Monday, October 22, 2012

Oct. 22-28 | Your News & Comments: Part 1

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29 comments:

  1. Pensacola Headline at pnj.com for the Fair:
    "Fairly Delicious: Visitors chow down one favorites." Now that is WORLD CLASS

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  3. I will second the motion from 8:19.
    Why is the question.Do you have no self respect?
    Is your self esteem so low that you continue to work for a company that you hate.
    You may take a pay cut or maybe not,there are huge numbers who have left and are doing very well.
    After 3 or 4 years most people should be well employed and enjoying life.
    But not you loyal Gannett employees,no you hang on and then are surprised that you are suddenly unemployed.

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  4. Layoffs

    That depends what happens on Nov. 6th. Which is too close to call, at this point. Only poll that matters is the one on Nov. 6th.

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  5. Suddenly unemployed?

    This business has been declining since 1979. Anyone who does not understand that is either a fool or an idiot.

    You should have an exit plan. No one is coming to help you. You are your best friend.

    You've been warned, repeatedly. No one to blame but yourself.

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  6. Pretty tasteless pairing of headlines on the front page of today's Green Bay Press-Gazette

    http://greenbaypressgazette.wi.newsmemory.com/?token=746af1bc6152fa07e7789cc3dd7a2f73&cnum=2035684&fod=1111111STD&selDate=20121022&

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  7. 8:19 and 8:42 — Why do I work for this company? In short, because it's doing better than any other newspaper company out there, and I believe in the mission of news — don't particularly want to go make a few bucks more an hour to be a flak.

    And if you challenge that notion, name some newspaper companies that are doing better. Love or hate Gannett, they're trying trying things, which is a lot more than I can say for McClatchy, Lee, Medianews or others.

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  8. Now the layoff dude is responding to his own posts. Get a life.

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  9. “Guess I won’t be reading the (Cinci) Enquirer anymore” said my spouse last night.

    When I asked why, they showed me what their Nook has displayed ever since the Enquirer converted to the metered approach – just text.

    Declining story content in accuracy, quality and number over the past few years and now this has pushed their patience beyond the point to where they say they no longer need it.

    They’re no doubt not alone in that view.

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  10. The problem with these layoff lists? management protects its own.

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  11. How does posting cruel comments on this blog such as "morons" and "fools" and "idiots" benefit anybody? These words reflect badly on those who post them. Look in the mirror. If you enjoy insulting people and making hurtful comments on the Internet, perhaps you need some counseling to make your sad lives happier. The people I know who work for Gannett have a very pragmatic view of the company and of their reasons for staying. Maybe their choices are not your choices. But those choices should be respected. Thank you.

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  12. Has Gannett ever cared much about workers think? No, OK maybe some if pressed. But since how one gets ahead there is caring about what bosses think, can you blame anyone for looking out for themselves and their family first? Not that makes it any easier to take, but it’s an error of omission not commission that worker morale is so low. And by workers I mean everybody, as almost everybody has a boss, or three.
    And since those bosses are only concerned about the[ir] bottom line, any concerns of souls below them in the corporate hierarchy regarding journalism, self-respect, living wages etc. won’t be addressed; in fact if those concerns contradict the above-mentioned bottom lines, just that they are spoken about puts said workers at risk.
    Sadly--or maybe not--what’s also put at risk by all this is the life of the company as a whole. Creativity, flexibility and rational risk-taking are what’s necessary to survive these days and a company that ignores the riches of those in its workforce by demanding both pre-recession (pre-internet) profit margins and unquestioning acquiescence to ‘superiors’’ musings, missives and mandates ain’t gonna make it. No asteroid will be necessary.

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  13. RGJ.com’s “Fluke” story raises question of media bias...

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/22/obama-surrogate-sandra-fluke-speaks-to-crowd-10-in-nevada/

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  14. Ha ha ha, @9:19 a.m., regarding the Green Bay headlines. I would expect no less. At least the Packers weren't playing CHICACO this time.

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  15. I know a lot of people are relatively new to Gannett, but some of the complaints I read about on this blog shouldn't really surprise anyone. Gannett has been a notoriously ruthless newspaper company for many years. Even in the 1970s, Gannett was one of the three worst chains. Ask anyone who worked in the biz back then. Journalists generally got their feet wet, then left Gannett as fast as they could.

    Later on, in the 80s and 90s, if young journalists were lucky, they might move up from a smaller Gannett paper to USA Today, which back then actually was accomplishment and not a bad place to work. Eventually, USAT became horrible -- still better than most Gannett papers -- but far from ideal. Now it's just another Gannett newspaper, run by the very corporation that didn't pay employees a fair wage in the 70s, fought off unionization, unfairly fought off competitors in small markets, and ruled through fear tactics.

    Of the worst of the worst from the 1970s, Gannett was the one company that survived. I give it credit for that. However, that survival has empowered Gannett to continue its nasty business practices and shoddy treatment of employees. In some ways, Gannett might even be worse today.

    If you work for Gannett and are one of the privileged few who have survived or even been treated well, congratulations. However, that's not the norm. Just ask anyone who has ever worked for any Gannett paper and they will tell you horror story after horror story. Some had a good stretch, but most rode off into the sunset feeling mostly contempt for a company so morally corrupt that it would put Wall Street to shame. Many who survived and thrived had to swallow hard, sell their souls, just to get by.

    If you don't see or agree with any of this now, just hang around long enough. Odds are, you will not leave Gannett on happy terms. You will see the lies, the betrayal, the lack of loyalty that has not only ruined lives and careers, but has created some pretty crappy newspapers, website and other media products.

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  16. Our GM/Ad Director told us today that Corporate will be here (Cherry Hill) tomorrow, to talk with the staff. I don't think they are coming here to tell us about raises, or Christmas bonuses!
    Anyone have any thoughts?

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    Replies
    1. Hopefully that they are getting rid of the ad director and the majority of the useless in that department

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    2. Bob Collins coming back? Or Mark Frisby!

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  17. 11:16 AM: Actually, word count aside, the Fluke lead was brutally (and brilliantly) straight:

    "Sandra Fluke, the woman at the center of a media firestorm earlier this year after Rush Limbaugh called her a 'slut,' spoke Saturday in front of about 10 people at the Sak 'N Save in north Reno."

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  18. Nearly 800 comments on the Fluke story…best one suggests Sak ‘N Save is actually the name of a govt condom that she’s now endorsing.

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  20. Octo-journalism

    " .. The people I know who work for Gannett have a very pragmatic view of the company and of their reasons for staying. Maybe their choices are not your choices .. "

    And they have no right to demand that others pay for their choices.

    They are in a difficult place. That is their choice. It is not the choice of others.

    They have no right to demand others support a dying industry and their jobs, as was done with Government Motors. Hundreds of pension plans were cheated when GM bonds were ordered by the government into default, violating decades of established law.

    They should have plans to compensate for being in a dying industry. They should not assume that welfare will pay their bills, if/when that industry tanks.

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  21. Sandra Fluke: Would You?

    With so many comments on Reno’s coverage of Fluke one has to ask how long it will be before Gannett’s bnqt.com asks the above question.

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  22. Who's Sandra Fluke?

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  23. Gannett is about as old news/ yesterday as is this pointless blog.

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  24. As opposed to what, pray tell?

    (No answer. Nothing. Silence. Gannettoid @ work)

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  25. Susie Ellwood's going to Cinncy. Younheard it here first.

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  26. 10:01 And what would be happening with the current publisher, Margaret Buchanan?

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  27. Cinci's MB -- hello, early GCI retirement!! Hello, GCI pension fund!!

    Hello, VP @ U-Cinci hospital! Another useless $200K VP!

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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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