Friday, November 01, 2013

Oct. 28-Nov. 3 | Your News & Comments: Part 3

Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)

37 comments:

  1. Hearing corporate layoffs are (finally) coming.

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    1. Will these layoffs include publishers, making ad directors General Managers? Heaven forbid at our paper. Can a state newspaper close it's doors?

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    2. The ad director was elevated to gm at the CourierPost in Cherry Hill, NJ. A brilliant move.

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    3. When you say "corporate layoffs" are you referring to personnel at the main office in McLean, Virginia?

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    5. If one is laid off in the 4th quarter, and gets COBRA, will one have to switch to the new insurance plan in 2014 or will they continue with the current plan via COBRA?

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    6. Hearing it will be Finance, IT and HR staff in McLean, but that some Belo corporate staff may join. Likely to be an early retirement offer, age 55 plus 20 years.

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    7. when you say "corporate", it does go beyond McLean. directors and VP's at local site are paid out of corporate not the local site, so "corporate" is very wide spread !

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    8. I know what the corporate payroll is and that directors and VPs in the field are on it. I'm talking about layoffs in McLean.

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  2. Add more fuel to the fire about upcoming consolidations: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20131031/NEWS01/310310018/Advocate-publisher-promoted-Sioux-Falls-post

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  3. This company sounds more Titanic-like everyday. Where's the string quartet playing "Nearer My God To Thee"?

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    1. More local. Ha. Indy will be the state paper. Look at Des Moines.

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  4. GCI has hired about 75 Belo Corporate staffers.

    Also, Jim, why no stories on USAT's positive circ today? Is it just because it's positive and it doesn't fit your whiny narrative?

    Thirdly, Belo's earns are out today. Seems worthy of a post as it's about to be a big part of this company as it moves away from dying newspapers.

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    1. So you think loosing 300k print circulation and trying to mask it with non paid tablet downloads is positive news for USA TODAY?

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  5. I got news for you, "Gannett Benefits": If this new health care plan was really "Designed by You"/us, then we wouldn't have set it up like at 7 percent pay cut. So stop sending your propaganda out via email and call it what it is.

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    1. No, it is NOT a pay cut. The increase in the employer contribution more than offsets the increase in the employee contribution.

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    2. That's not correct, 7:03.

      Starting with the new plans in 2014, employees will pay 50% of their medical costs, up from 40% under the current plans. Gannett will pay 50% next year, down from 60%, according to a reader in a position to know.

      So, regardless of how much medical costs rise in 2014, employee contributions will increase more than Gannett's employer contribution.

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    3. Company pays 38% of total cost.

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    4. Not true, 9:10, and I've seen the Labor Department documents with the real figures.

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  6. More like an 18% paycut here.

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  7. Charles Everett11/01/2013 10:06 AM

    Attacks on TV news crews have happened on a regular basis in the San Francisco Bay Area. Those attacks have spread to the East Coast and Gannett's station in Washington DC was targeted.

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  8. I'm a retiree and was told that retiree medical is going to be essentially the same as the employee medical plan. However, employees already know what the cost is going to be and as a retiree they still don't have the numbers for us. Yet we're on the same timeline as employees for open enrollment. The only thing I can figure is that they're still working the numbers in order to make retiree medical less attractive so that we go somewhere else.

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  9. What you have to figure out is, in retiring, are President Obama's subsidies more than you would get from Gannett's contributions.

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    1. Just remember that your grandkids will be paying off those "subsidies"—with interest.

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  10. fyi, I paid for COBRA when I was laid off just because I was a little nervous about being without insurance, but I will tell you -
    I wish that I hadn't kept COBRA , now that I am without insurance- and pay as I go- boy is it so much cheaper, I really just wasted my money on COBRA. Did a surgical procedure after and it was all cheaper than the total amounts you pay for insurance. Pay as you go works! You can find discounts etc.
    just saying!

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  11. to 1:13 - I am a retiree and was told by benefits people that the premium for employee plus one is actually going down.Probably because as retirees we pay the whole cost of the premium and the plan sucks so much the premium is less and Gannett is making active employees pay more of the total cost. Have any other retirees got this info?

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  12. What is the retiree rate for insurance?

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    1. this year it was $1,239 a month for employee plus one; I was told it will be $1,145 next year -medical only - no dental or vision

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    2. So you won't have a dental or vision option?

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  13. got the retiree package, and was told letter coming in Nov with retiree rates. Oh boy, can't wait ! then i'll compare it to affordable health care costs. that should be a no brainer !!

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  14. so did the phoenix pressmen have lunch or dinner with gracia or dickey this week while they were in phoenix ?????

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    1. Oops! I meant to post :Golf" here... Blast! Missed the moment.

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  15. Notice: This site enforces a strict zero-tolerance policy with regard to criticism of the Dear Leader or his boondoggles.

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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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