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Thursday, December 15, 2011
45 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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The following comment appeared in another thread yesterday; I'm re-posting it here because I'm testing the original poster's reliability as a source. The key text:
ReplyDelete"I'm big into 'Passion Topics' & a birdie told me something is happening Thursday in Mclean."
It actually started today. Since no one has posted, Kudos to one and all in attendance for not sharing with the Blog. It's a reflection of how folks react when they are excited about what they hear. 2012 is going to be an exciting year. Yes there will be disappointments but overall............let's go!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays everyone.
1:14
ReplyDeleteYeah right!
Let's go party because everything at Gannett is now going to be wonderful!
No layoffs or furloughs,so just relax and enjoy!
Bull ....
Louisville has some super-secret plan in the works to (again..) reorganize the newsroom and create all these new online positions but of course they will be filled by existing print people. but they won't tell everyone. for weeks it has been only those in the know
ReplyDeleteJim don't you know about the big news, that is going to be announced Thursday in Mclean, 'THE BLUE BALL IS COMING BACK, PAINTED RED for Christmas!
ReplyDelete9:23 really??? They won't tell you in advance so you could post the plan that they haven't completed yet here on the blog?? They are awful leaders for not trusting you. Awful I say!!!!
ReplyDeleteJust thinking with my fingers ... if we are going to write about Passion Topics (those things that people really care about), does that mean if a group of soccer parents start stomping their feet that they want more coverage for their 8-year-old kids league where the kids really try hard, we'll cover that at the expense of more important stuff? I can easily see The Passion Topics thing being controlled by a small group of people much like talk radio and talk tv shows are controlled by the loons at the far left and right ends of the spectrum.
ReplyDeleteIf there really is a meeting in McLean about "Passion Topics," who is leading it? I ask only because I am curious if Kate Marymont, the supposed vice president for news, is still in the loop. Or have the marketing and advertising suits co-opted her entirely?
ReplyDeleteMalaise at USA Today continues. At least a half dozen reporters have been interviewing at competitors the past few weeks. When they start cherry picking the best of what's left among the seasoned veterans, you know the paper will not be able to stem the slide to complete banality. All the values and integrity and trust spinning by Hunke and Ellwood won't stop it.
ReplyDeleteWe apologize for the earlier communication, we meant that we will be hosting Passion Parties in 2012 to boost reader involvement and monetize our audience experience.
ReplyDelete(link might be NSFW)
So leave already. who needs these people?
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ReplyDeleteRE: part 2's comments about Florida Today. How can anything be believed now after the total BS rumor on the FT printing going to Orlando? Most people on the tail end of circulation are busting their butts to keep up circulation and they are holding their own. I will say to any FT press people reading this...check your front pages. Getting pretty torn up on the upper left front. Makes them unsellable.
ReplyDeleteAs for the one backing the print product. I say again...there's no reason the newspaper cannot coexist with online. They can be and should be two distinct entities, and both can thrive if done right.
What was the big announcement in Lafayette In. Concerning the biggest endeavor sense the Berliner project
ReplyDeleteJim told my store a day or two ago, but that thread has moved way down the page now, so I'd like to repost here. I have a couple things I'd like to say.
ReplyDeleteJust because I now have a job (for 4 months) at the same level as when I was laid off (coming up on a year ago now), commenters jumped on and said it wasn't true. I provided Jim all details of my positions at Gannett as well as before and current. He is aware of who I am and I have communicated with him in the past.
He kindly didn't share the details since my current employer is a private company and they prefer privacy. But it's time to ask: What causes all these people to respond so angrily to such a simple thing?
Are they corporate posters (I know first-hand that they're really out there) or are they current employees with serious denial issues? Why in the world would they think there are no good jobs to be found? There are; they're just hard to find. Especially for someone like me in my late 50s.
But I do want to encourage all those who have been let go by Gannett and who are about to be: There's plenty of hope. It only seems hopeless up until the minute your job comes through.
Because I've spent the past 4 months hiring, I'd like to share just a few things I've learned, both looking myself and finding others.
1) If you haven't searched in a while, you're going to need some help striking the right tone in your resume and cover letters. Everything has changed.
2) Don't hire those lame resume services that email you; that's cookie-cutter stuff that won't help at all.
3) There is free help available from state agencies or even local churches. And while I didn't hire them to do my resume because it was pricey, I found the best articles and advice at Ladders.com. That was really all I needed.
And one warning: Once you do land fairly well and things calm down, expect a little "PTSD." Be aware of the symptoms and don't laugh this off; we've been through a lot emotionally.
I'll also offer this for what it's worth: The fact that I had been at Gannett helped me land this position. The only place my Gannett record hurt me? Applying to current Gannett jobs. They want us all to just go away.
What I fail to understand is the anger that people respond with (they'll do it again when I post this) and insistence that there is nothing good ahead. Why would anyone here would want to add to someone else's angst? We should be here to build each other up.
Newsday has announced a major digital move into Westchester County, NY, a direct challenge to The Journal News/LoHud. They are actively recruiting TJN staff, many of whom are ready to jump in a second should they get a decent offer. Management - the same people who've decimated the newsroom, cut people's pay and in general treated them with a total lack of respect - is now appealing to people's loyalty to the company!
ReplyDeleteA bad situation is about to get much, much worse.
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ReplyDeleteFollowing is an edited version of 12:06's comment; it removes unnecessary name-calling:
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting, 11:47, and don't sweat the haters. [XXXXXT] It's in their interest to have current GCI rank-and-file think that there is no other place to work, to support GCI's classic "Just be appreciative you have a job!" mantra that justifies the horrific working conditions and management decrees/excesses. That's why they'll post nonsense like "No company name/no job!" No one among the ranks here of GCI employees/ex-employees would or should take them seriously.
Good for you on your new professional life at late 50 something. Yes, you're right. It is a matter of finessing the words in your resume -- speaking to new trends, highlighting your value proposition in this new age, etc. If you're editorial, forget about journalism prizes and how hard you worked and that sort of dated notions of value. Think more about what you can bring to the table in the multimedia/multiple platform content age.
I too was in the same situation as a mid-level career person, with more than 10 years at the CP. Let go by people who did not know who I was or what I did. No big deal. I prepared for that day for years. I went right to work after my last day of work, and a good client eventually hired me on fulltime. Yes, people, there is life after GCI. But you gotta prepare for that day well in advance. Good things don't just happen. They're earned.
Note: Those of you who don't like these debates about life after Gannett are encouraged to enjoy any of the nearly 100,000 other comments and posts on Gannett Blog.
ReplyDeleteOr not.
12:15 now that you are gone please share the details of these "corporate posters" you know so much about. You mDe an outrageous stRenent, a statement a number if folks have made. Since you have nothing to lose please share this information.
ReplyDeleteSorry 11:47 please share. I'm very interested
ReplyDeleteSelect people at corporate (and previously in the Pacific Group) were told to "monitor" the blog and post as needed. I don't know who's doing it now, but the "voice" has changed so I doubt they are the same individuals. They were given better jobs, more responsibility, so they don't have the time anymore. But the themes are the same, so I'm sure they still have moles out there. Some of the nastier hate comes from there. (The rest is probably late-night bourbon talking)
ReplyDeleteBut Jim, life after Gannett is really all that matters. It's where we'll all be soon if we aren't now. It's like the old remark about men and prostate problems (there are two groups: men with prostate problems and those who will have prostate problems.)
ReplyDeleteIf we haven't been laid off, we're just pre-laid off. We just don't know it yet.
Wow 12:34 that's some specific journalism there!! Jim you have your next fund raising headline right there.
ReplyDelete1:45: I'm not here to call out individuals. They're just doing as told, so they aren't the bad guys, even though it's hard for the shared anger not to seep into your soul. I'm guessing you are one of them. Good luck with that.
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ReplyDeleteNow we know who the stars are at the Cincinnati Enquirer: http://www.youtube.com/user/EnquirerMedia?feature=mhee
ReplyDelete11:47 am, nic posting,but the web site you cited is theladders.com Ladders.com takes you to a web site to buy a ladder.
ReplyDeleteI worked for GANNETT for 34 years and gave it 120 percent everyday that I worked I can tell you that I am very happily living my life with fresh air to breath, no stress, no pain in the asses at work, abuse, etc. I JUST LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteYOU WILL TO WHEN IT HAPPENS TO YOU!
Gannett takes you NO WHERE!
5:03, Google it instead, and the correct Web site she referenced will be there.
ReplyDeleteDo Mexicans buy the local paper in large enough quantities to justify the cost of servicing racks in those stores? Or is it a public service for Gannett to provide free papers to them.
ReplyDeleteI do some sideline work as a college journalism instructor and whenever students ask about potential employers, I tell them - privately -- to steer clear of Gannett. Gannett doesn't deserve the young talent graduating college. Students tell me they are really turned off by the first-hand Gannett workplace accounts on this blog, especially when I vouch for management's hidden us versus them philosophy. I tell them to look for companies that are growing and not ossifying, where employees are valued and not treated like liabilities. Above all, I tell them never to be beholden to a corporation and to develop their skills to the point that employers and headhunters compete for you.
ReplyDeleteJim you seem to be a pretty fair journalist. I would like for you to take a read at Jay Cookes
ReplyDeletecolumn on Dec.9 - the same day that our downtown local businesses did a full page of ads promoting our downtown stores. I haave owned my business for for 40 years - and he can say that he didn't call
somerville by name - you read the article and make your own judgement. Why is he allowed to write such radical, unfounded arguments?
c
9:24?what media companies do you recommend that reflect those values?
ReplyDelete5:17 So you spent 34 years working for a company you despised. I am sad for you. Never got around to updating that resume?
ReplyDeleteJim, it isn't just about life after Gannett. It's about people making up bullshit stories to try to convince people to quit. It's about reaching for 12-year-old, pre-recession data to justify it.
ReplyDeleteStop making excuses and start bearing down. This stuff is fiction, and you know it.
9:35 --- I also spent 34 years working for Gannett and I loved every minute of it. I worked many long hours and gave everything I had to make my paper better and to make our site a better place to work. Then I was called in and laid off in July. So all my devoted years of service got me what and where? I never needed to update my resume but I can tell you now without reservation this is a heartless, greedy company without a soul and they could care less about you or the product they produce. I am sad for you -- someone who chooses to defend ruthless management and I hope you are on the layoff list next time, maybe your salary can pay for one of Bob Dickey's golf excursions.
ReplyDelete9:54 you are right. I apologize
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ReplyDeleteThe News-Press names VP of Sales and Marketing, Orestes Baez. Appears as through his foundational background was with the Pennysaver.
ReplyDeleteGood luck Fort Myers. More managers to manage managers who need more people to do the work for them to manage. GANNETT is too top heavy - when will they realize you need more troops on the front lines to win the war.
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ReplyDeleteI started at a paper before Gannett bought it. I loved the people, what the paper stood for and the community. The management staff also cared about the people and the community. Then it was sold to Gannett. I decided to stay and continued to work to the same high standards. But instead of doing great work, I had to dodge bullets and implement projects that worked at other Gannett properties but were not right for our market. After long long and success, I eventually got let go anyway. I would go back to the same job at half the pay if it was locally owned by someone other than Gannett. As different Gannett upper management visited the site, I slowly learned what a warped management style is infused into their minds. They really believe employees are worthles and only perform when heavily managed. Glad I am gone. I make less money, but for me it was never about the money so I have adjusted my lifestyle and thankfully they were never able to change my core beliefs which I know are much better standards to live by. Everyone has to do what they know will work for them. I would not tell someone to quit. But is the money worth the stress they create? But more importantly, is it making you the kind of person you want to be?
ReplyDelete7:49 said,"They really believe employees are worthless and only perform when heavily managed".
ReplyDeleteSounds like our publisher here at the D&C in Rochester NY
11:38 M Kane? He's one of the most caring pubs in Gannett. What are you talking about. If you hate Kane we are all doomed!!!!
ReplyDelete