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Thursday, June 23, 2011
92 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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Hello. How are you feeling?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAny chance that you'd put the my boss posts all together? Accuracy is amazing.
ReplyDeleteAny news out of Salem, Oregon?
ReplyDeleteIn Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the Executive Editor / Publisher / General Manager was on furlough this week. The acting manging editor left the office for half the day today. And the e-mail sent out company wide today was never mailed to anyone here.
ReplyDeleteLeadership.
Seriously, why don't we hear something out of Kate Marymont, who is supposed to be leading journalists in this company?
ReplyDeleteIs she too embarrassed to come out from under her desk? Is she so clueless that she thinks that "passion topics" is worth the memo paper the plan is written on? Is she too busy burying money in her backyard? Do Craig and Gracia have her locked in a closet?
I am shocked and saddened by her silence and lack of leadership.
The incompetence shown at the Cherry Hill, NJ Couerier post as described here earlier is business as usual. This place is so bad and the management is even worse. They keep the same idiots on board and the decline continues. Not one of the members of the operating committee have a clue and don't give a rats ass about ANY employee.
ReplyDeleteBig Gannett story on Huff Post, my dears: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/21/gannett-laying-off-700-mo_n_881468.html
ReplyDeleteHuff Post:
ReplyDeleteBelt tightening helped Gannett boost its earnings by 66 percent last year. The performance resulted in a $1.75 million bonus for Gannett CEO Craig Dubow, a 21 percent increase from $1.45 million in 2009.
Although cost-cutting has allowed Gannett to remain profitable, it hasn't prevented a sharp drop in Gannett's market value. The company's stock has fallen about 75 percent since the end of 2005. It increased 40 cents to close Tuesday at $14.16.
To the people in Cherry HIll, not to worry. YOu missed nothing by your management's stupidity. That email was a load of double-talk and bullsh*t...typical of what Gannett spews. This email was said nothing except that there will be more staff reductions.
ReplyDeleteWhat gets me about management is that they tell us nothing. We got that e-mail from Dickey, then everyone spent the day on pins and needles. We all jumped every time someone's phone rang, and it was hard to get any work done because everyone was looking over his shoulder every two minutes.
ReplyDeleteAnd then, they leave it to us to find out through the grapevine, or God help us, Facebook, which people have been let go.
They have never sent an e-mail telling us when the bloodletting is over, or even acknowledging that the people we lost were valued members of the company and they are sorry to have to make this tough decision.
My newspaper lost some really good people -- the newsroom people alone represent well over 100 years of newspaper experience.
Those of us who were lucky enough to be spared were walking around in a daze today, wondering how much longer we can dodge the executioner, and wishing we could do something to help our former colleagues, something more tangible than sending positive thoughts.
Don't you wonder whether they could have avoided layoffs if they hadn't given DuBow that big bonus? That would just about cover it, seems to me.
not many people left in cherry hill circulation to lay off all union people got a 2 yr deal not bad good gig if your union
ReplyDeleteas a retired DM Register staffer it saddens me that whenever the 'belt is tightened' that it is not done on a last hired first fired basis but that they go after whoever is unfortunate enough to be making the most money or whoever has seniority in a department, such as photography.
ReplyDelete7:06: I couldn't agree more and it is so obvious that they went after the people with the most seniority and the biggest salaries.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete@10:24 AM raised an interesting comment in part 5’s thread regarding added monies newspapers paid to another, mostly unknown Gannett entity...something we unfortunately learned about soon after Gannett acquired ours.
ReplyDeleteNewspapers paid an added (outrageous) cost, one based on circulation, paper type, etc. for “protection” of each flag. We joked that is was like paying tribute to the mob, a mob run by the husband of then Gannett Newspaper President Sue Clark Johnson when we got our first bill.
Unfortunately, this was yet another of example whereby Gannett ownership only added more to our operational costs instead of lowering them. All can guess what we had to do to cover those added costs…(Hint: cut).
7:40 PM Ironically, Sue Clark Johnson's husband was laid off several years ago also and that entity you refer to was folded into the Gannett legal department for the most part. I'm quite sure Sue and hubby didn't need the money though.
ReplyDelete@6:20 PM
ReplyDeleteGet real. She's a vice president and the president has spoken. Like she's going to say something on her own. Stop being a hater.
Mr. Dickey
ReplyDeleteI worked for Gannett for a little over six years. In that time I learned many lessons, the biggest of which was that you and your co-horts in the upper levels of Gannet's management are liars and thieves.
While I lost my job, it is the shareholders I feel for the most. It is sad they believe you are working for them when you have made it so clear that your main goal is to maximize your personal profits before
the Gannett ship sinks. My only hope is that I can someday learn to be as much of a heartless, greedy, worthless man as yourself so that I may be successful in the business world as you have become. Until then
I envy your amazingly strong constitution. Any other man would puke hourly knowing how horrible he is.
I hope this finds you well.
Louisville, KY
Drop the sanctimony, 8:16. You ran with a company with questionable tactics, and you lost. You made the bad choice. Live with it and move on. We don't need to hear your lectures.
ReplyDelete@8:16 PM
ReplyDeleteI think aiming that at Dickey is misplaced. The responsible ones are Dubow and Martore.
The major media outlets are now paying attention to this blog. The stock dropped today so Wall Street is being more skeptical than it used to be. Now is the time to continue this momentum of employees speaking out. After this round, Gannett is clearly more management-heavy than it was on Monday. VPs (especially those connected to weeklies) and directors should begin dusting off plan b. Pay attention to McClatchy.
ReplyDeleteAim higher. Your board of directors signs off on executive comp and listens passively to/management's b.s. They should fire dubow,martore, Hunke and the rest of the incompetents. How they let shareholders suffer for a half decade is incomprehensible. No one should be allowed to run a business this badly yet be so richly rewarded.
ReplyDeleteIs it that no weeklies have been effected,
ReplyDeleteor is it that none of weekly employees have the balls to post here.I don't get it.
Northeastern Wisconsin weeklies were spared this time around, although there were a handful of layoffs during the dribs-and-drabs round of cuts late last year and early this year.
ReplyDelete8:45PM-You said it all.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Hattiesburg? Any layoffs or eliminated open positions there?
ReplyDeleteCome on people. Lay off Kate, Robin, etc, all of which have likely been told not to talk....they are not in a position to speak on behalf of the company about this lay off. The executive mouth piece on this is Dickey as he heads up the Newspaper Division. Stop bashing lower level people who have no authority in a time like this. Yes, it's company BS but it is what it is. If Dubow wanted to make a statement, he will make one. Dickey DID follow up with another note today to employees.
ReplyDeleteThese layoffs are hard. They suck. No doubt about it. No matter what any manager says, it won't be enough.
Seriously, these high-level autocrats need to be taken to task as we would a Weiner or Gary Hart.
ReplyDeleteLaura Hollingsworth is quoted as saying it's because "the economy is unpredictable" while Dickey says Gannett has control over it. It's time we apply watchdog journalism in our own backyard. WSJ, Forbes are on this story and we need to keep them on it.
9:20 Robin talked. I cited the article quoting her in the Business Journals yesterday. She talks selectively but only to what she regards as friendly reporters.
ReplyDelete6:51, management on the sales side in fort myers did share that all conversations that needed to happen were over. Thumbs up to our management team for letting us relax (for now)
ReplyDeleteA response to the Columbia J Review article.
ReplyDeleteI will agree that these executives are likely overpaid, as they're probably as incompetent as any other media executives, particularly in the newspaper business. But I hate to break it to you, executive pay is not the reason the newspaper business is going under. Newspapers are going under because they've been cloistered from competition for decades and are now facing new tech that's completely disrupting their business, ie the internet, that they're totally unprepared for. News and all media are being transformed into tech businesses, where software and continually coming up with new ways of delivering information are an integral part of the basic enterprise, yet I have not seen a single media company that fully appreciates this. No current media company, from Disney to the WSJ, will survive the coming wave, so quibbling about the executive deck chairs on the Titanic seems a little pointless. ;)
#1 Posted by Ajay on Wed 22 Jun 2011 at 05:04 AM
In the NJ group we have all of these digital initiatives and noone with backbone leading the digital effort. I will say it again and again, the digital team has no accountability. We were told by one "digital" person that he now reports to corporate and no one in the local territories has anything to say with what he does or where he goes which is actually a shame because he was doing nothing before and now he is doing even less.
ReplyDelete9:53 You miss the point. It is not that we think that executive compensation is the reason for the problems in the industry it is that we expect our leaders to be leaders. Part of leadership is leading by example. It is hard to respect leaders who line there own pockets while asking us to sacrifice. If the ship is sinking you would expect the captain to go down with the ship. That is not happening with Gannett.
ReplyDeleteSo a day after layoffs we get a letter saying sorry, that's all for now except for the consolidations that are in progress...artists in Phoenix are getting antsy yet only one of us was laid off yesterday...
ReplyDeleteI hope the USAT execs are having fun at Cannes this week.
ReplyDeleteI thought in saw Dave Hunke boarding a USAirways flight to Cannes wearing a blue bikini bottom and a halter-top! Hahah Dave. Have another drink for all of us. You are a fucking mess as an executive!
ReplyDeleteLive well Dave, as you are a very shallow person.
To the person who posted a response to the Columbia J review, you are correct, we are indeed experiencing a shift in how the world receives its news; and, as such, media companies must adapt and overcome.
ReplyDeleteHowever, to say that "no media company, from Disney to the WSJ, will survive the coming wave, so quibbling about the executive desk chairs on the Titanic is pointless," is simply insulting. The decisions (or lack of decisions) of the desk chairs impacts the livelihoods of many. If a possibility exists that I may lose my job, then I should be told. It's called ethics.
As employees, we are expected to adhere to the dogma found in the "Employee Handbook" or buried in the HR Packet. We are expected to be loyal, honest, and dedicated to the company. But how, I ask you, can that happen if the leaders we work for refuse to give us the same courtesy. When asked if more layoffs will occur, why can they not respond? When asked about the details of the "consolidation," why can they not answer? When asked who was laid off, why do they fall silent?
I shall tell you why, we are simply their modern day slaves. We are used to stuff their wallets with more money off our sweat. When we no longer serve a purpose or if they need to "downsize" because of their over zealous spending habits, they cut us off. The "trim the fat" just like the fat on their Kobe beef steaks. And even though I receive a paycheck (clearly not reflective of my work skills, loyalty, and innovation), I wait in fear, wondering when masta will cut me down.
I am a modern day slave, I am at the mercy of the mastas of Gannett who can turn my life upside down at their whimsy.
What isn’t captured in the most recent tally of terminations is all the jobs that will disappear as a result of looming page production moves.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, those numbers are expected to be notable too.
12:34 wrote: "I am a modern day slave, I am at the mercy of the mastas of Gannett who can turn my life upside down at their whimsy."
ReplyDeleteLife is all in how you look at it. You choose to be a Gannett slave, as you call it. But, your life is not at the mercy of anything or anyone but yourself and your choices. Slaves (real ones) were given no education, beaten or killed if they learned how to read, and starved nearly to death. If they tried to leave or escape, they were killed or beaten within an inch of their lives.
You, my friend, are not in any such scenario. You're educated. You're trained. You're able to pick up and leave your "masta," as you called it, at any point. No one is making you stay. In fact, if you left, it might save the job of someone else who isn't so dramatic.
I was laid off this round. I don't know what I am going to do. I have had difficult conversations with my wife in the last 24 hours about how we are going to make the mortgage, maintain our children's college fund, and stay afloat. But, my anger has never reached the level of yours. Life is about perspective. I got laid off. I gave more than I got back. I am not a slave and never was. I am an unemployed journalist who begins his search for the next step, for something better, tomorrow.
I suggest you do the same instead of coming on here and spreading your hate. That doesn't do any of us, laid off or not, any good.
Never posted here before, but am compelled to respond to 1:11.
ReplyDelete*********Thank you.*********
None of us was given a promise of everlasting employment when we were hired. We chose to accept whatever amount of pay and benefits was offered in return for our daily labor.
It's been said we gave more than we got in many cases ... but how do you quantify that? Each of us gave what we CHOSE to give so we could be satisfied with our contributions to the world through our calling, which also happens to be our profession.
We're all grieving together, the loss of jobs and the impending end of something much larger.
Godspeed to you, 1:11, and to us all.
2:11 Wow, the picture of Hunke in a blue bikini blows my mind. Sorry I missed it. Was it one of those stringy bikinis, or something giving at least some acknowledgement to modesty. Surely not a G-string type I've seen at the beach, with full cheeks? They have some amazing physical specimens on the beaches at Cannes.
ReplyDeletep.s. Postage stamp size?
ReplyDeleteAnything new from our friends and co-workers across the pond? They too have had pay freezes and layoffs recently and should be included in the layoff numbers.
ReplyDeleteJim, please include layoff numbers in your spreadsheet from our Newsquest friends and co-workers. I am certain they had consolidations and layoffs earlier this year.
ReplyDelete3:21 well said. Good luck to you, although it sounds like you don't need luck, you'll do just fine.
ReplyDeleteFrom NBC-2.com
ReplyDeleteNews-Press lays off 14 employees
Updated: June 22, 2011 06:30 PM EDT
FORT MYERS -
In March, Lee County gave $105,000 to the Gannett Corporation - owner of the News-Press. The money was an incentive to create 35 new jobs. But Tuesday the paper fired 14 people.
We learned 14 employees were laid off. Among those losing their job was long-time editorial cartoonist Doug McGregor.
...After the 14 employees were laid off at News-Press, we asked Jim Moore, also with the Lee County Economic Development Office, whether he still thinks the investment was a good one.
NBC2: Is the county regretting its decision to give Gannett money?
Moore: No, we don't regret it at all. It's a different division of Gannett.
While it's a different division, Tuesday's layoffs cut the county's total job creation with Gannett nearly in half.
NBC2: If Gannett continues to lay off people, does it get to a certain point when you say, we need some of our money back we gave you money to create jobs not lose them?
Moore: The contract was for a different division of gannet, not the news paper, not the Fort Myers News-Press. That would not be the case. Gannett is in compliance with the contract.
We reached out to Gannett to see if it would return the money. We didn't get a response.
According the contract, Gannett has to create 35 jobs by the end of august 2012. At last check, it was close to meeting that goal.
-30-
Great story NBC-2 Ft. Myers. I'm sure they will get a response from Robin or Gannett public relations if they keep calling.
ReplyDeleteEight layoffs this week in MNCO. No word on which sites or departments.
ReplyDeleteAny news on Greenville and Asheville?
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly is the Board of Directors doing? Do they have any responcibilty?
ReplyDeleteI was one of the Metromix producers laid off, and it's my understanding that they'll continue to publish the site, only they're foisting the duties on the already overworked multimedia desk. I say good luck with that.
ReplyDelete"I was laid off this round. I don't know what I am going to do. I have had difficult conversations with my wife in the last 24 hours about how we are going to make the mortgage, maintain our children's college fund, and stay afloat."
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a good attitude/mindset (as conveyed in the rest of your post). What's stopping you from marketing your skills as a free enterprise?
You're a journalist, right? So I assume you can write. Do you know how many people in the corp world -- to the highest levels of exec leadership -- can't? Do you know that companies these days are going full-throttle on blogs, white papers, case studies, survey reports, custom publishing, etc. and all of these content forms need writers? And that these writers are often hired out? And these jobs pay far, far more than you'd ever get from a crummy paycheck from a crummy company like Gannett? Hell, just pick up some trade-press clients and you'll make more on an hour-to-hour basis than you did at Gannett.
I'm not going to hold your hand and lead you to these jobs. There are online outlets that provide leads for various content niches. If you (and other laid off journalists) are enterprising enough, you can find them. And if you have $100 in tax-deductible dollars to spend, subscribing here is a great place to start:
http://freelancesuccess.com/
Started by a former Gannett journalist, you'll get leads here on all above mentioned formats of writing, with detailed guides, etc. If you have a question about something specific, post it on the board and you'll get lots of real-world answers from people who get paid to do this for a living.
Anyway, certainly beats sitting in your basement wondering how to pay the mortgage. Even if this won't be your lifetime destiny, it can help pay the immediate bills and keep you working while you're trying to find something more stable and lasting.
The board of directors are collecting a paycheck.
ReplyDeleteOH, btw (I'm 9:42): I'm not the former Gannetter who launched freelancesuccess.com. I started subscribing 10 years ago and have gladly paid my $100 every year. In my first week of signing up, it paid for itself and then some. I can't promise the same results for everyone else. But I also see that nearly all subscribers remain subscribers through all of these years. If you're good and get out and market yourself effectively, you'll get work. good luck.
ReplyDeleteJim...did you see that website that 12:40 posted near the bottom of that string of comments about silverman's ridiculous statement? Most of the content in the web site is hard to get understand, but the woman makes one strong, shocking allegation.
ReplyDeleteI've never posted a comment here either, but what a week! I, too, lost my job several months back, and it was truly a blessing, though I would have argued the point at the time. And yes, I CHOSE to be there, but I chose to be there because of my commitment, loyalty and support to the industry...one I've spent my entire life in. Now, I'm over 50, and have left the industry, which in and of itself is scary, because my whole career was with newspaper media. So, I have to look at life differently. I now look at it this way, "Gannett gave me my life back!" Because, in all honesty, I would NOT have left on my own, under any circumstances, because I was that committed...to the end. Then the news of the bonuses came out for the top dogs, and I must say, that took the wind right out of my sails. For the past several years, I CHOSE to work countless hours in the absence of all that had been cut before, that was my job. Now that Gannett has made the choice for me, I say THANK YOU!! Your decision gave me my health back, for stress is a silent killer. I'm still unemployed, but I'm happy. I'm NOT happy that I'm broke, let me make that clear, but I choose to look at things in a positive light. Everything happens for a reason. And my health isn't something I could put a price tag on. My heart goes out to those that were hit this week, just as in recent years. I lost LOTS of good friends along the way, but they're all still in my life, because PEOPLE are important. I know this sounds trite, and I know it's been said before, but YOU WILL THRIVE, if you choose to. Gannett gave you a lot of skills, and you are well educated, so I guess we all have to accept this is life now. I think I'll build my own life instead!
ReplyDeleteThese are tough times, no doubt, and I certainly lost ALL respect for upper management by the end of my time, for it became abundantly clear that people weren't important first and foremost...only the bottom line was. Trust me, I KNOW the bottom line is important, but the PEOPLE are what get you there, and if you truly listen, and are open and honest, you CAN win...just not with Gannett. Gannett is more like a club.
How many properties are on the World Class bus? For me, the mantra should be "WORLD CLASS MY ASS"! There is NO class, let alone World Class.
I wish everyone much success and happiness, and if you're still with Gannett, start looking now, because your time is coming...especially if you're over 50 and make good money. Those are just the facts unfortunately.
I've read that woman's website, as well as Google the site's owner, and read several legal documents she posted about herself.
ReplyDeleteFew would accuse me of being a fan of Silverman. Having said that, I'm not comfortable posting any of the information she has published.
However, I'll continue to look at any developments that may unfold.
Dear 1:11, spare me the "pull your self up by the bootstraps lecture." I'll put my reviews for productivity and dedication up against anyone else. I'm a believer in the Puritan work ethic "work hard and you will be justly rewarded." Too bad my employer isn't.
ReplyDeleteThere are NO other places to take your talents to in a down economy and in an industry that is in decline. That is a glib rationalization at best.
The best raise I got out of Gannett was when I threatened to take my talents elsewhere, other wise the review conversation is "You have an excellent review, I wish I could give your merit pay, but corporate hasn't given me a budget, here is enough to not even cover the next health insurance premium increase."
We are seeing study after study that shows the decline of the middle class paycheck. That is one reason why the economy is in a stall, people aren't spending because they don't have the cash on hand and they've learned the hard lessons of living on plastic.
Pull your head out of the sand 1:11 (or what ever other dark place it is in and see the light. We ARE wage slaves
As another casualty this week, I hate to see people sniping about how someone in our position should or should not feel. Anger is absolutely justified. So is a feeling of gratitude for what one still has. This is a grieving process, and grieving has stages - denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. And they don't always go in that order, either. So it is fine to be furious. It's allowable to feel acceptance. We are all going to go through this in our own time. Just because I'm here and you're there, or he is at that stage and she is at that other one, doesn't make anyone better than the other.
ReplyDeleteAfter working 19 years with committed families, the Boyds, the Plangeres and the Lasses, I spent the last five years of my daily career with Gannett, which purchased the Asbury Park Press, The Daily Record, The Home News Tribune, where I was editor, and a couple of other properties.
ReplyDeleteFamily ownership does not guarantee a quality newspaper, but the families I worked for were committed to quality and were generous in their news budgets. They were dedicated to honest and in-depth coverage of their communities, and they were fair and decent in thier treatment of employees.
I was fortunate to be able to leave in 2001. The writing was on the wall; Gannett was intent on distroying our newsroom and our ability to cover the 20 some communities, plus Rutgers and dynamic sports, business and entertainment communities.
Gannett didn't instruct us to stop coverage. In fact, our Gannett New Jersey president liked to hold us a model of what a local newspaper could do while at the same time taking away staffing and pages to improve the shareholders' bottom line. And these were heyday times.
No, Gannett did not tell us we did too much. Nor did they try to tell us how to do it, aside from waving the corporte fad of the day. Our newsroom saw are job simply: cover the news and put it in the paper.
What Gannet did was nibble, nibble, nibble away at staffing, which nonetheless still was pretty darn strong in the early 2000s. Those small bites became huge gobbles.
Today, the newsroom at HNT is a shell, and I respect and admire those who
are left to try to maintain a semblance of local coverage.
It saddens me, though, what has happened to HNT,a combination of two proud, aggressive and honest newspapers that for well more than a century were the voice and mirror of Central New Jersey.
Dick Hughes
Dear Gannett cog #569321: You are the most bitter, poisoned, negative poster I have seen post on here in, well, maybe ever. I feel sorry for you. I really do. The reality is there are other opportunities out there (maybe not in newspapers) for journalists. I could list more than a dozen different former journalists I know who have left the industry in the last 12 months for a dozen different fields. They range in age from 24 to 57. I won't waste my breath though as you will inevitably find a way to turn it against them. People like you wallow in misery because it's all you know. I truly hope you see that you control so much in your life, rather than being a victim of it. But, again, I won't hold my breath.
ReplyDeleteTo 1:11: I hope things work out for you and for your family. Your attitude seems to be in the right place and I think if anyone will find his way out of the darkness that is today, it will be someone who chooses to view life as you do. You're right, you're an unemployed journalist today. But, as you said, tomorrow is the first day of searching for something new, something different, something better. You will find it.
Good luck to you.
10:13 said: "There are NO other places to take your talents to in a down economy and in an industry that is in decline. That is a glib rationalization at best."
ReplyDeleteThat is just not true. For some, like yourself, it maybe the case. But, for so many others, it is just not true. I felt that way for two years. It was a hopeless feeling. Then, I started looking for a way out. It took another 12 months and some retraining, but I left Gannett, on my own, six weeks ago.
I'm not going to preach here about how anyone can do what I did. Fact is, that probably isn't the case. We all have different interests, thresholds, desires and motivation. But, to say there are "NO other places to look for work" is utterly false.
Thanks Dick, for the post. Same story could be shared for so many other markets.
ReplyDeletere: 7:06 and 7:18
ReplyDelete"the people with the most seniority"
you mean the people that got Gannett into this mess?
Really, 10:13. What a myopic, tunnel-visioned way of looking at where your talents fit in ... So you won't get a newspaper job again ... Is that a 'bad thing'? Think far, far beyond your boxed-in perspective here and figure out how your existing talents can be applied in other markets. And don't give me the 'I'm defeated before I even start looking ...' response of being too old or whatever. It's 2011. You can work for paying clients who don't even know or care how old you are or what you look like. They just need really good work delivered on deadline. Can you do that? Good. Then start getting to work.
ReplyDeleteGannett cog #569321: I am going to join in the criticism of your post. The economy is not that down -- look at the figures and you will see. If you push yourself, and need to feed your family, you can find a job. You do not have to be a wage slave, and you do not have to continue to work for this company if you don't want to.
ReplyDeleteSeems odd that a couple of weeks before this week's axing, our EE and ME sent out e-mails about how great the paper looks, there is nowhere else to get stories like this, etc.
ReplyDeleteI guess from now on we can take that as a warning sign of future trimming of the employee roster.
"Personally, I was horrified to learn that at some sites (and you know who you are), the publisher was not even on site yesterday. I don't care about furloughs and whatever rules you think you are following, these were your people and you should have been sitting in your office and available for anyone who wanted to talk, vent, cry or bitch. Leadership is NOT having your secretary send out a company wide note with Dickey's memo attached and tell people to come see you next week when you return."
ReplyDeleteCarolyn Washburn, the new editor in chief of the Cincinnati Enquirer, was one of the no-shows. No leadership skills there. Just a company yes-woman. Coverage and quality of writing continue to ebb. The Enquirer's idea of an editorial page is to run hate letters from Ray Cooklis' stable of pet letter-writers. Keen-eyed readers caught on to Cooklis unfair and unbalanced approach to letters a long time ago. Why hasn't Washburn?
Apparently Washburn has decided to follow the example set by her predecessor as he was absent during the last round of firings too….just another data point reflecting how poor Gannett’s top management really is.
ReplyDeleteFor those having angst about looking for another job, read this post by John Temple, the former editor of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, which folded last year leaving the entire staff looking for another job. Embedded in this post is a link to a six-month-after survey he did of where people went.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.johntemple.net/2010/02/one-year-later-theres-life-after-death.html
How does this company expect to ever hire quality people again? With Gannett/USAT's track record over the last three years, one would have to be out of their mind to work at any of the company's properties if they don't absolutely have to. I would suggest that anyone who is even mildly tempted to work for Gannett/USAT should talk to a few current and past employees before making a huge career mistake, one that can trap you in a place and then discard you like garbage at an inopportune time.
ReplyDeleteRecession or no recession, this company is one of the most ruthless, uncaring and unprofessional media firms in the world. The glitter that you see in Tysons gives one a distorted view of what this company is really all about. Most of the satellite properties around the country are falling apart. The layoffs pay for the Tysons palace and the high-priced executives who reside there.
Gannett has always been one of the least attractive media companies, but in the last few years, they've taken it to a new level and have shown their true colors. When the going got tough, they bailed out on thousands of loyal, competent employees, and stuck the survivors with workloads that are impossible to handle. A lean organization became even leaner.
Advertisers and would-be subscribers should also beware. Gannett is not putting out quality products. Even the mighty USA Today is filled with examples of a withering product. I would not spend a dime on any of Gannett's media. It's unreliable. Even the marketing machine in Tysons can't make up for the decline in quality content.
We've seen enough to know that the layoffs and furloughs aren't anywhere close to ending. If you're a seasoned pro or young graduate looking for your first job, avoid Gannett like the plague.
Washburn didn't have to be there. She had her hatchetwoman do the dirty work.
ReplyDelete"You are an important part of our team and our future. The work you do for our communities and our customers makes a difference and the opportunities ahead are promising. I believe in our future and I believe in what each of you as individuals can and will contribute to it. Your work and commitment is greatly appreciated by all – our customers, communities, colleagues and me." -- June 22, 2011
ReplyDeleteSure, Bob. And we should feel as confident in our place in the company as you've led us to believe all along in your pronouncements below. Why don't you just spare us the bad acting job and just concentrate on getting us decent severance packages without all those inhumane strings attached? Can you do that, Bob? Your credibility is at zero.
"I am determined to maintain our operations, provide the best local news and information for our readers and help keep Gannett a healthy company. I thank you in advance for joining me in achieving this goal." -- Jan. 14, 2009
"We are healthy and capable of moving forward. We continue to see good ideas coming from all of you, and we are becoming more innovative everyday. This combination of forward thinking and good fiscal management will, I believe, ultimately result in a return to success for our company." -- July 1, 2009
"I cannot stress enough how much the entire leadership of USCP and Gannett appreciate your hard work and many accomplishments which have helped us maintain the industry standard for excellence and leadership in many areas during extraordinarily difficult times." -- Dec. 1, 2009
"You all have done a great job getting us off to a very good start this year and I sincerely thank you for all of your support and hard work." -- March 1, 2010
"We have accomplished a lot over the last year and I am very proud of the outstanding journalism, products and services you deliver to our communities and customers every day." -- Jan. 4, 2011
These layoffs are a method of management control. They want you to be scared about losing your job, because that way you won't ask for more wages, and will work like hell to keep your job.
ReplyDeleteWell, this worker bee isn't going to accept that anymore. I am not going to lie down and let someone roll over me this way. I know what my work is worth, and if Corporate doesn't appreciate it, then that is not my problem -- it is theirs.
10:49. Funny. I believe that the people with the seniority who have been in this industry for over 20 years would have some clue how to get us out of this mess. Considering our most profitable business is still in print it doesn't make sense to me to kill that product this early on in the digital game. Let's grow digital but maintain what we do best.
ReplyDelete11:38 Bingo
ReplyDeleteMy spouse was affected at the phoenix location. Gannett seemed to get out of the WARN notice by laying off 40 employees....from what I remember they had been laying off 1 or 2 here and there. Funny now I look at this they got out of giving their loyal employees a 90 day notice....good riddence to the ceo who received 1.75 cash bonus- I bet he received a merit increase the past 4 years.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone left here who might know. Has there ever been a paper that broke away from Gannett? Does Gannett let individual papers die without ever letting them have the chance to go it on their own? Seems to me some of them would be able to survive, even thrive, if they got away from Gannett.
ReplyDelete12:02 I don't. In the cases of Tuscon and Hawaii, I think there was some residual cash payments that continued beyond terminations of the paper and eased the pain Corporate face in closing them. But I've been following the smaller Ohio papers, Chillicothe, etc., which are barely hanging on, yet still publishing I would guess because Corporate is getting a profit out of them.
ReplyDelete12:02 Gannett owns all the assets associated with the property so they're going to firesale them rather than giving them away, worst case scenario. For the paper to go out on their own someone would need to buy the paper from gannett.
ReplyDelete12:26: Gannett has raped most of the papers from their resources so in order for a community to buy back their paper they would have to start from scratch.
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ReplyDeleteStill not a word from any of the weeklies.
ReplyDeleteGannett lovers they must be. Not a ball amonst them.
Dick Hughes you are spot-on with your assessment. The same is true of sites in Wisconsin, sadly enough. The good old days. ...
ReplyDeleteDear Cincinnati:
ReplyDeleteYou speak of Carolyn Washburn and her spineless abdication on Tuesday. Par for the course.
Regret to inform you that you have only begun to experience the horrors of Carolyn Washburn. Nasty-spirited, she can only rule through fear. She brings in her henchmen (more often henchwomen) and they are inexperienced and mean as well. They are, however, very good at extending her reign of terror.
You thought your last VP/News was bad? You would beg for him back soon. This comes under the heading, "Beware what you wish for."
There is NO good leadership left in Gannett. Anyone who hasn't sold out to the devil couldn't live with the way things are. It's a fact.
But Washburn wins the prize for nastiest editor still standing.
Signed,
Des Moines
NBC in Fort Myers is grasping for straws - must be a slow news week.
ReplyDeleteFrom what everyone’s shared it sounds like Washburn and Cinci's publisher were separated at birth…only a company like Gannett would knowingly allow them to reunite, again.
ReplyDeleteStill no word from upper management regarding lay offs in Tucson. Any info wer're getting has been from this site. Thank You.
ReplyDelete9:20 p.m.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, Dickey did follow up the layoff notice with a next-day note. Tell the underlings that they're important, the day after you show them they are not. Another box on the checklist to 'X.'
1:09 -- I was an editor of two weeklies and full-time writer for one who was let go Tuesday. They are so to the bone I didn't think there was much left to cut. But I was wrong.
ReplyDeleteIf you have stock in GCI, sell. I'm sure Wall Street analysts are looking at the stock and will be heavily downgrading it. What's the reason to buy it for mutual funds? There's hardly any dividend to speak of; maybe to short it. There are hundreds of better ways to invest than throw it on GCI. As Gordon Gekko could say, "This dog has fleas." Guess who the fleas are?
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