tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post1287340101698523104..comments2023-11-05T06:26:51.316-05:00Comments on Gannett Blog: For USAT, surprise news ushers in a long summer; Hunke's team now hunts for paper's 'future path'Jim Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-27067272645849711782010-06-25T20:29:04.941-04:002010-06-25T20:29:04.941-04:00Ask the workers for input? Seriously? They would...Ask the workers for input? Seriously? They would suggest everyone get a raise AND a bonus, just like the leadership. It would be no different. What a joke.<br /><br />Has anyone ever read Animal Farm?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-24766910767010067022010-06-25T19:37:53.975-04:002010-06-25T19:37:53.975-04:00In regards to 1:04 p.m.....Ask the workers for inp...In regards to 1:04 p.m.....Ask the workers for input? You've gotta be kidding! In Westchester, the honchos sit around and wait for corporate to lead the way. They say they don't what they're going to do just a week or so before the big layoffs. The peons are called in, told what's what and dismissed.<br /><br />This is the Gannett way, and a key reason I sold all my Gannett stock Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-32928990738555671872010-06-25T13:04:05.379-04:002010-06-25T13:04:05.379-04:00So are you saying that Hunke was hired on the stre...So are you saying that Hunke was hired on the strength of the reorg in Detroit, yet some of the ideas he implemented turned out to be unworkable in the long run? Terrific.<br /><br />I'm wondering if he's getting input from actual staffers. There are some very astute people working in the trenches at USAT. Why doesn't he call a townhall-type meeting and get our thoughts on whatever itAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-13393408868107952602010-06-25T00:09:49.277-04:002010-06-25T00:09:49.277-04:008:39 p.m. got it right. Corporate simply feels abo...8:39 p.m. got it right. Corporate simply feels above the fray, above the pay freezes, hiring freezes, and increased insurance costs that it imposes on others.<br /><br />I hope that Dubow and Martore read this blog or at least have their trolls prepare morning briefings.<br /><br />Not that it would mean much. These people simply lack tact and common sense.<br /><br />Last year, just as everyone Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-70371685356560443732010-06-24T20:39:54.648-04:002010-06-24T20:39:54.648-04:00God knows what they are cooking up. It scares me b...God knows what they are cooking up. It scares me because, let's face it, these are not smart people. Dubow, Martore, Hunke -- they are clearly incapable of thinking strategically. Look at the bonuses they stuffed into their pockets after mass layoffs and forced furloughs. Even an immoral person with a modicum of intelligence would have been savvy enough to recognize that as a tactical error Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-34303567148244469652010-06-24T17:58:35.192-04:002010-06-24T17:58:35.192-04:00I do not know whether Martore uses the jet for per...I do not know whether Martore uses the jet for personal use that extensively -- if at all.<br /><br />In any case, however, executives using the jet must reimburse the company, although at a rate deeply discounted from prevailing costs. I don't know the exact formula.<br /><br />These figures are reported annually in the shareholder's proxy report with the SEC. The jet's destinations Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-46318548377841313112010-06-24T17:50:22.914-04:002010-06-24T17:50:22.914-04:00Martore uses the corporate jet every weekend to ta...Martore uses the corporate jet every weekend to take her to Cape Cod. She and Roxanne Horning use all the corporate tickets for their own personal use. This place is a joke.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-26674109579127176252010-06-23T14:55:35.804-04:002010-06-23T14:55:35.804-04:00Journalism or not, as Jim notes, the business mode...Journalism or not, as Jim notes, the business model at USA Today is "busted". Complaining doesn't resolve that fact that the outside forces demanding change aren't controlled within the walls of anyone's office or the towers that house a company. USA Today is forced to make dramatic changes in structure independently of the leadership or personalities involved. It's Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-29541225684357876602010-06-23T13:57:40.887-04:002010-06-23T13:57:40.887-04:00Martore is just as much to blame as Dubow for thes...Martore is just as much to blame as Dubow for these shambles. Is she working from home in Cape Cod these days?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-18669897808676436122010-06-23T11:19:12.149-04:002010-06-23T11:19:12.149-04:00Will the Board of Directors really tire of Dubow? ...Will the Board of Directors really tire of Dubow? I don't know. The history of the board is to go along with whatever management says. Some of the board - Hastie, whatever her name is - only seem interested in fattening their own wallets without having a vested interest in the company.<br /><br />This board has not only had a let the employees be damned attitude, it's had a let the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-52671521625094861562010-06-23T11:04:21.592-04:002010-06-23T11:04:21.592-04:00To Anonymous: 6/23/2010 10:06 AM
Hang in there a...To Anonymous: 6/23/2010 10:06 AM <br /><br />Hang in there and be thankful it was just a furlough. After 163 resumes and a year of looking for a new opportunity in journalism…the reality is not much better. Few have the answers to what the future holds in our profession all we have is the opportunity to refocus our dedication, passion and skills to building new readership both on the web and Gary Millerhttp://oneheartonemind.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-55348191660617269032010-06-23T11:00:13.256-04:002010-06-23T11:00:13.256-04:00Hey Hunke lets layoff more people so you can have ...Hey Hunke lets layoff more people so you can have a 6 million dollar bonus bonus next year and not a 4.5 million dollar one. Screw the hard working persons that make this place what it is today.Take the pay lay them off furlogh them but make sure to put gas in the corp jet, nice new corp buildings and vacation places you get my point you fat asshole.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-84388953217252184932010-06-23T10:14:48.472-04:002010-06-23T10:14:48.472-04:00Hunke's plans in Detroit flopped. Big drop in ...Hunke's plans in Detroit flopped. Big drop in print readership without corresponding bump up in web readership. Now Freep restoring 7-day home delivery. Hunke and Debow need to go now. Matore deserves a chance to fix things.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-87662876624462522582010-06-23T10:06:52.129-04:002010-06-23T10:06:52.129-04:00I really and truly resented my furlough this time,...I really and truly resented my furlough this time, knowing that the paycheck I depend on went straight into Craig Dubow's pocket and NOT to keep the presses running and people employed as we were led to believe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-83009435839292041622010-06-23T08:54:10.104-04:002010-06-23T08:54:10.104-04:00I think the surprise -- other than the fact that t...I think the surprise -- other than the fact that the announcement had the whiff of afterthought -- was that 1) we were told in advance, which we weren't last time, now that severance is tied to collecting unemployment and voluntary layoffs are a thing of the past; and 2) these layoffs are coming earlier, at the end of the third quarter instead of the fourth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-86981760488203233532010-06-23T02:53:22.232-04:002010-06-23T02:53:22.232-04:00The drum beat is on. Say good bye to Craig. No w...The drum beat is on. Say good bye to Craig. No way he makes it through the 4th quarter.<br /><br />At some point, the board will tire of these stall tactics, the cutting, the gutting, the mess that has become of the newspapers in the Gannett chain.<br /><br />What a tremendous mess. It's time to move on, Craig.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-91131908043621062492010-06-22T21:18:46.583-04:002010-06-22T21:18:46.583-04:00I speculate that Dubow will leave at the end of th...I speculate that Dubow will leave at the end of the year and cash in on all his stock options.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-75587357654147256922010-06-22T20:35:01.446-04:002010-06-22T20:35:01.446-04:006:58 Blame the banks and the real estate market if...6:58 Blame the banks and the real estate market if you wish, but I blame the media corporations:<br />-- It wasn't the banks and mortgage companies that refused to innovate and ignored challenges from the Internet like Craiglist that took over their classified sections. Don't look now, but Yahoo and Google are doing the same with display ads.<br />-- It wasn't the banks and real Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-36345158773748901852010-06-22T19:38:53.111-04:002010-06-22T19:38:53.111-04:00Measured against its two national rivals, USAT'...Measured against its two national rivals, USAT's advertising results in the first quarter were worse, according to regulatory filings.<br /><br />Advertising revenue at the New York Times Media Group -- comprising mostly the NYT -- fell 7.2% from the year-ago period vs. USAT's steeper 11% decline.<br /><br />Meanwhile, ad revenue at The Wall Street Journal soared 25% during the first Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-63735988555723074362010-06-22T19:28:54.949-04:002010-06-22T19:28:54.949-04:00This post is about USA Today, not about Gannett.
...This post is about USA Today, not about Gannett.<br /><br />With that in mind, do you want me to compare USAT's performance against that of other media companies, or against broader economic indicators? As USAT is lagging Gannett's newspaper division generally, I'm not sure other comparisons will be any more flattering.Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-49598158188133533442010-06-22T18:58:51.580-04:002010-06-22T18:58:51.580-04:00It is amazing to me that Jim can write over 30 inc...It is amazing to me that Jim can write over 30 inches of copy on this situation and every single inch of it has a negative tone. He provides no context as to how media corporations, along with so many other industries, are still facing horrible economic conditions, brought on by the financial apocolpyse triggered by banks and mortgage companies. It will continues to wreck the economy for many Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-47470788310500644242010-06-22T17:42:58.364-04:002010-06-22T17:42:58.364-04:00Just goes to show you that if you can't actual...Just goes to show you that if you can't actually write content people want to read, you sell fewer newspapers and lose your job.<br /><br />Go figure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-43943770722966390102010-06-22T17:26:22.430-04:002010-06-22T17:26:22.430-04:00Let's see, we have Gracia who has not been abl...Let's see, we have Gracia who has not been able to hire a new chief digital officer, and now we have Gracia who hasn't been able to develop a plan to save USA Today. Hmmm. Is someone hanging Gracia out to dry by assigning her GCI's most difficult decisions? Wonder who that might be...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-57980810023224436022010-06-22T14:35:47.288-04:002010-06-22T14:35:47.288-04:00I don't normally quibble with Jim's summar...I don't normally quibble with Jim's summaries, but I would not characterize Hunke's disclosures as much of a surprise. We have all known there will be a reorganization when Hunke was brought in to deal with the circulation and ad declines. What we don't know is the details, and Hunke was not forthcoming on details at that meeting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-75608438644193316102010-06-22T14:28:56.225-04:002010-06-22T14:28:56.225-04:002:16 pm: This post is based largely on regulatory ...2:16 pm: This post is based largely on regulatory documents, published reports, my ongoing review of USAT's page and advertising counts, and comments by my own critics.Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.com