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Sunday, December 18, 2011
37 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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This is comment No. 94,781.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteThis is coming from the top...Gannett will shutter 10 printing plants in the first quarter, and consolidate printing. Some papers will follow the Detroit model and print HD only a few days a week. My understanding is this will happen to most large and small market publications, excluding weeklies. Happy trails, digital is here and print is on the way out..need any more convincing?
12/17/2011 2:35 PM
At least I know that I won't have to work on
ReplyDeletex-mas or New years this year!
HO HO HO!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I am sure with comment 94,781, one of Gannett's literary whores, who they have hired to put down posted in this blog, will fine something wrong with it.
ReplyDeletehis is coming from the top...Gannett will shutter 10 printing plants in the first quarter, and consolidate printing. Some papers will follow the Detroit model and print HD only a few days a week. My understanding is this will happen to most large and small market publications, excluding weeklies. Happy trails, digital is here and print is on the way out..need any more convincing?
ReplyDeleteThe Des Moines Register endorsing Romney means absolutely nothing to educated Iowa Republicans.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joke they are.
The Register is very ,very DEMOCRAT leaning and we all know it!Why in the hell would they try to promote any republican when that is common knowledge here. If they want Romney to win here, that means they believe that Obama can more easily defeat Romney than ,say Ginrich or Perry.
As soon as a republican candidate is chosen they will heavily promote the democrats.
Just another Gannett,Corporate knows all attitude and these dumb hicks in Iowa will believe that they are the wise ones and must be right.
Oh Brother!!!!
Primary endorsements are a worse joke than endorsements in the general election. Regular readers of any editorial page would know what the general slant is, so why bother?, especially, as 10:57 notes, a paper isn't going to endorse the candidate in the general election anyway (altho if the DR really wanted to help Obama, it would endorsed one of the other crazies.)
ReplyDeleteFunny how Gannett is drifting away from print when a look at small towns shows that printed newspapers can be quite robust and quite the source of news, ads, gossip and information. Ever see Vero Beach 32963? It's a very thick, tab-size weekly in Florida that puts to shame everything between the Orlando Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post. Tons of ads and content. Same with the Cape May (NJ) Gazette, a free weekly that just goes on and on with local news, ads and the content that people love.
ReplyDeleteWhat these papers have in common is local ownership. They hire managers based on their ability, not because they're due a move up from Elmira or Appleton. They re-invest their profit in their own operations and compensation without having to remit regular homage payments to the king in Virginia. They keep their ad rates low, and local merchants respond by advertising. The newsroom people are devoted to their communities, and their knowledge of issues, neighborhoods, local officials and people shows in their coverage.
Gannett and other industries proved long ago that the so-called "rollup" model of consolidation doesn't work. Rollups peaked in the late 1990s. Gannett would have been smart to have divested its papers at peak prices before 2005, like Knight-Ridder and Times-Mirror did. Since it's too late for top dollar, they should still put its papers up for bids and test the waters. Among the bidders will be a few smart people who will reconnect the paper -- yes, even in its printed form -- with the community. Just like they do in Vero Beach and Cape May.
I live in Des Moines but am originally from another State. Iowa voters do not correctly reflect the conservative nature of most Midwest States.
ReplyDeleteThe 3 major university city's, 4 or 5 major population centers and subsidy seeking farmers all lean heavily Dem. This skews everything.
The Register will surely endorse Obama.....hopefully our familiarity with the Register and Obama will be enough to sway our votes in the RIGHT direction.
Browsing the state's web sites today, and I came across this gem. Sentences that are too long and/or don't make sense, bad punctuation, a missing period, a misspelling, two first references to the same person in back to back grafs. How much would you pay for this story behind a paywall?
ReplyDeleteAlmost 200 city of Oshkosh employees may see their wages frozen indefinitely if the city adopts a pay scale based on what comparable employees would be paid in the private sector.
A job classification and compensation study conducted by Carlson Consulting of Middleton recommends the city adopt pay scales for general employees, managers and professionals aligning what city workers’ pay with wages paid by the private sector for comparable jobs in the Fox Valley.
Based on the recommended pay scales, 190 city employees — 172 general employees and 18 managers and professionals — are paid more than the average private-sector wage for their jobs and would see their wages frozen until their pay fell in line with private-sector wages, which would occur over time as the economy recovers.
City Manager Mark Rohloff said employee wages would not be cut to match them to the private-sector benchmarks, but new employees would be hired under a revised pay scale
“We would base newly hired employees salaries on what the regional market pays, but I don’t think it would be appropriate to cut current employees’ salaries,” Oshkosh City Manager Mark Rohloff said. “Even if circumstances changed and we had major financial problems to address, I don’t know if I’d recommend it even then.”
The study marks the first time the city has compared what it pays its employees to private sector wages for comparable jobs. The study, completed earlier this month, was commissioned in the wake of changes in state law limiting collective bargaining by public employee unions. It covers all city employees except police officers, firefighters and transit workers who all retained collective bargaining rights.
Councilor’s will discuss the study during a Jan. 11 workshop meeting.
Carlson Conuslting President and CEO Charlie Carlson estimates the plan can save taxpayers an estimated $1 million in coming years. Carlson referred to the study’s recommendations as a “recalibration” of what the city should offer employees now that wage scales and pay plans are not topics for collective bargaining negotiations.
Des Moines endorse Obama? Are you nuts? Do you really think that the Register reflects the views of the community or anyone in Iowa? No, the Register will endorse Mitt; they will most likely have a 2012 love affair with him, reflecting not the views of Iowans but those at 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Va. The gushing primary endorsement is only the beginning ... stay tuned.
ReplyDelete10:19, if you think your no-source information gains credibility every time you repost it, then you are wrong.
ReplyDeleteFor me, newspaper endorsements mean nothing. I've voted in every local, state and national election since 1972,ignoring endorsements and all advertising, and doing my own research on the candidates and the issues. Surely endorsements are meaningless to some others.
ReplyDelete2:48 get real. If you have ever been in an editorial meeting you know your post is wrong. What's next "rosebud?"
ReplyDelete1:40, at first I thought you were talking about the posts here. Many of them have the same flaws.
ReplyDeleteHard to believe some people here have been out of work (and whining) for three years.
Yes Of course the Des Moines Register will endorse Obama,and not the choice that reflects what normal Iowans would make.
ReplyDeleteThen again,they would endorse Mickey Mouse if he had a D after his name.
Now Gannett employees have to take two weeks off, without pay. Instead of spreading the out, they are being forced to take a week at a time.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, they hired a new position at $325 a year with a nice sign-on bonus.
Typical.
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2011/12/news-of-gannett-furloughs-announced-on.html
2:48 - I can only assume you are joking. The entire mainstream media has been drooling over Obama for about 5 years now. I work at a Gannett location where the community is Conservative/Republican 2-1 easily, yet my paper's voice couldn't be more liberal. It's sad really.
ReplyDeleteAh 7:16 please read the blog post again. The two weeks was 2011 the same year CD resigned. 2012 has one furlough scheduled.
ReplyDeleteI have to laugh when I read these posts about the DM Register and it's "predictable" left-wing leanings. I'm a former staffer, who decided to leave on my own to pursue a new opportunity, but I still pay close attention to what is written on all sections and talk to friends there almost daily. The paper's new editor, Rick Green, hired from within a new Opinion Page editor, the respected Randy Evans. They've worked very hard to bring more balance to the section, even hiring (GASP!) a self-acknowledged conservative freelancer to write op-ed columns and to even sit in some of the GOP endorsement interviews. I have no idea where things will go next year, but I'm more conservative than I am a predictable journo-who-votes-Democratic and I've loved the changes. I've heard from old sources who are saying the same. Don't immediately think that Obama will get a free pass. Differnt team and different way of doing things under Green -- in SO MANY ways!
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time, the newsroom and editorial pages were separate: The top newsroom executive and the editorial page editor both reported directly to the publisher.
ReplyDeleteThe senior newsroom executive would never have been involved in selecting an opinion page editor, and most certainly would not have been involved in setting editorial policy -- including, especially, choosing the paper's endorsements.
When the newsroom is involved in setting opinion, no wonder the public suspects bias in media.
8:07 You know the perception of the Register as Left is accurate. Your comments confirm it. A few months of a new editor is a good start but not enough to change the perception of the Register as an impartial entity. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteIf they endorse the Republican nominee over Obama then I'll laugh as well.....and play the lottery that day.
Jim: Do you honestly believe that a publisher as hands-on and involved as Laura H. is in Des Moines would allow a caucus endorsement to be made without weighing in? And bigger than that, do you really believe she would allow any editor to hire a new Opinion Page editor without being involved? Don't get me wrong. These are very strong moves that have happened these past few months. I'm not on the edit board, obviously, but you're naive if you think she isn't shaping editorial policy. After all, don't you think that Dickey and the rest of McLean is closely watching this?
ReplyDeleteWe hear Dave Hunke is heading to Detroit this week with some not very good news for the new year. Myron Maslowsky and Steve Hyatt have been locked up with Hunke for weeks. Merry miserable Christmas to us.
ReplyDeleteThese last few posts can't be from newsroom folks because they know how this process works. Some of the best discussions in the newsroom involve endorsement decisions. Few if any publishers dictate these decisions. And folks R Green just isn't that kind of editor. LH wouldn't intimidate him into a biased decision. Ain't going to happen.
ReplyDelete9:00 Your perception of how things "work" vs reality is incorrect. You can't tell me that between Hollingsworth and Corp they don't exert influence over the endorsements.
ReplyDeleteNewspapers are not immune from their own internal politics. Thinking otherwise is naive.
9:10 I've been in and around newsrooms fir three decades and I can't give you one example if where corporate ever influenced an endorsement decision. In fact if you studied the issue you'd find that most voters in this age if multiple information sources ignite endorsements. It's an archaic practice. Just because you want to believe something doesn't make it so.
ReplyDeleteReading all these comments about the endorsement just makes my eyes roll. The Register has endorsed in the caucuses since the 1980s.
ReplyDeleteWho do you think they would pick from the Republicans? Ron Paul? Bachmann?
Anyway, the endorsement means nothing to Iowa Republicans. They havent been relevant in presidential politics in decades now. Mike Huckabee anyone? Pat Robertson?
9:34 No offense. And I appreciate your perspective and opinion. You believe in it....which is all we have to cling to nowadays.
ReplyDeleteI do laugh though when it comes to journalists. They are taught to be skeptical of all things. Yet, act surprised when others are skeptical of them and their profession.
There are many examples of low points in journalism. Corporate having influence on the Register wouldn't even register on the radar. Very plausible, possible and even likely.
Breaking news at USAT.com leader of N Korea dead!
ReplyDeleteI just have to say, both Democrats & Republication parties are a farse. Neither side can seem to come together on anything that benefits the American public. Both sides dig in their heels and refuse to work together on anything; it's us and against them attitude.
ReplyDeleteThey seem to only care about getting into office so they can fill their pockets with money from all the perks and benefits. It's pretty sad that we can send someone to prison for insider trading (Martha Stewart) but it's perfectly legal for members of congress to do it. I recently saw that on 60 minutes and I just shake my head. Who approved that?
I say we need a complete government overall and eliminate all parties and if a person wants to be a member of congress they should volunteer their time. Let's have a movement to occupy that!
10:17, I agree. I think there's a lot of denial regarding a no-longer-working media, valued for its own mert. Or Congress'. Or you name it. It's broken. Now we're just in the finger-pointing phase, but the fact remains: No one signed up for our immediate future. No one.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI'm 10:05....my point seems to be accurate based on the silence.
ReplyDeleteI miss the ignorance-is-bliss days of believing what Cronkite, Brokaw and Koppel use to tell us. But, we're far better off today taking our news with a healthy dose of skepticism.
fuck politics, lets make this blog about Gannett issues and the people who work for GCI. Politics= crooks, which also goes with the top management
ReplyDeleteDes Moines endorsements ignored? Sometimes. But back a few years, they totally sealed the fate of Howard Dean. They also made Edwards a viable contender in that election, even though he didn't go all the way (and later shot himself in the foot permanently. But that is politics, and no endorsement can fix that.) I was there and was involved at one level. It was fascinating.
ReplyDelete