Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Week Jan. 10-16 | Your News & Comments: Part 2
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56 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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For Part 1 of this comment thread, please go here.
ReplyDeleteSomebody please get us a headcount of the people showing up for the Callinan/Freeman sendoff at the Crowne Plaza (or is the Red Roof Inn?) in Tyson's Corner. Since it's hard to believe that Gannett would fly in all the thousands of their admirers from all over the country, then pay for their buffet and open bar, this sounds like an unnecessary exercise, one made very unfortunate by its coincidence with the shocking firings taking place in NJ.
ReplyDeleteTo be clear, the invitation clearly says that attendees must pay their own travel and hotel expenses:
ReplyDelete"We will provide the food at the reception. There will be a cash bar. You will need to cover your travel and lodging expenses. "
Hey, this sounds like a biz opp for Gannett. Catering! Gannett sends out the invitations, and you supply food, booze, hall, and hotel.
ReplyDeleteThis could be linked with Google for ads to pay for the bash, which after Google's and Gannett's share, puts a penny on the dollar into the celebrant's pocket.
Has anyone heard anything about Fort Collins? Kim Wilson is gone Gabe Aguiree is gone. Ad count keeps going down. Circulation is so low they are sending out letters offering special rates to old customers. Everyone seems to be walking around on eggshells. I guest just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tallahassee.com/article/20110111/BUSINESS/101110309/Cantley-named-managing-editor-of-the-Democrat
ReplyDeleteas to the 11 floor - no it is not an IDEO arrangement - there are just IDEO themed posters in the hallway leading back to the rather humble workspace
ReplyDeletethe 11 floor exec suite is certainly impressive - but it's not as if space is at a premium inside the crystal palace
So tomorrow in Phoenix is the Launch of "200EVB"
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see how long that name lasts, Gannett trying to turn their newspaper building into a street side studio. It appears even the reporters are a little tongue tied trying to say 200EVB fast enough for their tag lines. It's 200 E. Van Buren people.
Our advertising is slow. Real slow. Dead. I know that this is historically a slow period, but we have NEVER SEEN IT THIS SLOW FOR THIS LONG!
ReplyDeleteIs everybody paper REAL slow?
Gannett Digital has been real slow. The raise in rates didn't help us at all. We are no longer competitive in the market place.
ReplyDeleteRegardless what/who is now on the 11th floor besides Martore and Dubow, it's a very cold, sterile place. No one likes going to that floor. Once you exit the elevators, there are hidden cameras enabling staff to observe from their desks who's about to walk down the hall. In addition to that blue ball, it's a sin what those blue glass hall tiles cost.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAfter the New Jersey reoganization, they will do the same to PoJo and Westchester
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know does Dubow drive a Hyundai sonata? I swear I saw him diving the other day.
ReplyDeleteWhatever a Hyundai ;)
ReplyDeletePhoenix Arizona, Wednesday's premiere of the channel 12's new studio "200EVB" is already facing setbacks. The much publicized main celebrity Al Roker has canceled his appearance. Gannett has been actively promoting his presence, proving how important Phoenix was to NBC. The station reports, the show will go on with out him. That his cancellation was due to the network's decision to cancel his appearance.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good news from MyBoss, who assures that Gannett's top three -- Dubow, Martore and Dickey -- nixed plans to have the Callinan-Freeman beer party at the Crystal Palace.
ReplyDeleteThe bad news is that ringleader Kate Marymont is apparently committed to carrying out Gannett's arm-length pats on the back for two of its fallen soldiers. Perhaps it would help if Kate put up a Vietnam Wall-like memorial to honor all the other Gannettoids who have perished through "no fault of their own" in the past two-to-three years. It'd be a provocative discussion-starter during cocktail hour, don't ya think?
Seriously. Someone needs to tell Kate to keep Gannett out of such bizarre situations. It's like ex-spouses having sex 15 minutes after their divorce is final. I mean, tell me how do ya really feel?
A private party would have been far better. Surely, many former Gannettoids have successfully let their hair down to celebrate long careers without having to play kissy-butt with the people who kicked their butts out the door.
Atonement you say? Sure, if hurt feelings and damaged pride can be repaired by a couple rounds of Absolut. Skol enough and your sadness will turn to joy. Hic.
2:05pm, no way on earth. It's too beneath the Crystal Palace suits to drive economical, "reasonably priced" company cars. Mercedes, BWM and Porsche are the norm.
ReplyDeleteThe people/companies who sold papers to Gannett in the last decade are looking smarter and smarter every day. Gannett paid top dollar for papers at or before their peak economic value. Right about now, there must be some real debate among Gannett accounting department folks and auditors over issues like goodwill impairment and asset value writedowns. I mean, you can't put a bunch of shriveled-up prunes out in the grocery display case and price them as plums.
ReplyDeleteShame on Callinan and Freeman for taking part in this attempt to make them feel they were of any real value to this pathetic company.
ReplyDeleteJim should go on a TV show. It would be comedy gold. I'm surprised he hasn't already done this.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 6:21 PM said:
ReplyDelete"Jim should go on a TV show. It would be comedy gold. I'm suprised he hasn't already done this.
RESPONSE: I agree! How about it. JIm?
Also,
Anonymous 2:28 PM said:
The much publicized main celebrity Al Roker has canceled his appearance.
RESPONSE: I don't blame him!
Anonymous 2:28 PM cont'd.:
Gannett has been actively promoting his presence, proving how important Phoenix was to NBC. The station reports, the show will go on with out him. That his cancellation was due to the network's decision to cancel his appearance.
RESPONSE: Doubt it!
Questions about the Design Center
ReplyDelete1. Will dumming of the papers be kept at local sites?
2. How about comics pages, tv books, special sections, will they all be done at the centers.
3. How about papers that are now printed at outside sites, will the center send them directly to the place they are printed?
4. How about placing of ads, from sites that are not part of the GPC yet?
Any answers would be appreciated.
Thanks
People NBC cancelled Roker's appearance because it would be inappropriate given the murders. Don't you all have any sensitivity to this terrible situation? It's a given, you hate the company but can't you separate your feelings from a prudent decision by NBC brass?
ReplyDeleteLet me answer all your GPC question at once.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shit show. Your life will be ruined. there is no escape from their incompetence.
4:05 yes as I figured it would not be of standard to buy from their own brothers and Sister in America. I wonder how the paper business in BMW Germany, Mercedes Benz is German and Porche are made in Germany so when they all arrive at work does everyone yell the germans are coming. How about a Ford, Dodge, Chevy or even a Toyota. Or maybe ride in on a big bucking bull.
ReplyDeleteWord is some are going to be watching dollars closely from this website to make sure all dollars are counted and if not shut this baby down. I see a push for a tax audit.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me.. Why is there now an ME in Tallahassee when MEs are being eliminated left and right. In fact, they never replaced the ME when she left. If they aren't paying ME salary level and this is a nod to the work the person is doing, the logic defies when previous MEs could have been offered a lesser salary knowing the actual work still needed to be done. The ME title acknowledge a real job. maybe the whole drama about MEs is just a need t reset salaries no longer afforded for the work that needs to be done.
ReplyDelete5:53 - Oh, believe me, Freeman has been living in his own little fantasy world for years now. This is not surprising at all. As all 5-10 people who show up sit around awkwardly, he will convince himself it was a worthy sendoff. Considering he was shown the door and would have held on to the cushy, do-nothing job he had for another 10 years had he been allowed to, it's par for the course. But is is pathetic.
ReplyDeleteWhat is an ME
ReplyDeleteThat's shorthand for managing editor -- typically in Gannett, the No. 2 executive in a newsroom after the executive editor.
ReplyDelete8:49 PM: You nailed it! The GPC is a total piece of sheit. No, it's worst than that.
ReplyDeleteWe're saving money by laying off ad designers and while losing customers because of the crap coming back from the GPC.
That sure makes sense to me
Actually, ME stands for "me." Craig, you know all about that translation, right?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it since the company bought a nice BMW for Tom Donovan to drive. He lets his big Toyota SUV languish in the APP parking lot all week (unless it snows)while he drives it.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
Does anyone know does Dubow drive a Hyundai sonata? I swear I saw him diving the other day.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIn response to repeated comments on this board about discriminatory layoffs, I note the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says job discrimination claims hit a record in its fiscal year which ended last September. As evidence, the agency said reports by workers “hit an unprecedented level of 99,922.″ This includes claims of age discrimination, which many here have claimed resulted in their dismissals. But what bothers me is that the EEOC is doing precious little about this.
ReplyDeleteFor all those going on and on about age discimination. Has it ever occured to you that Gannett has a statisticly older workforce? I watched the last round carefully because I thought the same thing. I calculated the average age of the employees RIF'd at 41. I would be that if HR would release the data that would be the average age of our employees company wide. Good luck with that class action suit.
ReplyDeleteIf you knew the titantic was going to sink would you start your career on it?
And that's why we have an older workforce.
Jim, your ME answer is imprecise. MEs are top editors at some of the smaller papers. They can be no. 2s in mid-sized papers with exec editors. They can also be no. 2s in metros, where the top editors are editor/vps. You tend to label every top editor "executive editor." Paying attention to the actual title may give you some insight into where that job/person fits into the internal pecking order.
ReplyDeleteHas any heard how the new publisher in Jackson, MS, is working out? Is it quiet out there for a reason?
ReplyDeleteWhy does everyone pick on the ads coming back from the GPC? While we have not switched over yet, our bosses tell us the quality and creativity is great with little to no errors?
ReplyDeleteAre we not getting the full story?
And you believe them,why ???
ReplyDeleteWill there be free Diet Cokes served to all five folks who attend the Freeman sendoff?
ReplyDeleteFree cokes, engineer hats and FSU t-shirts for all Friends of Freeman.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, the guy had no influence in Westchester's day-to-day operations. It was apparent at staff meetings: the publisher, be it Sherlock or Donovan, would do all the talking and Freeman would just sit there and nod.
Every now and then, usually once a meeting, he'd hop out of his seat and yell out something about watchdog journalism.
He was paid to get out of the way and keep his mouth shut, so that's what he did.
Hyundai sonata? I wouldn't even drive a Hyundai sonata!
ReplyDeletewith the GPC the beginning is a complete nightmare...once you learn how to use it and how to give them precise directions, it's fine...
ReplyDelete"Every now and then, usually once a meeting, he'd hop out of his seat and yell out something about watchdog journalism."
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like Jim whenever anyone criticizes his unsourced gossip. He probably jumps out of his seat and yells about how he's saving the world from Gannett. Then he sits down and types that in.
A few lemming trolls nod their heads.
OK, apparently the people who answered the GPC question do not like GPC, however I for one would like the same questions answered. To repeat 8:30...
ReplyDeleteQuestions about the Design Center
1. Will dummying of the papers be kept at local sites?
2. How about comics pages, tv books, special sections, will they all be done at the centers.
3. How about papers that are now printed at outside sites, will the center send them directly to the place they are printed?
4. How about placing of ads, from sites that are not part of the GPC yet?
5. How about pagination?
Please be specific. With no communication from corporate on this issue AT ALL more info would be appreciated.
8:30 is absolutely correct. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi 11:41 a.m....As far as I've heard pagination will be shifted away from the local site.
ReplyDeleteAnd seeing that the "Design Center" will be editing all of the wire copy, laying it out, etc., it would seem that other standard day-to-day stuff like puzzles, TV guides, comics, horoscopes, etc. would also be picked up at the "Design Center."
Basically the local sites will edit the local copy and then ship it to the "Design Center" to be paginated, etc.
Man, is this going to cut back on the staff or what???!!!
Working one of these "Design Center" jobs is going to be like being a gerbil on a treadmill.
Then again, with the typical ever-shrinking Gannett newspaper, how much copy could there be? Judging from The Journal News in Westchester, it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours to give every local story a triple read. Heck, maybe even less.
Wait. There are people who don't understand the purpose of the design centers is to move the pagination to them?
ReplyDeleteWow. There are too many lemming trolls here. Open your eyes, people.
sorry, but 12:34 is right...we've been with GPC here for over a year...once implemented, your new position will be "middle man"...the ATOL/GPC system IS ALSO designed to where the customer is able to have access to their own ads to look and change around (if your manager allows that, ours doesn't)and then try to tell you it's a good thing to get your customers involved...eventually, we won't be needed at all...which is probably the point...
ReplyDeleteWhy does everyone pick on the ads coming back from the GPC? While we have not switched over yet, our bosses tell us the quality and creativity is great with little to no errors?
ReplyDeleteAre we not getting the full story?
No you are not getting the full story. it's the other way around. occasionally you will be pleased.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteWhat you're getting with the GPC reports is exactly what corporate wants to hear, which is identical to the 2AdPro India numbers, and they hear that because the reports are skewed. I've seen it, and I've been told that by the schlepps who make the reports. Reality, nope, the superior does not want to hear. One girl, for example, marked every single ad fine (who cares about the advertiser and their complaints, which I often received?) because, as she put it, "It doesn't do any good." Everything was noted statistically as a reaffirmation of what Gannett wanted to see even if it fails: from the immediate "manager" under orders from his, to the ass-kissing publisher, all the way to Virginia. Anything less amounted to treason. I made several corrections to many ads, often complete rebuilds, all off the reports. How efficient is that, re-doing work? All off this vaunted record that stinks with any way just to keep one's job. And yet, they laid her off as well.
ReplyDeleteAlso note creative control. Now everyone is a graphics designer. No talent, no experience, but they know "what they like." Too bad advice is not needed. These advertisers, too, will fail for the same reason Gannett is: it's not their forte. Advertising totally the product of a business that has no familiarity literacy let alone graphics? All that result will do is discourage further advertising. Nice timing. My experience has been for more than 35 years that advertisers want guidance. "You're the professional," they'd say. And we always came to a great understanding between product and presentation, the proverbial personal touch. This is not possible with a GPC -- no matter what they say. And they can choke on it.
ReplyDelete