[Hunke, Ellwood, Payne]
Publisher Dave Hunke leads a quarterly staff meeting tomorrow, an occasion where he and other senior executives are scheduled to give an overview of plans for the year's second half.
The session comes nearly a year after Hunke announced an Aug. 26 reorganization to shore up advertising revenue and readership at Gannett's leading daily. Some Gannett Bloggers have expressed doubts about the plan, and a recent GCI regulatory filing suggested that advertising gains have been uneven at best.
Tomorrow's meeting also brings what I believe will be the first company-wide appearance of Susie Ellwood, the former Detroit publishing CEO promoted to USAT's No. 2 executive in June. Also taking center stage will be GCI's chief digital officer, David Payne, who is to discuss plans for a total revamp of USAT's website. And: Sandra Micek, hired as the paper's marketing chief, also in June; her term has already been controversial because of the recent forced departure of Ed Cassidy, a marketing executive popular among staffers.
Publisher's updates are rarely occasions for candid discussion. Staffers worry they'll be punished for openly challenging management. With this post, I'm encouraging readers to nominate questions they'd like answered tomorrow. They might include:
1. Will there be layoffs or other job cuts in the immediate future?
Please post your questions in the comments section, below. USAT Watch is an occasional progress report on a high-profile reorganization launched in August 2010 to boost advertising and readership at Gannett's struggling marquee daily.
Cassidy was more than popular -- he was hard working, dedicated, respected and effecive. Hard pressed to see where any other of these David L. Hunke executives and VPs can claim that.
ReplyDeleteEllwood means nothing. She is just doing daily operations without an impact on Hunke's or Gannett's plans if any plans even exist.
ReplyDeleteMicek means nothing. She is on Banikarim's Gannett staff and is her report and doing as she is told.
Banikarim is absent, convenient for her, from participating in this Hunke rally and lucky to be hiding from anger and frustrations these past weeks.
There is ALWAYS layoffs being planned! Your job is NOT SECURE!
ReplyDeleteSo smart professionals like Ed Cassidy and Eric Laurence get kicked out the door while Lee Jones is handed even more on a platter taking over digital sales teams? I just don't get it. Can't wait to see your latest power point on your decisions and strategies, Dave.
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask Mr. Payne what he is going to do about the sexual and racial harrassment that is plaguing PointRoll. Every employee is talking about it and they are afraid to bring it up to their manager. The last person to mention it was recently fired unexpectantly.
ReplyDeleteCan someone at corporate ask Mr. Payne this or request that Corporate HR get involved immediately. This management team threatens us each day.
Thank you
I don't work in Gannett, but is the floor open to questions at these meetings? I know there's always the fear of retaliation (even though it's against the law) for posing a question that these entitled goons may see as challenging their leadership. But I hope those of you attending ask these tough questions and challenge what they're feeding you. Don't go in tongue-tied, don't talk yourself out of it. Stand up and do it.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe there will ever be a single, truthful answer to that top question. Everyone is constantly being lied to, and too much is being sugar coated and covered up. Each and every wise employee better have a post-GCI/USAT backup plan because no one is safe.
ReplyDeleteIf Digital Sales of USAT do not meet expectations, who is accountable?
ReplyDelete11:34am: sorry to hear this, but local HR won't do. You need to take action now by contacting a lawyer, a government labor/EEOC office, etc. OUTSIDE this company.
ReplyDelete11:34, you know you can email David Payne directly, right?
ReplyDeleteIf they ignore Cassidy's firing and don't give a very good excuse for it, there will be a lot of anger....or should I say, more anger than normal.
ReplyDeleteSexual harassment at Gannett?
ReplyDeleteIs that like gambling in Casablanca?
I'm shocked. Shocked.
12:47 grow up. No one is going to talk about a personnel matter and you know it. Ask some real questions for goodness sakes.
ReplyDelete1:04 is correct. Also, Cassidy may well not want his dismissal to be discussed in such a public forum.
ReplyDeleteCassidy's staff handles the q&a for these meetings too.
ReplyDeleteJim, you are wrong as is 1:04. Ed Cassidy was let go due to a reorg of marketing. Banikarim obviously has bigger initiatives in place. So let us hear about Micek's plans for marketing and what it means to the staff.
ReplyDeleteThis is NOT a personnel issue, it's a bigger issue that impacts a lot of departments at USAT. Wanting to know what the plan is to market USAToday is hardly a personnel issue. Cassidy performed very important duties within USAToday. Who is doing that now?
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteDear Dave, thursday, you have provided your staff an opportunity for a usa today progress report and update. Do us all a favor and drop the worn facade of big plans and false promises. Tell us what is working, what isnt and what we can do to help you fix it. Give us the chance to meet all of your new hifh paid hires so we can actually put a face to the names. Most of us have no idea what they look like, on top of what they do. And please, please, please, be honest what we can expect going forward regarding furloughs, or worse. All this may run contrary to how you typically operate, but i cannot stress how much credibilty you might finally gain. You may be close to checking out, but most of your people are not. Please take this to heart.
Amen, 2:19. Amen.
ReplyDeleteWill this Q&A be like similar dog-and-pony shows that have been reported on this blog? As in, questions have to be submitted and approved in advance, or can attendees actually ask real questions off the cuff?
ReplyDelete1:04 Thanks for stopping by Ms. Pence. Nice to know you still monitor the blog.
ReplyDeleteWhy no Lee Jones report on the plan to increase ad revenue? It's as if the ad sales numbers at USAToday are kept in the utmost secrecy.
ReplyDelete2:55 - there is no plan.
ReplyDelete1:58 Micek met with the entire marketing department and shared the plan and structure. There's no cover up or secret. If you are that interested ask one if them
ReplyDeleteI've followed this company closely for two-and-a-half decades -- first as an employee with a career, and now as an amazed, unemployed WTF'r. There will be more lay-offs. One can't be employed by a company going belly-up.
ReplyDeleteMove the 401 to a CD, cash out your (frozen) pension. Not all of it, but given its tact and the consistenly disconnected top-down management style of recent years,some of the Gannett properties, prevented from any originality, will be locked doors one morning.
So who is reporting to what? Was Cassidy fired by USA Today or Gannett? Does Micek work for USA Today or Gannett? Who from USA Today now works for Payne and Gannett? Does sales report to Jones or Jacobsen? Does the sports department -- and that includes sales AND reporters -- report to Gannett with Buesse or Hillkirk? This is a mess and we defy anybody to explain this. NO PLAN HERE, that is for sure. Just read between the crumbling org charts being churned out by the Director of Employee Engagement and all you can see is Gannett reducing Hunke's responsibilities piece by piece by piece. Welcome to Gannett Today.
ReplyDelete8/10/2011 1:15 PM Jim, this is true. Those of us who have spoken with him know Cassidy is not taking his firing well. We are certain there will be legal recourse and therefore Hunke, Ellwood, Banikarim and Micek have been advised by Hyatt and Wall to not address this situation or to answer any questions about this firing.
ReplyDeleteHere's a question for Hunke.....
ReplyDeleteWhy can't you guys sell any goddam ads?!?
Gath
Great question, Gath.
ReplyDeleteHere's another for Mr Hunke: Why don't you try quality and excellence for a change?
Instead of throwing more millions down the rathole of verticals, VPs and other wasteful spending, how about investing in more reporters? And allow them to travel and report on stories that are important. Try doubling down on quality content, since that what sells regardless of the medium. People won't come back to sites or papers without quality reporting, quality reading and quality visuals.
Try it. You can call it your idea when it works, as it will.
Hunke, let the good times roll. More promotions, more promises, more bullshit. Bring it, you tone deaf jerk. We are all waiting for thd big staff meeting youve been rehearsing for.
ReplyDeleteGath - ad sales is suffering in part because 7 months ago we did a ridiculous re-org that threw everything into disarray. And now, we've admitted the re-org was a bad idea and that the only part of the re-org that actually works is the part that is exactly like we used to be structured. There is no plan.....none. We are just running around in circles and the tail is definitely wagging the dog.
ReplyDeleteLike the rest of you, I'll be listening at 4:00 to see what our leadership has actually been doing the last 12 months (evidence is very slim). But, I have no expectations at all.
ReplyDeleteBlake Morrison, who as been at USA Today for a dozen years, joins Reuters as Investigative Projects Editor. His four-person team at USA Today “has earned a reputation for doing creative work with high impact on public policy,” says the memo announcing his appointment, according to Jim Romenesko.
ReplyDeleteMr. Hunkee, can you tell us what all your new hires and promoted managers actually do all day? Why do we have so many senior managers in editorial and the verticals? Why so many vice presidents on the business side? How do they compliment one another's business tasks?
ReplyDeleteGreat questions, 2:16, especially #1.
ReplyDeleteWhen I met Hunke years ago it was really hard to take him seriously. Not trying to be mean but he is a dead ringer for Fred Flintstone.
ReplyDeleteThe meeting is On! Ellwood promises better communication and more transparency. New marketing woman follows with lots of buzzwords. Sports guy BEusse is very impressive. The rudd davis deflates room with lots of nonsensical mmarketing words. He is out of his league. More to come,,,,,
ReplyDeleteDavis presents silly promo video which spells eventual end of a print usat. Now we are beginning to see the madness. Rebuilding the distribution platform, he says.
ReplyDeletePayne is on.
ReplyDelete100 company lightweights met mon and tues to brainstorm, he says. Investing in an atlanta video center. Hiring 34 people to develop digital sports. Got to learn to pet the cat, Payne says. We have a programming, workflow, product, content and advertising proble, he says.
ReplyDeleteSomething scary about to drop to pay for all of this. Layoffs? Stay tuned.
ReplyDelete100 company lightweights? Wow you really want to hate everything don't you? Sad
ReplyDeleteOk, 50 were lightweights.
ReplyDeleteHunke acknowledges morale issues, but sidesteps question over why people are leaving. Focuses more on recruiting, a word he uses repeatedly. Lets go win, he says. He channeled charlie sheen. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteSo what is the status of this transformation? Did Rudd Davis speak about ways to grow the audience? What is going on with the hotel circulation (still on the decline?)?
ReplyDeleteFor me, the update demonstrated the huge gap we have in senior management competency. Payne and Beusse did extremely well while Micek, Ellwood, Davis, and Hunke were disasters. Micek and Ellwood looked like spoon-fed presenters with no specifics. Why even have them speak? Davis looks like he has no idea what he is doing. Hunke did what he always does....enough said there.
ReplyDeleteRudd,
ReplyDeleteThis is what you've been doing the last year? Really??
I will give Hunke credit for one thing. He sensed the disgust in the room (from reading this blog I'm sure) and admitted how atrociously they have communicated to the staff. I agree we a earlier poster...he looked very nervous and was defensive at the start.
ReplyDeleteI dont think Jim is trashing Busse, he is pointing out some history from public documents. I was ready to discount what Buesse had to say before yesterday, but i was impressed by his presentation. Still, i was appreciative to know about his westwood one payoff. I liked what payne had to say, too. Ellwood and micek and esp. Rudd davis appeared scripted and insincere. And Hunke, while dropping some of the glad handing facade, was evasive and off putting, contrary to the eearlier ellwood promise of more open communication and tranparency.
ReplyDeleteI was struck by Busse's comments from outsiders who tell him usa today needs to get its "swagger" back. That starts from within. Rebuilding morale, enfusing an overworked reporter and line editing staff with appreciation, job confidence in the future and fast changes in upper management, especially in editorial and verticals, which have many underworked staffers stepping over themselves to look busy and important holding non essential jobs. Buesse seems to know that swagger starts from within, with the people orginating content.
ReplyDeleteI hope Reuters has the office space for Blake's huge ego. Except for maybe the toxic project, he has been taking credit for others' work and ideas for a long time. Good riddance, ego boy.
ReplyDelete