Friday, February 11, 2011

Week Feb. 7-13 | Your News & Comments: Part 4

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45 comments:

  1. Every time someone writes about integrity and ethics they are branded as oldies in subsequent blogs. How sad.
    Credibility is a news organization's most valuable holding. Ethics, balance and fairness matter to those who practice serious journalism. Those same standards will ultimately help determine which online news sources become the NY Times and W Post of tomorrow. Several standouts are already kicking butt.
    USAT and Gannett, meanwhile, continue to compound their errors by selling that precious credibility in return for short-term gains. Like the National Enquirer, USAT seems willing to do just about anything for a buck.
    Rupert Murdock, riding the credible, ethical, high-quality Wall Street Journal horse like he knows what he's doing, has taken the lead after the first quarter mile with The Daily.
    People are calling it the nation's online newspaper. Hmmmm. Where'd I hear that before?
    The Daily's calling card? It's full of balanced, well-written stories gathered in an ethical manner by professional journalists.
    Once The Daily is established and being read regularly by millions of people from around the world, advertisers want to use it and viewers will be happy to pay a buck a day or so to get news they can trust. Credible, balanced news and information.
    I think that's a real possibility and I see nothing out-of-date with the thinking. How about you?

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  2. what exactly is an "Ad traffic coordinator"?

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  3. Ad traffic coordinators are responsible for the day-to-day coordination, tracking and fulfillment of ad placements and schedules. They maintain a list and schedule from placement through delivery, ensuring processes, procedures and workflow are followed and deadlines are met, working to resolve scheduling conflicts, backlogs and other potential interruptions.

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  4. I am resigning from Pointroll too2/11/2011 6:41 AM

    Another salesperson quit Pointroll yesterday. Now nine of our sales reps have quit in the last month.

    The problem at Pointroll is not because of Jason Tafler. So many people like to blame him and it is really not his problem. Sure Jason has checked out, but if the company is falling apart without him around, what good is the current management team?

    Sarah, Sandy, Rob, Catherine spend all their time scheming around how this can help their careers. I would say that this management team is quite immature and really could not lead Pointroll.

    So far, we have lost over 11 sales reps since the beginning of the year. We have lost our top creative leade Wade and we have seen so many account managers resign in the past quarter.

    It is time for the current Pointroll management to start leading and win back the hearts and minds of the ops, tech, sales and corporate staff here at Pointroll. They should stay counting their pennies and worrying about their next "payoff" from Gannett.

    I would like to say, thanks to my friends in sales and ops whom I worked closely with and who read and write to this blog daily.

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  5. The Ad traffic Coordinator was in Wilmington was TT.

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  6. This particular dinosaur thinking comes from the top down and not the people in the trenches.

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  7. "Rupert Murdock, riding the credible, ethical, high-quality Wall Street Journal horse like he knows what he's doing, has taken the lead after the first quarter mile with The Daily." Sorry there is nothing credible ethical or high quality about Murdocks Journal anymore.

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  8. Rupert Murdock, is CREDIBLE, you ever read the NY Post?

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  9. Have many years of newsroom experience have GCI's top five managers logged? Okay, how many months? Weeks? Days?
    Zero?
    And we wonder why news doesn't come first at Gannett?

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  10. Have there been any additional layoffs since yesterday? We need to not let Gannett keep this under the radar.

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  11. i heard the rumors about layoffs in next few months?

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  12. @9:50 a.m.: "And we wonder why news doesn't come first at Gannett?"
    How can you say that?
    Just look at these headlines from today's Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.I smell Pulitzer!!

    "Tots in Rush can listen to stories, make crafts"
    "Parkminster church plans a winter party"
    "Share soup with your neighbors in Rush"

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  13. Murdoch = Fox = Wall Street Journal =Making up the news = IMHO

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  14. Much of what's been written here about any upcoming layoffs/job cuts has been very general speculation -- the sort that I would ordinarily discount. Still, the drum beat appears to be getting louder.

    I've been told by one reader who has been accurate in the past -- but only one reader -- that newspaper managers are about to be targeted in a new round of layoffs. I don't have a timetable, and I don't know the managerial level being targeted.

    But this may involve operating committee members. Those include advertising directors; production directors; marketing chiefs -- even publishers.

    However, I've been given no information about the company's other major division: broadcasting.

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  15. 11:33 While people may be calling The Daily the first online newspaper, that title has long been claimed by The Huffington Post. Indeed, it's on the homepage, right below the name.

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  16. This is news… Revolution, the President has stepped down in Egypt just now and gave his power to the Army and the Supremes.
    News, news, real news, journalism great journalism.

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  17. I might take The Daily comment one step further. It may not be the first online newspaper, but it most definitely is the first daily news product designed for iPad.

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  18. the iPad can aggregate content from multiple newspaper and web sources using RSS feeds. People are raving about their customized online newspaper. The iPad app (application) Early Edition. "

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  19. Rochester ... hello?

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  20. This isn't Gannett but if it works will have Gannett written all over it:
    http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/media-lab/mobile-media/118905/tackable-works-with-san-jose-mercury-news-on-crowdsourced-photojournalism-app/

    Basically editors send photo assignments to the app, readers complete assignments and send photos to the paper using the app. Readers are paid in "Karma Points." WTF is a Karma Point? Newest way to get free content?

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  21. 11:14... what journalism? All the readers/newswatchers are getting is regurgitated blather from propagandists. But hey, keep thinking you're being informed, it makes you feel better about yourself. Happiness in ignorance.

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  22. 1:10... and it is a great way for corporate propagandists to hide themselves as regular citizens. Congratulations promoting a rise in fascism. But hey, that's Poynter... Don't Rock the Effing Boat.

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  23. Of course, 11:07 picks out a few horseshit headlines on several of the many types of puff pieces that appear in all U.S. newspapers daily. The trouble with this approach is that it ignores the really great work some of these papers are doing -- day in and day out, and with lousy staffing. Hmmm, take Rochester for example. The Democrat and Chronicle was singlehandedly responsible for taking down the Monroe County Airport Authority manager recently when the investigative folks discovered he had charged about 17-grand worth of cigars to the authority as a "Business expense."
    I known this business is not fair, but as journalists we should try to be.

    Oh, some real news: 2 veteran employees (40 years-plus) and possibly several others were "retired" or led out the door today at the Democrat and Chronicle.

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  24. Rob Gatto and Sarah Ripmaster and Sandy Dondici are not very good leaders. Jason Tafler was a bit of a waste and the rest of the team, Dea, Max, Catherine are all a joke.

    I have worked at PointRoll for over 4 years and will say that since Rob and Sandy have come in, the operations have gotten worse and the sales effort has declined. How good is Rob Gatto if his entire team quits on him? Sandy has managed to to nothing. Our technology sucks and our operations continue to screw up campaigns EVERY DAY!!!!!

    SO, why would Gannett want to keep any of these people around and pay them even more? Why wouldn't they just find someone outside?

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  26. If this company screws up Pointroll then we are truly lost. I can't think of any other company/product we produce that was hotter in the marketplace than Pointroll. Its failure or even its stumble would be a major embarrasement.

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  27. Me and others at my site heard from a high up person who would know that while were doing okay the words "in a free fall" and "not going to make it no matter what they do" were said about other sites. They are already doing big revises of the budgets companywide, six weeks into the year, this person said.

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  28. I'm told that the PRINT version of Metromix has died, effective yesterday, at at least one site in Tennessee.

    Has this happened at your site?

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  29. Jim: A print version of Metromix? I've never heard of it before, and I'm tight with our Metromix editor at a Southern site.

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  30. when metromix went to print...
    http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2008/02/metromix_hits_print.php

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  31. here's another that talks about Metromix (Nashville) print edition...
    http://nashville.metromix.com/events/article/heather-byrd-named-director/1840956/content

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  32. I think very few markets had a print version of Metromix -- at least one that was branded as Metromix. Some use pieces of Metromix content and scatter it through existing print products.

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  33. In some cases, it would make sense to go after OC members. Look at Salem, where the controller also is in charge of production and IT. More and more they're getting rid of circulation or production directors and either merging those positions or putting them under someone else. Digital directors are a joke. Why have advertising and digital directors? To have competing sales staff? And we've already seen where publishers who left (or were asked to leave) were replaced by GMs instead. Gotta cut the payroll so Gracia and Craig can get their multi-million dollar bonuses while the rest of us get the shaft.

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

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  35. If a market had a print product geared to young adults they were supposed to co-brand it with Metromix. Not all markets had one.

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  36. Crotchfelt and Dickey any $20,000 games of Golf this spring. Man those names together the fun a person could have.

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  38. Ah yes, 9:39 p.m., we wouldn't want to have someone from Gannett actually enlightening the troops, would we?

    Gannett's self-serving "leadership" deserves all the spotlights that can be shone upon it.

    Now, about the layoffs that we all know are coming this year and next....Anyone have any details?

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  39. Layoffs are not expected anytime soon.

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  41. I can think of two EE's who could go and not be missed, one who seems to think making the emphasis on regionalization work following the cuts in Jersey can make him a "rising star"

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  42. 1) Kevin Hall, ad vp in des moines, is leaving the company.
    2) 10:49: What are you smoking? Layoffs going on every week!

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  43. If 2:34 is true, that's a real loss. Kevin Hall's a good guy, and smart, too. I never worked directly with him but spent some time with him a couple years ago, and he's exactly the kind of person corporate has been trying NOT to lose, but failing.

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  44. Jim said...

    I'm told that the PRINT version of Metromix has died, effective yesterday, at at least one site in Tennessee.

    Has this happened at your site?

    As stated, there is not a print version of Metromix. It is tied into the young reader publications at each site. I assume that is what
    you mean, Jim? I've never understood why they need their own staff for this publication. It could easily be sent to a design center hub along
    with everything else or as stated, have just an online version.

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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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