Saturday, November 05, 2011

Oct. 31-Nov. 6 | Your News & Comments: Part 3

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52 comments:

  1. Gannett: A hemophiliac with a thousand paper cuts.
    Gannett execs: Lets cut off the appendages that are bleeding!

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  2. Hey Jim, here's an assignment for you:
    How many billion-dollar plus market cap-sized or more companies out there, that have been going concerns for at least the last 20 years, have laid off as many employees as Gannett?

    I mean, 20K out of 52K is a very high number, to still be viable.

    Eastman Kodak might fit these metrics; I'm sure you could find more. Not necessarily publicly-traded either, although those may be the easiest to find, and most well-known disasters.

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  3. Could someone tell me about Louisville's hook up with Facebook. I tried today to read a C-J story and couldn't until I logged in with FB. Then it wanted access to all my FB information. I didn't read the story.

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  4. 1. There will be 5,000 fewer Gannett employees compared to 2010. Press closings, USAT and USCP restructuring being announced first week of December will all contribute to this goal set by Dubow and Martore.

    2. Yahoo-Gannett partnership is officially over. Gannett is switching its technology to Google. This was a Jack Williams failure.

    3. Gannett Local is choking under Brad R's leadership. Rumor is that Gannett has an executive search out for his replacement.

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  5. Has anyone else been denied 401k enrollment. I should have been eligible since 2008 but have been denied access to the plan. I tried to enroll in 2008 and 2009 but was told I was ineligible even though I was eligible. Is there any Govt. oversight of 401K plans?

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  6. More layoffs at the LA Times, http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/11/new_round_of_belt-tighten.php

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  7. She requested that she NOT get a raise for her promotion...What a crock of shit. She will get that back in spades with stock options, life insurance policies, cars, free lunches, Gannett Foundation funds, legal and financial services paid by the company to the firms law firm Nixon Peabody.

    Martore is one of the shiftiest executives on the GMC. Every move she makes is very calculated. Remember she controls the marketing and PR departments and she is trying to paint herself as a "real down to earth" employee.

    Martore is the one who demands furloughs, increases in medical costs, layoffs and plant closings.

    Don't let all this superficial crap fool anyone.

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  8. I am curious whether there is any concern about newsroom diversity at any of the papers anymore. I look around our newsroom and it is absolutely not reflective of the community - in fact in our community minority kids have almost overtaken others as the majority ... in other words future readers. These last few years have seen our newsroom completely changed. This used to be so important at Gannett. Is it not no longer a value?

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  9. Diversity hell
    Yeah diversity ,last employed person of any race,please turn out the lights,lock the doors and hang out the Closed for Good sign.!!!

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  10. A big thanks to 5:59 for setting the record straight on Martore for those living in a dream world! You could not have described her better - she's one shifty, slick character.

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  11. Groupon IPO prices at $20, will start trading probably around 11am this morning:
    http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/04/technology/groupon_IPO_price/

    Check out the funky accounting they were doing as a private company. When they decided to go public they had to "chicken out" on those figures and correct them. From a profit to a LOSS.

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  12. Anyone notice that your site has a "local moms" page now, to replace momslikeme?

    I see www.arizonamoms.com

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  13. Groupon IPO Opens at $28, hits $31, now selling off, back under $28, OUCH.

    Not much of a spike; guess that means Gannett will "Chicken Out" of copying them.

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  14. Every few weeks, I see jobs posted for the Design Centers. I'm really not surprised, nobody at our site is applying, designer or copy editor. They all plan to find another local job or just get laid off.

    It was arrogant to assume people would follow their jobs to hell holes like Phoenix and Asbury Park. But they probably didn't care, figure they'd get kids cheap out of college and run them into more debt forking their own moving costs.

    When our own newsroom can't get daily budgets and slugs right and we scrape by being in the same building, how's that going to work when design and content production are a thousand miles apart?

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  15. If they stop printing papers in 2-3 years, what will happen to all those design center employees?

    Notice they're located in places where Gannett is already renting, so there was no additional cost for office space.

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  16. Check out this on Corzine resigning from MF Global:
    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/MF-Global-CEO-Jon-Corzine-rb-3996177156.html?x=0&.v=3

    "In a statement, Corzine said his "difficult" decision was voluntary, and was best for the company and its stakeholders.

    "I feel great sadness for what has transpired at MF Global and the impact it has had on the firm's clients, employees and many others," Corzine said. "I intend to continue to assist the company and its board in their efforts to respond to regulatory inquiries and issues related to the disposition of the firm's assets."

    Corzine is not seeking severance, the company said. He had been entitled to a $9 million payout if he were let go without cause, a July regulatory filing shows."

    -------
    At least he knows better.

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  17. Hey! Phoenix is NOT a hell hole!

    If you're a right wing extremist, it's heaven.

    If you appreciate deep fried Mexican food, it's heaven.

    If you want to smuggle guns to Mexico, it's heaven.

    The weather, from November to March, is perfect. From July to October it sucks.

    So hell hole? Only if you value a state with reasonable politicos, good education and strong social services. If you think Lord of the Flies is a guide to living your life or enjoy a good Tea Party, Phoenix is heaven.

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  18. My Boss, are we losing publishers?

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  19. My Boss is so wrong. Save the post and check the details later. No facts, all assumptions. The real My Boss is gone.

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  20. My Boss is a phony, folks. You can also tell because his predictions are so vague and guess work.

    The real My Boss worked in digitial and has been gone for six months.

    Don't accept a substitute!

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  21. Exactly what is the purpose of the "incentive trip with our advertisers" in the Bahamas for a couple weeks that so many Gannett folks are leaving for Monday?

    How much is that costing?

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  22. To 11:35 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. -- both of you are correct. I could not agree with you more. No one from my old paper applied for a job at the design center. And Gannett has no intention of keeping the design centers open beyond the next couple of years. If you work at a design center, start training for a new career. You will be out of a job soon. I used my design skills to transfer to a new job in a new industry. I love it: less stress and no Gannett managers picking apart my every move!

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  23. @11:35, don't leave Des Moines out of the realm of hell holes.

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  24. If you will recall, there was more than one MyBoss. Whether this person is one of the originals, we don't know. Will have to wait and see what December brings and whether the partnership with Yahoo is indeed done.

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  25. 12:10, thank you for making me laugh out loud.. In other news, Romenesko had a sad roundup of the week's layoff news at
    http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/152215/daily-news-layoffs-cap-week-of-cutback-announcements-at-newspapers/

    And the WaPo shows that digital/online future will mean far fewer jobs that most of us can fathom:
    Online activities didn’t fare much better. Revenue generated by online news — including washingtonpost.com and Slate — fell 14 percent, to $23.3 million, in the third quarter. The drop was sharpest for online display advertising, down 17 percent; online classified ad revenue fell 5 percent.
    Full story at http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/washington-post-co-posts-62m-loss-in-third-quarter/2011/11/04/gIQA7S7glM_story.html

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  26. Layoffs in Lafayette, LA. 2 people, 1 ARS 1 receptionist. No severance.

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  27. MB in Cincinnati axed assistant because she did not spit shine her boots. Also her BMW was not waxed to her standards.

    What a waste of perfectly good space in such a nice building with such a nice view.

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  28. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  29. Hey does anyone who has a Gannett pension plan that has been frozen know if the funds are guaranteed?

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  30. Death and Taxes @ 9:25...

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  31. Comments on CD's exit worth reading:
    http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=39050

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  32. 9:25. Yes, it is guaranteed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation which is like the FDIC for pension plans.

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  33. #2, at least, is correct. Yahoo is on the out, Google is on the in.

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  34. 1. Susie Ellwood is Dave Hunke's successor. In early 2012, Dave Hunke will announce his retirement and hand the reigns over to Susie. Ms. Martore and Mr. Hunke have been finalizing the details and most likely expect to see more of Susie as the USAT spokesperson.

    2. Andrew Jacobson, head of digital national sales, has resigned.

    3. Kate Marymount is leaving Gannett end of this year. Stay tuned for the naming of her successor.

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  35. 10:49. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp guarantees a portion of your pension. The law does not require full insurance of pensions. That is impossible, given the amount owed to so many people. Human Resources offices tell you your pensions are guaranteed, so not to worry. Do not believe it.

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  36. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  37. BTDT said...
    9:25. Yes, it is guaranteed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation which is like the FDIC for pension plans.
    11/04/2011 10:49 PM

    Don't be fooled. It would only be guaranteed for a small fraction of the balance.

    My advice is if you have a chance to find a better opportunity, take it and make sure you start the pension process and roll it into an IRA.

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  38. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  39. No loss with Marymount leaving. She's done nothing but collect a weekly check since she got the job. Dull and uninspiring. She rose too quickly from an AME to her current position.

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  40. This is the third autumn that the "My Boss" franchise has predicted Hunke is leaving.

    Eventually the predicton will come true.

    But for the gullibles who continually believe this sideshow, remember that it is all a sham.

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  41. If Marymount leaves, does that mean Silverman takes over?

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  42. News from Phoenix, I'm spending this weekend working on my resume. Since the reorg in October, we apparently no longer work for The Arizona Republic but now work for corporate (and we were better off without their influence). The only good thing corporate did recently was moved Crotchfelt out of Az. We have no clear direction, don't know what benefits we gain/lose and everybody's expecting huge layoffs before the end of the year. Is "worser" a word, it applies to Gannett's management style because when you think things can't get any worse, they get worser.

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  43. Re: 7:26 and Layoffs in Lafayette and the lack of severance. Is that no severance as in $0 straight onto unemployment or is that no severance but still the Transitional Pay BS? If it's no severance as in $0 were they layoffs or for some reason fired with cause?

    If they were truly layoffs with layoffs with no severance and straight onto unemployment it pushes Gannett's resizing to a heartless new low.

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  44. Regarding pensions: I collected mine about 3 weeks ago. Over 100 grand as expected, no glitches, but they waited til the very last legal moment to pay up.

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  45. 5:49 Speculation about Hunke and Marymont leaving is just that: speculation.

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  46. Hunke's truly bizarre speech at last month's rah rah management meeting sealed his fate with Martore. He is on his way out by the first quarter. All the vice presidential appointments from the ranks of the unqualified are coming back to haunt him.

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  47. What made his speech so bizarre?

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  48. The second My Boss said makes stuff up. The first is closer to the truth.

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  49. @ My Boss ... GLocal is in fact choking with current leadership :(

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  50. Hopefully the latest My Boss doesn't work in News -- cause they can't spell "reins."

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  51. apparently 'my boss said" was wrong about Mr. Jacobson resigning?

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  52. 4:22 Jacobson's LinkedIn profile shows he's still with USAT.

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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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