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Tuesday, May 07, 2013
49 comments:
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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From a Detroit Free Press story yesterday:
ReplyDelete"Joyce Jenereaux, president of the Detroit Media Partnership — the business agent for the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News — was promoted to president of a newly created regional grouping of Gannett properties in Michigan.
"Bob Dickey, president of Gannett’s U.S. Community Publishing division, announced a realignment last week of the division’s 81 media organizations into regional groups to spark more regional cooperation and to encourage local innovation.
"Jenereaux will oversee operations at the Lansing State Journal, the Times Herald (Port Huron) and Battle Creek Enquirer. She maintains her current responsibilities for the Detroit-based properties, Livingston County Press & Argus and Observer & Eccentric Media."
Of course, Grand Rapids remains in a whole other silo—because we don't really want to get too regionally cooperative, locally innovative or efficient.
DeleteSame thing happening in Louisiana, where Gannett has five sites, with Terzotis as regional president. I wonder how Gannett will try to consolidate content and/or other operations (and further reduce staffing) with this regional approach. It's rarely about "innovation" and most likely about the bottom line.
ReplyDeleteWarren Buffett expects returns of just 10 percent from his newspapers, which he has bought at today's low prices.
ReplyDeleteWhy, then does Gannett continue to push for twice that - and can Gannett continue to get the higher profit margin while still serving quality products to the communities?
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-05-04/buffett-predicts-10-pct-return-on-his-newspapers
Apples and oranges. Gannett shareholders want a decent return on their investment, whereas Berkshire shareholders simply write off the cost of Buffett's latest hobby because it's a fraction of a rounding error, and it's well worth it to keep the geezer happy and doing his thing a few more years.
DeleteConspiracy theory here, I know Laura Hollingsworth was in Nashville last week to accept her new gig, and I know some people who are facebook friends with Tad Cahill that noticed he was in Nashville the same week. It wouldn't be a stretch that she would try to get him to Nashville since he was so successful in Des Moines. Anybody DSM people think this is possible?
ReplyDeleteNo way! Tad is content as can be in Denver, I know this because I spoke with him on the phone while he was in Nashville. He was there for his new job, not to have a reunion with LH. I do still wish he was in DSM though, would have made all of this transition much easier to go through!
DeleteWho would want to come back to Gannett after the way Wintrhop treated everyone. Tad, Kimm, SPP, MJ, none of them are saying "I wish I was back with Gannett" right now. They escaped!
DeleteWhat happened to C. Hudler?
ReplyDeleteMs. Hudler is going to be special assistant to Mr. Dickey.
ReplyDeleteShreveport and Louisiana papers will get cuts in newsroom. If you are in advertising and not making goal, go ahead and pack. Finance will be fully consolidated now. In terms of Shreveport, it'll be OK in finance staffing. Mary will court pub into belief she can be solution. Kevin#2 should be very concerned.
ReplyDeleteLooks like everyone will reapply for their jobs. Easiest way to get rid of dead weight
DeleteOr keep the ones that can talk the talk but not walk the walk - like tweedle dee and tweedle duh....in Shreveport...
DeleteIt must say something about the content the kids in Appleton are putting out when the top hit on their website Monday was a letter to the editor saying why the Packers should sign Tim Tebow. Forget government, trending or breaking news - the passion topics are Packers and gardening.
ReplyDeleteDuh. Those are the passion topics in the Valley as research has proven time again. Until passion topics go away and they turn into Butterfly topics or Tsetse Fly topics or tomorrow's flavor of the day.
DeleteIt might not be exciting stuff for worldly, ivory tower intellectuals but those passion topics sell papers and attract eyeballs.
Don't forget about the story about the most popular dog names in Appleton as the A-1 centerpiece.
DeleteMost popular dog names was a popular story to write in the early days of "computer-assisted" reporting -- around the early 1990s -- when newspapers were first acquiring government databases.
DeleteAt The Idaho Statesman, I did an analysis of personals dating ads. Among the findings: the No. 1 physical attribute sought by women in a potential romantic partner was height (they needed to be at least as tall as the woman) and hair on their head.
I thought Appleton's passion topics were families, lawns and wooden decks on houses.
DeleteWhy are gannett papers omitting cats from these reader contests?
DeleteIm scratching my head over this.
Toonces
shreveporttimes.com for the cat parade lol....
DeleteFYI ... Appleton has a couple of reporter openings that they aren't going to fill until they are done re-organizing the newsroom so they can see if those spots really need to be filled.
ReplyDeleteHyper Local but no bodies available to cover it.
They'll probably never fill them, but at least they still have a full-time reporter to take photos at bars. Still trying to reach a demographic they will never dent. Best to stay with reader submitted prom pix.
Deletewho is the new pub in Montgomery?
ReplyDeleteThere isn't one yet. Still have the interim from Tallahassee.
DeleteWhat happened to the previous pub from Boston?
DeleteHe resigned a few weeks ago.
DeletePassion Topics = Lowest Dumbed Down Common Denominator = Declining Circulation & Page Views
ReplyDeleteKind of surprised no one has mentioned the multiple memorial services for Big Al that are happening next week in Florida, DC and South Dakota. More elaborate than a head of state!
ReplyDeleteFrom: Gannett Communications >
Date: May 3, 2013, 4:37:45 PM EDT
Subject: Al Neuharth Memorial Service
Al Neuharth’s family requested that we share with you the attached invitation to attend a celebration of Al’s life. Al wanted all employees of USA TODAY and Gannett Co., Inc., to be invited to these celebrations which will take place at FLORIDA TODAY, the Newseum and the University of South Dakota.
FLORIDA TODAY will offer a live webcast of the Florida celebration at www.floridatoday.com beginning at 5:30 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 14.
The Newseum will offer a live webcast of the D.C. celebration at newseum.org beginning at 5:30 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, May 15.
South Dakota Public Broadcasting will offer a live webcast of the South Dakota celebration at www.sdpb.org/live beginning at 10 a.m. CDT and will rebroadcast the celebration on the SDPB statewide television network Sunday, May 19 at 3 p.m. CDT.
Alough I never had the privledge of meeting Al, I always enjoyed learning about his vision & passion for success.
DeleteMany of my older coworkers, who had met, Al had wonderful and warm memories to share with
he's dead, get over it !! he didn't take any stock with him !
ReplyDeleteLogos on his tombstone....say no more.
ReplyDeleteHe gave a great deal of time and energy to creating products. And I think it's a very nice tribute to his life's work and accomplishments, to include his contributions on his tombstone.
DeleteYou wouldn't feel shortchanged if you were his surviving family?
DeleteWhat about "husband and father"?
that would be the father who wouldn't recognize his daughter. right !
DeleteWe all know the logos meant more to him than anything else in his life, including his family. Sad, actually.
DeleteMaybe the logos signify his personal drive, sacrifices towards an effort that impacted many lives. Those efforts not only impacted the lives of people employed by those companies/newspapers, but also impacted the lives of his family members. The lives of his family members were improved through AL's successes, and his legacy has been carried on through his family members. AL was a public figure, and he was aware of this. And, he lived his life as an "old school public figure," in which he kept his private life completely "private." I am sure his love of his family was reflected "privately". And, the tombstone which can be seen by "everyone" reflected his "public/business life."
Delete... I think AL's approach is very indicative of the private nature of his generation.
He didn't keep his family life private at all. In his weekly USAT column, he wrote over and over and over about his third wife and the kids they adopted. And he referenced his mother, Christina, repeatedly in his column, too.
DeleteToday's Gannett faux pas comes from their TV side. WMAZ in Macon GA had a story on a missing college student and the reporters at the scene were photographed all smiles. The non-Gannett daily in Macon took notice by making that the topic of a memo.
ReplyDeleteAny insight on what have become of USA Today's former publishers Craig Moon and David Hunke?
ReplyDeleteIn December 2011, Moon bought four community papers in North Carolina.
DeleteHunke got a job as chief strategy officer for a technology services company.
And Jim is still stumbling along as an inept blogger for dimes a day.
DeleteIt appears Hunke is working for Digerati, Inc. of Detroit, MI. Based on that company's profile (http://digerati.co/). He is not listed as chief strategy officer on their web site (if, indeed, that is the company he holds that position with). In any event, Dave is not a tech strategist--for services, or anything related. He might be getting paid as one, but he can't recognize good tech strategy even when he has it in his pocket.
DeleteJim might be stumbling along as a blogger, competent, inept, or somewhere in-between, depending on your opinion, but I'm guessing he has no vice presidents at all, and does not collect a paycheck for being a monkey in a suit while masquerading as a leader--and I'm not guessing about that.
You're right, 10:29. He does not collect a paycheck or much else, other than dust or ridicule.
DeleteChief strategy officer? You so funny! Hunke...
DeleteThose 3 words, especially "strategy" should be no where near the name Hunke. He's a used car salesman...at best.
DeleteSee foot, shot.
ReplyDeleteAnyone looking for why the Cincinnati Enquirer continues to disappoint, give reasons why paid subscriber base shrinks, then read no further than this story’s repetition:
“UC Health officials said they will announce his replacement in the near future.”
Two paragraphs down…
“University officials said they expect to announce his successor in the near future.”
Buchanan must really love this gaffe as she’s not only publisher of a newspaper that continues to demonstrate such poor editing skills, but also as Chair of UC Health.
Sad.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130507/NEWS01/305070078/CEO-UC-Medical-Center-step-down?nclick_check=1
A lot of things in this business are sad these days. Poor editing and careless gaffes are not high on the list of the really sad things. Paid subscriber base is shrinking in the VAST majority of one's market space for all sizes of news publishing operations. This is not the time to wring one's hands, worry and point out failings and shortfalls. Now is the time to work hard at doing what we have always done better than anyone else: delivering the news. Crikey, just do it, directly or indirectly--any way you can. Focus on that, and forget about everything else, unless, of course, you sell advertising. That's a separate blog thread.
DeleteMikey – Reading garbage writing like this for free was one thing....paying for it in print and online is another, exactly why fewer and fewer people do.
DeleteFrankly, the more this garbage is exposed here and elsewhere, the better chance some in Gannett (yes – you Matore and or your proxy who frequents this site) will ask why the hell so many can’t even meet the most minimum of expectations --- like proofreading, editing work.
And you're blogging in your mother's basement. Go Millenial!
ReplyDelete