Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Week Jan. 17-23 | Your News & Comments: Part 2

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73 comments:

  1. For Part 1 of this comment thread, please go here.

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  2. I hope someone takes Gannett to court with age discrimination claims. A partnership with the labor department or AARP-like organization could lead to guidelines to protect senior workers from similar abuse in the future. That would be a great public service.
    Unfortunately, sleasy companies like GCI, left on their own, will not give employees a fair shake. Gannett is a corporate entity without its own moral or ethical compass. It will treat people poorly unless it is compelled to do the right thing by a law or federal order. As someone noted earlier, the days of Gannett doing something because it's the right thing to do are long gone.
    The fault lies at the feet of its management committee and board of directors. If Gannett were down to its last $50 million, I'd expect Dubow to take $15 million, the board 15, Martore and selected cronies 10 and publishers 8 or so. The remaining two would be spread among the masses.
    A letter such as this would follow: "Sorry to say our coffers are dry. GCI is kaput. We've settled accounts with key stakeholders and thank our fine board for its guidance during our free-fall from financial stability. Every member made every meeting and eagerly helped us with every nail we drove into that casket. We've scheduled a corporate wake in Honolulu next January. Invitation only. Good luck with your job hunt. If you'd worked more hours for less money, we might have avoided this. Please know, it's hard on us all and we share your pain."
    I know, it's not funny.

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  3. Digital Recruiter; former Gannett Director1/18/2011 8:59 PM

    Jim and fellow bloggers...
    I left Gannett about a year ago and joined an executive recruiting firm that focuses their attention on digital media recruitment. I am a researcher for the top partner in a top firm. I am thoroughly enjoying my job and have amazing insight into traditional and digital media companies.

    I will have to say that we have seen an extraordinary amount of resumes from Gannett companies. First, we have seen resumes from no fewer than 22 Pointroll employees. These are people within Pointroll that proactively reached out and have expressed an interest in leaving the company. Mostly sales reps and account managers. Secondly, we have seen quite a bit of activity from the AZ Central digital staff looking for better opportunities. Finally, we know that Careerbuilder is having a very difficult time retainig top sales talent.

    It is no surprise that after February, when all bonuses are paid, Gannett willnsee a mass exodus of top talent.

    Finally, any resume that has a background from AOL is usually not considered. Our firm has also reduced the focus on sourcing any "traditional" media candidates from newspaper and broadcast markets. This will make it difficult for Gannettoids to leave and source new jobs.

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  4. Geesh, I'd be careful about sending my résumé your way, 8:59. You're kind of a blabbermouth.

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  5. Does anyone have any concrete data - within Gannett or in the wider newspaper world - on how much revenue is generated or how many eyeballs view the videos on paper's websites?

    It's amazing to me that some newspapers are spending fortunes on staffing, editing and equipping their departments to the detriment of the daily ink on paper or web product.

    I love a funny Jon Stewart video or Onion piece and will click on any number of viral videos featuring kitties or musical reactions to home invasions. But these lavishly produced spectacles just to show off are beginning to get annoying.

    I'm not a hater. I'm just curious.

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  6. 10:43PM, you would be sick to your stomach if you knew what my site has spend on video equipment.

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  8. Ref. to: 8:59 PM
    Digital Recruiter; former Gannett Director said...
    This will make it difficult for Gannettoids to leave and source new jobs.

    This sounds like a combination of written
    intimidation/discouragement B.S. to the 100th degree!

    Pay it no mind! They don't want ambitious minded job seekers to up and leave them there STUCK with all that work!

    Also -
    TROLL ALERT!
    Something mighty big must be about to transpire!

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

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  11. I don't have concrete data on how many viewers there are for Gannett's news websites or how much revenue is generated. I do know, however that it goes by the number of "clicks" a page gets. The home page on every one of our computers at our NJ site was programmed to be MyCentralJersey.com so right there, any time an employee brought their computer up, it counted. Also, when they first launched the website, including MomsLikeMe, we were all required to "click around" and blog. We had to come up with our own logon name and password; there were actually employee contests to see who could do the most on and off company time. The prizes were company crap (T-shirts and the like).

    AND, what's worse, these bloated figures were presented to clients by sales reps in order to sell space on the website. This is/was false advertising at it's best!

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  12. 8:59- That was the biggest crock o'crap i've seen in a long time. I'm actually embarrased for Robin Pence if that's the brain trust she's hired for trolling the blog. What recruiter would even give a crap enough to bother to log on to this blog and blabber on? Not to mention they would be fired on the spot if their management found out what they were saying.

    Just stupid.

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  13. 6:28 Click through data is yesterday's news, and few pay attention to it for the reasons you state. More favored is data showing the percentage of visitors who spend more than a few minute on a site, showing they are reading it, and demographics derived from cookies.

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  14. I think Digital Recruiter is a Gannett corporate troll. I do work at pointroll and I can say that without doubt, there is going to be mass departures very soon. There are more people prepping their resumes and making LinkedIn connections than ever before. Our head of sales, our ceo and the head of marketing have all said that they are leaving and want to look at new opportunities. We also have more recruiting firms calling into pointroll than ever before. I have been here through several management changes and now all the recruiters smell blood. Pointroll is a good place to recruit from.
    We do not know or care to know about Gannett, and most of us really only cared about Gannett when Saridakis was there. Now that he is gone and we are all waiting to get our bonuses or commissions, I would expect that many good people will be giving notice.

    It is amusing, we are all doing the same thing. We speak with Keith Gelles to complain about Jason and the management team, we call Andy Ellenthal for a job, and then we meet up with Saridakis to network and for career advice. Even pointroll people who started after these guys were here are doing it. It is a great way to find a great job and connect with smart people.

    For all my fellow pointroll people reading this blog, you all know what I am talking about!

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  15. There's only one problem, 5:38 on Part 1, with your little, "Start a business" theory. A lot of us don't HAVE assets to leverage because, Gannett barely paid us enough to meet our bills.

    And please don't say that I should have gotten out sooner. I did try, even when the economy was allegedly good (I say allegedly because only the richest 2 percent actually benefited. The rest of us either treaded water or lost ground. Most of the businesses couldn't comprehend how a journalist could transform to their industry. Even though I would try to explain my skill sets, it went right over their heads.

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  16. 8:25a you are absolutely dead on. Tafler is checked out and a miserable fellow. Not a leader. In fact, none of these leaders inspire anything. Saridakis, Gelles and Ellenthal are great. Btw, I have an interview with a company next week I just found out Saridakis invested in. Small world.

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  17. http://apple.copydesk.org/2011/01/19/when-you-screw-up-your-lead-headline-on-a1/

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  18. Some of our newspapers have not learned about spellcheck. Since this headline from Monday's Green Bay Press Gazette

    (You'll need to scroll down a little bit)

    http://www.wapl.com/on-air/rick_and_len_show/blog/

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  19. Item about the Gannett paper in Green Bay... perhaps a sign of things to come with the copy desk changes?

    http://apple.copydesk.org/2011/01/19/when-you-screw-up-your-lead-headline-on-a1/

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  20. 6:28 a.m. That's not accurate.

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  21. Do you ever get the feeling that the fix is in? That you're not privy to what's really happening in our economy? Then you read a couple of articles that depress and enlighten...

    From NY Times Business section Wed. Jan. 2011:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/business/economy/19leonhardt.html?_r=1&ref=business

    From AOL's Daily Finance, Wed. Jan. 2011:

    http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/retirement/social-security-far-worse-shape-than-you-think/19804267/?icid=main%7Ccompaq-laptop%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk3%7C196131

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  22. 8:43, I appreciate your frustration. I was downsized too by GCI in 2010. My 'start a business' isn't a theory. It's what I did.

    As for assets to leverage, I was referencing your internal assets -- your talent, your drive, your ability to do something well that other people have difficulty doing. The only physical 'asset' I needed was a computer and a phone. I assume you have those already.

    Since you described yourself as a journalist, than I take it that you can write a lick or two better than most corporate folks can. I found plenty of corp clients who understood full well what transferable skills I brought to the table -- and they paid me generously to produce for them until one of them hired me full-time.

    It takes time, however, to build up a client base that will provide enough monthly revenue for you to go full-time. Which is why I've urged those with GCI jobs to start building up your business now (pending your manager's approval), as opposed to after they show you the door. You need several clients (five or six at least) who come to you time after time because they know you can deliver, to maximize your billable time and minimize your marketing time. From the time I was laid off to the time I got hired fulltime, I did zero -- that's zero -- marketing. I didn't need to. In fact, I was turning down work.

    OK, trolls, go ahead and try to convince everyone that I'm making all of this up and I'm a lowly GCI employee coming up with a fantasy tale. For everyone else, get busy with your plan before it's too late. I'm not presenting this to brag. I'd doing it to convey that it CAN be done.

    Good luck everyone and hang in there!

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  23. What's the best way to use this site to reach people looking for an editor's job as I know one non-Gannett company looking in Northeast Ohio?

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  24. 3:04 Do you have a way for people to contact you? An e-mail address?

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  25. Complaining that you have no assets to leverage because Gannett paid you too little is a cop out. Even at the lowest Gannett wages for a starting reporter, over many years and after making the decision to cut costs and save money, one could have generated enough cash to get a small business up and running. That is the nature of small business ventures. You start out lean and mean and without many assets but yourself. After time, you begin to accrue more success. If you don't have the assets you need (which could be as low as $10,000) after many years working at Gannett, than you made the choice to spend your money in places that were not the best fit for your long-term well-being.

    I am not trying to be rude, but, again, to blame Gannett for the lack of an ability to change your life is short-sided. But, if you really believe that you are a victim and thus are relegated to living the life before you without any chance of making a change, than you're right, you have no ability to find another life.

    Making a shift out of an industry is difficult. Every person on here for the last 12 months who shared a success story admits it was hard, it took some risk and that they didn't know if their efforts would be successful. They also all share another similarity, though. They all too the risk, despite the challenges and the barriers, put forth the effort, and struggled through the change.

    Relying on a broad-based explanation of newsroom skill sets probably won't help people in this market, especially if they want to make the same money they are today as soon as they jump ship. But, the ability to research, to communicate, to break down databases and factor numbers (all of which are skills journalists use) certainly are transferrable. But, you have to be able to show potential employers in different industries that you not only can do that but that you also understand their industry. That can come through study, or through coursework with industry groups or at a community college, or through limited contract work, etc.

    There is a way out of the woods. But, you have to be willing to get up from the tree you're sitting against and start walking your way out. Will you get lost? Maybe. Will you be successful on your first attempt? It's possible but maybe not. But, if you keep looking for the way out one will appear. There are many paths out of the woods, but you have to get up and start walking to find them.

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  26. Has the Westchester building really been sold?

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  27. 2:33- That's great. It would be even better if we hadn't heard it all before. A lot. I think it's cute how you call anyone who doubts your achievement a "troll".

    If I hear one more stupid generic "i started my own business blah blah blah" post i'm gonna scream.

    Type all you want. Unless you can provide some specifics like oh... A FREAKIN' BUSINESSS NAME. Go away. It's boring now.

    Unless it's corporate employee psychological warfare tactics. In which case... Brava! Robin. Give that guy a raise. He's got me all agitated.

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  28. 4:11 nailed it with some 'tough love' words. But all true. 100 percent. If you're a journo by vocation and you have a laptop, I can only assume you're capable of writing a press release/white paper. If you can do that, you can now start using your connections (I mean, you did talk to PR people every once in a while as a journalist, right?) to segue into your next career (contractual or otherwise). With the Internet, you don't need 'local' work either. Hell, 90 percent of my clients don't know what I look like.

    2:33, what's really boring now is how you obsess over trying to get one of us to reveal our names/business names, 'cause it ain't gonna happen. I'm sorry you're so bitter and suspicious about the success of others who are now trying to 'pay it forward' by encouraging others to do the same. But what I really suspect is that you're one of the corporate FOCs who wants names and serial numbers of those posting these things for a future act of revenge. And that's why we'll continue to post here with our Harry Potter cloaks on.

    I notice, btw, that you ignore requests to reveal yourself, or even a 'safe' description of who you are that won't necessarily out you. Which is why the 'corp troll alert' is high for the rest of us.

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  29. Even after telling us that we would still look unique and retain our "look" using Monotype fonts; a user's guide to Gannett Typography with a memo was sent out Jan. 17th.
    "Gannett's U.S. Community Publishing group will move to a common Monotype typography in early 2011. Most sites will introduce this change before they move to the CCI NewsGate 3.2 system. A number of strategic reasons drive this move. A common typography will maximize our ability to share content. A common typography will streamline the work done in the Design Studio initiative. A common typography will provide our designers with a typography structure that will support their design work.
    Our typography standards underpin strong visual design. And strong visual design starts with strong content. As we transition to the Design Studios, it is essential that we focus on the best possible content to create the best possible publications.
    We turned to the four members of the Design Studio design team to help us define these standards. And they have outlined the guides for a wide range of uses.
    Our typography standards include very specific instructions for many uses and flexibility to maintain and enhance the individual personality of each newspaper. As with most designs, the pecking order to achieve a newspaper's individual personality starts with page flags, moves to headlines, then to "everything else." To accomplish all that we need to do strategically, we will have uniformity in the "everything else" area.
    This guide provides specific instructions on all type that is less than 12 points. In a few cases, a site can make choices based on the newspaper's overall design. For example, bylines can be centered or flush-left; subheads can be centered or flush-left. What's critical is that the type specs and spacing be uniform.
    This guide also will provide direction in using the headline typography available to you. Finally, it includes examples of the specialty type available to you for developing page flags, with some examples of flags designed with the type.
    Most Information Centers will be putting these specs into place before we begin using the new CCI system that we all will share. Making the transition beforehand will ensure that the system change will be visually transparent as possible to our readers. And it will simplify the process of setting up each of our products for the new system.
    Our design team has developed and tested these typography standards. We thank them for their tremendous commitment to this project."
    I'm so glad that our "everything else" is going to look like everyone else.

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  30. Ref. a poster in the Part I thread who put up an email about a visit from a big boss: our regional vp or whatever they're called is visiting my site in the south group this week. We, too, have been called on to beef up stories and photos. We wonder if this is routine, a "touring the provinces" deal, or a sign of potential cuts.

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  31. 2:33 what is the name of your company?

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  32. 2:33, it's all bullshit. We covered this already. You are too much of a dumbshit to realize that, so you try to slide the same crap through.

    If you are not naming a business or even describing what you do, then there's no reason to believe you.

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  33. To go along with the discusssions about Patch:

    http://www.businessinsider.com/aols-patch-revenue-model-makes-no-sense-2010-5

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  34. 7:08 "future act of revenge"?

    So we didn't sell the Gannett air force, we just painted all the helicopters black?

    Good thing I kept my Y2K tinfoil hat so skynet can't read my thoughts right now.

    Get real. We aren't staffed enough to carry out the current items on the revenge list, much less book future requests.

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  35. 8:43 here again. Sorry, 4:11, but I don't have assets, due to life and health circumstances beyond my control. Of course, I could have had some assets had my now-former paper not cried poverty and given us 1 percent raises which didn't even cover the out-of-pocket health insurance increases, while having profit margins over 25 percent and using their health insurance program to increase more profits.

    And I worked as a copy editor, so the opportunities to network with PR people were infrequent, at best. You know, a copy editor. The guys and gals who were busy doing the dirty work while the others on the staff got the pats on the back and the higher raises.

    And since I've been unemployed, I've gone back to school and graduated with honors. No job, because I'm told I don't have the experience. I've networked with people in different industries, only to be told that I have such an interesting background. When they use the term "intersting", I think they're being polite.

    You say I shouldn't blame Gannett? Heck, the computer software that my now-former paper used during my time there is obsolete. I tell employers I know 'X' program, and 'Y' program. And even though I went back to school and learned 'Z' program, the prospective employers tell me they want someone who has worked with the program professionally, not in school.

    So yeah, Gannett shares some of the blame for my circumstances, especially when you consider that, until I was laid off, I spent a good portion of my day working for them.

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  36. Hey, 8:36, welcome to GPC world.

    Home of "We own the entire Monotype library of 3240 fonts, but you know what, Helvetica is pretty damn sweet."

    Which, to be honest, is better than the 2adpro approach - "18 words? 19 different fonts."

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  37. 12:36 (Craig?): I see pettiness and bitterness keeps you up at night.

    OK, you're right. I and the others who have claimed to have found success after you booted us are making it all up. After all, no journalist who ever sweated to make your pathetic publications even remotely salable could possibly figure out how to write a press release for a company hiring freelancers, right? Or a blog for the CEO? Or do opposition research during a political campaign? Or launch research/investigations for an insurer?

    And no designer could ever possibly produce a corporate annual report, right? No photog could ever set up his/her own photo shop for weddings, corp materials, etc.?

    And no GCI salesperson could possibly, well, sell something other than ads that no one wants to buy in your publications, right?

    Keep dreamin' the dream there. Slowly but surely, GCI rank and file are realizing that they don't need to anxiously await the ax when they're fully capable of removing the ball and chain themselves to walk out with their heads held high on their own two feet.

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  38. To 1:46 a.m. -- staying awake late to cut and paste URLs from May? How timely and relevant. Every start-up thanks their lucky stars for stories like this. Makes the competition over confident. The main takeaway from my time at Gannett is watching bad business decisions and their aftermath year after year messes with people's innate common sense.

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  39. You still didn't name a business, 8:45. Funny how that keeps tripping you up.

    You did list a bunch of "skills," but you were too scared to say which one is "yours."

    Yes, 8:45, there are independent photography shops. And people do write press releases. And there are groups that aid political campaigns. But you do none of those things. You write B.S. and post it here.

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  40. To 9:15
    Why in the hell do you not believe that
    ex-Gannett employees can go out into the real world away from Gannett and do well?
    You must be so jealous that you don't have the balls to get away from the evil Gannett.
    So just keep on working away and waiting for their ax to drop.
    Signed,
    Started a business and doing well.And no, I won't identify it.I don't want to be bombarded for advice and being in competition with Gannett
    I don't want to be looking over my shoulder
    or wondering if the emails are from them etc,etc.

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  41. Furloughed Fury1/20/2011 10:12 AM

    The bottom line is that Gannett is a sinking ship. I know of people at the three soon to be downsized NJ papers who are opting out, rather than go through the humiliation of reapplying for their jobs in front of the Troika of three knuckleheads, only to be rewarded with overwork and a rumored pay cut, if they're chosen. The people at the top are like the Captain of the Titanic speeding toward the ice. The advice I'm reading, whether you believe the "started my own business" posts or not, is get your life jacket on now. Because Craigy, Gracie and Dickey have already booked the lifeboats.

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  42. The demands that someone post his business name are boring. This poster is offering encouragement and advice. Why do you feel you have to rip him/her apart and fire off accusations that the business doesn't exist?

    You're asking someone to relieve his or her personal and professional identity on an otherwise anonymous board. Why don't you reveal your names first?

    And this poster is right. There is life after Gannett, and it's a good one with lots of opportunity. But what you have to do first is shed the negative, I don't believe a word you say, pessimistic journalism attitude.

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  43. 10:18 a.m. here. Before I get shredded by the angry copy editor: Sorry for the typo. Relieve should be reveal

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  44. This has been the most boring discussion ever. You started your own business. Great. Good luck with it.

    There is so much happening at Gannett, and the blog has been newsier than ever, and rightfully so.

    Why come to a dead stop with this inane back and forth? Can we move on?

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  45. the Man in Black1/20/2011 10:47 AM

    WEAR BLACK TO WORK ON FEB 4 IN NJ!
    This is a little off topic, but I had to share this reply to a GNJ Feb. 4th is wear red day memo:

    Perhaps next year. We at the Daily Record were planning on wearing all black that day.

    I'd urge everyone at the Gannett NJ papers to wear black to work as a sign of solidarity for your colleagues who are being forced to reapply for their jobs and are facing unemployment, pay cuts and being overworked for a company that doesn't care.
    Make like Johnny Cash and wear black to work on Feb. 4th

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  46. Great post 10:10! My sentiments exactly.

    10:47, that's a brave and noble idea. Hope it flies. Hope you can break from "Folsom Prison" soon. Sounds like an unholy mess there.

    7:59: I'm sorry for both your personal (health) and professional challenges. The only thing I can suggest is to scour for those copyediting contract gigs. (They exist.) It shouldn't matter where you live in today's virtual universe. And as for tech programs, can't you just copy edit a doc using what comes with a standard laptop these days?

    I'm not saying a couple of copy editing gigs will sustain you in perpetuity. But one job could lead to another job and those jobs could eventually lead to that one contact you need for a fulltime job. And keep in mind that you don't need to only look at traditional pubs. There are endless lawfirms, companies, non-profits, trade associations, financial services orgs, etc., that put out newsletters, trade articles, blogs, etc. and need an actual wordsmith to save them from themselves. These people know full well that they simply can't write and are eager to have a 'pro' make their prose 'read right.'

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  47. No surprise here that copy editors can't find another job. I have never met a more obnoxious group, composed of losers determined to root out any original thoughts or phrasings and translate everything into one-size-fits-all pablum. So what skills do these curmugeons carry to another employer? Maybe there are some out there who are looking for back-stabbers, chronic complainers, and vicious office gossips.

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  48. Memo to Gracia Martore...Pointroll is in bad shape!!!

    The management team is just letting people go and do not care about employees. Everyone knows that Sandy is now going to be our CEO and that Jason Tafler is leaving the company. We do not know what it all means for us as no one has communicated to us, except for the useless PTR-All communication that Jason sent to everyone saying how great he did and that we have a great future. Totally empty.

    Someone should visit us here and see what is going on. Every once in a while we here that someone from Gannett or Usa today is interested in our expenses and our "numbers", but you have NO CLUE what is going on here.

    Jason Tafler as single-handedly ruined this company, the culture and the relationships we have with our clients. Selfish-Sara Ripmaster only cares about here million dollar commissions on top of her "incentive plan" payout. Catherine Spurway is too busy planning here great escape. We never see Rob Gatto anymore. And Max Mead is still trying to figure out what rich media is and why people would buy it. We do not ever hear from Dea Lawrence except when she complains.

    It is sad to see what has happened to this company. We all know you read this blog because we have heard from Jason Tafler that he will fire anyone that he catches writing on this blog. Just like he fires you if you have an opinion or disagree with him.

    Please help us and take a look at this place. There is no one home here.

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  49. "Ask NOT what Gannett can do for you, ask what YOU can do for Gannett."

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  53. There are jobs out there, but you're going to have to leave your comfort zone and relocation is a very distinct possibility.

    I was a Gannett copy editor for 13 years. Left in 2007 because any joy or satisfaction I received from working in newspapers was long gone.

    I leveraged my editing experience and hobbies (I'm a gamer) to swing a job writing for a game company, where they think I'm some sort of a Jedi for knowing basic J-skills. Did web and online communinity management for a year, then transitioned to writing for the design team. Now I'm the lead writer on my project.

    I'm a few years older than many of my co-workers, and I'm one of the only women on the team, but I've never gotten any static for either. It's a different world outside of newspapers, and I'm thrilled at the differences. The bigger paychecks are nice, too.

    PR, Marketing, web content (someone has to write and edit all of that copy!) and online community management have tons of opportunities today. I won't say it was easy, because it wasn't. I worked my ass off to get this job, and I moved 2,000 miles away from my friends and family to take it.

    I know a lot of people have had it rough, and I feel for you. But sometimes you have to take that leap of faith into something completely new.

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  54. 11:58 is probably one of those unbalanced writers who threw a fit every time something was changed (usually correctly) in her article. (I assume this person is female because she sounds like a lot of the nutballs I remember from the writing ranks.)

    Her stance was probably something like she wanted to use the word "declared" instead of "said." When she didn't get her way, she flipped out.

    Another example of the "professionals" within the lowest bowels of Gannett.

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  55. 1:17pm I think I have that right. You who continues to write filth on this blog. Someone almost died for your sins. Will you continue to write such filth and disgusting rhetoric? Who raised you? were you raised in a pack of dogs.... so please continue to share the news we need to hear. Jim you are doing a great job.

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  56. Just got laid off. I'll never see that kind of money again. Heck, I'll never see half that money again. The only good thing I can find in this is that I can finally cut the cord and stop reading this blog. I'll be too busy trying to short sale my house and salvage a bit of life. I can't imagine why you all come back once you are gone. It was great for getting company information, however, while I was there. Thanks, Jim, for all your good work and goodbye.

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  57. 1:55
    Sorry to hear and good luck .
    How about as your last post ,letting us
    know where you were axed from?
    thanks

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  58. 1:55 got laid off. This was not an announced
    situation or part of a nationwide cut back.
    How many other Gannetteers are being released
    under the radar?
    I have felt all this time that the lay off
    numbers that have been reported are not accurate.
    I will bet that 1:55's layoff is more widespread
    than we know of,and how many,if not a regular
    poster or reader here,others are being layed off
    and just not reported.

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  59. You're an idiot, 2:13. You base all of those conclusions on one unconfirmed, anonymous statement? What brilliance.

    Next time you think about posting, just drop a paperweight onto your hand.

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  61. Hey Mr. Know It All 4:01,
    I too know of someone who was laid off last week.
    So ,2:13 may not be as lunatic as you think.

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  64. So what are the locations of these layoffs?

    I think the "I started a business!" people have found something else to entertain them.

    No site = no truth.

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  65. This site has lost the little credibility it had, and everyone should have seen it coming.

    Now any time someone decides to stir things up, we get a post about a secret layoff or someone claiming to be rich from a start-up and wondering why everyone doesn't flee the company.

    No one can believe much of what ends up here for those reasons. And it will take a reasonably long period of solid info to undo that.

    Now people can shout "corporate troll" or whatever version of four legs good, two legs bad flies here. It'll be more evidence of the pattern.

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  66. Ah ,back to the we must have location crap.
    Or else no truth,you critics are ridiculous
    or else you are trolls.
    Just like the new business start-ups,
    couldn't possibly be successful away from Gannett.
    Give us a business name or you are not real.
    What crap . Why don't you negative critics
    just expect people to give out their phone numbers and social security numbers too while your at it.

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  67. I also recently left Gannett, and realize now from the outside that Gannett is in terrible shape and in no way can compete in the digital age. Get out if you can.

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  68. Yeah, 7:03, if people are saying there are layoffs, it would help to know where they are happening.

    Have someone explain it to you.

    You're one of the "business start-up" people, aren't you?

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  70. 6:24 here. My layoff was from a New Jersey newspaper.

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  71. 12:02 PM worte
    “Everyone knows that Sandy is now going to be our CEO and that Jason Tafler is leaving the company. We do not know what it all means for us as no one has communicated to us,…”

    What that means to us is that we will have a leader that cannot make a decision and most of the ones he makes are too late or worse yet bad. Additionally, when he makes a bad decision he is too stubborn to fix it (unlike Jason). Also expect Robb “the game changer” to continue to not have an original idea and to do nothing as he becomes COO.

    It seems to me that GSI is positioning itself to move into the rich media online advertising world and you can be certain that Chris will be gunning for all of our retail clients including auto. This will be a swift, sound and decisive victory for GSI given the supposed new management team steering the ship, better start looking for a new job, I know I am!!!

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  72. The purge at The Home News Tribune (East Brunswick) began with the two local editors getting the axe, replaced by one from Somerville. One editor who's a stranger to the area managing a staff of eight at a once-great local NJ paper. Ouch. Someone at Gannett NJ has a death wish for that paper

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  73. Two laid off from The News Journal, Wilmington, DE paper. One from HR, another from IT.

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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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