Don Bailey is leaving the increasingly troubled Times of Shreveport, according to a Gannett Blogger, who said his departure was announced during a staff meeting less than an hour ago. [Updated at 4:33 p.m. ET: It's now confirmed; see the memo I've just posted to the comments section, below.]
Bailey was named publisher in January 2012, coming to the Louisiana daily from Morris Communications' Augusta Chronicle in Georgia.
I'm told that advertising sales director Kevin Hall has been named interim chief executive.
The Times has been challenged on at least two fronts: A press installed in September 2010 to allow the paper to shift to a modified tabloid format has been plagued by problems, leading to frequent production and delivery delays.
More recently, the newsroom has struggled to successfully adopt a mandatory Gannett-wide editorial initiative known variously as Content Evolution and the Passion Topics.
The paper's Monday-Saturday circulation is 35,073, and Sunday is 46,453, according to the Sept. 30 ABC report.
Earlier: Read your January 2012 comments about Bailey getting hired as publisher.
Bailey was named publisher in January 2012, coming to the Louisiana daily from Morris Communications' Augusta Chronicle in Georgia.
I'm told that advertising sales director Kevin Hall has been named interim chief executive.
The Times has been challenged on at least two fronts: A press installed in September 2010 to allow the paper to shift to a modified tabloid format has been plagued by problems, leading to frequent production and delivery delays.
More recently, the newsroom has struggled to successfully adopt a mandatory Gannett-wide editorial initiative known variously as Content Evolution and the Passion Topics.
The paper's Monday-Saturday circulation is 35,073, and Sunday is 46,453, according to the Sept. 30 ABC report.
Earlier: Read your January 2012 comments about Bailey getting hired as publisher.
Following is an edited version of a comment posted by Anonymous@3:17 p.m. on another thread; I've removed a reference to a specific employee's name. Please do not ID individuals in situations like this.
ReplyDelete"Ungrateful idiot are you happy now. . . . You made the man resign. Now all of you fat and lazy newsroom employees can park in his spot. I guess you'll have to fight over it."
The power of journalism!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe power of journalism!!!!!-You people really are idiots. If you think what happened Monday lead to this, then you really should consider another career. He has another job. When is the last time a publisher got a new position in less than four days. I'm no watchdog but even I can see this has been in play for at least a few weeks.Guess what you still have to park where everybody else does.
DeleteHave a great day.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteI thought Mary Hanisee was the publisher.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope not. Bean counters are the worst.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteYou suck, Jim. You say you don't want specific people named, and then you allow this crap.
DeleteYou suck.
Happy days are here again.
ReplyDeleteMary Hanisee and Angela Haacker - co-publishers
ReplyDeleteMary Hanisee is the controller. And Angela Haacker is local advertising manager, according to the paper's website.
DeleteWhile it's conceivable Corporate has named two co-publishers, that sounds terribly unwieldy. On the other hand, it would be par for the course at a paper that's already incredibly disorganized.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAnd here's the memo:
ReplyDeleteFrom: Barber, Diana
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2013 2:16 PM
To: Shreveport-All
Subject: Announcement
Today, I am announcing the resignation of Shreveport Times President and Publisher, Don Bailey. Don has accepted another position outside of the Gannett Company and his last day as Publisher of The Times will be Wednesday, April 3.
Kevin Hall, Sales Director at The Times will act as onsite manager upon Don’s departure. I will have direct over-site in Shreveport and will be actively on site through the interim period and until we announce our new President.
Bailey joined Gannett and The Times in January 2012. We appreciate his service and wish him well in his new endeavors.
Linda Ramey-Greiwe
President & Publisher
News-Leader Media Group
Gannett Midwest Group Vice President
417-XXX-XXXX
What a joke. Laura and Linda are clueless.
Delete"Over-site"?
DeleteThat's one amazing memo considering it's from a president and publisher. Incorrect use of a comma after the word "today..." Incorrect capitalization of a job position, followed by an incorrect comma... "Onsite" spelled correctly the first time, then as two words the second use... etc. But, yeah, "over-site" was the best one. Incredible these people are heading anything in the media when they are oblivious to very basics of their own alleged profession. On an official memo, no less. How many eyes saw this before it was released and no lights went on in any of them?
DeleteBefore you shoot the paper, the president and publisher look where and from whom the memo came
Delete2:50 PM - Actually, the first "onsite" should be hyphenated, and the second instance is correctly spelled as two words, inasmuch as it is used not as not as an adjective but rather as an adverbial phrase.
DeleteAs for "over-site", you have to admit it works as a rather clever if inadvertent neologism. You heard it here first.
Laura Hollingsworth strikes again!
ReplyDeleteLaura and Linda may I make a suggestion. Will you please send Shreveport a leader who will lead ALL employees fairly? Shreveport is too much of a connected community to have favorites. I am an advertising employee and I am about to do what Don Bailey just did - resign. Please just send us someone that will accept all employees as important to the bottom line. One more thing, there are two ladies running The Times out of business - Mary Hanisee and Angela Haacker. These two ladies do not care about people and it shows in their leadership. In order to keep good employees and good advertisers, you might want to start looking into these two ladies. If proof is what you need, start calling our past advertising employees. We have lost some very very talented advertising employees behind these two ladies. Good luck Don. Where ever you are headed, treat EVERYONE fairly!
ReplyDeleteKevin Hall be careful. Zanmiller left some pretty big shoes to fill. He was a success at what he did because he did not have the "big head". It was easy to work for him because he made sure employees received the recognition. Emplolyees and advertisers felt his compassion. This is why Don Bailey failed.
ReplyDeleteNext Shreveport publisher faces harsh reception on being another interloper. Who can they find that advertisers will trust and believe make good on expectations and see them through? Current OC can hold it together, but we need someone who will get to know the community and business leaders - and not just shake hands. Zanmiller got that part of running the show right. Bailey may have helped make needed changes, but what will follow your change agent?
ReplyDeleteThe Shreveport community loves Zanmiller. Period. End of report. The Times will never recover from that reality.
ReplyDeleteIf you blink you will miss something in Shreveport. I saw this post on another thread and felt the need to share with Shreveport.
ReplyDelete"Since there's this big concern about "parking spaces". check you site. one of Gracia's first orders were to do away with "reserved" parking spots for executives. she gave up her's and thinks all other should to, but several site don't comply..."
Kevin Hall do the right thing and get rid of it.
There is still one reserved spot at the Crystal Palace. It is for former CEO McCorkindale. His secretary parks there when he isn't at the office.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteBailey jumping in 14 months shows just what type of leadership he has shown for the Shreveport Times during his short tenure here. He never really got into knowing all his employees or his Shreveport community. He allowed his favorites, includes Hanisee, to continue destroying employee morale and now he stands in front of us and tell us he is leaving and cannot tells us where he is going. To be true we do not care where you are headed. If you cannot stand and fight this fight with us why should we. What you are doing, as other past publishers have done, when you jump ship is chip away at a great place to work. As another poster said, when you cannot fight this fight with us we never needed you. Your true color is showing and I am saddened by it!
ReplyDeleteLarry Whitaker is available. He did such a great job there before and then did a fabulous job of nearly destroying the clarion-Ledger. I'm sure gannett can bring him out of "retirement."
ReplyDeleteOh Lawd - "Who Moved The Cheese" ;-) Whitaker??
ReplyDeleteGood luck to Don Bailey as he makes his next move. It is unfortunate there are folks obviously working at The Times when they should not be given the amount of vitriol flowing here in the comments. Honestly, I couldn't work somewhere if I felt the way some of these commentors seem to feel. If you don't love it, leave it. Certainly, your blood pressure (and I) will thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhat would it take to get Zanmiller back? He was one of the best publishers I have ever worked with. Smart guy, he listened to people. Actually listened.
ReplyDeleteZanmiller wouldn't come back. There is life after Gannett and it is good. In fact, it is great. Some of us shown the door have been lucky to walk through another door into a life where our employer appreciates us, values us, and gives us what we need to be successful in that job. No, Zanmiller wouldn't come back ... Nor would I. We like being happy.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the issues with the press that can not be resolved. Do we not have the talent and skills in the GPS unit to resolve the issues with the press? I do recall that some people from other sites were sent in to help. How did that work? What about the VP in that group does he have any answers? Certainly Mr Zanmiler did not let sloppy installation issues go without being resolved or are all the issues in house. Wifag make some of the best press equipment money can buy. If GPS cant use it to its potential somebody should be held accountable and I believe that was Pete. He was a nice guy and told you exactly what you want to hear but a leader he was not.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. Pete knew what needed to be done to get that press running but Gannett refused to spend the money. There is only so much a person can do without the support of the company. Let us lay the blame where it belongs. You don't need to look very far to see that Gannett as a whole company is having the same problems at just about every site they own.
DeletePlease elaborate where the money needs to be spent. What are the issues?
Delete1:25 Bill said your shop is a mess.
DeleteAs a production employee at the Time we were told by Wifag that they were surprised we were even running. The web leads that are run in Shreveport are the wrong. When the press was install in Switzerland they tried to run the oringal lead and couldn't get it to run when the press was brand new. So Wifag change the web path and for 15 years they ran it opposite than we do in Shreveport. They sold to press to GWS and didn't have the updated web path when Shreveport bought the press. Wifag came in and said they didn't see how we were even running because wifag couldn't get the press to run the way we were running it in Shreveport.
Delete