Tuesday, March 19, 2013

March 18-24 | Your News & Comments: Part 1

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65 comments:

  1. More snow in Wisconsin today. What you got?

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    2. What a specific, relevant post, 11:06. You must be the shining star of your organization.

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    3. Oh ,another great and wonderful day to be employed by this wonderful company.

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  2. Lemme see, how many TV stations do we drone -- I mean own??? A case of the blind leading the bland?

    Local TV News Is Following Print’s Path, Study Says
    By BRIAN STELTER, The New York Times
    Published: March 18, 2013


    With shorter stories and scarce coverage of politics and government, local television newscasts in the United States, like local newspapers before them, are suffering from “shrinking pains,” according to the Pew Research Center.
    The diagnosis comes in the center’s 10th annual State of the News Media report, which will be published on Monday.

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  3. Hey Jim why nothing about the layoffs at deal chicken?

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    1. Some posters reported those impending layoffs in this thread.

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    2. I heard 50% staff reduction and the reps will now be selling Deal Chicken DMS

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  4. In Shreveport, a bus drove into a pole, apparently by itself...

    http://www.shreveporttimes.com/

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  5. Click on the Deal Chicken tag and you will see tons of comments and stories on the deal chicken layoffs

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  6. With the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War upon us I wonder how many news orgs will be writing self-reflective pieces on why they got it so wrong. Only Knight-Ridder (McClatchy) and a few other outliers got it right. And this was before newsrooms began slashing their budgets.

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  7. Wisconsin media have investigative piece on pros and cons of open-pit mining as it relates to a proposed mine in northern part of state. As a frequent critic of Gannett's Wisconsin products I feel obligated to point out when they commit some real journalism. And I didn't have to read it in the Milwaukee J-S.

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    1. Another good piece may be found in this month's Fox Valley Scene, either in print or online. And written by a former gannettoid.

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    2. Do you mean this one?

      http://foxvalley.scenenewspaper.com/wisconsins-mining-sellout/

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    3. Don't mistake The Original Beerman Lundstrum's article for news - from the lede down it's personal axe grinding. This is just one of the gems: "Someone should have explained to him that the miner is an anachronism, a symbol of the state’s past, not necessarily a harbinger of the future."

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    5. Yes, Jim was the original Beerman columnist and the head of the union when he was at the P-C, neither of which helped when he was booted from the building. Not that he still holds that against the paper.

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    6. 10:18, did that really happen?

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    7. No. Jim was not booted from the building. He left on his own accord. As I recall, he was upset because mgmt said he had to join a rotation of reporters working a Saturday GA shift (about once every three or four weeks). Since Beerman was in a lot of newspapers because it was picked up nationally by Gannett, he was confident that mgmt would plead for him to stay and lift the GA rotation duty as a carrot. They didn't, so he walked. Seems almost funny now, given all we have to do now. Jim was paid to write about beer (they paid for it), write a weekly column on anything he wanted and write about concerts (they paid for it) and it was a six-hour GA shift once or twice a month that made him bolt. He's been doing well at the alt paper, tho... He writes a column called the "Real Beer Man." Meanwhile, the guy who took his place appears in USA Today and all over Gannettland.

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    8. Glad he got a job at the alt weekly. I learned a long time ago that I'm disposable. That's why I've worked GA rotations, cops beat rotations, holidays, etc. Even with that, I'm sure when Gannett pulls my number I'll be escorted to the parking lot. No big deal. I'll enjoy my job while I have it, then find something else--unless I can plan an exit strategy in the next six to eight months and leave on my own terms. Working on that, so haters, please don't start.

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  8. USA TODAY print circ is largely a sham. I'd guess at least 25% comes from no returns hotel copies, no returns college readership and no returns office copies that are paid for but never read. Not that it really matters because there are not print advertisers clamoring at the door but, speaks volumes to how valuable the ABC numbers are (not).

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    1. The ABC is a big joke. No one believes their phony numbers. And, the zgannett newspapers all lie about their circulation numbers.

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    2. Yes, print circ is a huge challenge in the industry at large, but let's correct some numbers. It's actually 50% at hotels and they are paid for....so shut off.

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    3. How much are they paid for? Try five cents a copy. Back on the scrap heap.

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  9. Tell me again as a digital, forward thinking company ready to lead the way in the 21st century, why we just sent all out advertising big guns to Phoenix instead of using WebEx, AdobeConnect or day long conference calls.

    Is there ANYTHING that happened in Phoenix that couldn't have been accomplished with FedEx packages and email?

    Better yet, can we justify the costs in light of whatever marketing party will have to be cut back to balance the books?

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    1. you fail to recognize that it's March in Phx !
      80 degree temps, baseball spring training and 200 golf courses. i'm sure they can write it all off as a business expense !!

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    2. Yup....sunny and 80 beats Webex every time!

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    2. What an Ass

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  11. This is a response to 3:55 AM--are you male or female? That can influence your perception of safety.
    1. Questioning why management (or government or an organization or anyone) did something that may be considered unsafe is not "disrespecting authority" or "nonsense". It's considered good journalism. That's what we in the newsroom do. We don't blindly accept authority.
    2. As for your assertion about a publisher's meeting that's supposed to be "enjoyable"--well, that's just your perception. For some of us, it's an informational session with no particular emotion attached. Sounds like any kind of confrontation makes you uncomfortable.
    3. Despite management's assertion that we have a secured, well-lighted parking lot, one of my coworkers encountered a nonemployee with in said secured lot last week. The man had no obvious business being there (she asked him).
    4. We CANNOT see our cars from the back door by the loading dock. We CAN see our cars and the entire parking lot from the side door facing the lot beside the building.
    5. The parking lot by the building opens onto a well-traveled street and faces a busy hotel parking lot across the street. There's a better chance of getting help in an emergency, or at least trying to run to the hotel lobby, than near the back entrance. From about 7 p.m. until the mailroom/dock workers come in, the mailroom and back entrance area are DESERTED. There's a much longer distance to go to try to find someone or get help.

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    1. Reminds me of a former place of employment.

      The woman who came in to do machine set up would do 2 things immediately after walking in the door: 1) open all the overhead dock doors and 2) complain about the lack of security.

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  12. I agree with 9:20 - Don Bailey is not concerned with employee safety, I too have been approached for money by a non-employee - very scary - and so close to homeless missions - they are out for whatever they can get.

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  13. What was the publisher's reasoning behind not allowing employees to use the side door anymore?

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  14. Unfortunately, hindsight is 20/20. I hope an employee doesn't suffer an attack due to using the back door before management realizes what a bad idea this is. There are many homeless people in the area the employees are talking about. Once they realize there has been a change in routine, they may take advantage of an opportunity. We will never really know, but I hope to never find out. Personal safety should never be taken lightly because god help the publisher and his reputation should something happen. To me, this sounds like the perfect example of employees voicing a valid concern and being ignored by management.

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    1. Reminds me of my Gannett former place of employment. I harped and harped about security and was ignored. I worked a night shift. The area is one block from a homeless shelter. Side doors left propped open. Parking lot lights burned out. Lots of car burglaries (nothing valuable left in them of course, not in this neighborhood, just mindless destruction, smashed car windows, etc.). A police car responding to a complaint in our parking lot was considered "bad PR" by the suits (who didn't work nights). "Security" consisted of signs in the parking lot warning trespassers about non-existent cameras. After much too much of this, they did finally hire two security guards. (They even put in, eventually, a real camera system). And the two guards? They were the first, the very first, to be laid off when the layoffs came.

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    2. Maybe Don Bailey she read about what happened to former Times Sports reporter Kent Heitholt, then he would understand the anxiety of some of Kent's former co-workers.

      http://www.columbiamissourian.com/a/148420/the-weeks-most-read-stories-ryan-fergusons-evidentiary-hearing-gary-pinkel-separates-from-wife/

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    3. I am going to have to disagree with previous posts regarding Don not being concerned about employee safety. For Shreveport to invest in a new security system, repair the broken gates on a fenced parking lot and triple the lighting sounds like concern to me. All the complainers should visit downtown and see how many offer FREE parking to employees. How many offer enclosed keyed entry parking accommodations. NONE!!! Enjoy this FREE benefit or get another employer "A"...if you can! Don and John I am so happy for the upgrades and cannot thank you enough.

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    4. 3:35 the same thing can happen in your own front yard - get over this and respect authority. YOU CANNOT USE THE SIDE DOOR. Love it or leave...bye!

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    5. 11:55 you can suffer the same at a community event - WTF - use the EMPLOYEE ENTRANCE or use nothing...bye!

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    6. I disagree. There are usually a lot of people at community events. Listen to your employees' concerns.

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  15. Enquirer online chat with readers was laughingly predictable…..from Buchanan blaming problems on “new technology" that “didn’t exist until recently” (have to wonder if she understands it) to defending Facebook commenting up to and including how she avoided admitting that its weekly papers are printed even further away in Indiana.

    Like previous chats, this one is also best read after the fact as it was just more promotion of why the Enquirer LOVES it all while further suppressing unhappy readers’ comments.

    http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=chats05

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  16. Meanwhile the stock is knocking on $22 a share!!!! COme on sour pusses smile!!!

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    1. Yes,and it was in the 70s as recently as 2007.

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    2. Damn....facts are stubborn things.

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    3. Never let facts get in the way of an agenda.

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  17. Don't know what's more mindless -- people who don't know the layout commenting on the "side door" discussion, or people trashing Buchanan no matter what.

    It does add up to, as Jim notes, about sixty bucks of value.

    Yeesh.

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    1. Or the person who assumes people who are commenting about the side door don't know the layout. Yeesh.

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    2. Buchanan trashes herself by not being straight.

      All expect a few issues by going to a new press, yet she presents it as some disruptive new tech...it's not. People ask questions why she didn't adopt the size of her weekly papers and she skirts it to avoid any disclosure of how they're not printed in Cincy too.

      Its a game she's played for a long-time that she really doesn't need to play.

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  18. I haven't bought a USAT for a while, but used to on weekends and for special sports events, such as NCAA, NFL draft, Masters, Super Bowl etc. Was surprised what a piece of crap it was when I picked it up free at a few hotels while I was traveling the past couple weeks. Every hotel had a large stack of USATs that were never taken, even tho they were at the front desk and breakfast area for free. One clerk told me they probably don't go thru 10 percent of the copies they get.

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    1. I love 5:49. He she posts the same post week after week. One week it's USAT, the next week it's Cinci, the next week Jersey. It always goes, "haven't seen it in awhile and boy it is awful. "Haven't seen it in awhile and hotel says no o e reads it." Get a. We angle pal. You are boring

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  19. There is finally management in Shreveport that doesn't let news room run things! There are good folks in the news room but there are a few that are lazy and special, those are the ones we are hearing from. The facts are not all in these posts, good journalism means getting the facts straight. Start there.

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    1. Is part of the marketing director's new job to post positive things in the blog about Shreveport? This post is way too out of place and pointed. I find it ironic that these posts are just showing up the week she started. Too funny!! And by the way, newsroom is one word.

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    2. I find it ironic that the marketing director job suddenly reappeared in Shreveport after supposedly being eliminated.

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    3. The new Marketing Director is simply gorgeous. She is much more pleasant than the previous person that held the position. You almost hated to ask the lady to help with anything. Oh I almost forgot, the previous person was not a director.

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    4. At least the previous marketing person had a clue. Just wait to see how this "simply gorgeous" one is simply clueless and was hired on her looks alone. Go ahead, ask her something about the paper or make a request of any kind. Clueless.

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    5. Let's give her a try and see what happens. If she's no good, then I'm almost positive someone will do what they always do and run her off, just like many others.

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    6. Boy, I'll bet she's glad to be part of the team. What a fucking mess Shreveport has become since Linda and Laura came on board. Bravo, ladies.

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  20. USA Today just needs to stop pretending to be a news organization in the way the NYT or WP practice journalism. Once USAT lets go of attempting to be a top-shelf mainstream news product, there won't be any confusion or anxiety over the mission or intent of this rag. It can get rid of the print product, close down the print sites and become another ridiculous entertainment/quasi news website in a sea of ridiculous sites. It can hire folks based on skateboarding and texting abilities and fire people who cling to the notion that news should be accurate, relevant and objective. USAT can be the ultimate workplace for people who embrace high turnover and dismiss loyalty and hard work as yesterday's values.

    Great rep you're building for yourself there, USAT. Good luck recruiting and hiring as you move forward with your plan to blow up everything that has ever worked in your favor in terms of getting good people to come to an overly populated, ridiculously expensive part of the country. Despite your imported marble floors, there are plenty of better places for real journalists to work these days. There is no honor or future in working at the nation's newspaper. The cat is pretty much out of the bag.

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    1. You are reinventing history to serve your point if view. Read the Making of McPaper. USAT was NEVER designed to be the NYT or the WP. And while your at it check out the financial stability of the NYT. It is on life support. Gannett Nlog makes more money.

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    2. There was a movement at USA Today, for about a decade, where it was trying to be the NYT and WP. It was also trying to win a Pulitzer. That might not have been the official company mission, but anyone who worked there or was an avid follower of the the paper understood that USAT was trying its best to distance itself from its McPaper beginnings.

      So I don't think I am reinventing history. I also don't equate short-term ups and downs in financial status as a perfect predictor of the future. The NYT will survive as long as their are people with a thirst for in-depth reporting and competent, objective editing. It will survive by attracting the best and the brightest to its newsroom. I can't really say that about USAT's future with the course its on. While it might survive, it will have to do so by relying on a population that according to all data is getting dumber by the year. Can't imagine serious journalists with any sort of integrity wanting to be a part of that.

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  21. Third-quarter furloughs announced at this morning's OC meeting. The year is off to a really bad start. The increased HD prices are what's sustaining us. (Don't tell the staff though. We can wait and let them know in August.)

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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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