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Sunday, May 29, 2011
39 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 5 of this comment thread, please go here.
ReplyDeleteYou know how bad it must be when the secretaries get involved. They seldom come out of their office unless directed by a suit too busy to handle it himself.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised to hear that any Gannett paper even bothers with interns. From I see these days the papers just hire college grads right out of the gate (Patch is guilty of this too). Who the hell else is going to do those jobs?
ReplyDelete7:57 The only way internships work is putting someone in charge of them, preferably a veteran editor. But people are so busy or so wrapped up in their own issues they don't have the time to do this anymore. The interns need to be told it's sink or swim. I watched the last group, and it took more than a month for them to wake up and realize it was all up to them. I guess that's the most important lesson from internships.
ReplyDeleteThe Arizona Republic currently has 13 positions posted, does nobody want to work there or are they in growth mode?
ReplyDeleteTalent is bailing out right and left.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, Memorial Day weekend. What better time for barbecued lemming troll deal chicken?
ReplyDeleteI believe the people who are critical of this blog and various postings ,ideas ,and contemplations are just afraid.
ReplyDeleteAfraid that the truth is here and they are still clinging to the hope that Gannett is a really caring,sensitive corporation where employees are of value.
They are afraid that if the comments and predictions on this blog are correct they will
be unemployed no matter how dedicated and hard working and loyal they have been.They will face having to go into the other world,away from Gannett and survive.Most of the folks here are ready and prepared for that as they realize it is only a matter of time before it is reality.
9:24: Lot of those are sales positions. Perhaps veteran salesmen have decided they can make more money elsewhere than the picayune returns they get from peddling Deal Chicken deals.
ReplyDeleteP.S. While on CareerBuilder checking this out, I found out corporate wants to hire a "Corporate Cash Manager - Gannett Treasury." Now how did Saleh get that one through the hiring freeze, and who among our customers still use cash? I think most people now use their credit/debit cards, or at least I do. You know anyone who still uses cash? And what the hell is the Gannett Treasury?
hey 11:28, you are a moron. Don't take the "Corporate Cash Manager" as literal. It's not actual cash, it's mananaging the money, or "cash" that comes in and working capital. They need someone to keep track of all the "cash" they are saving by furloughs and layoffs so it goes into the proper executive's bank account
ReplyDeleteThe Arizona Republic currently has 13 positions posted, does nobody want to work there or are they in growth mode?
ReplyDelete5/29/2011 9:24 AM
Those positions have been posted forever, no hiring is going on or will be going on. Why those positions are posted who knows? It's probably just up there to have an appearance that the Arizona Republic is a great place to work and are hiring, couldn't be further from the truth. LOL
'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'
ReplyDelete'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.'
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master — that's all.'
Alice was too much puzzled to say anything; so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. 'They've a temper, some of them — particularly verbs: they're the proudest — adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs — however, I can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability! That's what I say!'
'Would you tell me please,' said Alice, 'what that means?'
'Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very much pleased. 'I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you mean to do next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest of your life.'
'That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful tone.
'When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'I always pay it extra.'
If they are screwing around with the sales operations at the Republic, then this company is in more dire peril than even I suspected.
ReplyDelete@8:27 a.m. - I started off with Gannett full-time right out of college. An internship with experienced reporters would have been a better way to begin. As it was I simply jumped into the ocean and swam with the sharks.
ReplyDeleteNow that was like 15 years ago. I've since learned that many GCI sites take a dim view to the whole concept of mentoring. It's to their detriment and it shows in the product. Every once in a while you'll see decent journalism from the experienced people still there, but the in-between stuff, the meat and potatoes that keeps any paper afloat, is scattershot and of poor quality.
Do they really want to broadcast publicly that there is a treasury in the Crystal Towers? The security in that building is not that great that they could keep out an experienced team of safe crackers. I've never seen a Brinks van outside this building, although I used to see them all the time at the newspaper where I worked. I must admit, I don't know where the treasury is.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed mentoring, especially those who were enthusiastic and got it. But my all-time favorite left after a few months afterwards to become a child protection officer for the sheriff in Naples, Fl., where I think she still is
ReplyDeleteI got a lot out of this business, but would anyone honestly recommend this for a lifelong career?
ReplyDeleteGracia likes to be paid in gold bullion.
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for the interns. The way this year's program is set up, they'll learn very little unless you consider operating in a dysfunctional "operational center" with a total lack of inspirational leadership a worthwhile way to spend your summer. My advice; find a sharp eyed editor or reporter to bond with beyond your coachseat cubicle near Your Life. In fact, ask an administrative assistant if you can sit somewhere else.
ReplyDelete2:45 You could always ask Craig for some intern advice?
ReplyDeleteThey could just go to Craig's what it takes to be a journalist you tube video for a taste of corporate leadership.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have any concrete information on how the Your Life and USA Weekend merger/mashup is supposed to work?
ReplyDeleteDeal Chicken is getting it's own ad rep at each site, so the paper's reps will not be "peddling Deal Chicken" as stated above.
ReplyDeleteThere's still a LOT of room in my market for a daily deals site. And if you remember your own beginning with this company, you're know that nothing about hiring moves quickly.
4:05: they don't have any clue. Weekend has four editors, maybe one full time reporter. The thinking is Heather is unable to poach more printside reporters, so shell force out these highly paid editors, hire some cheap content providers to write for the verticals and weekend, which relies heavily on freelancers. No one wants more useless aol mafia people to join staff. Knowing Heather, that will happen. They really need help figuring out better strategies for Your Life and Weekend. Wont happen under the current regime unless she does a 180. The truly powerful and dynamic leaders own up to errors, adapt, build consensus among staff and manage to find a way to succeed.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete@1:47 p.m. - No. I'm active on several message boards that aren't connected to journalism, and every once in a while the "should I be a journalist?" thread pops up, usually from someone exploring ideas of what major to pick. I'm like an angel of death in those threads, telling kids about the grim reality of long hours, shit pay, horrible treatment, inept managers, a dying industry with no internal innovation, etc. I don't even need to make it dramatic, I'm just telling the truth.
ReplyDeleteIn a lot of cases I manage to dissuade a good number of interested people. It really is a crime how much bullshit gets sold to kids now in J schools. They think they're gonna learn all this multi-media shit and come out and be superstars for this organization or that. It's sad. Once you get beyond the top dozen papers or so, the technology you'll encounter in the newsroom is sometimes pure stone age.
So yeah. I tell anyone who will listen not to enter this field. I tell people if they want to write, write. Start a blog, or write a novel. Get a history degree, teach and put out non-fiction books in the summers. Freelance for something to scratch that itch. Until the culture of this industry pulls its head out of its ass and demands better wages and better working conditions, I'll keep telling people to stay away.
http://adage.com/article/special-report-women-to-watch/women-watch-maryam-banikarim-gannet/227757/
ReplyDeleteInterns, if you are reading this, this verteran reader embraces 2:45.
ReplyDeletexxx Deal Chicken is getting it's own ad rep at each sitexxx Look around you, and ask anyone in sales, and I can assure you this is not the case. Please, just ask the question if what you say here is true. I will take whatever response you care to write.
ReplyDeleteThe intention is there, the reality is not.
ReplyDelete10:37 ... "Each site" is probably wrong, but I've been involved in interviewing for Deal Chicken salespeople at a mid-metro, so I can assume that the larger papers will have their own people. Doubt that will extend to the smallest properties.
ReplyDeleteWas USA Today Weekend really a problem? Certainly not my cup of tea, but Chuck G. got the circulation up 3 million, and some advertisers who didn't want to put their ads in USA Today. Looks to me they were carving out a niche market, that is until Heather came along.
ReplyDeleteDeal Chicken WILL have it's own reps.
ReplyDeleteIf they are screwing around with the sales operations at the Republic, then this company is in more dire peril than even I suspected.
ReplyDelete5/29/2011 12:26 PM
They have been screwing around with the sales operations at the Republic longer than I can remember, we weren't allowed to hire sales reps as far back as 2007 without major approval and jumping through countless hoops and then most of the time no hires allowed. All positions had to be signed off by John Zidich the Pres. and Publisher, it just showed how little he actually had to do if he had to approve the day to day hiring of people in a 2000 person operation with at least 300 managers/supervisors.
Deal Chicken is not being launched at all sites simultaneously. If you're not hiring anyone, it's likely you are not on the top tier.
ReplyDeleteJust as Groupon and Living Social took a while to get to each market, it doesn't pay to throw a lot effort into St. George if the same effort into Salinas will pop a lot more results, earlier.
That is really funny!!!
ReplyDelete5/29/2011 9:36 AM
Anonymous said...
Ahhhh, Memorial Day weekend. What better time for barbecued lemming troll deal chicken?
That was really funny 209. So funny that 5000 jobs are being lost according to MyBoss and yet the Chickie is hiring left and right. That's hillarious. Almost as much as the cash manager needing to know how to make change. Just sayin
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