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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
55 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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Happy Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteSo what if we just ran newsrooms by committee? Could be fun.
ReplyDeleteThe Gannett employees that still believe they can hang on and Gannett will keep them employed,
ReplyDeleteYou can be defined in one word.
Denial!
Layoffs coming soon to Westchester -
ReplyDeleteStay Tuned - Janet Hasson to make annoucement-
more cuts in News, Circ and Finance.
Question regarding pension statement?
ReplyDeleteIt was my understanding that under ERISA a some what accurate statement had to be provided yearly. The statement I received once again is based on assumptions as always. I'm not sure were these figures came from maybe someone could explain? As we all know there was no cost of living increases for 2009, 2010, and 2011. Yet on the statement they have the following 2009 2.20%, 2010 1.71% and 2011 0.61%. With the pension frozen they should be able to give the exact figure based on a frozen pension. Then in future years update this figure with true cost of living not assumptions. Remember in the past all pension statements were based on the assumption that you would be getting a 3% raise every year. HOW DID THAT WORK OUT!!!!
the facts:
ReplyDeletefurloughs are here to stay. the money is out of the budgets, so to not have fuloughs they would have to add back into the budget the dollars they didn't spend last year. bugets are based on prior year, hence furloughs will be a continuing year after year deal. yes there are more cuts in staffing comming very soon. some site will have layoffs other offering early retirement package to those old enough and IF you are not in a critical position. The new Gannett Publishing Service (GPS) (Production and Circulation) are now their own world and will do their own cuts. The other remaining departments will have the most cuts to meet expense cuts to offset declining revenue.
To 10:31, those percentages are interest earned. Pensions do not have cost of living increases.
ReplyDeletePensions can get a cost of living increase if the pension board decides to take such a step.
ReplyDeleteGannett pensions? I thought those were eliminated in 2007. So, how can early retirement be offered to those who qualify? I believe what you are calling early retirement is actually the layoff of those 55+. Any comments?
ReplyDelete12:38, the Gannett pensions do have COLAs, based on the consumer price index. Those COLAs were created when the pension was frozen. I think 10:31 is a bit confused on COLA's for previous years because there were no COLAs for Social Security recipients in 2009 and 2010. But the Social Security COLAs are calculated slightly differently than the CPI formula used by Gannett.
ReplyDeleteConspicuous Obama ad at Des Moines Register ...
ReplyDeletehttp://jimromenesko.com/2012/01/03/thats-not-an-editorial-comment/
Great job by Obama's people. Terrible job by the advertising people who OK'd that kind of placement.
GANNETT
ReplyDeleteRETIREMENT 2011 Personalized Pension Statement
Assumptions Used in this Statement
Last item under this heading:
The cost-of -living increase is based upon the Consumer Price Index for the 12-month period ending on the October 31 prior to applicable calender year. The value of the cost-of -living increases is summarized in the table below:
CALENDER YEAR Cost-of-Living Percentage
2008 2.20%
2009 2.20%
2010 1.71%
2011 0.61%
This info was taken right off the paper work I received from Gannett on December 31, 2010. You may also want to read: GANNETT Retirement Income Benefits
Changing Effective August 1,2008 (this was a REVISED statement)and explains the cost of living in relationship to pension.
1:49 error should be December 2011 sorry!
ReplyDeleteCreative services director is out at WUSA. Being called a consolidation.
ReplyDelete4:27 What does a creative services director do? Does every station have one? Where is the work being consolidated to?
ReplyDeleteCreative Services Director at least in places where I've worked is another name for Production Director - the person who is responsible for producing promos and commercials.
ReplyDeleteYep, 11:46. The poseurs "leading" GPS, along with the rather confused CFO (confused by the GCI Finance sycophants and the hum of consultants)now believe they will be able to sell off the printing presses, related support operations, and 10,000 Gannett production and circ staffers to some idiot investors.
ReplyDeleteBwahahaha! Not going to happen, folks.
Watch what happens to the stock price as Gannett starts writing off its printing presses.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHey 1/03/2012 1:07 PM
ReplyDeleteI got laid off 2008 and took an early retirement in 2010. So yes there is early retirement!
Agreed, 1:49. And, inadvertently feeds the notion that the media is biased. Too short-handed and too many mistakes is the real answer most of the time.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know anything about Laura Trujillo and her husband John Faherty from Arizona Republic? Carolyn Washburn announced today that Trujillo is Cincy's new digital managing editor and Faherty is our new general assignment storyteller. Both newly created positions. I can see the digital managing ed being a legit job. But a freaking "storyteller"? Sure hope he can cover breaking news where we really fall short because of the layoffs. Maybe they sold them a bill of goods as usual.
ReplyDeleteA story teller is a person who tells stories about the local community. We've had several at our paper for years.
ReplyDeleteWait until Faherty learns that he'll be tossed into the weekend cops and weekly obits rotations, along with having to write sappy Wish List, Whatever Happened To and Women of the Year stories. He'll really feel like he took a demotion to the minor leagues.
ReplyDeleteShout out to the Tock Stars at DES Moines Register. Great caucus website and coverage!!! It's all about the content right????
ReplyDelete8:11 The Arizona Republic formed an entire Storytelling Team when it reorganized the newsroom last month.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the storytelling concept is part of the passion topics news initiative.
Rock Stars!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is from a memo a Dec. 12 memo about the Republic-KPNX newsroom reorganization that Randy Lovely sent out:
ReplyDeleteLaura Trujillo: As senior director, Laura will lead the Life and
Business Team, including reporters and editors focused on lifestyle,
things to do, health, economy and consumer topics. The business
reporting team will continue its strong tradition of watchdog and
consumer investigations under the leadership of associate director
Kathy Tulumello, now working within the Life and Business center. This
combined group will include a publishing center to ensure quality
development of our related print sections and online channels. Laura
reports to Nicole.
And here's John Faherty in person:
http://www.azcentral.com/storytellers/video.php?vid=1092832994001&tcat=st-animals,st-loss
Jim posted the entire memo (in pieces) on the blog Dec. 13. Commenters on the post indicated that Trujillo has news/features experience but no mention of digital expertise in the Dec. 12 memo.
How about the Des Moines Register website with the unedited Twitter feed featuring F bombs and other nuggets?
ReplyDeleteClassy.
Trujillo and Faherty would do well to remember the fate of the last editor/reporter duo wooed to Cincy : tossed out by the new regime when Washburn came to town.
ReplyDeleteCw said that Trujillo will be making out food and other entertainment products relevant to our digital readers. What a job. And the poor thing will be reporting directly to CW which means she will be heavily micromanaged. That's the reason CW is so deapised in the Cincy newsroom.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the typos. Jim there has got to be an easier program for posting to this blog from my droid.
ReplyDeleteYup 9:02. I know exactly who you mean. A real loss to the news operation. CW doesn't care about the talent. She only wants yesmen. And her direct underlings tend to cover their a$$es and layoff the people who might threaten their jobs or aren't afraid to express opinions.
ReplyDeleteJournal News Layoffs???? Do tell.
ReplyDeletePrint subscription = free pay wall access.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else notice that the only time someone is promoted from within and moved to another area is if they're from Arizona? If someone isn't moved from Arizona, they hire from outside of the company.
ReplyDeleteRe: 10:06PM
ReplyDeleteThat's perfectly understandable. The Arizona Republic is best run newspaper in Gannett and one of the best run in the country. We're training the company's future leaders here and the rest of the company is nothing more than a shallow farm team for us. Sorry to be blunt but it's true.
New York Times send a note to Sulzberger express concern about some recent developments at the Times, including payout to Janet Robinson.
ReplyDeletehttp://jimromenesko.com/2012/01/03/nyt-union-sends-staff-letter-to-sulzberger/#more-4423
It's a pity Gannett reporters didn't show the same backbone when Dubow took the money and ran.
10:18 Please give us five specific reasons why the Republic is among the nation's best-run.
ReplyDeleteWow 10:18. I hope you didn't mean to sound so arrogant. If you are truly training all the next great keaders at GCI that must make AR Stepford Wives University. And that does not produce quality. Only the Gannettoid way of doing things. That unfortunately does not put AR at the top of the industry. Maybe the top of the bowels of the industry.
ReplyDelete10:24 I suspect that most of the 500 NYT Co. employees who signed that protest letter are union members, so they don't fear retribution. Those 500 are about 8% of the entire NYT Co. workforce.
ReplyDeleteIt would take about 2,600 Gannett employees signing their names to a protest letter in order to achieve the same proportion as the NYTers mustered.
I sense poorly executed sarcasm in 10.18's comments.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete9:31 - Journal News layoffs in news would really be suicidal in light of the Newsday digital push into Weschester.
ReplyDelete10:18 wasn't sarcastic. They all absolutely believe this to their core. Ever since Sue Clark Johnson won the "revolution," as Pacific Group lifers called it, they think they own the world. And they do. The former newspaper group is controlled by them, led by Dickey, who actually ate up and spit out his mentor, SCJ, and helped send her packing so he could rule the world.
ReplyDeleteThink it isn't true? I watched it from a ring-side seat. Look at Evan Ray: Still gaining yardage with this new group. And then there is Michelle Krans. Someone still should look into what she has accomplished. And how she got there.
They are eating up Gannett at least as much as Dubow ever did, or the folks playing musical chairs at USAT. More to come, so stay tuned to this train wreck.
11:35, I couldn't have said it better myself. If this is the training ground for Gannett, and seeing what these people have done for this company, they all need to GO BACK TO BASICS IN COLLEGE BECAUSE THEY ARE RUINING THIS COMPANY!!! At least you'll be able to put that final feather and take all the credit for that, AR.
ReplyDelete11:35 How, exactly, did Bob Dickey unseat Sue Clark-Johnson?
ReplyDeleteOther than Dickey and Zidich, who are the other Pacific Group principals you have in mind?
11:25 The Journal News has been dying a death of 1000 cuts for years. Newsday's forray into Westchester will not stop the job chopping. For the amount of work they produce, the newsroom staff is still bloated.
ReplyDelete6:41 Posts about layoffs at The Journal News are malarkey. The competition has been seeding these comments for months and it's obvious. You clearly don't know a thing about the size of the newsroom staff or how much they produce. Hey, how's Patch working out for you?
ReplyDeleteHey New Jersey, is JJ Cooke's column really gone?
ReplyDeleteAny word on the status of USAT HQ Production?
ReplyDeleteJim: Certainly Evan Ray and all his minions. He has now carved out and heads his own division. Crotchfelt, Krans are coming out on top. Zidich is actually on the decline, to be eclipsed by Mizner in Phoenix. Zidich wasn't really Dickey's guy, ever. He was No. 2 1/2 under SCJ, to Dickey's #2. The old Pacific Group HR group still has way too much power. The whole gang and its control goes pretty deep, if you know where to look.
ReplyDeleteSCJ packed up and scuttled home to AZ very abruptly one day. She is no fan of those left behind or what how she feels she was treated.
@ 9:47 - Oh please let that be true! Anyone have any information on JJC?
ReplyDelete7:39 Both Patch and Main Street Connect cover my town better than The Journal News.
ReplyDelete11:03 "How she was treated." Are you kidding me. Here was an executive that was never held accountable and when her boss finally asked her to do the heavy lifting she folded her tent and went home. Pleeease!
ReplyDelete7:39 And I'm sure you work for one of them. No bias there.
ReplyDelete