Yesterday's layoffs follow the plan Sports Media Group President Tom Beusse announced in March, one that's already led to sweeping management changes at the top of the masthead -- starting with Editor-in-Chief Dave Morgan's taking full control.
Yesterday's shakeup is much-discussed on the forum at the Sports Journalists site, where one member wrote: "Some really surprising people are departing USA Today as Morgan swings his ax. Yikes."
USAT hasn't disclosed these changes to its readers -- at least, not in its media news section, anyway.
Earlier: In challenge to "founders," Beusse marshals team of outsiders.
According to one of my readers, a USAT insider/observer posted the following on Facebook:
ReplyDelete"I'm really upset and saddened by the employee slaughter at USA TODAY Sports today. Some really good people were shown the door in the name of moving the newsroom into the digital age. But here's a secret: That stuff ain't that hard to do. It's still journalism, albeit more slicing and dicing. You don't need a degree from MIT to compete digitally. It's just an excuse to dump payroll and people. And get this: USA TODAY, child of Gannett and its legendary diversity efforts, dumped five of the seven African Americans in the Sports department. Progress? They should be ashamed!"
Were we hiring and keeping black staff just because they were/are?
ReplyDeleteSo Jim if producing a digital product is so easy why is the USAT Sports product so mediocre? When was the last time they broke any news or were considered one of the elite Sports sites? USAT is dying man.
ReplyDeleteThe USAT sports site has won a few awards and broken a good bit of news from time to time. But they've never really invested in the proper technology. Particularly in live scores and deep stats, they've been years behind Yahoo and ESPN. So there's no real reason to go regularly.
ReplyDeleteQuality actually was pretty good.
Also clarifying -- I don't think it was five out of seven African Americans. I can think of at least three who are still there. But still, that's a bit of a red flag, isn't it? Disproportionate, to say the least.
ReplyDeleteSo should the ten white employees feel bad as well? Does it ever come down to who does a good job in an interview or how one describes digital success or what one hopes to bring to the table. Or do you automatically get a pass if you fit a certain demographic? Just wondering.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be so hung up on "digital." That's not really the issue. They want pizzazz. In a sense, that's understandable -- the Sports department under Monte had become a rather dreary, rote operation. But then you look at some of these cuts and go, "Really?"
ReplyDeleteOn the diversity front -- I only counted seven white employees in yesterday's cuts, though the earlier wave of managers who were cut were all white. If the names reported in the comments yesterday are correct, that's five African-American and one Filipino. And that leaves maybe four people of color in the entire sports department. That can't be good.
What's funny (not "ha ha" funny) is that the word on Morgan and company was that they had little use for women, but it hasn't played out that way. Two women have left of their own accord. But they hired Mary Byrne as editor and fired no women in either wave of ax-swinging. Granted, they don't have that many women in the first place, but that's still surprising.
White ,black what is the difference.
ReplyDeleteQualified to go forward,that's the only criteria to look at.
How many in total were layed off ??
This was a dump of over 50 something's and salaries, pure and simple. This is what Beusses' vision of "excellence" is.
ReplyDeleteThe guy is nothing more than an arrogant poseur. If he gets anywhere close to a tenth of the revenue he promises, without slick accounting and numbers manipulation, I'll be amazed.
I hope Larry Kramer is more open and fair minded when he repositions the rest of the operation.
The junior achievers Beusse, Banikarim, Heather Frank and Hunke have put their faith in will destroy what's left of this company. The whole place needs to be turned upside down and trimmed of the bloat.
ReplyDeleteBut when is anyone going to improve the actual content of the paper and the website? Who is going to actually take charge of this lunatic asylum and say this is the way we are going to serve up content?
Not mentioned yesterday but other Sports departures include Gary Kicinski, Matt Cimento, Steve Wieberg, Vicki Michaelis and Marlen Garcia.
ReplyDeleteWhat's also surprising is a lot is happening ever since Kramer took over and yet not of it is his doing. My question is shouldn't all this activity stop or at least slow down until he gets a better grasp of the situation at USAT? Or are these shots being called by others without his input?
ReplyDeleteGary and Matt were gone in the earlier wave of manager departures.
ReplyDeleteSteve, Vicki and Marlen left of their own accord. At least two of them left for other jobs.
9:55,
ReplyDeleteI attended a meeting yesterday where Banikarim disrespected Kramer at least 3 times. I was embarrassed for him. The man has real chops...more so than many of the poseurs he has to deal with. We would do well to let him run the show and the others stick to designing media collateral and deciding where the logo goes on the presentations. Otherwise, we waste his considerable talent and experience.
Id be interested in more details, 9:55. Her behavior wouldnt surprise me.
DeleteAll left because of -- or were casualties of-- the nasty upheaval.
ReplyDelete'Gary and Matt were gone in the earlier wave of manager departures.
Steve, Vicki and Marlen left of their own accord. At least two of them left for other jobs."
Banikarim is threatened by Kramer. She should be. He might be the first legit executive at a company full of bullshitters. Banikarim needs to go. She is universally disliked and for good reasons. All hot air and no performance.
ReplyDeleteLet Larry do his job.
Im waiting for her to do any kind of work aside from self promotion.
Delete10:14 - Sure, the people who left on their own may have weighed the current upheaval as a factor. Not sure anyone could say definitively that they would've turned down their jobs under other circumstances, but yeah, that didn't help.
ReplyDelete10:29 Banikarim isn't universally disliked. She has supporters.
ReplyDeleteSo the buffoonery of HighSchoolSports is continuing on, unchecked?
ReplyDeleteWhen they had their massive push to launch during HS football season back in 2010, they coded the ENTIRE SITE in the wrong version of Cold Fusion, causing the web servers to crash constantly. It took until Thanksgiving week(aka, the end of football season at the high school level) to get it fixed.
And yet, the programmers and technology guys in charge of that are STILL there.
I can tell you in consultant fees alone, it was at least a quarter million dollar mistake, not to mention lost ad revenue.
They must have insider knowledge of where the bodies are hidden.
USAT continues its lies. The layoffs have nothing to do with a digital transition or print vs. online journalism. I wish people would stop making online journalism sound like rocket science. Layoffs at USAT have been about two things: Money and personalities. If you make too much or don't kiss the right butts enough, you're a target. Doesn't matter how smart, ethical, hard-working you are. Doesn't matter what contributions you've made to USAT. Because of some damn greedy/selfish bosses, and/or editors with personal vendettas, a lot of folks have been lost or driven out in recent years. It's truly disgusting to watch and there is no end in sight.
ReplyDeleteWell said. i have never worked at a paper with less talented, more threatened senior editors. Newcomers quickly realize the lunancy. the smart ones just stau away or find a place to hide. ideas counter to management creed are not welcome. promotions come based not on ability or talent, but asskissing and office politics skills.
DeleteSo you are saying Usa Today is not part of Gracia's meritocracy? Hard to believe.
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ReplyDeleteBrent Jones will ensure diversity over talent. but what qualifies him to gatekeep? Anyone?
Delete@1:52
ReplyDeleteYeah, 'cause Brent Jones really is calling the shots. Get a clue.
It was meant as a joke. he is a Dubow protege titled by Hunke.
DeleteAccording to the Sherman Report blog, USA Today sports reporter Tom Pedulla was surprised that he didn't get a face-to-face interview to keep his job. I'd link, but traffic seems to be crashing that site.
ReplyDeletePedulla wasnt the only one treated shabbily. this is Buesses' M.O.
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ReplyDeleteKramer had his first byline before Banikarim was out of diapers. He had his first marketing success (Marketwatch) while she was barely out of college. He already has far more digital chops than she ever will, as well as an actual proven track record. Why shouldn't Maryam feel threatened? Style and self promotion only gets you so far in this world, and she's reached her level of incompetence in her current role.
ReplyDeleteYes, Jim will have to be set straight. You are just the corporate tool to do it.
ReplyDelete9:18, we are GBLT -- Gannett Blog Liberation Team.
ReplyDeleteWe control this blog. Jim might pick the topics, but we step in from there.
Remember all the corporate conspiracy stuff? We planted the seeds for that. We have controlled you like a puppet for years.
Remember -- GBLT.
Anon@253: Tom Pedulla was USA Today's horse racing writer and got fired at the worst possible time -- during the Triple Crown campaign.
ReplyDeleteBy a chilling coincidence, I'll Have Another is in line to win the Triple Crown.
Worst. Company. Ever.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a chance, get out. You will add years to your life.
So what exactly did Kramer & Co. say in their post-bloodbath note?
ReplyDeleteThis is how Gannett treats it's employees.....people get a clue. This is fact, not a judgment:
ReplyDeletehttp://shermanreport.com/fired-usa-today-sportswriter-never-got-face-to-face-interview-to-keep-job-of-31-years/
I feel for Tom
We finally have someone in the publisher's role with real credibility. Someone who has a proven record of success. If he is allowed to Gannettized by the likes of Martore and Banikarim, then we are truly lost.
ReplyDelete1:10 hit the nail on the head.
ReplyDeleteSo I think there were several older veteran staffers, someone of Jewish heritage, 5 reporters who were black, and one of Asian descent, and most if not all of these were top performers. What is Morgan's history with minority layoffs?
ReplyDelete