Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Aug. 22-28 | Your News & Comments: Part 2

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56 comments:

  1. I see that there are Gannett employees that still believe, after all the indications to the contrary, that their jobs are safe and there is still the hope that they will retire with Gannett.
    Your life will be so much easier and calmer if you just resign yourself to the thought that you are employed until some management goof says that you are not. That might be tomorrow,that might be next month, but at some point if you are a Gannett print worker your job has a good chance to be eliminated.That is ,unless you win the Gannett lottery and are one of the few unlucky ones to open and close the office everyday.Of course if you are ,you will be so over worked you will wish that you were layed off as well.
    I know, I was indespensible,now gone.

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  2. Stock closed again below $10.
    They have got to be planning cuts and that can never be good.

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  3. Good morning USAT editorial management,
    Did we really write the Libya cover story today from the comfort of Tysons Corner? Tell me we didn't have reporters on site? Really?

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  4. Dubow visiting Asbury Park today

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  5. Any truth to the report that Florida Today is shutting down its mid-week weeklies? Former advertising guy there says that's going to happen.

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  6. More evidence that everything Ken Paulson touches turns to S---. Layoffs when he was at USAT, layoffs at Newseum before he got bounced to Nashville and did not get Overby's job (though his $463,000 salary is intact) and now layoffs at this place, where he is president. http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/143636/asne-eliminates-four-full-time-positions-considers-partnering-with-j-school-for-office-space/
    They must be on the skids because he's not even an editor. http://asne.org/about/leadership.aspx

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  7. Dubow & Co in Burlington yesterday, what a joke.

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  8. @10:29 tell us some of the punch lines. Was staff warned not to ask about salary after he was asked about bonus at recent joke tour visit.

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  9. We did send a reporter to Quebec to do a Life story. Thats close to Tripoli.

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  10. SNAFU. We all know what that means? Florida Today/USA/Gannett. The USA's are slated to be printed out of Orlando come Monady the 29th. Their carriers are supposed to start delivering the USA's to stores. Word this morning is that that is pushed back to mid Sept. because the Orlando carriers are pitching such a fuss. The unanswered question now is how will the single copy group at FT supposed to deliver USA's? They'll have to wait for the Orlando truck to arrive with them, get them sorted and given to the SC carriers? How long will they have to sit and wait now? That's only a maybe because nobody seems to know.

    What did they expect to happen when the Orlando carriers get more than what's being offered? Shouldn't have all this been worked out before they continued with this new fiasco?

    Most here who still give a darn wihs someone would come and sweep Florida Today out from Gannett's grasp and become a real newspaper again. Won't happen I know but we can dream!

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  11. They sent someone to Tripoli, Iowa. Corporate started researching airfares and were pleasantly surprised to discover that roundtrip was only about $500. They were a little befuddled by the mandatory stop in Des Moines though.

    Hunke was shocked to discover that Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann got to Tripoli ahead of USAT.

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  12. As a layoff victim of Ken Paulson, I can tell you that he handled the entire situation in a haphazard, almost care-free manner, which certainly made my termination worse. There was no legitimate reason for my being let go -- legitimate being the key word. Yet, Paulson just signed off on it without a second thought, without question it or raising an eyebrow. It made no sense to most people, but Paulson was so isolated from his staff that he didn't detect that, so I fell through the cracks. He's a terribly short-sighted leader who tries to seem approachable and reasonable, but is neither. I pity anyone who has to work in an environment where he's in charge.

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  13. And in Iowa, you say it Tripoli, with the emphasis on pol and li like lie to me some more, corporate.

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  14. Growing up in Iowa, we always pronounced it "Trip-oh-luh". No, it doesn't make sense.

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  15. Great. Dubow and his entourage enter the building at the Asbury Park Press and an earthquake happens. The man likes to make an entrance!

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  16. I sure hope the blue ball didn't get damaged during the earthquake.

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  21. It played very well, I hate to say. Answered questions, smiled, looked the part,

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  22. hey 8:29
    Were did you work, and did they go by seniority or just shutter the whole operation?
    Your fellow Press operator, a supervisor as well
    Sorry Brother. I know the day is coming and you know what, I will be glade when it happens, i am tired of this, just like every one else

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  23. Five hours after the biggest earthquake to hit New York since 1886, the irrelevant Journal News still just has an AP story up on Lohud.com while TheDailyWestchester.com has a main story, reaction stories and an overview of what to do if a quake strikes.

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  24. Would love some details about Dubow strolling into Neptune.

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  25. @7:19 p.m. Contrast that with the 27 reporters the Bergen Record has on its main story.

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  26. During the Burlington Q&A one of the reporters asked Dubow how he could justify taking a bonus while laying people off. Dubow did not look impressed.

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  27. From 4:14 pm:
    "The Gannett Calendar -
    Four, 13-week quarters make up each year following the 5-4-4 week model as outlined by 11:03.
    Occasionally Period 12 (December) has an extra week because there are 52.142857 weeks in a year."

    In the 5-4-4 structure, the FIRST period in every quarter is a five-week period. At most, December would only ever have FIVE weeks in the period (although it's normally four), NEVER Six.

    I find it hard to believe that any site was using anything other than 5-4-4 because period-end reporting has a strict schedule and deadlines.

    Even before my site was on Genesys (and our system did calendar month billing), we had to go through all sorts of gyrations to pull together the numbers for the period close. If you are not on a calendar month, why would you ever follow anything but the 5-4-4 schedule? Your financial reporting would be a nightmare.

    The Gannett calendar was always available on the Gannett website. I usually went there to import a copy and distribute it locally.

    Customers, by the way, generally hate non-calendar billing. It doesn't matter that most credit cards and utilities do not bill on a calendar month. I fielded many complaints after we moved to Genesys.

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  28. Yeah, 7:59 pm, but what did he say?

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  29. Asbury Park Press was once a great paper that I was proud to work for - before Big G sucked money out and threw out talent. The thought that this idiot Dubow moron roamed around where such talented people (in all departments of the paper) used put out a great paper makes me sick. And I'll bet the editor (Mr. APME, another great industry leader) kissed up the entire time.

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  30. 7:53 - Great job pointing out the "flood the zone" efforts of the Bergen Record for such a big story. Good to see there is still solid suburban newspaper journalist outside of Gannett.

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  31. The Bergen Record still has 27 reporters???

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  32. @8:42 p.m. More than 27. And to 8:01 p.m.'s point, it's interesting to note how many came out of the APP.

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  33. It was not the biggest earthquake in New York since 1886. The earthquake was in Virginia, it was felt in New York.

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  34. New York media went nuts over a non-event.

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  35. @8:00 p.m. Trust me, until 2-3 years ago, Phoenix did it with 4-4-5...NOT 5-4-4, so you can now believe it. We lived it, with a 6th week in P12 that threw all reports out of whack.

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  36. p.s. 8:00. I've been in this industry a few decades now, and everywhere I've been it's a 5-4-4 calendar.

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  37. New York media went nuts over a non-event.

    A lot of hyperbol over nothing. What are they going to do when someting big really happens?
    I think they try to out do each other to see who can raise the panic equation to the next level.
    Anybody catch the questions at the Michael Bloomberg press conference?? (SIGH!)

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  39. What, exactly, is the point of these dubow visits? They arent certainly arent morale builders. If they want local management to play suckups, why not just summon them to the Palace?

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  40. 8:52, the quake was felt in 22 states. Itvwas the first time ever millions of Americans ever experienced an earthquake. Your lack of news judgment is pathetic, but typical of a Gannett editor, which you undoubtedly are. CinDee perhaps?

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  41. 10:06PM, they got to fly the corporate jet.

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  42. Gannett year-end is the last Sunday of the year (this year it will be December 25th and 2012 will start on December 26). Every 6 years there is a 53rd week, it happens again in 2012. I believe all US operations are now on the 5-4-4 format. When Gannett purchased Central Newspapers (mainly Phoenix & Indy), they kept them on the 4-4-5 format for a number of years; therefore, they did have a 6th week in period 12 (December of 2006) at those locations. Gannett has since converted them to the standard 5-4-4. The UK operations used to be on the 4-4-5 as well, but they may have converted them too.

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  43. Is it my imagination or did the posters spend the entire day posting about who is correct about the Gannett budget calendar?

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  44. Bad times are not unique to Gannett, the Bay Area News Group announced a layoff of 120 today as the consolidate and reinvent themselves.

    http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/143723/bay-area-news-group-rebranding-plan-results-in-120-job-losses/

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  46. Don't want to sugar coat this:
    In Florida the only way that you can get your TPP from GANNETT
    is to file for unemployment.
    And it is personal to the reduced staff
    -minus the strife.

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  47. 10:50 You are correct. The entire industry is going to hell. But Gannett has been a leader in hubris and screwing over its employees for decades - a niche market Jim is smart enough to see and apply his talent to.

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  48. Seriously, to ride a plane? Does he take that twit pence with him, too? A serious waste of time?

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  49. Journal News definitely came up small in their coverage of the earthquake. This was a significant news story. I was driving when it happened and didn't feel any effect but I talked to about 20 people who did and they were all pretty amazed. The office buildings in White Plains were all evacuated. I'm guessing that a lot of people went back to their offices and immediately started checking out local news sites...it is a shame that the former #1 spot news organization in the region got smoked by a couple cofee-shop, start-ups.

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  50. The Phoenix crowd feels they pulled off a coup at Gannett Corporate. And, you know, they did. Dickey, Krans, Ray, and all their attendants.... But what it makes me think of is a coup by those guys in the Capital One commercials. That's the problem. They won, but Gannett, journalism and America lost.

    I'm gone now. I did find a job in the field, even though I'm in my l-a-t-e 50s. It took time. But I am hiring now. I hope I can hire some great Gannett castoffs.

    God bless you all. I am done with this site. Not because Jim doesn't do a GREAT job. But I need to finally move on.

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  52. 11:57, well said. Maybe TD was visiting Westchester and CinDee was otherwise engaged when the quake hit??

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  55. i would hope we have a full report from Neptune on the big visit. we usually can count on the Jersey reporters to give the details. silence and lack of details is disappointing ...

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  56. Let's see is it 52 or 53 weeks in a year. Is it the gannett calendar or the one my insurance guy sends. Oh was that a quake. Now where were we 52 or 53 or is it 51 in leap year.

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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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