Saturday, February 25, 2012

Feb. 20-26 | Your News & Comments: Part 8

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60 comments:

  1. The first 2 days of Florida Today's paywall has yielded 25 comments to their paywall/subscription story. All but one bashing them. My "warning" counts of free articles left have gone from 14 to 12 to 9 to 8 to 12 back to 14 just before writing this. What's with that? Also in the comments, people saying thier subscriptions didn't work and weren't easily fixed. Typical with FT to start something that didn't work. Is this the same at other papers that started this?

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  2. Jim, could some of the buyouts that are still missing from the spreadsheet be in the design centers, instead of newspapers?

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  3. Oops…

    Did the Enquirer know Liz Rogers, one of its recent Top 20 Women to Watch – a group it named its own Editor too, was given nearly $1,000,000 in grants and loans by the City of Cincinnati to open the business it touted for her selection despite numerous tax liens and judgments being filed against her during the past five years?

    A local Cincinnati TV station does and they just ran a story about it.

    Embarrassing pick for the Enquirer, that is unless they knew all would be watching her…on Channel 9.

    http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/i-team-banks-restaurant-owner-has-history-of-unpaid-bills

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  4. One year ago today, Gannett announced the shutdown of the Honolulu Advertiser. The video marks the newsroom spot where 'toid hatchet man Evan Ray delivered the death sentence.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Hwy-H4lUI

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  5. 11:40 you can thank the unions for putting them out of business. I flexible to the end. The paper didn't make ANY MONEY! You couldn't get rid of a sales rep who refused to sell. That's what really happened but the haters will never accept that. They didn't make money!!!!!

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  6. LA Times and Boston Glibe announce new paywalls.

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  7. Interesting spot the Enquirer put itself in with its list.

    Adding Washburn to it despite a wealth of far more talented professional women with greater challenges exposed its self-promotion needs.

    And now this, the inclusion of someone who makes local news just weeks later and it’s not because she’s the first black women to open a business on the Banks which was the Enquirers’ reason for her selection. It’s because she received significant govt loans and grants from the city despite years of failing to pay her debts – including taxes, and a FICO score that’s likely equal to the Enquirer’s street address which exposes its dwindling news staff and lack of research.

    How it deals with this news, now that it’s out, will expose even more about the Enquirer.

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  8. Two former Cincinnati Enquirer staffers file age discrimination lawsuit: http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-24937-lawsuit_alleges_enquirer_layoffs_driven_by_age.html

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    1. A great reporter whose departure would put more nails in the paper' coffin.

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  10. I have several buyout candidates in my department and as a supervisor will not advise for or against taking the offer - both as a management directive and because I have no basis to offer an opinion.

    I've not spoken to the candidates with regard to the buyout but I've continued to converse, schedule and work with them just as before and without regard to whatever their decision eventually is.

    It would be unfair to them and the other team members to do any differently. I'm sorry that it's not always the case at all sites, but we try to be as humane as possible.

    The simple fact is that we've been forced to cut staff so often that we will sorely miss anyone who leaves - but as acquaintances of 20+ years, we will wish them well.

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  11. Everyone in social media is 12 yrs old and use words like W00t! and lots of exclamation marks and of course the overused "you rock"!!!

    But now that we have Gannett Pinterst boards, journalism will be saved.

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  12. I wonder how much Gannett is spending to send Jodi Gersh and her tribe to SXSW?

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  13. Oh, the irony ... today's DealChicken.com deal on LSJ.com is for 50% off Food and Beverage at Joe's Gizzard City!

    For those who don't know, Joe's Gizzard City is a restaurant outside of Lansing, MI, know for their world famous deep fried chicken gizzards. HA!

    http://www.dealchicken.com/lansing-mi?source=IP|nav|dealchickenfeatured

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  14. The majority of buyouts are in newsrooms, and now they're going to charge for content online suggesting quality and value. The majority of changes reduce local presence (although the spin is otherwise) and the print content is questionable and declining.

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  19. 11:16 pm asks: "Could some of the buyouts that are still missing from the spreadsheet be in the design centers, instead of newspapers?"

    Indeed, yes.

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  20. Part 7, of this thread, has an interesting point:

    "Regarding - http://www.digiday.com/publishing/five-publishers-to-follow-on-pinterest/

    Why does Gannett Digital have such a large number of "following" in comparison to "followers". The other publications are "following" less than 30 others. Gannett Digital is following 985 others.... What is the point of this? ... Was someone in GD tasked with "following" instead of attracting "followers"? Who is initiating all of these followings?"

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    ... Why ARE we "following" more than being followed on Pinterest?

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  21. 9:48 We recently discussed that lawsuit in this post.

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  22. 10:37,
    I have no idea why we would have Gannett Digital attend SWSW conference, beyond someone's personal interest in entertainment. It has no corporate value for the digital initiatives. If that is true, than it needs to be reviewed for misappropriation of funds.

    http://SWSW.com/

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  23. Sounds like SXSW is geared to the music and film industry:


    "The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW is the premier destination for discovery"

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  25. http://ricksblog.biz/gannett-offers-buyout-to-local-staff/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed

    Looks like (3) Gannett employees will be leaving the Pensacola News Journal (PNJ) soon.

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  26. SXSW added a technology conference in addition to music several years back...its a cutting edge tech conference for sure where newest and greatest is rolled out...wish i could go

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  27. As to the missing buy outs question.
    Not every site reads this blog.And many more don't have the gonads to post.

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  29. ... How much were we billed for the public-speaker? How much will the SXSW conference cost Gannett?

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  30. 1:59 PM,
    Please post a link to SXSW "technology conference," because I can not find it???

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  31. Try The Google. Or mayhaps South by Southwest is better recognized by Ask Jeeves.

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  32. In Austin, they call it South by So What.

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  33. I think the important point about the "public speaker" event, is that there was an enormous amount of deception there. The man makes a living from giving public speeches, and he was deceived and manipulated into giving a presentation on the spot. Yes, it is incredibly embarrassing for Gannett. We would like to think that everyone would have enough respect for those in the public speaking profession. And, also enough respect to get the necessary budget approval. However, that was not the case here.

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  34. I'm sorry, I have been all over the SXSW site. I have also looked on three search engines. This SXSW event, does not look like a "corporate." It looks like an enormous party for college students in Austin, Austin music and film. Out of all of the conferences, expos, and lectures... I don't see why Gersh would choose this for Gannett Digital!

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  35. I mean to say:
    "This SXSW event, does not look like a "corporate" EVENT.

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  36. Ask.com describes SXSW as:

    South by Southwest Source
    March 9-18, 2012
    Austin, Texas

    The SXSW Music and Media Conference showcases hundreds of musical acts from around the globe on over eighty stages in downtown Austin



    Are you kidding me???? .... Is Gannett Digital spending money to sent people to "showcases hundreds of musical acts from around the globe on over eighty stages in downtown Austin."

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  37. Who is this Jodi Gersh and WTF?

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  38. Go here to see the prices for access level-badges to this event.

    http://sxsw.com/attend

    .... What access level did Gersh purchase for Gannett Digital employees?

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  39. Why not send Gannett Digital to Burning Man if you want to seem so hip?

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  40. If you folks have never heard of SXSW , and have no idea why digital, social media and new media folks would want/need to be there then you really don't no anything about the digital world. I'm not being snarky. If you question it and wonder why JG would take folks there you need to do your homework. This is where Twitter was debuted to the world folks.

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  41. This string is scary. It demonstrates that many of the folks that come here are print centric. If you know digital, you know SXSW

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  42. 3:09 Keep in mind that Gannett is a huge company, with many employees who don't work directly in the digital space.

    A fair question to ask is this: How has Twitter made Gannett a stronger company? List five specific examples.

    Then, from this year's event, what are five new, important steps that Gannett will take as a result of participating in this event?

    In other words, why is this event -- and others like it -- more than just a big smoozefest?

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  43. Not to be snarky...
    Twitter did not debuet there. Twitter had display units at SXSW in which the college-audience could become acquainted with the Twitter product.

    "During the event, Twitter usage increased from 20,000 tweets per day to 60,000.[19] "The Twitter people cleverly placed two 60-inch plasma screens in the conference hallways, exclusively streaming Twitter messages," remarked Newsweek's Steven Levy. "Hundreds of conference-goers kept tabs on each other via constant twitters."

    I am not sure that you can compare Gannett Digital attending the conference to Twitter incorporating two 60 inch plasma screens advertising their product. Twitter Advertised at the conference... Huge difference.

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  44. I think the answer about Gannett Digital's intentions, regarding their attendance at SXSW, can be found by the access-level purchased. If they have an access-level to view the 84 stages of live-bands.... Then it's painfully obvious what their personal objectives are. Someone also needs to look into the relative hotel expenses.

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  45. 3:13 PM,
    Are you kidding with your comment. I'm in the new media business. SXSW is a party-fest. I'm in the digital business, and I can tell you that for a fact. I can only assume that 3:13 is JG.

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  46. SXSW is a totally legit place for the digital people to go, but only if there is interest in actually implementing some of what they learn.

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  47. 3:13 PM,
    Nice intimidation tactic of implying that were print centric because we don't approve of the attendence at SXSW music festival with 84 performance stages. Keep in mind that Twitter had advertised at the music conference.

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  48. SXSW is a huge party. Yes everyone in "technology" thinks its a must-attend event. At the end of the day, most people are trying to land a job, sell their company, or do deals.

    Gannett Digital is a large media company who can access any company they wish to do business with...without spending gobs of money for the 20-somethings to attend parties, eat, and drink. It's a rediculous party-scene. All people do is smooze and fill up their twitter stream with the hashtag #sxsw so everyone knows they were there....and are oh so cool.

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  49. What will Gannett Digital be doing at the conference... What's on the agenda, what did they purchase access too?????

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  50. It really sounds like a HUGE PARTY. I have been reading about this, since I saw the reference on this thread.

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  51. Johnny Storm2/25/2012 3:57 PM

    If you know music you also know SXSW. The festival has been around a for a long time and is pretty respected. If you want to get some younger eyes on the news product, it's a good move to have people at this conference. Since it draws bands from across the country, there's a good chance there's "content" for all markets. It's not just about sports, moms and local news people. And I'm not a corporate shill, just someone who recognizes the value of doing this.
    OK, I have put on my asbestos suit for the flaming.

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  52. Again, that begs the question...
    What will Gannett Digital be doing there? It sounds like they are attending the convention. The technology convention at SXSW is geared towards mainstream gadgets... It not a convention for corporate knowledge within the digital industry. It's for Joe-shmo that likes gadgets.

    Is this the first year that Gannett Digital plans to attend?

    If they were there in previous years, did they advertise or just attend the conference?

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  53. I've attended SWSX and it's a huge party. Spring break for the self-important digital barely-out-of-college crowd. Last year, the big talk was Four Square and Jodi and her team did a lot of tweeting and checking in to parties and meet-ups using four square.

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  54. Beyond silly to think a corporation like Gannett needs to be at SXSW to advance our offerings. Pick up the phone and call Google, twitter, FB, YouTube, Yahoo, Pinterest, Four Square, etc and have professional meetings. They'll take your call.

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  55. I'm sure that the organizers of SXSW sell the attendance list to advertisers. A better way to reach the audience would be to advertise to the audience directly. Reaching the audience is really a direct marketing- branding-advertising genre of an initiative.... Which is obviously out of the scope of our current Gannett Digital group. Gannett Digital is attending the gadget conference and perhaps the music portion as well.

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  57. Any more spring-break events that we should know about??

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  58. The Cincinnati Enquirer sent several staffers to SXSW last year.

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  59. 4:45,
    Were they coving a story?

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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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