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Friday, August 19, 2011
31 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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Nice to see that the Cincinnati Enquirer is practicing top notch watchdog journalism. What's on its web site:
ReplyDelete1. Gold Star Chili survey about Bengals
2. Man Vs. Food TV show in town (second day in row it's been treated like the second coming of Christ.)
3. Macy's recalls Martha Stewart casserole dishes.
A pat on the back to Julie Engebrecht for leading such a hard-hitting, news-gathering operation.
Can we have a survey of best area cupcakes on Sunday's web front?
Or, maybe, Caroline Washburn hasn't returned from her passion-pit or passion-topics session in Washington with new marching orders.
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ReplyDeleteRants about Cincy are sadly accurate, 9:53. Vicious cycle of slashing staff, eroding content and circling the drain. Gannett, Journal Register, Lee, Tribune and others.
ReplyDeleteTo 9:48: Spelling and detail just fine. Rant? Not really, just a growing frustration that management at the Enquirer takes the easy way out and is gyping its readers with a mediocre news report. They've cut to the bone and readers are frustrated with that. I would assume that based on the diminished staying and newsprint cutbacks its circulation is dropping steadily. Do you really think Martha Stewart casserole dish recall is news? Or a chili survey or a cable food show in town warrants two days of being highlighted on the home page? I think we - as readers - deserve more. So do the 850,000 people in Hamilton County. What does it take to get the message across to these folks that the job they are doing is weak and we want more.
ReplyDeleteIt's long since been forgotten by those who run companies that a product made with excellent quality will make a lot of money. Sadly, the broadcast and print media have been taken over by beancounters who have little or no knowledge about product quality. All they see is the bottom line. Until that changes, quality will continue to decline and so will the bottom line.
ReplyDeleteGannett top management has taken a clue from the concept of parachuting from and airplane and reducing the size of the parachute a little bit each jump until you no longer need one. I'll bet honest print circulation is down 40% in a year as the result of cost saving measures such as fewer quality writers and editors, centralized whatever, reduced draw, soon to be dramatically reduced paper size and the associated cuts in staff... I fear when it's clear non-print revenue can't cover the loss of print revenues the result of not having a parachute will become obvious.
ReplyDeleteI think that might be what the first poster is getting at. It appears that everything that Gannett has done since 2008 has been to diminish the product either in size, quality or the number of people putting it out. That discussion needs to be front and center. Passion topics is a nice phrase. However, do real newspeople need phrases or do they just need to be let go to cover the good stories. It is obvious that with the 20,000 plus layoffs in recent years that the company can no longer go one like it one did. What's the alternative? I don't believe it's passion topics, or first five graphs, or Real People/Real News. It's deciding in local newsrooms what will be covered and setting one's own agenda. The local information centers as they now stand cannot do what they used to. Something has got to give. Does one cede suburban coverage and only cover major stories? Does it cut back on education or health coverage to cover crime and keep up with the TV stations? All questions that need to be answered. What is the Cincinnati Enquirer or Indianapolis Star? I don't think readers know anymore what to expect from their local Gannett LICs? It's like they no longer have identities.
ReplyDeletePeople here didn't oppose the dumbing-down of the product years ago because they wanted their jobs to be easier.
ReplyDeleteNow the plan has failed, so the Monday morning QBs are off and running. But keep in mind: They favored this plan when it started.
I have to laugh at these comments. When will everyone on these boards start to think outside the box? You have a story right before your eyes and your blinding yourselves in your visions to pay attention to the bean counters. Lord have mercy, go after the print industry, show that they are being bought out by government and kickbacks. Isn't it obvious that the home office is located just miles away from the white house? Journalists do your job, band together use your reliable sources and go after the next GANNETTGATE.
ReplyDeleteGreat comment, 11:53. But no one will take that on. They would rather come here and post stupid attacks. They've been doing it for two-plus years, thinking that somehow there will be a solution.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, 11:51 can only tell you that there is nothing interesting in the newspaper nowadays. I challenge journalists to rise up and give us the news we deserve instead of having to watch independent news stations like Link TV to give us the truth. Whats up with that?
ReplyDeletePlenty of people opposed "the dumbing-down of the product" years ago. People at my newspaper argued every step of the way, but the changes happened anyway. Most of the fighters left.
ReplyDeleteEventually someone will get the real story out. Maybe we need to get Jesse Ventura if the real journalists are so caught up in making a living for their families that they'll let the big guns get the kudo's. Would love to see some of Gannett's own be the whistle blowers.
ReplyDeleteRead "His View" - ignore the headline. Anyone know if this is a legitimate page that printed?
ReplyDeletehttp://legacy.inforum.com/pdfs/ValleyCityOpinion.pdf
Heh 9:48 I love Man vs Food. Love it, love it, love it! I'd love to read those stories. What's he eating Ghost Pepper Chili?
ReplyDelete2:40 - It's legit. Read more here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jamestownsun.com/event/article/id/142314/
2:40 & 3:33...wow. Good luck to them.
ReplyDeleteIt's a matter of time before you see letters like this pop up all over the Gannett papers. There's not a lot of love out there right now.
ReplyDeleteHey thanks for the links, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Please, please, please, I beg for REAL NEWS! Anyone out there?
ReplyDeleteOh yeah again, notice this link: written by USA Today. Gotta love it. The only use for the paper is coupons, people are dumpster diving for them, gotta love that real news. Its a real seller.
ReplyDeletehttp://moneyland.time.com/2011/08/19/extreme-couponers-dumpster-diving-for-sunday-newspapers/
I've been saying for a couple of years now there's something more to the death of newspapers than just the internet, etc. I can maybe see a paper here or there going down but not a whole industry. Then there's the question of the very few independents still making a good living at putting out a real newspaper.
ReplyDeleteHell, come on people. People are still buying what's left of the newspaper even with it's too high a price for half or less the news it once put out. That alone should tell somebody something. Print can coexist with the internet, etc. Someone has to want it to however.
Are any of the smaller papers breaking off form Gannett, other than just going under? Other than buying itself out, which Gannett would put a too high price on, isn't there something stockholders can do to oust the top money grabbers and industry killers?
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ReplyDeleteIsn't why she put on earth? You mean, like, she rubs mud on herself?
ReplyDeleteoops. Isn't why you're put on earth.
ReplyDeleteI don't think our paper has any reporters left. It's Friday night and time for the high school football scores. Several of us have been looking on the website for scores...nothing! Had to go to the local tv station's website to get the scores. With Deal Chicken and all the flavors of the day taking over what a newspaper is supposed to be...reporting of the news, looks like the newspaper's future is couponing!
ReplyDeleteI took that survey that corporate is putting out to see what we think about changes in benefits that are apparently being considered. Basically, we are asked whether we want our right hand cut off or our left in return for some other enhancement. We're also asked about what percentage of our total commitment we're giving and what might raise it. Took quite a while to answer. Any other experiences out there?
ReplyDeleteLittle mini-ho-ho
ReplyDeletehttp://www.xtranormal.com/watch/11336928/learning-cci-newsgate-at-usa-today
6:39, that is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteWhat is the word from Passionville? Can't wait for the newest Gannett buzzwords and initiatives that take us further from true journalism.
ReplyDeletethe cincinnati enquirer hasn't been relevant for a long time. it is time to bury it in a big hole... the cursory nod at Kentucky, at best, sucked...
ReplyDeleteMB is savvy and she's finally rid of most baggage. She only needs to get rid of the crap at the top of that is left. THAT would be good.
Now, if MB was smart enough to figure out that cutting a nose to spike your face was STUPID, we'd all be in a better place.
11:57 PM. Started survey with a 60 percent job satisfaction. By the time I was done, I could not put in a number larger than 30.
ReplyDeleteThe question, if I would recommend Gannett to a someone for employment, answer was 0.