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| An iPhone 4s |
But now Corporate is shifting those monthly costs to local newsrooms, which will have to cover their expense in their already strapped budgets, my reader says.
The questions: Will newsroom managers cut other costs so they can continue footing the iPhone bill? Or will the iPhones disappear when the monthly contracts expire?
Earlier: iPhone FAQ details "ways to power your journalism."
Here's how you save the money. Ditch your copier, and scan everything to pdf. THEN, send all required docs to corporate via e-mail, and let THEM print.
ReplyDeleteTell them you have achieved the mythic "paperless office".
Alternately, tell corp you need the extra money to implement their wishes. This deflects to the second rule of bureaucracy: "Spend it or lose it".
At our site the iPhones probably will stay -- because they went to bigwigs, not reporters!
ReplyDeleteComplain about My Boss all you want, but apparently he called this one right. From a My Boss comment post on the earlier blog entry about the iPhone FAQ:
ReplyDelete"2. Corporate has only allowed Dickey a one time budget for these iPhones and then after that, it is up to the individual newspapers to cover the costs for the device, mobile connectivity and maintenance. The average shelf life of an iPhone is 13 months, so expect that this cost ($400) will be an annual cost."
Is anyone surprised? I would be surprised if corporate paid for ANY of the monthly fees, ever. I don't think they did at our site - we were just switched from other plans to this one. Only difference is we got Iphones that the company owns instead of our own phones.
ReplyDeleteWorst part is, now the iPhones will be required to take furloughs.
ReplyDeleteHow about saving some money by closing the heavily subsidized gym/spa at the Crystal Palace? And while we're at it, perhaps one of those buildings could be sold. No need to have separate corporate and USA Today towers anymore. Only the most obnoxiously arrogant newspaper company would have ever built that ridiculously expensive campus in the first place. To maintain all of that crap we have to do without the basics at other Gannett properties. Worse, we have to watch our colleagues being laid off!
ReplyDeleteIt's time for this company to really get spending under control, and it starts at that northern Virginia symbol of decadence. Funny thing about that place, USA Today used to be something many of aspired to...but not anymore. Other than having the nice building with the gym and dining rooms, it sounds like it's run just as badly as every other Gannett property now.
From top to bottom, unless you're in the corner offices or are one of the teachers' pets, Gannett is an awful place to work. Expect a mass exodus if the economy ever improves.
10:40 I like working for Gannett
ReplyDeleteSince the I.T. departments paid the phone expenses it will be hard to imagine any money being put in those budgets.
ReplyDeleteThe "Corner Offices" aren't so safe anymore.
ReplyDeleteDeal Chicken revenue will make up the difference.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you all think when teh phone came out? It really is time to grow up people. You get a free phone and complain, complain, complain! It's a freakin phone, use it, don't use it but shut up already
ReplyDeleteThis is all part of Gannett's plan. Their next step is to require reporters to have the phones, and pay for it themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhen I have to pay for my phone, I will be going on a 16 hour furlough at 5pm each night. No email or calls from work accepted.
ReplyDeleteSo the boss has to pay $50 a month to get 24-7 access to me on a smart phone. Damn small price to pay.
It is amazing how clueless people are to the basics of finance. Corporate doesn't generate any money so when they "pay" for something, it is merely charged back to all of the locations. Don't you think it makes more sense to just incur that charge locally? The cost of creating local content should be reflected against your local revenues as much as possible. That's the only practical way to know if you have a viable business or not. The charge back process should only be used for items where there is savings to be had by buying or providing a product or service centrally. This doesn't mean some units couldn't have done the same thing more cheaply, it means on the whole it averages out to less expense when done in this manner.
ReplyDeleteUnfunded mandates are hated by every town, city, school district, county, parish and state, when they are handed down from above.
ReplyDeleteLeave us find our own way, your help isn't wanted or warranted. Every touted 'savings' has cost us more, going all the way back to centralized newsprint buying to now when the centers aren't staffed to handle our work because 'corporate' thought the sites were exaggerating our hours.