Monday, March 07, 2011

Week March 7-13 | Your News & Comments: Part 1

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51 comments:

  1. The total cost of designing my Gannett Blog logo: $0.00.

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  2. What new logo party favors will be given out at Crystal Palace on Monday?

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  3. They'll be selling items with the old logo at 50% markup on eBay. They're "collectible" now.

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  4. Martore & Dubow will be standing in the lobby to welcome and greet us.

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  5. might want to re-visit that wikipedia page on "Kerning."

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  6. OK, So what is the story with " Tony the Tiger" Is he Corporate's choice to run The Journal News out of business ?

    If that is what the intentions of Corporate are, then Tony is the man for the job !

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  7. 12:23; what's with "Tony the tiger"? Hmmmm...I suppose it seems kind of appropriate with a snicker. Actually,an earlier poster coined him "Teflon Tony", which seemed more in line given all of the failures in the shadows of this one time print leader in its market.

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  8. Check the press releases pages - "Click to recieve press releases via RSS feed"

    Aewsome.

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  9. Does anyone have any idea of the number of positions unfilled at the locations? You know, when someone leaves and the decision is made to not fill the position. Wouldn't these be considered staff reductions as well?

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  10. 10:05
    Good point .We probably don't hear of those
    on this blog .But,these numbers are great as well. Definately should be considered as layoffs
    or reduction in employee count.My site lost the
    Managing Editor and he was not replaced.
    Another editor took over those extra responsibilities.

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  11. CNBC this morning is running 15-second ads (maybe 10 seconds) on the new Gannett logo. Very plain vanilla ads, IMO, and they don't even say what the company is. A complete waste of time and money and an insult to those laid off whose salaries are going into this campaign. I saw the ads twice this morning on the Squawk on the Street program.

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  12. Everyone should e-mail comments to the cable stations airing this farce and let them know the truth about what's really been going on inside Crystal Palace in terms of slashing jobs to pay for this crap.

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  13. Why should the cable cos care? They're making money off Gannett. Does anyone really think a cable TV network or another newspaper is going to question Gannett? Why should they?

    A lot of people aren't even aware of declines in the industry. Why? Because they don't read newspapers and listen to their favorite mouths on cable.

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  14. E-mail cable business show hosts - they'll get a good laugh.

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  15. If we have more furloughs, we can pay for more of these ads on TV.

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  16. I enjoy the prevailing theory that, when times are tough, Gannett should stop spending money on advertising.

    I just hope that not too many Gannett advertisers feel the same way.

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  17. No, it's not that they should stop spending money, but that they should stop spending money on things that don't bring in readers for newspapers or viewers for TV. These ads they are running don't even say what Gannett is. It could be a soap company from what you learn. So what is the purpose?

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  18. Gannett is not a recognized brand. USA Today is recognized, and so are the individual papers and TV stations. What I guess they are doing with this campaign is emphasizing the centralization of this company's operations, with control coming from McLean. We already have noted all the centralization efforts and the newspapers no longer run their operations.

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  19. Economics 101 Prof.3/07/2011 12:41 PM

    You miss the point 12:17, advertising is necessary, but first you must have a product that is worth selling or it's money wasted.
    Build (or in this case re-build) or improve your product, then you have something that is worth advertising. If your customers like it, you'll get the side benefit of word of mouth promotion by them instead of being the butt of the joke. Like Gannett currently is.

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  20. First of all, 12:37, Gannett's TV spots are B2B ads. They're directed at potential advertisers, not potential readers or viewers. That's a tactical choice, maybe not the one you'd make but certainly rational enough.

    Second, all of the ads' screen time is devoted to nothing but visual name-checks of Gannett products, from USA Today to community newspapers to CareerBuilder to MomsLikeMe.

    To see all of those branded images and say "it could be a soap company" seems like you're purposely playing dumb. You are playing, right?

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  21. I used to work for CMP Publications, one of the major technology trade publishers. 15 years ago CMP launched a branding campaign remarkably similar to what Gannett has announced, right down to the mandatory inclusion of the corporate logo on page one. For CMP, which like Gannett was made up of many individual print and web components, branding the company proved so successful that it resulted in the business being sold and broken apart in less than three years. Heads-up, Gannett employees: despite the denials of CMP's honchos, it is clear in hindsight that the branding campaign was the first step to their ultimate goal of selling out. History repeats itself, so consider yourself warned.

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  22. 12:51 makes a very good point. In time, the wisdom of this campaign will be measured in advertising revenue.

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  23. What are they going to do with the big ball upstairs?

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  24. Gannett scooped virtually every news-gathering organization on the planet with the logo news.

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  25. 12:51 Did you see the same ads as I saw? The ones I saw were 10-seconds or so in length and had only the new Gannett logo. I did not see USA Today, Career Builder, Moms Like Me or anything else. I saw two ads.

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  26. If they are intended to reach a B2B audience, why am I seeing them? I have no B.

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  27. > The total cost of designing my Gannett Blog logo: $0.00.

    Jim, if you are serious about making a business of this blog, you should get a decent template -- yes, one that enhances your "brand" -- instead of using one of the default templates that comes with Blogger. It screams: Amateur. I say this as a news guy, not a marketing guy.

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  28. Saudi's having Days of Rage March 11 and 20:
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-07/saudi-arabia-s-day-of-rage-lures-record-bets-on-200-oil-chart-of-day.html

    WHEN is the Gannett employee Day of Rage?
    I missed the memo.

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  29. i heard the rumors about getting another furlough in 2nd quarter? and also there is another rumors about layoffs after 2nd quarter?

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  30. You know there will be more layoffs.
    The bonus takers will determine that the furloughs were not enough to stem the tide from sinking revenues.Budgets were downsized and still not close to being met.
    Therefore slash the largest item on the expense
    side of the ledger.....employees.

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  31. To all of the nay sayers who just like to b*tch about everything... take a look at how the business people see your company. Bottom line, all of the hot air about a digital transformation looks like it's actually becoming more of a reality. And just in case you didn't realize it, digital revenue--and the prospect of digital growth-- is the only thing saving the future of the venerable ink stained wretch. It's time to either get on board, or get a job at PBS.

    http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4572894/gannett-ceo-were-in-the-midst-of-a-transformation

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  32. This campaign is an futile attempt by overpaid, out-of-touch executives trying to stay relevant in a world which has long since passed them by.

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  33. 4:01 said: "This campaign is an futile attempt by overpaid, out-of-touch executives trying to stay relevant in a world which has long since passed them by."

    Hmm. I am not an executive. I no longer work for Gannett. I was a reporter for many years. Am no longer. Glad to be out. But, I think we could take this same comment and revise it to read:

    "This BLOG is an futile attempt by UNDERPAID, out-of-touch NEWSPAPER EMPLOYEES trying to stay relevant in a world which has long since passed them by."

    The irony is magnificent. Anyone in the newspaper world is living in a time that long since passed you by. The execs are and so are the employees who stick around hoping that things get better and blaming the execs for their problems. You're all irrelevant, really. Just a thought.

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  34. 1:06pm, the ball is blue - how appropriate for the pricks.

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  35. nuther topic, but interesting investment info:
    http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/03/who-owns-newspaper-companies-the-banks-funds-and-investors-and-their-big-slices-of-the-industry/

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  36. I just saw one of these new Gannett logo ads with a baseball game. Maybe there are different versions.

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  37. Can you find the link between these two posts?

    11:40 a.m. said: CNBC this morning is running 15-second ads (maybe 10 seconds) on the new Gannett logo. Very plain vanilla ads, IMO, and they don't even say what the company is. A complete waste of time and money and an insult to those laid off whose salaries are going into this campaign. I saw the ads twice this morning on the Squawk on the Street program.

    12:52 p.m. said: For CMP, which like Gannett was made up of many individual print and web components, branding the company proved so successful that it resulted in the business being sold and broken apart in less than three years. Heads-up, Gannett employees: despite the denials of CMP's honchos, it is clear in hindsight that the branding campaign was the first step to their ultimate goal of selling out.

    Now, given that CNBC’s audience is a who’s who of anybody who is, or would like to be, a somebody in the world of Wall Street, investing, corporate finance and business, can you see how these two posts from 11:40 a.m. and 12:52 p.m. are linked? Think about it.

    I continue to believe that GCI will sell out or merge with another entity. Last time I said so, Jim piped up to say why he thought it wouldn’t happen. OK. But I’m sticking to my guns. Stripped to a flying gas can for the final leg, indeed.

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

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  39. Has anyone seen this?

    http://siteanalytics.compete.com/usatoday.com/

    USATODAY.com unique visitors down from 25 million to 14 million in less than a year.

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  40. Interesting that the new Gannett branding ad (I saw it on YouTube) refers to its newspapers not as "Print" products, alongside Digital and Broadcast, but "Publishing" products. Print must be passe.

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  41. I just Googled "gannett commercial" and found this gem:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st4i8BEanPc

    Here, Craig introduces us to Gannett and a new commercial. Is he not wearing a tie to keep things casual? I don't want to see a CEO's undershirt.

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  42. I really enjoy this blog. It is almost addictive. Especially when the trolls are back in their corporate cave and no one is trashing Jimbo.

    But, I have to say, I am getting more and more depressed reading this thing lately. The comments about USAT management are dead on. But I don't see things getting better. Gannett's business model is flailing. The corporate branding project seems desparate, to say the least. And I may really sink into the black hole when company says it paid Dubow, Martore & Co. for their fine work last year slashing decent employees. Not to mention boosting shareholder value.

    That doesn't seem like it will change either. And lets get real, people. Sending bonus checks to Craigy? What's next? Lighting a paper bag on his doorstep and ringing the doorbell?

    I realize life isn't fair, but the bad news is getting worse. I just want to focus on my job and be decent to everyone. I think I'm going to have to take a break from you for a while.

    Stay strong, pilgrims.

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  43. I am not a Gannett cheerleader nor am I a Gannett hater. However, I am a finance person that understands business in general. Gannett like all companies must position itself by reducing expenses with revenues declining every year. Newspapers in the past have always been arrogant and thought that they did not need to market themselves and look where it got them. Every business needs to allocate marketing $ to bring in revenue. How can we expect our advertisers to spend $ with our company to grow business if Gannett doesn't spend $ to grow their business. SO QUIT ALL THE CRYING. At least Gannett is trying to generate new business by branding the Gannett portfolio. DID ANY OF THE CRY BABIES HERE COME UP WITH ANY POSITIVE SUGGESTIONS. If you cannot get on the bus and try to make a positive contribution the all I can say is GET OUT.........

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  44. I don't know if I'm a crybaby or not. Let's say for the sake of argument, I'm not. But 8:01, I just looked at the Gannett commercial on you tube. Check it out. Awful. Rarely in business does a CEO get in front of the camera with a canned speech. The ones on TV know how to talk on their feet. Even if their vision is wrong, they have a point of view is articulated intelligently enough to make you think about it. They also dress the part, with a suit and tie. They command authority.

    Does this guy?

    Let's says Craig's merely putting out the for sale sign for a dealmaker. Does this inspire you to look at the "broad breadth of our portfolio"?

    Who decided on the copy for this thing? Play the you tube video again. This time, close your eyes and listen to the words. Jib-jib-jiberrish.

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  45. If they expected the stock to rise today for this crap, it sure did not!

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  46. Jim: are you able to find out anything about the people from this ad agency "The Farm" who created this crap?

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  47. Found another ad on U-Tube for Gannett….
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7CzF9nAS5g

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  48. Just musing, but I wonder if the powers that be thought of escalating gas prices when they shut down local printing plants and counted on trucking in papers from far-away consolidated printing plants. Gas in California today hit $4.15 a gallon, which is almost a 25 percent increase in transportation prices over the last three months. Anyone hear any screams about the transportation costs consolidation is bringing?
    P.S. They are talking about $8 a gallon gas if Libya falls apart, which is going to throw us back into a recession and lead to more layoffs.

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  49. 5:35 -- Sadly, I think you're dead on. I long ago came to the realization that I would almost certainly finish my career in a different field. Still, I do like to read this blog to stay up to date with company happenings. It never hurts to know in advance whether the company is likely to force my transition before I'm completely ready or if I'll be able to hang on long enough to leave on my own terms without a transitional pay cut.

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  50. The conversation just gets uglier and uglier. Honestly, I have to stop reading this just for my sanity, otherwise I'm going to ended up jaded too.

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  51. @8:01...yeah, people on here have been screaming their suggestions since the blog began. It's plain and simple and been repeated often and loud. Make the damn product better!!!!! Wrapping a pretty pink bow around a pile of shit doesn't change the fact that it's still a pile of shit.

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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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