Thursday, August 11, 2011

Aug. 8-14 | Your News & Comments: Part 4

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48 comments:

  1. You can tell tension is high at the Crystal Palace because management's lackeys are posting a lot of their their distracting drivel these days.

    How much is Gracie and Craigy paying you per post these days? Still at $20?

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  2. I just took the survey. I'd love to see the Personal Time Off policy go into effect!

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  3. We should all give the $10 we get for completing the survey to Jim. It's a donation to a good cause, and G A N N E T T pays for it!

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  4. I think we all know that survey today that we filled out is to alert us that some of our benefits will be decreasing — not increasing. This is psychological ploy to make us feel “involved” in the process. They already know what they are going to cut and I am happy I told the truth about everything — the unpaid OT, the falsifying of time sheets and forced comp time, if they lay me off — as Clint Eastwood would say, “ Make my day.” I have emails from my boss that PROVE this is going on. So enjoy your day Gannett and your stupid ridiculous surveys that never help the people that really need it — your employees!

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  5. An aside: Blake Morrison is leaving USAT and heading to Reuters; seems like a hit to the investigations team.

    http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/142467/usa-today-investigations-editor-jumps-to-reuters/

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  6. 9:17 You need to give the proof about the unpaid OT to the Department of Labor. You owe it to yourself and your co-workers.

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  7. I agree about the PTO! I would love the 20 days per year of PTO. I never use my sick time unlike others who fake sick for the extra time because they can.

    I felt that survey was trickery and word games to confuse people. Saving $15 on a copayment once in a blue moon is NOT with n increased premium of 10%! do they think we are idiots?

    Our insurance is terribly expensive when you consider the coverage is not good.

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  8. Chelle is so miserable! I don't understand why she is still here. Make yourself happy and find something else to do. Maybe it will stop the rest of the good employees from resigning. We need to keep some talent!

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  9. 7:58, you are dense. Jim is insane, and the only people who are nuttier are the ones who give him money.

    All you are doing is paying for a larger padded cell for Jim in 2012, when he will be committed to the loony bin.

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  10. I see the corporate trolls are trying to create a theme, Jim's craziness. We all know it isn't true. Did Gannett make Jim crazy once? Yeah. Who among us can say they haven't made us crazy? Certainly no one at Crystal Palace.

    As for this:
    Anonymous said...

    9:17 You need to give the proof about the unpaid OT to the Department of Labor. You owe it to yourself and your co-workers.

    Don't you dare, 9:17. You get NOTHING if it goes directly there. You use it to get you a settlement. Do it the minute they lay you off. Don't tell HR. Go directly to corporate. I suggest Evan Ray. Wish I had more proof. I'm still thinking about pushing on discrimination (age and sex). It is SO true.

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  11. From a 12:33 post- "It’s been almost two months since Karen Crotchfelt was interviewed by the IBJ after the demise of the Metromix print pub and stated the Star had something up their sleeve to reach the 25-34 year old readers. What strategic initiative have she and the “Star Leaders” launched? Anyone? Buehler? http://www.ibj.com/star-folds-publication-aimed-at-young-readers/PARAMS/article/27750"

    I know Karen loves this blog, in Phoenix she often made comments about how often she was mentioned, it was a badge of honor for her. 12:33 brings up a great point- what's up your sleeve Karen?

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  12. Perhaps it was just an illusion and there was nothing up her sleeve.

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  13. Why can't these trolls post without name-calling, just once? Why can't they write some sort of reasoned rebuttal?

    Could it be that they tried and nothing came out?

    The disgusting Homophobic Troll has disappeared. The ineffectual Everyone Here Is A Moron/Idiot/Pinhead/Lemming Troll Troll is losing his voice from screeching.

    And now we have the Jim Is Insane Troll, who won't last long either.

    Why? Because you aren't part of the conversation. You're just background noise.

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  14. Did you notice on the benefits survey that the link to explain what "long term incentive" was didn't work?

    Did you just assume it was another way to say cash bonus or 401k bump?

    Long term incentive is stock options. Aside from the Crystal Palace, you may have one person at your site who qualifies to get stock options. 99.5% of employees do not qualify.

    Did you just say that you would prefer better long term incentives over a decreased premium?

    Did you just say Craig et al should get more stock options, at your expense?

    You must have, that's what the survey results indicate!

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  15. 4:16 The "long term incentive" link worked fine on my survey. Perhaps you're too dumb to click a mouse.

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  16. Nice, 7:40. Who pissed in your coffee already?

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  17. God ,it must really suck to still be a Gannett employee!Wow! So much bitterness and hatred for the mighty Gannettt.I don't blame you of course.
    Those of us who got out,myself nearly 2 years ago,can read about how bad it is and it makes us that much more appreciative that we had the balls to get away.
    I read here and then get ready to go to the work which I love and make more money than ever.
    Thanks Gannett,I couldn't have done it without you!!

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  18. @7:40. He/she can't help it, this is what happens to your attitude after working for Gannett!! Ha!

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  19. I know someone who had the annoying habit of asking your opinion on something even though he had already made up his mind and had no intention of listening to you. He just wanted to make it look like he was open-minded. This is the same thing.

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  20. Brevard:Good luck to all those being axed today.
    Yout future starts tomorrow ,away from Gannett.
    Will others meet the same fate this week ?
    PLease post here.

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  21. Thank God we have a new product called Deal Chicken to save us from defending the 1st Amendment and good community reporting. We ARE fucked!

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  22. Deep in Delaware8/11/2011 10:08 AM

    Saw Curtis Riddle the other day and he said Gannett is in bad shape and there are more layoffs planned. You gonCurtis. Enjoy retirement!

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  23. When is the big conference and will anyone ask tough questions? or just softballs.
    Layoffs planned etc.? Not that they would give truthful answers anyway,so what's the point.?

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  24. Found this interesting...Groupon's actually losing money. Deal Chicken, if it's everything it's cracked up to be, is hopeful to follow in its footsteps.

    http://money.cnn.com/2011/08/10/technology/groupon_accounting/?hpt=hp_p1&iref=NS1

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  25. As a former Gannett corporate ad exec, I always found it difficult to get excited or rally behind any coupon initiative. Simply too difficult to deliver the value and expectations on redemption to the advertiser...especially when you have businesses that insist on putting crappy offers out there that no one would redeem a coupon for anyway.

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  26. Indy has been running the same, tired Deal Chicken radio ad for quite some time. The ad doesn’t give any specifics about the daily deal. Is The Star’s outside advertising budget so low that they can’t afford to create an up-to-date specific ad, or do the deals have very limited appeal? Go to the web page and be the judge…I wonder who is the brains behind this ad?

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  27. http://www.youtube.com/user/towerswatsonconsult#p/u/2/BBxvbJ5RYPQ

    The survey company that provided Gannett its Total Rewards Survey

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  28. to 8:41: You're a jerk. I left gannett two years ago. I make far, far, far more money than you do, I promise, but I don't come on here and make those who remain feel bad about their employment (which they might still like, you never know). I have a feeling if you were as successful as you say, you wouldn't feel the need to come here and bash on hard-working people who are trying to support their families. I think you're a failure in life and thus have to come on here and call others failures so you can feel better about how pathetic you are.

    For those who remain, ignore idiots like 8:41 and God bless.

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  29. Remember Deal Chicken or anythig else like it is to also drive more page views which means more on-line ads. Since content on sites is crap now, they need people to go looking for the chicken stuff instead of news. Then once they sign them up to receive regular chicken feed them can cram some more offers at them.

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  30. 11:39
    If you are so successful why are you posting here in the middle of the work day.
    Just wondering.

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  31. 11:39
    Lots of former employees come here and encourage Gannett employees to leave.It doesn't mean they are bashing them. Life is full of choices and to work for Gannett and then do nothing about it except complain and critize is not helping their situations.

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  32. Yeah 11:39. Nothing 'jerk' like about telling people here there's life after GCI. A life with more money even. And less stress. I'm one of those ex-GCIers. But the caution here -- and the reason why 8:41's post is of value -- is that it does NOT come by accident. It takes work, planning, networking, etc. And you gotta do all that stuff WHILE you have the fulltime thing with GCI. Sorry folks. But good things aren't going to happen to you by wishin'

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  33. 12:02 Precisely. Gannett launches one "strategic" initiative after another that results in a short-term gain. Always a band-aid--never a strategy to build the business and a future for Gannett. So why are the big bonuses awarded? Amazing.

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  34. Deal Chicken seems to be working in our market, Phoenix, but I think maybe we followed a different business model, as local reps aren't even "allowed" to sell it, so once again, we compete internally for the dollars. When the chicken entered the scene here, obviously, Groupon was already entrenched (as with all Gannett initiatives, we're never first), but the problem we hear from clients using Groupon, is that it's bringing ONLY discounters in, not people who have much interest in anything beyond the "super deal". So Groupon has churned alot of business here, but maybe they don't care either, just like Gannett. Deal Chicken is actually pretty popular in Phoenix, but it's about the offers, and we seem to have that part down!

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  35. go to doubletakedeals.com. gannett owns this too.

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  36. I take one look at the contents of that awful survey and I truly feel for the poor souls still at Gannett. For those of you who can leave but haven't, I really don't know what's wrong with you. For those trapped because of family/housing situations, I feel so bad for you. This is such an evil company and I know that a survey like that is just a precursor to some new way to squeeze more blood from a pebble.

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  37. For those who can leave GCI but haven't, the Stepford Wives' mentality seeps and the culture reeks throughout the halls of Crystal Palace.

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  38. OK... Went to the YouTube link above to hear John Bremen, Managing Director of Towers Watson speak about "Total Rewards." I came away with eight plus minutes of double-speak. One time he mentioned "benefits." The rest was all vague, superlatives. I can see why Gannett opted for this firm... THEY SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE!

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  39. http://www.futureexploration.net/Newspaper_Extinction_Timeline.pdf

    The end is near

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  44. whenever i see DealChicken i think of the term "chicken f-l-i-c-k-s". Who the hell came up with this name????

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  45. Gay boy, why did you delete 6:14 and 6:24?

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  46. 7:43 Don't disrespect Jim. What if I called you, "Dumb Boy or (girl)
    Don't disrespect Jim.

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  47. NJ Group - HN and CN and DR are toast. They are putting all the bets on the APP. Big Fail.

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  48. 2:24 PM, thanks!

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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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