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Friday, April 06, 2012
64 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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Gannett people: It's time to unionize.
ReplyDeleteCompanies that have unions deserve them. Gannett deserves a union.
No one at Gannett is on your side. It's time to find someone that will help you fight the good fight.
Only the union will do that.
Yes, unions have troubles. But at least they can present a united front against a company that is working to reduce your pay, slash your benefits, make you their servants.
It's time for a union. It's time for you to stand up for yourself and your fellow workers.
Gracia:
ReplyDeleteYou had the choice of investing in your employees -- the people who make your product -- and investing in your stock.
You chose to invest in the stock.
The stock produces no revenue. The stock produces no product. Employees produce revenue.
The stock has fallen since your announcement.
You chose to invest in stock. You chose to break the promises you made to your employees instead.
Shame on you.
The stock produces revenue for shareholders via dividends.Gracia will benefit from her vast holdings.
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ReplyDeleteSusie Ellwood has done an amazing job as GM. Maybe she can help with the stock price?what did she do in DT? Wait she set up a "Lucy like" come visit me in the newsroom office as she worked up cuts for the newsroom... Nice
ReplyDeleteCassidy has confirmed pence had several pr agencies in house during her tenure. That explains "it's all within reach"
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteEllwood is too busy protecting Hunke and their outrageous paychecks to get anything else done.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletePence has moved on. You should do. This blog has bigger issues to discuss.
ReplyDeleteEllwood has yet to meet anyone in the newsroom. In
ReplyDeleteEss I'm mistaken, I've never seen her in any of them,
Whoever said GPS hasn't been hit by as many furloughs as USCP doesn't know what they're talking about. GPS has only been in existence for 6 months. We all worked under the Gannett name before GPS came into existence. I have been hit by every furlough they have dished out. My family is going to lose our house when we take this next one. That's my reality.
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ReplyDelete10:46: you are a personal 12-year-old.
ReplyDelete10:46: If you are a personal investor and investing in this company, you're dumber than Gannett's management team.
ReplyDeleteSomeone mentioned Unions. This is a good thought but you can't even get the unions here now to go along with each other. The only way a union would work at Gannett is ONE union both USA & Europe and to tell you the truth it's to late. Once Gannett split in two GPS and USCP we were all screwed. A post eariler stated that GPS will be bought up by a Investment firm and I for one think this is what will happen down a not so long road. So all you GPS employees
ReplyDeleteprepare your selves. Can you say REAPPLY FOR YOUR JOB.
Who would invest in a printing company?
ReplyDeleteI was leaving the office one night and saw Gracia and Hunke walking in. She had no bags in her hands and he was carrying three. He looked like a small child chasing behind his grandmother. This is our "leadership"
ReplyDelete11:23, you hit the nail on the had:
ReplyDeleteThis crap will be bought up by an insty.
any doubts, see Tribune Company and/or what happened to the Philly papers.
So, who will do it?
Here's a list of the top holders:
Top Institutional Holders
Holder Shares % Out Value* Reported
AllianceBernstein, L.P. 22,785,483 9.56 304,641,907 Dec 31, 2011
VANGUARD GROUP, INC. (THE) 12,416,263 5.21 166,005,436 Dec 31, 2011
Ariel Investments, LLC 11,519,553 4.83 154,016,423 Dec 31, 2011
Alden Global Capital Ltd 9,475,613 3.98 126,688,945 Dec 31, 2011
Credit Suisse/ 9,295,468 3.90 124,280,407 Dec 31, 2011
GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC 7,924,414 3.33 105,949,415 Dec 31, 2011
STATE STREET CORPORATION 7,911,008 3.32 105,770,176 Dec 31, 2011
USA Today -- even with never-ending furloughs and layoffs -- is sucking up resources from this company like never before. Yes, I know USAT lost big money in the first several years of its existence, but there was always a light at the end of the tunnel back then. I see no such light now.
ReplyDeleteBetween its pricey building/campus, the constant turnover and its no longer knowing what it wants to be, the waste is off the charts at the nation's newspaper. A lot of people still getting rich in that place, though. Explains why few ever leave on their own. Tough to make six figures, or even get close to it, elsewhere.
After flirting with becoming a credible source of news, it seems USAT is now going down a different path. I look at the USAT website and am astonished by all the errors and the lack of updates and just the corny gimmicks. I gave up buying the paper a couple years ago when it became obvious that the print product didn't matter anymore. What a scam on the public -- selling a product that lives off a reputation built mostly by people who are long gone. A product that has taken three steps backwards since about 2008 and offers readers so little.
I wish Gannett would just sell USAT and half the Crystal Palace instead of killing the product (and the employees) one paper cut at a time. Maybe someone else could do something with USAT that wouldn't be as ruthless on employees or insulting to readers.
If you aren't a news professional, but still enjoy reading newspapers (even in digital form), I'd steer clear of USAT. It's not credible anymore. If you a young journalist looking to move up, go elsewhere, because you will have no future at a paper that is run by one of the worst media companies of all time. Just read this blog for a few days and you will see how much people hate this company. It's at a level that goes way beyond the usual complaints that you read on other blogs. Where their is smoke, there is fire.
Gannett will probably never go away, but I just hope USAT can be rescued somehow.
These people calling for a union sound like out-of-time socialists from the 1930s.
ReplyDeleteThat phase of fighting back is over, sadly. Empty meet-ups and flash mobs have replaced meaningful protests. Occupy? Simply organized homelessness. Tourists take photos and move on.
Whither the Movement? Not found in empty calls to "action" on this depressing blog.
Workplace battles are won one day at a time, one hire at a time, one bit of resistance at a time.
Managers need to stand tougher. Workers need to ask more questions. Top bosses need to slow down and think.
But Norma Rae has left the building.
Even the chicken flew the coop in Shreveport. It's a sad week.
ReplyDeleteAre there any Gannett sites that treat Easter as a holiday and pay accordingly for those who have to work?
ReplyDelete1:22 Our deal chicken has resigned too. I don't think they report to the local sites. I pretty sure the local sites have no management authority over them. Our deal chicken rep was telling me abut a new structure they are now under and he did not want to go through it. He said deal chicken management is confused and it leaves them confused. He said he got a better offer elsewhere. I'm not sure we can blame deal chicken on the local sites.
ReplyDelete2:04 you are correct. No local control.
ReplyDelete#occupyganett
ReplyDeleteThey will bleed you until there is no blood left and then they will dump you. Simply men at the top getting rich off your bodies.
ReplyDelete1:55 Easter is not a national holiday it's a religious observation. Why should anyone have to pay for that. Want it off take a vacation or a personal day.
ReplyDeleteThey are not bleeding me, I do as little as possible any more, to make up for my furlough time and all the other BS. Screw em, They will have to fire me before I re-apply..Im done giving my all. pay check, that's all it is,,ridding the wave
ReplyDeleteLOL. A "religious observation" would be something along the lines of, "They dunk, not sprinkle."
ReplyDeleteUnions will cost everyone, and you won't be able to get enough people on board to start with anyway.
ReplyDeleteReaders of cincinnati.com certainly aren't going to the web site for immediacy. The three top stories are the same top stories offered yesterday. Yep, the paywall is going to be worth it in the Queen City.
ReplyDeleteHave you been there on mobile especially? Really. I'm a mobile follower and it needs to be updated the same as the website. And it's not as much as CW acts like she cares about up to date digital.
DeleteSorry. Meant that for the guy below
DeleteThis constant refrain that Cincy's website doesn't change is really silly.
ReplyDeleteHave you hit 'refresh? '
You sound like some senior citizen who doesn't know how the Internet works.
Now that it's after 5 pm est and we know the suits and dress pants have shut down and headed home or to their planes to head home or to the nearest bar, here is my suggestion. Take your furlough days right in the middle of the busiest week you can find. Leave no follow up. Just shut down and disappear for your furlough. Let your VPs scramble to cover, leave your clients wondering WTF? and make fucking damn sure all these VPs know the job can't be done without you. All this "we feel your pain while we line our pockets" bullshit sacrifice has got to stop.
ReplyDeleteJim: How come when someone expresses that they are so glad to be gone from GANNETT, that the post is not posted? It's part of having worked at GANNETT! We are proud to gloat!!! We learned that from the early days of GANNETT. Posters should have that right!
ReplyDeleteMy fellow co workers will totally understand when they are no longer there! It is part of the process!
Dear J School Grads,
ReplyDeleteI know times are tough and jobs are scarce, but if you're considering working for any Gannett property, think long and hard before committing.
Getting your feet wet may actually cause you to drown if you work for Gannett.
You will notice from the physical appearance of many Gannett newsrooms that something is terribly wrong. It's like looking at a city that went sent into decay by years of corruption in city hall. Here, the corruption is legal (I think) but nonetheless destructive.
There are exceptions. USA Today has some spectacular digs, as do a couple other properties. But this too is deceptive. USA Today is broken. Severely broken. It is a place that will lure you in and then break your heart. Just read the USAT postings on this blog.
I would advise you to look elsewhere to break into the business. An upstart news web operation, an alternative print weekly, a mom-and-pop magazine -- almost anything is better than working at Gannett. I can't list all the reasons why, but this company ruins careers. It disillusions people. It might seem fine for awhile, but whether it's six months down the road or 10 years into your stay, Gannett will demoralize you and make you wonder why you even got a journalism degree.
Good luck,
A veteran of Gannett
Veteran is absolutely correct.
DeleteSalem's top Communities story today: Second-grader writes flood story
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for paywalls.
@4:52, one hopes you don’t deal with the public directly as the fact of the matter is the Enquirer is the one that hasn’t been “refreshing” the site.
ReplyDeleteThe story about Obama going to Dayton for the NCAA was one of the most egregious lately as it sat in full view on the main news page for nearly a month…it disappeared a few days after the tournament ended.
It’s pathetic and if the Enquirer has any hopes of getting people to pay for content once paywalls are up it damn well needs to do a better job in managing content. Keeping you away from interacting with customers should be a goal too as your insufficient ‘refresh’ solution will just piss off the few who even bothered to complain that much more.
Just got of I-Phone training at the Assbury Park Press. Guy who ran it repeatedly told us to practice with the contraptions "on your own time."
ReplyDeleteYeah. Sure. Right. Have had one raise in the last four years and have been furloughed five times starting in 2009 and I'm gonna learn how these things work on my own time? Yeah. Sure. Right. (LOL).
I'd rather take my severance (oops transition pay) and my 99 weeks of unemployment than deal with these contraptions on my own time.
These I-Phones will make our lives even more miserable. Imagine being at an event in inclement weather, taking notes and juggling an I-Phone while Dickey, Martore and the Gannett Goons relax in comfort. Those who think they are so great can use 'em while I sit in the office.
1:17, Occupy = "Simply organized homelessness."
ReplyDeleteI very much see your reasoned points as applied to change at Gannett, but that phrase regarding Occupy is a gross mischaracterization of what is an ongoing (and now resurgent)global phenomenon.
As such, an evident misunderstanding of the very nature of Occupy detracts from what would otherwise be excellent food for thought.
6:10 You should get into a different line of work if you're complaining about having to learn to use an iPhone. You sound like a malcontent dinosaur. What would you prefer? A typewriter?
ReplyDelete7:54 You must be someone who never leaves the office. Can't wait for it to malfunction while I am out in the inclment weather (LOL!!!) CCI newsgate is crap and I hear people already complaining about how the I-Phones don't work right. You can have my place outside while I sit in a nice, warm office complete with chairs and couches. Bring on the couch dancing girls!!!
ReplyDeleteHey, at least Towns is good for something. I am pretty good on computers, having worked on four office models and four laptops. Your crack about typewriters is way off!!!!
I really take offense to calling people over 30 dinosaurs. Just because some people are so pissed off at gannett that they refuse to learn how to use a freaking iphone doesn't mean the rest of the group doesn't get it or hasn't kept up with their skills which probably surpass your's (this to the insolent sob who posted earlier). So get off your high horse and appreciate all who bring something to the table. They probably know more than you do about this business, about what matters and how to get the job done.
ReplyDeleteOh and i just refreshed my Droid.
ReplyDeleteThe Assbury Park Press' sister weeklies, the Community Reporter and the Observer Reporter, are rotting on the vine.
ReplyDeleteSome are down to as few as eight pages despite their locations in prosperous areas whose readers are older. Some no longer have sports sections.
What gives? How are other weeklies doing around the nation?
What is the future of the people who put these papers on the street?
One of the weekies associated with the Des Moines Reg is pathetic in both content and ad content in the companion shopper.Eight pages of house fill and maybe 4 pages of paid ads.Subscriptions are way down
ReplyDeleteas well.Don't know how it can possibly be profitable.
There are at least 32 Gannettoids at Augusta National. Boy, that bar bill must be a big one, right Hootie?
ReplyDeleteName five
DeleteDear A veteran of Gannett
ReplyDelete4/06/2012 5:33 PM
Well said. Thank you.
The clarion-ledger community papers shrunk to next-to-nothing status several years ago. Sports was eliminated. They went from three to two or one time a week. Usually 8 pages
ReplyDelete"USA Today is broken. Severely broken. It is a place that will lure you in and then break your heart."
ReplyDeleteSo true. The sad thing is that it used to be one of the best places in journalism to work.
8:58 age has nothing to do with being a dinosaur. With 30-plus years in the business, I'd qualify as a dinosaur too if I meant it that way. It's about that poster's attitude. There's plenty to whine about -- but getting a new and important tool and learning to use it isn't one of them. Developing excellent iPhone skills should prolong his/her life in the business. But that attitude makes him/her ripe for extinction.
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ReplyDeleteNot to falsely give anyone credit, but if you Google Obama or NCAA, wouldn't Cincy leaving that story up drive up SEO results?
ReplyDeleteYes, yes we used to be a news organization but in delivering audience, it's only about the Googling.
USA today operates best when there are few editors running around (or far more often, navel gazing in their offices or at meetings) and letting reporters do what they do best, report and gather the news. Streamline the entire operation, find people who know what writing for the web is about and you'd have a functioning news operation'that could actually compete for eyeballs. It ain't rocket science, but everyone wants it to be. The beaurcratic newsroom structure is an anachronism bound to fail. In her heart, Susan Weiss knows this. So do people like Mitch Gelman. But eh either don't have the will power or stomach to break up a staid system that no longer keeps pace in a 24/7 cycle.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't about making people reapply for jobs. It's about shedding unnecessary ones and redelgating others. Fewer editors. Fewer copy editors. More reporters. More bloggers. Less bullshit from corporate and the publisher.
Here here!
DeleteIl'l add that a supposed industry leader does not create half baked ideas (verticals, The Desk, the Transformation). It does NOT have non journalists overseeing the critical website. And it does not instigate furloughs when it is boosting dividends and buying back stock. Nor does it make whole departments reapply for jobs.
ReplyDeleteMs. Martore, theres a big difference in claiming you want a best in class operation and actually making sure you have one. But when you pay lip service to your valued employees, you create an atmosphere that breeds contempt and mistrust, a morale buster that undermines an organization you profess to admire and oversee.
It's our understanding that David Hunke's tenure is coming to a long overdue end. This would be a perfect opportunity to start setting things right.
Time to fight back usat people...
ReplyDeleteWORK SLOW DOWN.....
Qaulity of work slides...
show your unhappiness with a call in sick at worst possible times..
Non union shops should unionize...
Let's make it our S O P ..
8:40's comments, read carefully, are the best argument for how sorely editors are needed.
ReplyDelete12:27. That's really not the answer and indicative of anall too pervasive attitude that already exists.
ReplyDelete12:52, spoken like a true desk jockey who takes up space.