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Friday, April 29, 2011
44 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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The problem that faces specifically newspapers (and not magazines so much - because they have a very specific market)in the print market place is that they failed ultimately to place really ALL of their value in content. Without content you cannot sell ANYTHING. This is something the broadcast companies understand unequivocally, the are always changing their content (TV Shows) and striving constantly to have the number #1 Show (content) their whole business model is built around this entire concept. With higher rated shows so goes higher advertising rates they can charge their customers (think SuperBowl) and giving their product away FREE to their customers (viewers). So where newspapers completely missed this concept was two fold 1) They continued to charge for newspapers even after it was no longer necessary - they were greedy with the idea of getting money for each copy instead of growing the product (giving it away to reach the most customers (readers) possible. 2) They assumed that because they were "newspapers" people would ALWAYS use them for information and that their circulation would always exist and as such became more and more complacent - thus their stories (content) became less and less meaningful and relevant but still though they could still sell advertising based on circulation which was being maintained more by customer's habit than actual love of the product. Again go back to broadcast, imagine if overtime, networks stopped caring about ratings (what people actually think of a show) and just put things on TV that either they liked or of extremely low quality but yet increased advertising rates every year just because they thought their shows were the best. I know, I know you are thinking the shows on TV suck or most do, but the bottom line is what is on TV is directly linked to what viewers watch and what advertisers pay. Newspapers should have been giving away their product 30 or 40 years ago and building enormous readership the advertising would have offset what they ever received by selling individual newspapers and as times changed (which they did) they should have converted more and more to electronic distribution and still giving away their content for free and proportionately reducing the print product. This would have always maintained a very high quality of content (stories) and allowed for a natural evolution of the business. But when you wait too long for anything, it does become truly too late. Gannett, McClatchy, Lee and others days are definitely numbered - it's just a matter of when exactly. And to those of you who might think I am a "newsroom guy" think again, I used to sell advertising and I know nothing, absolutely nothing is more important than content in order to drive revenue and advertising. RIP Newspaper Industry.
ReplyDeleteHere is an example of how pathetic careebuilder is...... I have my resume posted (all personal stuff not show for the purpose of this post) but here is the careerbuilder announcement I received in my inbox today.... obviously a scam and really what I mostly receive from careerbuilder. It just shows basically how ultimately useless the website is for a person actually looking for a job.
ReplyDelete________________________________________________
We have recently discovered your resume sent to us by CareerBuilder.com. We feel that you could be a great addon to our company. You fully meet out requirements and we`d like to inform you about this position and us in more details. Our company deals with import of valuable sorts of wood from the Russian Federation with their further distribution in Europe, USA and Australia. It is registered and has its head office in in St. Petersburg, Russia and a regional office in Halifax, Canada. The Company has been developing its activities at the market since January, 2005 and has established a reputation of a leading strategic partner for European, American and Australian suppliers and trading networks.
Position: Operational manager (Part Time and Full Time available)
Req'd Education: Not Specified
Citizenship or Work-Visa: US
Pay: Base salary + Commission
Employment Type: Home-Based
This is an excellent opportunity for a dedicated individual with a quick learning abilities and exceptional communication skills. Operational Manager is a newly created position and will be offered from our brokerage department on a permanent basis.
Requirements:
Good written and spoken English
Work permit in US
Politeness and ability to communicate
Fast and accurate data entry speed
Ability to work under pressure
PC and steady internet channel
If you meet our requirements and you are interested in working with a strong leadership team, evolving our products and a team that feels more like a family than co-workers…than this is the place for you, please reply to this e-mail and we will send all further instructions. You will enjoy a business casual work environment, with fun and rewarding career advancement opportunities.
I hope that you will make the right decision and become a part of our Team.
Yours sincerely,
Brenda XXXXXX.
10:51 -- This is a good point. I look at Career Builder now and again and I hate the fact that I have to sort past all these scam ads in order to find the job postings I might actually be interested in. There are better, more targeted job boards, and I wonder if they won't start to cut into Career Builder's profits.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 4/28/2011 10:51 AM:
ReplyDeleteI received that very same email from Career Builder. Fortunately, it went right in to the correct file: SPAM!
None of the employment boards are of much value. They exist to get you to purchase help with your resume (no matter how good or bad your resume is, the "critique" always says you need their professional help) and to sell placement for "educational" scams, trying to convince you their programs will result in job offers. The "premium" ones are even more worthless, seeming to promise they'll find you a new 6-figure job. I've researched some of the carrots they dangle, and it's all fiction.
ReplyDeleteCareerbuilder isn't the worst, certainly, but there is little value. Sign up as a writer, editor, marketer, sales professional (I'm signed separately into each) and all you get are offers to work free (Examiner.com and other bottom feeders), offers to pay someone so you can work, and the types of scams posted here. Oh, and lots and lots of Gannett jobs! Legitimate employers just don't advertise this way.
Everything Gannett is connected with only serves as a tool to siphon money – for a time. There is no true concern about value to the customer or even perceived reputation for the business. Everyone left (who is high up enough to know what is going on) is just there to suck the last remaining dollars they can from the company and hope it gets them close enough to retirement.
For me, it didn't work long enough. It's cold out here. And don't even think about applying for a Gannett job once you are out. The HR departments consider former work at Gannett (no matter how grand the promotions and reviews) as disqualification for any position.
11:30 AM Once you leave Gannett, whether your choice or theirs, why would you ever consider going back to work for Gannett. I left at the beginning of the year, their choice, and the day I left all the stress was gone. Thank you Gannett!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you're in a tough spot, 11:30. But, honestly, why bother applying for any Gannett job after you've worked there and seen how the sausage is made from the inside?
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind you don't necessarily need 'a job.' You need work. Market your own talents whatever they are and see what you can get while applying for more lasting employment. That's the winning formula in this economic environment.
11:30 AM Once you leave Gannett, whether your choice or theirs, why would you ever consider going back to work for Gannett. I left at the beginning of the year, their choice, and the day I left all the stress was gone. Thank you Gannett!!!!
ReplyDelete4/28/2011 11:42 AM
Again with the stress.... I worked for Gannett for over a decade before I was laid off and never once was I ever under stress... Stress is self imposed, I just worked and went home and eventually got let go. It will happen to most at Gannett eventually, but I can definitely say working for Gannett was probably the easiest and good paying job, I've ever had.
12:05 PM That's your problem you were with Gannett so long you probably became immune to stress. Either that or you were at the corporate office which would make more sense, no stress there just a big bonus.
ReplyDeleteMy termination letter specifically stated that I was free to apply for another position with the company. That's as opposed to those who have been let go for cause and who the company doesn't want back.
ReplyDeleteI happen to know that my site no longer needs my skills, and there is no point in my even considering re-employment there.
I have been using CareerBuilder and happen to think it's a lot better than Monster in targeting job postings to my background. I have applied to a number of jobs and actually gotten interviews for some of them. Nothing has jelled yet, but new stuff keeps showing up. It's not the only job board I'm using though. That would be foolish.
12:05 PM That's your problem you were with Gannett so long you probably became immune to stress. Either that or you were at the corporate office which would make more sense, no stress there just a big bonus.
ReplyDelete4/28/2011 12:36 PM
1) 10 years is not that long
2) Working for the Arizona Republic was a breeze all you had to do was pretty much show up and collect a pay check, we had so many people working there that per person there was very little work to do.
3) We did get bonuses too, like you said, again for basically just being employed there.
I think another poster who must have worked at the Arizona Republic too.... working for that newspaper within Gannett was like being on the gravy train of work. There were part time sales reps that made $40K a year and average sales reps that made $100K - $250K a year.
So don't make assumptions that you have no basis in fact making.
I'm not sure what department most of the AZ Republic commenters work in but I can assure you most of the exempt folks in my department work north of 45 and several north of 50 hours every week. Please don't paint us all with the same brush. This is not Disneyland by any stretch of the imagaination.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what department most of the AZ Republic commenters work in but I can assure you most of the exempt folks in my department work north of 45 and several north of 50 hours every week. Please don't paint us all with the same brush. This is not Disneyland by any stretch of the imagaination.
ReplyDelete4/28/2011 1:00 PM
I'm in advertising, where do you work. I hate it when everyone says at my newspaper (WHICH ONE) or my department (WHICH ONE). You don't have to say your name but if you don't at least give some credence as to where you work, then your post means nothing. I'm exempt in advertising at the Arizona Republic and spend most of my "outside" sales time, running personal errands, shopping, reading, going home, etc. If you are working north of 45 or 50 hours, I think you need to wise up. LMAO off!!
My son is looking for a job and uses careerbuilder. He tells me the only jobs he ever see are shady companies that no one would ever work for. Careerbuilder used to be an important part of a job search. Now it's just a huge waste of time.
ReplyDelete1:15 I'm also in advertising but at the Asheville Citizen Times but I don't have the time to run errands, shopping, reading, or I would be going home, permanently!
ReplyDeleteThe life cycle on a Gannett drone:
ReplyDeletePay freezes, furloughs, layoffs.
1:15 I'm also in advertising but at the Asheville Citizen Times but I don't have the time to run errands, shopping, reading, or I would be going home, permanently!
ReplyDelete4/28/2011 1:29 PM
You would if you were doing all of that instead of making sales calls. I can still make my goals without having to make hardly any sales calls. So I go out for the whole day, knock most if not all before lunch and then spend the rest of the day doing whatever I feel like, home, errands, shopping, happy hour, etc. It's not that hard, we are all going to get laid off eventually, so I figure I might as well have some fun on the company dime before that happens. I admit it might be harder at a smaller newspaper, but working for the only big newspaper in a city the size of Phoenix, it's a breeze to get away with just about anything if you have half a brain.
Anonymous 4/28/2011 1:18 PM said...
ReplyDelete"My son is looking for a job and uses careerbuilder. He tells me the only jobs he ever see are shady companies that no one would ever work for. Careerbuilder used to be an important part of a job search. Now it's just a huge waste of time."
Your son is absolutely correct! Always Google the company first (where you are applying) to see what's up before sending them your resume. That's what I did! One company is hiring people as "Private Contractors" and then - not paying them! Some of the people had not been paid in over 2 months and are currently in litigation! That's ridiculous! All I can say is: Proceed with caution! The good thing is: Unemployment Offices across the country knows about how some of these outfits operate which you'll notice that even their correspondence tells one to be careful when using places as such! Most are ALL FLUFF - NO SUBSTANCE!
Jim: Just in time for the royal wedding, the President's Ring Winners have been announced! We are awaiting your report from the red carpet.
ReplyDeleteCareerbuilder is actually useful in certain cities and fields.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if you're looking for menial, entry-level work somewhere in Middle America...You may run into more scams than legit jobs.
If you're in an industry and area where the economy is picking up, you should be able to find something.
Ring Winners announced? Did Stoney LaDouche get one?
ReplyDeleteGood for you, 3:08. Why let CD and Co. be the only ones who fleece Gannett for what it's worth?
ReplyDeleteReally, I think this is the way to go. But if you do have all of this free time now, I'd strong advise that you also spend some of it planning for your next job move. In my case, I did what I needed to do for my Gannett job, then worked my butt off on my Plan B. When I started making on a regular basis, year by year, more from Plan B than Gannett, I had no fears about getting downsized. When that day finally came, I was more than grateful for my time there and moved right into Plan B fulltime.
Otherwise, looks like you have the right perspective, 3:08. Not to mention the kind of work/life balance that most people here would envy.
Wish we all had a gig like the AZ Republic. Didn't know Gannett had such stress-free and easy jobs that paid a lot except those at corporate! I can assure you that the NJ papers are NOT stress-free or high paying!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have a link to the employee handbook? I believe there is an online link to it,but as a former employee I no longer have it. Not sure if all properties have the same handbook, looking for one for NJ. Thanks
ReplyDeleteWish we all had a gig like the AZ Republic. Didn't know Gannett had such stress-free and easy jobs that paid a lot except those at corporate! I can assure you that the NJ papers are NOT stress-free or high paying!
ReplyDelete4/28/2011 6:05 PM
Oh ya, the Arizona Republic is the southwest company headquarters... LOL. But really, it is a very easy place to work, you still have to pretend what you are doing is important, even though it is non-essential BS projects, but if you just smile alot and don't say much you make a good living, but ultimately you get laid off eventually, it's just while you are there you don't have to do much. Of course I can't speak for the newsroom because I am an advertising guy.
Gannett isn't the only newspaper publisher going through hard times. The Day in New London, Connecticut, has carried out layoffs of its own and will have all newsroom staff take furloughs this year.
ReplyDeleteAs part of its cost-cutting The Day is now printed at the Providence Journal.
WTF is up with all these bogus posts about how life is easy in advertising? Seriously? I can only imagine they're being written by some NON-EXEMPT overpaid whiney editorial douche.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are some do-nothings. But the vast majority of us bust ass to try to get to some ridiculous corporate mandated unrealistic goal.
WTF is up with all these bogus posts about how life is easy in advertising? Seriously? I can only imagine they're being written by some NON-EXEMPT overpaid whiney editorial douche.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are some do-nothings. But the vast majority of us bust ass to try to get to some ridiculous corporate mandated unrealistic goal.
4/28/2011 7:47 PM
Again - I am so sick of people not identify as to where they work, every newspaper within Gannett operates completely different, so without the perspective of the newspaper you work at there is no quantitative way of evaluating what you are saying..... That being said and I keep saying it....is that working at The Arizona Republic is a dream job - I work in retail advertising - I am mostly out of the office the majority of the week and meet with some accounts always done before noon but I just stay out the rest of the day doing whatever I feel like including going home. Do I tell my boss that, no of course not, do I think that person will figure out who I am by posting on this site, no and you know why because all of us outside sales reps do it.... I'm totally milking the company as long as it lasts and why not, I really only put in 20 hours a week at most and some less and can still make goal.
Re CareerBuilder. I've used it from both sides. As a recruiting tool, it can be very useful IF PEOPLE WILL READ THE JOB DESCRIPTION AND REQUIREMENTS. I used to get so many applications from folks who had no skills related to what we were searching for. Then there were the frequent fliers who applied for everything we posted. I used the resume database search feature to locate some good candidates as well. In my post-GCI life, I use it for recruiting, but they are directed to our website to fill out our online application which helps us weed out the non-qualifiers better. When I posted my resume online, I found some jobs that interested me, but I took it down when I started getting the spam offers. It appears they have a bot that goes around scarfing up newly posted resumes and sending out automated emails.
ReplyDeleteForcing our small town advertisers to have their help wanted ads placed on careerbuilder has gutted our employment ad section. We are known in the community as the last place to look for a job.
ReplyDeleteWe have become a joke in the community.
I work at a NJ Paper and concur with 8:06. I am an ad sales person and can tell you I will screw over this company any time I can because I know no one here gives a shot about me or my family. I do my job but don't stress out and just laugh at the ridiculous programs shoved down our throats that we are supposed lie to our advertising base about. My bosses are incompetent and its kind of a kick watching them jump to the nonsense their pushing at the moment. I have a part time job just for fun and actually make more at that than the base at my gannett job....plus these butt heads keep passing me over for any raise. My advice to all fellow gannett workers is to give them only what they pay us for and no more. Just remember that you are working for a lot of assholes at a heartless company. Keep it in perspective and you will survive on your terms not theirs.
ReplyDeleteBig Deal Chicken announcement in Shreveport today. Ho-hum.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, they can't still be calling it DEAL CHICKEN, can they?
ReplyDeleteNo. Really. Did it test well?
'Hey Martha. I get the best bargains at Deal Chicken!'
We are going to call it that? Really???
8:03 I can't believe they wouldn't give an outstanding talent like you a raise. Even the haters have to be embarrassed by having you on their team.
ReplyDelete"Again - I am so sick of people not identify as to where they work, every newspaper within Gannett operates completely different, so without the perspective of the newspaper you work at there is no quantitative way of evaluating what you are saying..... "
ReplyDeleteDid you stop to think that, as sites trim back their staff, it would get easier and easier to determine who is who when it comes to "anonymously" posting at GBlog? If someone in the ad dept. of paper X posted something, and there are only 3 people left in that dept., well, even Dubow could come up with a reasonable conclusion there. (maybe) Sorry we aren't catering to you and your whims. Come to think of it, maybe you're from Corporate, and you're trolling us for info, so that you can run another round of layoffs past us.
Pay freeze announced at MNCO yesterday.
ReplyDelete5:34 -- I think you mean 9:03. And I'm happy to have him/her on my team. He has the attitude that every Gannett employee should at this point. It's the people who bust their ass for this company day in and day out that worry me. For most people, Gannett is no longer a career. It's a job, and a stressful one at that.
ReplyDeleteTop management is doing nothing more than squeezing every last dime out of the company before they bankrupt it. They clearly don't care about the quality of the product, their employees or their customers. As 9:03 mentioned, you're even supposed to con advertisers into buying things that won't work for them because corporate says so.
Because of all this every employee left needs to take the corporate approach and put minimum effort into his/her job, doing only enough to stay employed and draw a paycheck. All your extra effort can go into planning for a new career or other important activities like spending time with family.
I'm sure some corporate lackey will talk about how this attitude represents a terrible "work ethic," and they'll be right. But I used to bust my ass for this company, routinely working 50 and 60 hours without complaint. Several rounds of layoffs, pay freezes, furloughs later, I understand that it was all for naught. The company won't take care of us, so we're fools if we take care of it.
Gannett management has been actively lobbying for its employees to take this attitude for years.
The idea that advertising salespeople can coherently string together two sentences with a minimum of typos, grammar fails or misusing your/you're is preposterous. Obvious trolling by former ad designers or jealous editorial staff.
ReplyDelete7:49 -- So the blog wins again. Corporate is no longer sending out mass e-mails announcing things like pay freezes because they routinely end up getting published on the blog. Then the whole world -- investors included -- get to see that Craig Dubow can't compose a coherent letter, let alone run a multi-million dollar corporation.
ReplyDeleteThe hope, I'm sure, is that the news won't be plastered all over Gannett Blog, making it easy for other media to pick up the story. The irony is that the cost-cutting measures may actually be more reported, as Jim is moved to post multiple stories as more and more sites announce their plans. Glad we work for people who fully understand the industry they work in.
I would hope that any layoff news gets posted here as soon as it is known.We are all surprised that there have been no reports yet.
ReplyDeleteThis is black Friday after quarter reports have had time to be digested.Now is time for planned cut backs to begin.So more ulcers and gray hairs amonst Gannetteers again.Certainly as per previous post, there will be no announcement of planned layoffs as investors would not take this as a positive outlook on the future.
So we sit back and wonder,yet again,will this be the last week of employment with Gannett?
Or will it be next week.As most feel,please get it the hell over with so we can get on with our lives post Gannett.
There were at least 4 let go yesterday in Tallahassee.
ReplyDeletePeriod 4 ends today, so I am expecting to hear something dramatic next week.
ReplyDeleteThere were 2 circ/operations district managers let go in Rochester first thing today.
ReplyDeleteDeal Chicken?
ReplyDeleteSo, who gets plucked?