Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
47 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."
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Update on thread from last week - Cincy "storyteller" still not bothering to spell proper names consistently all the way through. Gieseke, Gieske...details, details.
ReplyDeletehttp://news.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20120521/NEWS/305210070/Hyde-Park-family-s-concrete-pig-stolen
I fear for the day when IT is outsourced. It's bad enough calling a help desk four states away, but trying to explain to someone in Bangalore that NewsRest is down again would have me pulling out my Selectric.
ReplyDeleteThe Geek Squad cars should be showing up any day now.
DeleteTribune May Sell Print, Broadcast Properties
ReplyDeleteA broad corporate reorganization may be setting the stage for a sale of some media properties by Tribune Co., according to Crain’s Chicago Business, which first reported the news, citing documents filed in a Delaware bankruptcy court as part of Tribune’s ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
The documents outline a proposed reorganization that simplifies corporate ownership of key assets, including creating limited liability companies for Tribune’s main newspaper properties, according to Crain’s.
For example, five businesses in Baltimore are being merged into a single entity centered on The Baltimore Sun. This could be intended to make these properties more attractive to buyers after Tribune exits bankruptcy -- which could happen before the end of the year.
Tribune owns both print and broadcast properties, as well as their associated online assets. Given the beleaguered state of the newspaper business, the company is more likely to choose to divest itself of some of its less-profitable print properties. This could well include big metro dailies, like The Baltimore Sun and the Los Angeles Times; a number of potential buyers have expressed interest in the latter publication, including Los Angeles billionaires Ron Burkle, Eli Broad, and David Geffen, among others.
Conversely, the company may decide to refocus its energies on the core newspaper business and shed some of its broadcast stations, which include local stations in Dallas, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Sacramento and Portland.
If recent deals by other companies are any guide, Tribune will probably go with the first option and sell off newspaper properties. Last week, Media General, which also owns a portfolio of print and broadcast properties, announced plans to sell 63 newspapers to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway for $142 million in cash along with loans and credit totaling $445 million.
(MediaPost)
From a news release yesterday when I was offline:
ReplyDeleteUSA TODAY Travel Media Group announced two key appointments today. John Peters has been named president and Krista Nordlund has been named vice president of product. Peters will direct the overall strategy of the USA TODAY Travel Media Group. Nordlund will focus on the development of consumer digital products for the Travel Media Group. Both will be based at USA TODAY's McLean headquarters. The announcement was made today by USA TODAY president and publisher Larry Kramer.
Oh boy. more executive appointments. how many does Kramer get? Not as many as Hunke?
ReplyDeleteInteresting take on a company with the similar dynamics as Gannett:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tuscbargainhunter.com/article/20120521/BLOGS/705219952/-1/tbh11
Gannett and USAT are "Products" for sale, no longer are they media or journalism companies. Abandon ship and save yourself while you still can.
ReplyDeleteThe pig story is what Cincy offers as the paywall approaches? I'm a-feared for our Operation Firefly rollout.
ReplyDeletePaywalls are easily bypassed, so no worries on being able to read pig stories going forward.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be very Gannett-like to go through all the effort it takes to establish a paywall and then have it bypassed by users just as easily?
ReplyDeleteNew USA Today Publisher Larry Kramer is speaking at the paidContent 2012 conference today.
ReplyDeleteFollow it at #pc2012
For your paywall money, let's hope you get crisper story-telling than this!
ReplyDelete"Five hours later, at 3 in the afternoon, 9-year-old Jaime came bursting into the house announced that pig was gone."
10:48 a.m., the lifespan of a Firefly isn't that long.
ReplyDeleteCould the same for Gannett's paywalls.
Good read on Kramer's thoughts about who might be the next editor at USAToday.
ReplyDeleteAlso, he seems to support the vertical strategy.
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/fast-chat-larry-kramer-140544
Just goes to show you what happens when you hire a "storyteller" because his wife is the new ME. Feeble feature with misspellings. Certainly debunks Gracia's "meritorcacy" claim. They have plenty of storytellers with expertise on Cincinnati. They don't need one with all the depth of a puddle.
ReplyDeleteNo one really has figured out how to make digital a winning bet. Certainly not the new management many of whom wore out their welcome at other companies: they are there to collect a paycheck, change things up, make it look to investors that something new is going on. It is, but it's not going to mean big profits. If they knew how to make it work, they wouldn't be working for Gannett. They would be out in Silicon Valley.
ReplyDeleteKramer says he wants to get to know the USAToday staff see if the next editor is there.
ReplyDeleteGood for him. Good leadership!
Banikarim could learn from that. She fired everyone in marketing within weeks without getting to know anyone.
Believe me, the senior editors here dont get digital at all. most still trying to fill the paper and still dont get digital or its deadline demands. MONEY is the worst.
Delete1:58 you mean like Facebook that just went public and immediately tanked? You mean that Silicon Valley?
ReplyDelete2:31 what exactly did those great folks in marketing do? I haven;t seen a campaign, event or tent pole that created a lick of business in five years. It certainly wasn;t your pals' Canne boondoggle. The marketing folks all went to that event and partied their behinds off.
ReplyDeleteI didnt see the tweets from MB.
DeleteShe was too busy to tweet
DeleteDoing what? Unclear.
The over 50 crowd is being decimated today in Sports by the Beusse hit squad. So far:
ReplyDeleteDixie Vereen.Mike Dodd.Mike McCarthy. Tom Weir. Gary Graves. Andy Gardiner. Gene Faris. Bob KimbAll. GE Branch. seth Livingston. johnny Fagoust.
can anyone say, racial and age discrimination? Som of these people are very good AND tech savvy.
Many of the USAT crowd is over 50 so how do you figure it's age discrimination. And how do you get to racial issues when so many non minorities are on the list? Why is the first stone always discrimination?
DeleteSergio Non. Tom Pedulla.
DeleteI used to work most of these folks that just got cut in USAT Sports and I wish them nothing but the best. It's not fun when someone loses a job and I hope they can bounce back ASAP.
ReplyDelete4:24 PM--very few can "bounce" back. This is the "over the hill" gang. What are they going to bounce back to in this economy? High, welcome to Wal Mart!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how USAT and other Gannett properties can cut as many over 50s as they have and continue to get away with it. Papers are left with newbies and the quality (or lack of) is showing.
ReplyDeletePartially blame stock analysts who want quarterly profits without looking down the road, as many corporations cut experienced staff, R & D departments and experienced marketers.
This isnt about stock analysts. the agenda is get younger and cheaper because that means less blowback against questionable strategy. Content quality and institutional knowledge be damned.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIt is now obvious that the only thing Banikarim, Micek and their inexperienced young marketing things have done in the last year is simply carry on what Susan Lavington, Robin Pence, Ed Cassidy, Heidi Zimmerman and Mary Anne Cristiano put together. Only difference is that MB and SM are taking credit for all of it. Must be exhausting for you marketing geniuses. Party on in Cannes. I'll be certain to follow Banikarim's tweets of all the famous celebrities she sucks up to that will add to her collection from the WHCD. Wish I could get into the MB marketing mash.
ReplyDeletePlease point out where exactly in North America there are any local daily newspapers that are succeeding with viable long-term business models based on "content quality and institutional knowledge".
ReplyDeleteThere's just no end to that stock soaring -- downward. Martore, looks like it's time for another one of your great interviews.
ReplyDeleteFor shame, Tom Buesse.
ReplyDeleteHow do you sleep at night?
Beusse is just rolling the dice. he knows $300 million annual revenue is a pipe dream. he will collect his fat paycheck and sail away. the gannett way.
ReplyDeleteLayoffs at USAT Sports - anybody post this yet?
ReplyDeletehttp://shermanreport.com/layoffs-in-usa-today-sports-mccarthy-weir-pedulla-out/
5:30 I hate to agree with you, but based on what my age 40+ friends are suffering through, you are correct.
ReplyDeleteDuring what should be our peak earning years, where are skills, experience, ambition and ability to mentor are supposed to be valued.
We're being thrown away like garbage.
They're not all old -- a couple of names are missing from that list.
ReplyDeleteStill terrible.
labor union beware ! they're coming after you next !
ReplyDelete5:41 and 6:01:
ReplyDeleteExactly.
Rebirth of union shops aren't the worst idea we've heard. Employees need representation when a company goes afoul. If you do organize, don't focus on resisting the change needed for digital.
ReplyDeleteAlso, union discussion will certainly protect this blog from corporate lawsuits that might discover posting identities.
Unions simply would speed us to the end. If unions actually helped employees, we'd still have them at all the papers.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, Buesse lawyered up before he swung the hatchett. But I'm not sure Gannett lawyers are always going to win with all this firing of older experienced workers.
ReplyDeleteIts about cheaper labor it appears.
Young and dumb. Drinking the Gannett koolaid before they see the deception and lies.
ReplyDeleteNot mentioned yesterday but other Sports departures include Gary Kicinski, Matt Cimento, Steve Wieberg, Vicki Michaelis and Marlen Garcia
ReplyDeleteAnon@620P: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel adopted a metered paywall in January and has held its own so far.
ReplyDelete