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| The chopping block |
Wilson is the third publisher in the group to leave since September, and at least the 11th newspaper chief executive position to turn over this year among the 81 dailies in the U.S. division. The remarkable turnover follows earlier Gannett Blog speculation that the division was due for a reorganization.
Group Vice President Steve Silberman made the announcement to staff this morning. "Silberman said Wilson had left the paper, but did not specify the reason,'' the paper said.
Silberman said Gannett will conduct "an extensive search" for a new publisher, but said he didn't know how long that might take. Until then, Executive Editor Robert Moore will be interim publisher.
Follows Brown's exit
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| Wilson |
Wilson's departure follows yesterday's disclosure that Iowa City Press-Citizen General Manager Dan Brown had left that paper under equally mysterious circumstances. And his exit followed that of a third West Group publisher, in September: Richard Ramhoff of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif.
The executives' departures follow reports I've received that West Group dailies have missed revenue targets this year. That's put pressure on group President Hollingsworth, who delivered the bad news to staff in Iowa City and Palm Springs.
What are team Hollingsworth-Dickey up to? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.
[Photo: Wilson, the Coloradoan]
After picking up a ringing phone, words that set a publisher's hair on fire: "I have Laura on the phone. She wants to talk to you."
ReplyDeleteEven for you, Jim, that is some cold shit. Really, she cut someone's head off?
ReplyDeleteIt seems there is absolutely nothing that anyone in the Gannett company can do that you won't find horrible in some way. Even when it is letting poor performers go.
Tell us more about their poor performance; those details have been absent from the two newspaper accounts.
ReplyDeleteJim, yes, poor performance but why doesn't Dickey see, its not them, its her!! She gives no support,only takes from others. Their is a way for each region to play with numbers, and Laura is the best. Dam everyone and make her look good. Do you see any other region being run by firing everyone.
ReplyDeleteWow. So My Boss only had a number, not a dollar figure. At this rate, a good chunk of change will fall to the bottom line.
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ReplyDeleteI'm no insider anymore, but Gannett always seems to find a fall guy. I think Dickey and Hollingsworth should be axed. Get people with integrity.
ReplyDeleteRing, Ring: "This is Bob Dickey's secretary."
How can I help you?: "He demands that he play in this year's Bob Hope Tournament. And he wants to stay at the swankiest/priciest joint in the desert."
OK. Anthing else: "Yeah, if you don't get this done quickly and with numbers I like, you're fired."
Oh well, a lot less president's rings to hand out this year.
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ReplyDelete0: Number of people Jim has supervised.
ReplyDeleteI'm not no journalist, i dun bin in advertising since I got my j-school duhgree... but in the headline, shouldn't the adjective be closer to the noun it modifies?
ReplyDeleteWe're not talking about mysterious publishers, right? The subject is really the publisher's mysterious departure.
As the Buggles might point out today, Internet Killed the Grammar Star.
At the rate Hollingsworth is going she’s going to run out of people below her to blame.
ReplyDeleteWrong 1:07.
ReplyDeleteJim supervised several during his time as business editor in Boise.
It only makes $ense to cut out the highest paid employees afterall, most papers have had so many job eliminations...they are running out people to lay off and still produce a paper. If you are making big dollars you must realize that on your bosses computer is a excel spread sheet with your terminate date already determined. Don't believe me...just ask Kim Wilson or Dan Brown. It's not about production - it's about money! Watch your back fat cats.
ReplyDeleteNot to be picky is right! And I've now fixed it.
ReplyDeleteThe way Gannett prefers to run its newspapers from McLean, they shouldn't bother with having publishers. Just appoint someone to receive new policies and procedures by email or Fedex and disseminate them to the staff. Publishers are an outdated, unnecessary breed in Gannett practice. We don't need to be employing community figureheads.
ReplyDeleteWell put, 2:06. The irony is that with Gannett's lockstep business model, it, too, shall soon be an "outdated, unnecessary breed." Indeed, it already is -- ever since it began having publishers who are essentially nicely dressed Quislings.
ReplyDeleteI bet the stories about Jim's supervisory days would have some color. How long did that merry misrule last?
ReplyDeleteI had the sad "privilege" of working for Kim when she was at the Pensacola News Journal. She had horrible people skills back then and believed that the best employee was one with their nose lodged deep up her posterior. Even more significant was her lack of interest in advertisers as anything but revenue streams and absence of strategic thinking. I'd have to say that her karma was less than good and may have come back to pay an uninvited visit...
ReplyDelete