tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post7150232429526620678..comments2023-11-05T06:26:51.316-05:00Comments on Gannett Blog: Mail | Newseum could be a 'worthwhile venture'Jim Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-60939727628696342422010-12-27T19:17:05.052-05:002010-12-27T19:17:05.052-05:00Just think how many people have to go the Newseum ...Just think how many people have to go the Newseum at the $20 rate to pay for the overhead.<br /><br />Never happen!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-72360602985455007202010-12-27T11:34:39.568-05:002010-12-27T11:34:39.568-05:00Think what you may of Jim, but the facts speak for...Think what you may of Jim, but the facts speak for themselves. As a former long-time Gannett employee I can say he's right on target.<br /><br />Big Al hijacked not only the money that went to charitable causes in the communities where Gannett properties were located, he also stole away the good will that annual local donations provided.<br /><br />Neuharth and Overby represent the worst of Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-53328631956678941802010-12-26T13:30:41.497-05:002010-12-26T13:30:41.497-05:00Done well, Gannett could be a worthwhile venture.Done well, Gannett could be a worthwhile venture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-77079053982497774032010-12-26T13:01:34.166-05:002010-12-26T13:01:34.166-05:00I would like to see if a magazine would pick up th...I would like to see if a magazine would pick up this story. I'm skeptical The New Yorker would do so.<br /><br />But keep in mind that Jim has damaged his credibility with a few posts here and his appearance at the stockholders' meeting. Those bruises and his clear anti-Gannett agenda will affect his chances to be taken seriously.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-30680893671140170812010-12-26T01:21:26.784-05:002010-12-26T01:21:26.784-05:00I agree with 5:38 and note that since you have don...I agree with 5:38 and note that since you have done much of the spade work, a free-lance magazine piece would be in order. Backwoods charity taken over by image conscious city-slickers and turned into a museum monstrosity funneling funds to friends and relatives, while food shelters the charity used to fund are foundering in the midst of the worst recession in a half-a-century.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-71688357157147677242010-12-24T17:38:56.924-05:002010-12-24T17:38:56.924-05:00Can't wait. When you put all of the pieces tog...Can't wait. When you put all of the pieces together, call the New Yorker. Some very solid reporting there. You'll hit your revenue goal for sure. Nicely done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-13174077542163351942010-12-24T16:33:02.933-05:002010-12-24T16:33:02.933-05:00Stole is too strong. Gannett management allowed Ne...Stole is too strong. Gannett management allowed Neuharth to hijack the old Gannett Foundation when he threatened to sell the $650 million in GCI stock on the open market, potentially inviting an investor unfriendly to management. In the 1980s Wall Street, this was known as greenmailing.<br /><br />The effect was to dramatically subvert the foundation's mission, while simultaneously allowing Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-89775667443737714742010-12-24T15:47:29.909-05:002010-12-24T15:47:29.909-05:00When all said is done, the chapter about Neuharth ...When all said is done, the chapter about Neuharth of this saga on the Fourth Estate will be especially interesting because it shows someone who had the potential to leave a lasting legacy. Perhaps not with USA Today, but with that big wad of cash he unceremoniously stole from the Gannett Foundation. Yes, it's pretty clear that he stole that money. <br /><br />Instead of building a lasting Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-44372376822823296992010-12-24T15:30:20.402-05:002010-12-24T15:30:20.402-05:003:20 When I visited the Newseum in 2009, I stopped...3:20 When I visited the Newseum in 2009, I stopped by the apartment building, where I recall seeing the names of several Freedom Forum executives -- including Overby's -- on the list of residents. And I wondered the same thing about possible sweetheart deals on rent. But I have no evidence that's the case.<br /><br />The Freedom Forum and Newseum tax reports include a dollar value for Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-19383495089485084632010-12-24T15:20:26.879-05:002010-12-24T15:20:26.879-05:00Heard that some of the Freedom Forum and Newseum b...Heard that some of the Freedom Forum and Newseum brass have free apartments - nice perk to ask them about, Jim.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-59698923606035912152010-12-24T12:00:39.332-05:002010-12-24T12:00:39.332-05:00Ooops. I've corrected the sweatshits.Ooops. I've corrected the sweatshits.Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-89112738396222705892010-12-24T04:58:49.014-05:002010-12-24T04:58:49.014-05:00Can I point out the phrase "ugly Newseum swea...Can I point out the phrase "ugly Newseum sweatshirts" becomes even uglier thanks to the typo that omits the r?Stephen Huntnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-83169624032410774752010-12-24T00:39:33.333-05:002010-12-24T00:39:33.333-05:0012:19 The cheap cabinets, etc., would suggest the ...12:19 The cheap cabinets, etc., would suggest the Freedom Forum, as developer, decided mid-construction to turn planned condos into the current rentals.<br /><br />At some point, they might gut the apartments, add higher-end finishes, then sell them as almost-new condos -- then pay down debt.<br /><br />But that will require a robust real estate market. We're OK out here in San Francisco; I Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-7525050177030141852010-12-24T00:19:46.130-05:002010-12-24T00:19:46.130-05:00One comment on a Washington apartment rental site ...One comment on a Washington apartment rental site about the Newseum's offerings:<br />"Cheap cheap cabinets and fixtures and carpet etc. Office staff has been minimally competent although requests are always filled/responded to wrongly. Overpriced on the inside, great location on the outside." <br />Rental is $1,600 a month for a really tiny 450-square foot studio, $2,300 for one Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-43483096807354999602010-12-24T00:07:44.189-05:002010-12-24T00:07:44.189-05:00Well, since they claim tax deductions as a charity...Well, since they claim tax deductions as a charity, it certainly would be a charitable act to open those apartments to Washington's legions of homeless. Homelessness has gotten so bad in this recession that they are out around the suburban malls this Christmas season and the alongside the highways around the Crystal Palace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-86211153344923007052010-12-23T21:34:22.547-05:002010-12-23T21:34:22.547-05:009:09 You are correct about that condo tower. I wro...9:09 You are correct about that condo tower. I wrote about that issue on Jan. 8, 2009, in a post called, <a href="http://gannettblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/mystery-luxury-newseum-condos-became.html" rel="nofollow">Mystery: Luxury Newseum condos became rentals</a>. In it, I wrote:<br /><br />"Freedom Forum may have abandoned the original condo idea well before the real estate bubble collapsed. Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-56250894466757261402010-12-23T21:09:21.628-05:002010-12-23T21:09:21.628-05:00After the Elvis debacle, they dumped the museum di...After the Elvis debacle, they dumped the museum director and began a search for a professional who knows museums and newspapers. The $20 admission fee is still a big hurdle for tourists, and need to find some way to attract more. The other problem Jim didn't address is they never sold the really tiny condos they built in the back overlooking a homeless shelter. Whatever architect decided to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com