplyDeleteOur publisher blatantly lied when asked why there was no advance warning about this round of layoffs when there has been for others. The response: this is local; it's not company-wide. Guess she didn't know that we read this blog and already knew about the cuts at other sites?
ReplyDeleteConflicting reports from Wilmington. 8 or 1?
ReplyDeleteI'm now going with one in Wilmington.
ReplyDeleteBROWN NOSE & ACT LIKE YOUR WORKING & YOU WILL BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR JOB
ReplyDeleteJim, why are you going with one for Wilmington now?
ReplyDeleteWhen there's a conflict in numbers, I try to be conservative. Did Riddle hold the Town Hall meeting?
ReplyDeletebetween 5-10 laid off in reno
ReplyDeleteWilmington meeting was held, Curtis Riddle DID NOT announce his retirement but did announce that there was ONLY ONE Rif. As far as furloughs, no one knows as of now.
ReplyDeleteIt is terrifying to watch this blog during the day, as the numbers and names of newspapers come in announcing what for many will be the end of their newspaper careers. It is a cold, industrial process since there are no names, and you have to call friends at newspapers named to get further information on who got hit. If the rumors are correct, we may go through this again in a few months with a much larger. Thanks for everyone who contributed both valuable rumors and reports. Strange, isn't it, that this blog is the only place where Gannett employees really work together.
ReplyDeleteThe one RIF in Wilmington must have been the vp production leaving to become pres/ceo of AFL Printing. She had over 30 years with Gannett but left last week and Riddle hasn't named anyone to take her place. I'd bet her salary was high enough to allow him to skate past this train wreck.
ReplyDeleteAnother report from Reno, to see if the numbers are accurate.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like 7 total:
2 full time reporters.
2 part time newsroom people. One was associated with a weekly pub, another with Moms like me.
1 online programmer
Then 2 in the IT department. Not completely sure about IT. I thought they only Had 2 people left?
Anyone else know anything different?
11:15 -- Your Reno numbers sound right to me. That's what I heard also. Not sure how IT will function over the next few months, as it's down to two full time people and one is brand new. The company let a couple of veterans go today.
ReplyDeleteIt now seems pretty obvious that Gracia outright lied when she recently told stock analysts that severance costs would be minimal this quarter. Counting the USAT cuts we're up to nearly 300 people already. The costs won't be as high as if it were 3,000, but in most years the expenses associated with laying off 300 or more people would be considered substantial.
ReplyDelete11:34 p.m.: I plan to post in greater detail on this. Until then, I'll mention something that a clever reader pointed out.
ReplyDeleteGannett set aside millions of dollars in a trust as part of the Transitional Pay Plan (TPP) established in summer 2009 during the last big round of layoffs.
Perhaps there's still money left in that trust, which would mean GCI might not have to spend much on severance.
Alternatively, there's no set definition of "significant" expenses. What you, I and a analyst might think is significant, Martore might not.
Perhaps the severance costs aren't substantial... compared to the past, or even future plans. Semantics.
ReplyDeleteSo what is the severance this time around? Same as last July?
Not even close, if you're referring to the big layoff in July 2009.
ReplyDeleteJim:
ReplyDeleteI'd like to try again to get in a question about the role of corporate news in past and current layoffs. Who exactly is corporate news now (no one on the management committee) and are they monitoring/reviewing/approving layoff plans for each paper? Or, are they leaving the choices to local executives? Either way, what's guiding these decisions? There used to be clear standards in the Currie/Watson years, expecially in diversity and watchdog journalism. But it now resembles a free-for-all with little if any focus on high quality journalism. Newswatch, for example, is rarely updated and seldom useful. Is there a mastermind behind it all or is happenstance in control?
Out of the 21 in Wisconsin, five were let go in Appleton, as posted earlier. Two were also let go in Oshkosh - the creative director and a creative assistant.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else know anything about the Wisconsin papers?
So...press people at Florida Today. Ok..they haven't been doing a fantastic job but there are more deserving people who need to be gone. Who will all the chiefs blame when all the indians are gone and sales still fall through the floor?
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that publishers are given a dollar target to cut from payroll. They ask department heads for recommendations.
ReplyDeleteThen, those names get kicked up the corporate chain, probably to the four regional newspaper group HQs -- East, South, Interstate and West.
From there, I believe, a final recommended list gets screened by HR and especially legal, to reduce the chance of lawsuits. Once that's OK'd, the employees are notified.
To get directly to your question: I have no idea whether the News Department under VP Kate Marymont gets involved. I don't know whether there's such a thing as standards around minimal staffing, diversity, etc.
In this climate, urgency likely dictates that this all happens quickly, with less time for considering alternatives. For example, I've been told some publishers get only a few weeks to come up with contingency plans.
No no, Jim. I was referring to GM's justification for saying there weren't plans for significant severance costs... that it could just be semantics. In GM's mind, perhaps severance costs aren't substantial compared to the past, or even to future plans.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be good tomorrow to see all the whiners back in here when the cuts resume.
ReplyDeleteSome of us have to work and be productive, though, so we'll miss the initial wave of whining and blaming.
I'd say we'll be thinking of you, but that would be untrue.
12:29 -- Perhaps you'll be one of the people cut. Keep your fingers crossed. Then you won't have to miss a thing.
ReplyDeleteWe've escaped several of the last layoff rounds, thanks to attrition; our department has been notoriously slow to fill empty positions, and so during the last rounds of cuts we've always had vacant positions that we could eliminate. Now, however, I fear our luck is running out. Whispers abound about big changes coming soon.
ReplyDeleteSome of us will survive. Others will be OK, being in a position to retire. Yet others will be let go, and be in varying financial straits. Right now I can't worry about that, because it's out of my hands. All I can do is do a good job, out of personal pride if nothing else, and realize that whatever goes down is just the next chapter.
The hardest part is the co-workers. We all have a person or two that we just don't care for, but by and large, I genuinely like most of the people I work with. There are several that I will miss seeing on a daily basis. We've been through a lot - ups and downs, layoffs, the death of co-workers that were also good friends, and a lot more. A lot of hard days have been made a lot more bearable thanks to these people. The damage that the layoffs does to people is what makes them even worse.
12:07 Instead of parsing semantics, I think we have to accept the logical conclusion she lied. She lied through her teeth. I don't think there is anything requiring corporate to tell the truth to analysts, and Sarbanes-Oxley applies only to signed statements.
ReplyDeleteHeard that Metromix is not making numbers and that certain sites might be closed down. Look for RIFs today. Anyone else have information on this?
ReplyDeleteWilmington seems to have escaped the bloodbalth due to attrition. We had one layoff per Curtis. No one can seem to pinpoint exactly who this is. Here are the current departures (either voluntary or involuntary we can only guess).
ReplyDeleteVP of production-gave notice two weeks ago.
VP of Advertising- gone for months.
VP of HR- gave notice of retirement yesterday.
Asst. to the Pub- retired yesterday.
It would seem that the salaries paid to these four people would cumulatively ad up to at least 20 worker bees, and we can thank them graciously for falling on their respective swords.
We could also surmise from these departures that the coterie surrounding Curtis is jumping a sinking ship. Quite frankly. They saw the iceberg coming. I doubt Curtis will stay through the end of the year, and when he reitres, Wilmington will no longer be the seat of the east group.
New Jersey is not safe. Monday is the day.
ReplyDeleteJim --- What are the ramifications for a top exec who misleads investors deliberately, like it appears Gracia did? What are the procedures for filing a complaint, etc?
ReplyDeletei dont think MONSTERS have ramifications lol
ReplyDeleteand there are a lot of ugly headed MONSTERS in GANNETT LAND...but not me...i AM FREE..
And where is Kate Marymont in these troubled times? As the supposed leader of community newspaper journalists, shouldn't she be saying SOMETHING?
ReplyDeleteAs someone who knew their work very well... Gannett must have lost its mind and way when eliminating the talent and hard working journalists that were the managing editors on I-20. Its a line-item look that misses the investment both Gannett and these guys made in the promise of late nights editing stories, uplifting watchdog work and hands on newsroom work that made the newspapers better.
ReplyDeleteIf they must go in a shrinking newsroom concept, at least take the time to celebrate them and their contributions as they leave. Hold a meeting where the work they've done is recognized. Don't let them walk out the door (or any of the journalists let go for that matter) without a moment where the staff and the publisher say "Thank you!" in a special way.
We all know the last rounds may have trimmed the last fat and hit the bone. This round hit the true producers and those who inspired many in the room.
If these are casualties in a battle, let's honor them. The worry of naming names needs to drop if only words of praise follow.
What do you say, Jim. Can we have a celebration of their good work without an invasion of privacy?
Ooops. Missed the its & it's. Sorry. The MEs would have caught it.
ReplyDeletePlease keep in mind that there are plenty of potential jobs at USAT - vice presidents and senior editors aplenty. All you have to do is contact the new director of employee engagement. The pay is exceptional. The responsibilities are minimal. And actual daily journalism experience is not required.
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised that Gannett is obsfucating layoffs internally and information to Wall Street externally. Typical for the transformational leader of communications. Why have we not heard from corporate communications chief Robin Pense? Where is Kate Marymount? Dickey?
ReplyDeleteUS Economy adds 151,000 jobs in October. Gannett is laying off people?
ReplyDeleteYahoo to the rescue!
ReplyDeleteGeezus, this really is a sea of negativity. I log in to find out what's going on, and all I read are people pissing and moaning.
ReplyDeleteI want facts about what's going on. You losers can keep your bitching to yourselves.
Oh shut up! There are plenty of facts written here interspersed with a bit of venting. God forbid you have to dig a little!
ReplyDeleteLafayette, LA, staff was told Thursday it lost 1 in newsroom ( assistant features editor who also did other publications); 3 in circulation; 1 in production; 1 in advertising.
ReplyDeleteDes Moines is totally absent from these
ReplyDeletecomments.
I believe they are not insulated and even the mighty Laura H. can't protect them.
Two things are most likely happening.
It has happened already ,and there is a strict gag order coming from Gestapo LH....having been one of them,I know,those folks follow orders to the point of walking off a cliff.
OR,the word is coming down today or Monday !!
But it will happen ,I have folowed their ad counts and it is way down.
Grey Montgomery to the rescue!
ReplyDeleteI know this is difficult with all the secrecy surrounding it, but I do think it's helpful to know what jobs were cut (without names). That way, we can look for trends. On a glance, it seems that Moms Like Me had some major cuts across the company, which could lead credence to the rumor posted elsewhere that the company is looking to sell. Or it could just mean that the company is doing what it always does - expand into new areas and eventually gut the staffs.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty apparent that having the company run by finance people, with no operational experience, is taking both a long-term toll (in multiple ways), as well as losing its short-term appeal. Propping up profits by ongoing cuts isn't fooling Wall Street any more, as evidenced by the slide in share price. It doesn't matter how the rest of the sector is doing. If analysts thought that GCI was onto something workable, their ratings would reflect that.
ReplyDeleteStill not a word out of Des Moines !!!
ReplyDeleteIs that weird or what ???
Kind of creepy really,like they have their
own kingdom and are insulated from the rest of
Gannett.
Does Hollingsworth have that much
power OR...is the CRASH there going to be
so huge it requires much more planning !
@ 9.06 a.m., ref. Lafayette, La.: any word about what will happen to the "other pubs" the assistant features editor handled? Is one of them the MomsLikeMe mag? My site has several niche pubs, and I'm wondering if the staff handling those will go before this is over.
ReplyDeleteBinghamton publisher just announced a 5% pay cut for Elmira and Ithaca...BUT NOT BINGHAMTON...if it wasn't evident before that Elmira and Ithaca were the red-headed stepchildren in the group, Bodner has made the alienation crystal clear now.
ReplyDeleteThe corporate trolls on this site make me laugh! This past summer I visited the city of my old Gannett workplace. The comments I received from readers and advertisers were shocking to me. The postings on this site are tame compared to what is being said by people in communities supposedly served by Gannett.
ReplyDeleteThere may be no good ways to lay people off, but there are bad ways and Gannett's way is among the worse. Not communicating the layoffs, making them a mystery, claiming it's a "local*" decision and that corporate doesn't know about it is tortuous for the victims of layoffs and ethically reprehensible.
ReplyDeleteThe company could have, should have, communicated with employees what was going on. Could have, should have, told us what the severance package is going to be. Could have, should have, allowed people to "volunteer." Some of us may have taken a voluntary layoff now rather than live in dread for the next year.
To those of you laid off, my thoughts are with you. To those of who survive this round, don't get cocky. The cuts of 2011 are just around the corner. Keep your Plan B alive.
There's a special place in hell that Satan and his minions are keeping warm for Martore and her toadies.
(*Come on, really? Nothing in this company that affects the bottom line is truly "local.")
Binghamton laid off five...can't get a paper out in Elmira and Ithaca without what they have, so they just cut their pay instead.
ReplyDeleteWhat's up with the Stock Widget?
ReplyDeleteAppears it's not working!
So far 3 have been laid off at Visalia Times-Delta and there may be more coming.
ReplyDeleteIf exec management in McLean wanted to buttress morale, inspire productivity and increase confidence on Wall Street, they'd each volunteer to take as compensation only the median salary received by GCI employees as a whole. Any difference between that and their current compensation would be deferred until such time as the company regains its health. And health would be based on some metric other than profit or share price, so they're discouraged from inflating results by the usual slash-and-burn methods.
ReplyDeleteBut you won't ever see them move in that direction. Not because it would cause them hardship -- come on, if you've made seven figures for even one year and haven't saved up enough for 12 months' expenses, you deserve to be homeless -- but because they don't have faith in their own plans for Gannett. (Well, they also have an absurd sense of entitlement, but that's beside the point.) And there's not a single leader among them.
Dubow, Martore and the rest are corporate lampreys, leeching vitality from the company and contributing nothing in return. It's just sad that they will not share in the rest of the company's fate.
8:23 a.m.: I appreciate your desire to honor the work of those who have lost their jobs. But I continue to believe the conservative approach is best: Absent their permission, I do not want to invade their privacy by identifying them here by name.
ReplyDelete8:04 a.m. wrote: "What are the ramifications for a top exec who misleads investors deliberately, like it appears Gracia did? What are the procedures for filing a complaint, etc.?"
ReplyDeleteSpeaking generally, and not about any particular Gannett executive, out-and-out lying would likely draw the attention of investigators at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney General, at a minimum.
I doubt you'd ever get the SEC or any other regulatory authority interested. The analyst calls are for "guidance," not testimony. And the information conveyed in those meetings is so general that there's room for many interpretations.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it: If Dubow can get away with blatantly violating the foundation's rules on gifts, something as vague as Martore's response to Q&A is nothing.
If you are not laid off watch out below. You may be furloughed,take a paycut, and have a the 4th or in some cases 5th week vacation taken from you. Plus cutting out the Monday and maybe Tuesday printing days.
ReplyDeleteWonder if anyone will send a complaint letter to that Gannett attorney about this. It would be interesting to see the response/justification.
ReplyDeleteFor Part 5 of this comment thread, please go here.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to an earlier question about Rochester, one newly hired page designer got laid off as well as a photo editor.
ReplyDeleteStaunton,VA also laid off a 22 years vet newspaper layout employee on 11/3
ReplyDeleteVP of production in Wilmington was replaced. Whoever said a replacement wasn't named is clearly out of the loop. The production manager will replace her. That is not the one rif Riddle was talking about.
ReplyDeleteIs it true that the USAT printing plant in Phoenix (Chandler Az.) will be closing?
ReplyDelete