Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Where does your department's employment rank?

At California's Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register, the newsroom accounts for a third of those papers' nearly 100 employees, according to one of my readers.

What's the story at your worksite?

Following a suggestion by a Gannett Blogger, I'm breaking down employment by department at each of the U.S. community dailies -- Gannett's largest and most financially challenged division. It has more than 20,000 of GCI's 31,000 employees. Plus, those papers are now undergoing a buyout that will reduce employment even more.

Please review this spreadsheet, then post your site's numbers by department. How to get the information? Count the names in your phone directories. Or look at the staff contact list on your website.

Then please post information for your site in the comments section, below.

33 comments:

  1. My spreadsheet now lists four major departments: newsroom, advertising, finance and production.

    But I can adjust that list, depending on your response.

    ReplyDelete
  2. In my department about half work. It is a silly place.

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  3. Really? 289 in the Cincinnati newsroom? That seems like a high number to me. Will be interested to see if that is confirmed by others.

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  4. What????
    No room for IT/Tech Services???

    Please indulge me Jim!

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  5. 2:45 Sounds high to me, too, but that apparently includes people working for various weekly publications.

    2:51 I've added IT/tech services.

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  6. In an e-mail, a second reader tells me the Enquirer's newsroom total is actually much lower: 131. And they've given me a name-by-name roster.

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  7. The Enquirer’s weekly newspaper group, Community Press / Recorder, has approximately 30 news/sports employees.

    http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=contact

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  8. Well, tried to add our numbers from Brevard, but no dice...
    In case you feel like entering them here they are:
    1 manager, 1 asst. manager, 1 IT specialist and 4 Tech Services.

    This is down from the "Good old days" when staffing was: 1 Director, 1 asst. Director, 1 manager, 1 asst. manager, 3 IT specialists and 5 Tech Services. (IT and Tech Service were separate back then)

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  9. Visalia (Calif.) Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register

    Newsroom: 32*

    * The T-D/A-R shares a 10-person copy desk with the Salinas Californian. Of course that shared copy desk is soon to be shuttered in favor of the design center.

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  10. 32 in the newsroom before buyouts and design center. 32 in Advertising. 2 in IT. 12 full time in Circ, about 18 full time in production.

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  11. There were 289 people in the Enquirer's newsroom in 1999.

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

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  13. 289 in Cincy newsroom? Maybe 30 years ago when I worked there. I took a quick look at the online staff box and count 129, once you delete a vice president of advertising and some other VPs of departments other than newsroom.

    So, if Enquirer buys out 26 (the paper's allotted number), that means 1 in 5 goes. Good thing they are gonna start charging for online and dropping print subscriptions (check out editor Carolyn Washburn's Friday chat with readers: "There will be no more print only subscriptions"). Can't hammer the nails in the coffin any faster than this.

    Oh wait, yes you can. Add that the Enquirer is being sent up to Columbus Dispatch for printing, some two hours away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Does your cable company let you subscribe but not pay for NBC because you don't watch NBC. Does Forf let you buy a four door car but not pay for two doors because you're single and don't need the back seat? No. So if we offer a basicsubscription that includes print and online why should you be able to choose one or the other . The new model includes both. Deal with ut Beaver Cleaver it's 2012

      Delete
  14. Lafayette/Opelousas, LA
    27 in news
    2 in IT

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  15. Plant engineering, Wilmington News Journal...2 dayshift mechanics, 1 second shift mechanic, 2 night shift mechanics. 6 day work week for all. Two department managers, and one part time manager. 35 hr work week, weekends off, every week. Anyone????

    ReplyDelete
  16. Mountain Home, Ar
    The Baxter Bulletin

    Classified - 2
    Circulation - 3
    Production - 1
    Accounting - 1
    Newsroom - 12
    Advertising - 13
    (Which includes Ad Traffickers)
    General Manger
    Human Resources/Support Services - 1

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  17. 6:06 I've put those Wilmington numbers under "other." But are those actually production jobs?

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  18. Jackson clarion-ledger newsroom is down to about 55. 11 buyouts on the table.

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  19. Jim, Plant Engineering is a department within production in Wilmington.

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  20. And Jim, without mechanics you don't run production.

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  21. 37 in the Newark newsroom, but that includes two editors, two reporters and a 16-person copy desk who work for the MNCO group and not just for Newark.

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  22. 6:08, I understand your point, however, cable companies don't just add to your services and make a mandatory charge. You have the choice to buy into more packages if you want them, such as sports channels, movie channels, etc. They are not forced upon you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Basic cable has no choice. Basic subscription has no choice. In this case the basic subscription includes print and web. You personally might not like the choice but that's the choice. On my basic cable I have six Spanish language channels. I don't speak Spanish but I can't eliminate the channels and get a cheaper rate. That's the model. The old model is dead.

      Delete
  23. production in Wilmington is mostly probationers who work part time and about 14 full time (union)

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  24. Wilmington purchased 2 multi million dollar Goss MagnaPak inserting machine a few years back and run them with inner city ex-cons and welfare mothers who live on the bus line

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  25. @1113 What's your point? One of the best things about Wilmington is giving people a second chance. Wise up, pal. You might need one someday....

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  26. hey 12:13, You're right, a second chance is surely better than making a good union scale and benefits!!! Slavery is alive and well in Gannett

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  27. 6:12: But I do have a choice. TV in my house is a necessity and I don't mind paying for it. The newspaper I'll cancel and read my local news from the TV website for free.

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  28. Our phone directory is beyond outdated - not enough manpower to maintain it.

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  29. In Jackson, they hardly have enough reporters to get by and no raises in years despite the cost of living rises. The reporters have dropped like flies and now they are offering more buyouts.

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  30. Since a couple of emails with staffing numbers from Brevard went unnoticed in Jim's inbox here are the numbers for our site:
    Here are the numbers from the other depts. at Florida Today. Not 100% accurate due to not all shows up on the company directory, especially the GPS packaging ctr. employees and a few others.

    News: 70
    Advertising: 61
    GPS: 57

    Other departments (OC, Southgroup empls., Corporate, Accounting, Cust. Relations and more..): 42

    ReplyDelete

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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