Digital badly misses year-end site relaunch goal

The Indianapolis Star is one of just nine sites relaunched.

In the latest blow to Gannett's make-or-break digital transformation, the company has only managed to install long-planned new website and app designs at nine of its 104 U.S. TV stations and newspapers -- a figure that falls far short of the most recent forecast, according to a review I completed today.

The new designs, which are meant to boost advertising revenue and readership, have been in the works since summer 2011, and were to be modeled after the look first adopted by USA Today more than a year ago. Among many changes, the USAT relaunch created a more tablet-like appearance that placed advertising more directly in front of readers.

As recently as July, Corporate said it expected the relaunch would be largely completed by year's end in the company's top 35 U.S. markets. Indeed, at one point, Corporate had said the rollout could be finished as early as January 2013.

But today, the first business day of the new year, the new look is in place at only two newspapers and seven stations, according to my review, which included 81 community dailies plus 23 stations. (I did not include any of the 20 stations from the just-closed takeover of Dallas TV company Belo.)

Since initially predicting installations in the top 35 markets, Corporate hasn't said anything publicly about possible changes to the timetable, so it's unclear why the new look has reached only nine sites so far.

Without any additional information from Corporate, it's also unclear whether the delay will have any immediate impact on revenue projections. The new design was to create more uniform advertising positions across Gannett, especially for prerolls that were to run before the many more videos now being produced by local sites in anticipation of the site redesigns.

The first to relaunch was WBIR in Knoxville, Tenn., in early September. The first newspaper to come on board was New York's Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, later that same month.

The unexplained delay comes amid a raft of other evidence that Gannett's digital growth is stumbling, according to regulatory documents, as competition across the Web and electronic networks only grows more intense.

Related: This spreadsheet shows the status of site and app relaunches at all 104 U.S. properties.

TV market consolidates further with Tribune deal

Less than three weeks after Gannett announced a $2.2 billion acquisition of Belo, the Tribune Co. this morning agreed to buy 19 stations for about $2.7 billion, making it one of the nation’s biggest owners of commercial local TV outlets amid a groundswell of consolidation in the industry.

The stations are in 16 regions, including Denver, Cleveland and St. Louis, and many of their local news broadcasts are ranked first or second in their markets, according to The New York Times. They will complement Tribune’s 23 existing stations and its WGN America cable channel. Tribune is buying the stations from Local TV Holdings, a company owned by the investment firm Oak Hill Capital Partners.

The deal ratchets up the competition with GCI, because four of the stations are in markets where GCI also owns stations: Denver; Cleveland; Greensboro, S.C., and St. Louis. In a fifth market, Des Moines, GCI owns a newspaper.

GCI's Belo deal covers 20 stations, five of which are being spun off to a new third company; GCI will provide advertising sales and other services to those five under a contract. Including all 20, GCI would nearly double its station ownership to 43. The $2.2 billion price includes assumption of $700 million in debt.

Here's Tribune's press release describing the deal. And here's a list of the stations Tribune is buying.

USAT/WKYC | Let's hope their sourcing is solid

Relying on "unidentified police sources" originally quoted by Gannett's WKYC-TV, USA Today is effectively identifying by name as many as three rape victims in its story about the horrendous kidnapping-rescue case in Cleveland.

Here's the key paragraph: "WKYC-TV, quoting unidentified police sources, reported Tuesday that the suspects allegedly forced the women to have sex, resulting in up to five pregnancies."

WKYC | 'Unprecedented' political ad war heats up

I don't know whether these figures also are reflected in Cleveland, the Northern Ohio home for WKYC-TV, but 140 miles South in Columbus, an "astonishing" 18,482 presidential campaigns ads aired during a week in late August, according to the conservative National Review.

"Kantar Media, which monitors media placements, reports that is three times the number shown in the 2004 presidential election, when George W. Bush carried Ohio by 118,000 votes — and double the number of ads run in 2008 when Barack Obama won Ohio," National Review says today.

While Gannett publishes 11 newspapers in the state, led by The Cincinnati Enquirer, most of the presidential advertising is going to TV. That's increasingly an earnings bright spot, because it benefits GCI's 23-station broadcasting division.

WKYC | Memo: Amid wage freeze, a Tahiti trip

[Today's forecast: high of 86 and scattered showers]

Stung by two years without pay raises, the labor group representing some employees at Cleveland's WKYC is slamming what it calls a Corporate-sponsored trip this week to Tahiti for the NBC affiliate's general manager and other Gannett employees.

The NABET-CWA describes the trip in a memo dated Thursday:

"In yet another demonstration of the arrogance and corporate greed of Gannett and WKYC-TV, General Manager Brooke Spectorsky, his wife and several employees of the sales staff, have joined many other Gannett general managers, sales staff and some clients in a corporate junket to Tahiti this week. This is being billed as a Corporate Event. Apparently, there is no shame at WKYC-TV or Gannett."

The memo doesn't say which GCI division employees are participating. But I suspect they work for the 23-station broadcasting unit, and are probably taking the trip as a bonus for reaching certain sales target.

Any such trip comes as GCI's struggling U.S. newspaper division completes another round of job reductions through hundreds of buyouts being completed in the days and weeks ahead.

KUSA | Anchor recovering from on-air dog bite

[Screenshot of YouTube video viewed more than 4 million times]

KUSA anchor Kyle Dyer is recovering from reconstructive surgery after a dog bit her severely on the face during a live broadcast last week -- one prompting the Denver station to ask all other local media to keep video of the incident off the air and the Web.

Dyer

Dyer received 70 stitches to her upper lip, lower lip and nose, according to an account she posted to her Facebook page over the weekend. She's expected to undergo more treatment in the weeks ahead, TVSpy said yesterday.

The dog, an 85-pound Argentine Mastiff, had been saved after falling through ice on a pond, a dramatic rescue captured by KUSA's news helicopter. He bit Dyer Wednesday on the set during an on-air appearance at the NBC affiliate that morning.

News director Patti Dennis contacted every other Denver station, TVSpy says, "imploring them not to air footage of the bite." She said its airing would be traumatic to the station's staff. However, at least one, Fox affiliate KDVR, carried the video despite Dennis's request.

In an interview with KDVR, the dog's owner complained that a local shelter has been keeping the animal quarantined for rabies signs longer than necessary because of the high-profile nature of the case.

"Wheels are turning in the background that we don`t see,'' Michael Robinson told the station in a segment posted online today.

Related: Here's a YouTube version of dog-bite video.

Earlier: In Cleveland, WKYC news director limits use of 9/11 Twin Towers video.

WKYC | Why 40 isn't the new 20 in the TV industry

"I'm 42, and 42 isn't what it used to be in this business. It's a young person's game."

-- morning news co-anchor Mark Nolan, speaking to the Cleveland Plain Dealer for a story yesterday about his leaving the Cleveland NBC affiliate in March.

WKYC | CBS network's Mitchell named top anchor

In an unexpected move, Russ Mitchell, anchor of the CBS Evening News weekend edition and The Early Show on Saturday, has just been named lead anchor at WKYC, the NBC affiliate in Cleveland. He starts Jan. 16, WKYC says in this story.

Mitchell

Perhaps anticipating concerns he might be a big city prima donna, WKYC quotes Mitchell, 51, saying: "I'm a Midwestern guy. I'm used to hard work. I get the weather."

In an interview with the The Plain Dealer, Mitchell said: "It's been a great run at CBS, but I miss the pulse of a local newsroom."

In his new role, he'll be lead anchor of the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.

Newsday's TV blogger, Verne Gay, calls Mitchell's move a "reverse promotion."

Prominent minority newscaster
"Big league anchors usually get bigger jobs, not Cleveland," Gay writes. "Not that there's anything wrong with Cleveland, by the way. But you get my drift."

Mitchell, who is African-American, is one of the most prominent minorities in network journalism, and has been with CBS about 17 years. Gay notes that he might have been short-listed to someday replace Scott Pelley as Evening News lead anchor, a post Pelley took after Katie Couric left last summer.

"But Pelley's not going anywhere," Gay says, "and now Mitchell is."

It appears Mitchell is replacing Romona Robinson, the evening anchor for 15 years, who left this month after failing to reach an agreement over a new contract.

General Manager Brooke Spectorsky tells TVSpy that Mitchell’s co-anchor will be announced soon.

TVNewser has CBS News president David Rhodes' memo, announcing Mitchell's departure.

WKYC | Anchor exits after contract talks collapse

Robinson

Media Bistro TV Spy reports today: "Romona Robinson, the evening anchor at Cleveland’s WKYC for 15 years, is leaving the NBC-affiliate after failing to come to an agreement with station management over a new contract."

In an e-mail, a reader tells me: "Look for this trend to continue. When contracts are up, long-time anchors with hefty salaries will either take huge pay cuts or get the boot." 

Earlier: In April, the station dropped two weekend on-air employees.

WKYC | Station limits 9/11 Twin Towers video use

In a memo to employees yesterday, according to one of my readers, staffers at Cleveland's WKYC were told the following; the reference is to Rita Andolsen, the news director:

An important point of clarification when it come to our policy on 9/11 video usage. In most cases, we should not use ANY video of the twin towers during or after the attack. This includes planes hitting the towers, the towers burning and the collapse. There may be exceptions based on individual stories but they need Rita’s approval before they are used on the air or online.

Keep in mind Newschannel may be using limited video of the towers to enhance a story and they won’t give us a heads up. Please check any video from Newschannel carefully and have file video on standby to replace tower shots.

Earlier: Experts discuss 9/11 commemoration vs. exploitation.

Has your site limited use of any images related to the Sept. 11 attacks? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

WKYC | Newscaster and meteorologist let go

Gannett's NBC affiliate in Cleveland is dropping two weekenders, meteorologist A.J. Colby and newscaster Jeff Maynor, according to Ohio Media Watch and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Their last days on-air will be May 29.

WKYC has been embroiled in a bitter months-long dispute with employees represented by the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communications Workers of America.

TV | Ad sales are rising -- and so are pay cuts

As advertising revenue looks up for Gannett's 23-station television division, more unhappy workers at Cleveland's WKYC are telling me about big pay cuts -- up to 18% -- recently imposed on union members there. The company did so this month, they say, during negotiations over a new contract, and in violation of an existing agreement that extends through June 11.

"While we offered to take the same paycuts as others took throughout the company and [among non-union workers] at our station, 5-6% with a week's furlough, the company rejected that offer and said that wasn't enough,'' one reader told me this weekend. "They demanded we take from 8%-18%, no furloughs, give up vacation time earned. . . . They want to be able to schedule us for a six-hour day if they want us to work a ten-hour day that week, with no overtime after eight hours."

The union rejected those terms in early December, after which Gannett unilaterally put the new rules into effect, starting Jan. 1, the employees tell me.

The TV division's fortunes are brighter this year for two reasons: next month's Winter Olympics in Vancouver are expected to be a windfall for the company's 11 stations affiliated with NBC, which is broadcasting the game. Also, heading into the mid-term elections in November, 2010 will be another contentious year on the campaign trail.

Candidates favor TV advertising, and their spending is likely to grow exponentially this year because the U.S. Supreme Court is expected within days to end decades-old limits on spending by corporations, unions and other interest groups. The end of those restrictions, The New York Times reported Friday, "could unleash a torrent of negative advertisements, help cash-poor Republicans in a pivotal year and push President Obama to bring in more money for his party."

Indeed, TV division President Dave Lougee (left) told Wall Street media analysts last month that Gannett is counting on more campaign-related spending. "Our stations' political footprint is very strong in 2010, and we anticipate heavy spending,'' he told the UBS media conference in a statement. "The only open question is whether the recession will affect fundraising norms in any significant way. That’s a possibility, though the conventional wisdom is that the money will be there because of how polarized the current political environment is."

His statement continued: "We have U.S. Senate races in 15 markets; governors' races in 18 markets; and there will be unprecedented number of contested U.S. House races next year by some accounts, up to 100 by some estimates. We also expect to see a continuation of the year-round spending on national and local issues that we’ve seen this year, only at higher levels."

Readers: What is Gannett's contract bargaining schedule at your TV station? Is the company seeking the same wage and benefit cuts at your site? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

TV | News Corp. said suitor for Conan O'Brien

Amid reports he may be shunted aside so Jay Leno can return to his late-night berth, Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien (left) is mulling options that could include accepting a purported offer from News Corp., The Wall Street Journal is now reporting.

Leno's future on the NBC network is of more than passing interest to Gannett stockholders; 11 of the media giant's 23 television stations are affiliated with NBC. Like many affiliates, GCI's stations have struggled with falling prime-time ratings since Leno was moved to an earlier time slot last summer.

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

TV | How Jay Leno's future drives your fortunes

The unfolding drama over whether Jay Leno (left) is shifted back to his old late-night time slot is more than an issue for the NBC network and the broader television industry. The outcome is important to Gannett employees and stockholders. That's because nearly half of GCI's 23 television stations are NBC affiliates, more than any other single affiliation. They include giants KUSA in Denver and WXIA in Atlanta.

Gannett has been watching the impact of NBC's weak prime-time ratings on its 11 affiliates for some time. Adding to that is the uncertainty over the recent sale of a controlling interest of NBC to cable giant Comcast. Only last month, broadcasting division President Dave Lougee told Wall Street analysts: "While we are concerned about the network’s prime rating performance, that is not new. We have been concerned for some time."

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

WKYC | Tipster reports TV pay cuts up to 20%

A reader who requests anonymity tells me the following, about WKYC, Gannett's NBC-affiliated TV station in Cleveland: "Today we were welcomed back from the New Year with packets of pretty huge pay cuts. Some people, almost 20%. They went against the union and our contract; we still have 18 months left on it. It’s going to get very, very ugly in Cleveland."

Can anyone confirm -- or add details? Is this happening at any other Gannett TV stations? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.