Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Part 2 | 2:38 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. ET

This section is now closed to new comments. Please go to Part 3.
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200 comments:

  1. Jim12/02/2008 2:38 PM

    I've started this second open-comment forum because the first one was getting too long.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12/02/2008 2:40 PM

    December 2, 2008

    To: All Journal News Employees

    As you’re keenly aware, we’re reducing expenses to adjust to the unprecedented economic
    impacts we’re seeing in our region and our industry. Since our announcement several weeks
    ago, we’ve identified a number of non-payroll expense reductions, which we’re putting
    in place before the end of the year.

    In addition to the non-payroll reductions, we are also reducing our workforce by 43 positions
    effective this week. Four of these positions were vacant and will not be filled, and we had three
    individuals who voluntarily requested severance. I would like to thank them for their decision as
    it helped minimize the involuntary staff reductions.

    Each of the employees who’ve lost their jobs have our sincere thanks for the contributions
    they’ve made to our company during their tenure.

    I know the past month has been difficult as you’ve anticipated the changes we’ve had to make.
    I want to thank you for your focus and professionalism throughout the process. As always if you
    have any questions related to these changes please feel free to call me or visit Human Resources.

    Mike Fisch

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous12/02/2008 2:42 PM

    Notice how the Westchester memo doesn't say "xx employees were informed today that their positions were eliminated".

    With 39 people to let go, I don't think they're done.

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  4. Jim12/02/2008 2:42 PM

    All: The Journal News is in Westchester, N.Y.

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  5. Anonymous12/02/2008 2:46 PM

    This is a lame idea, but I'm going with it anyhow: Let's all send Jim and the blog $5 in honor of a laid-off colleague. It'll be like buying an Easter lily at church.

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  6. Anonymous12/02/2008 2:47 PM

    this westchester employee (for now) thanks you for the update. at least one page designer is gone.

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  7. Anonymous12/02/2008 2:49 PM

    who/what positions been cut so far in Wilmington (the big one)?

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  8. Anonymous12/02/2008 2:49 PM

    Still no news in Montgomery, will either begin late this afternoon or tomorrow.

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  9. Anonymous12/02/2008 2:50 PM

    Not a lame idea, a great idea 2:46!

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  10. Anonymous12/02/2008 2:51 PM

    as a former Westchester employee, it saddens me to see all this happening to a paper i used to love and staff i care about.

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  11. Anonymous12/02/2008 2:54 PM

    Adding to this thread, in case it gets missed on the last one ... Add online editor to the Vineland toll. Total count there is 13 bodies/open positions.

    NJ group as a whole said to be losing more than 200 positions, maybe 250.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous12/02/2008 2:57 PM

    Elmira so far...

    News - 2 fired (these are not "layoffs" baby)- features dept. eliminated; 2 re-assigned

    Advertising - 1 voluntary buyout

    ...and counting...

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  13. Anonymous12/02/2008 2:58 PM

    I third the motion to send Jim $5 in honor of a slashed colleague. If everyone does this, he will probably be able to keep the blog going as long as Gannett itself.

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  14. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:01 PM

    Re: 1:53 p.m.-Pensacola-Part I:
    What are the other positions that were cut in Pcola?
    TIA

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:01 PM

    So far in Fort Myers: 2 copy editors, 1 graphic artist. Heard they were being "allowed" to remain until Dec. 24 if they want to.

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  16. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:02 PM

    I am that "at least one page designer gone" from Westchester. Got called in on my day off to come in to the office and be told I no longer work there. A job huntin' I will go.

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  17. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:03 PM

    Wilmington, DE newsroom cuts so far include:

    1 on the Day Copy Desk
    3 in Sports Desk
    1 in Features Desk
    1 in Biz Desk
    1 Local Desk
    1 in the Library (voluntary)
    1 in Editorial
    1 in Photo
    1 on the Night Copy Desk (called to come in early)

    We'll see what happens on the nightside...

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  18. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:07 PM

    What is happening in the Midwest , like Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, etc?

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  19. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:09 PM

    what about the other departments in Wilmington?

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  20. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:09 PM

    Hmmm...check your info. There was no GA cut at Fort Myers. :)

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  21. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:09 PM

    At least not yet, I should add...

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  22. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:11 PM

    @ 3:07 PM

    1 on the Night Copy Desk (called to come in early)

    So they called this person and asked if they'd mind coming in early so they could fire him/her? Jeezus.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:12 PM

    What about Indy? Any word from anyone?

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  24. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:13 PM

    darn right they called her/him in! if not, they'd have to stay late!

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  25. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:19 PM

    Don't forget to cancel that subscription, if that was in your post-layoff plans.

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  26. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:23 PM

    Layoffs have begun in Des Moines.

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  27. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:26 PM

    Called in early? HA. I got called in on my day off.

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  28. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:29 PM

    Under way in Cincinnati. News managers getting hit.

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  29. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:29 PM

    Any word on Burlington, VT?

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  30. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:30 PM

    Pensacola had to have everyone gone by 11:00 am. So far a manaer in Marketing, pre-press manager, 2 ad builders (go India) and a manager in GCS (call center) some circ re-delivery folks - more than this but not sure where

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  31. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:30 PM

    Yes, as a reader who is finding fewer things to read in my Gannett paper, I'll be canceling my subscription.

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  32. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:30 PM

    Well at least it will be a Merry Christmas for a bunch of folks in India. Thanks Gannett.

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  33. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:35 PM

    Another in Photo in Wilmington, DE...

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  34. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:36 PM

    Who's getting canned in Des Moines?
    I heard 10-15 Adv sales reps. Anything about Adv artists?

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  35. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:38 PM

    I like Jim and all, but maybe your colleague needs that $5 more than Jim does.

    Any news from Jackson, TN?

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  36. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:39 PM

    Louisville Courier-Journal is under way. Business reporter with 20+ years taking voluntary buyout as we speak.

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  37. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:39 PM

    Incredible. This whole thing is just incredible.

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  38. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:40 PM

    Anyone else feel like starting an information war against Gannett? They are laying off some seriously talented people that might be able to help with a campaign against this corporate behemoth that cares nothing about civic responsibilities entrusted to the media.
    Jim, I'll send you $5 when I get my severance.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:42 PM

    I wonder if Mr. Dubow is smoking a Padron or a Cuban right now...

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  40. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:43 PM

    A little birdie in Binghamton informed me I'll be getting the axe tomorrow. Any tips on a reaction. Since I've been tipped off, I can have some fun with this.
    Oh... maybe I'll "miss" the toilet and "accidentally" hit the publisher's desk.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:44 PM

    Just canceled my subscription, even though I kept it while working (of course, some days there were not enough "extra" copies for employees).

    Heck, I can get everything online free don't you know.

    By the sounds of these numbers, there is more to this than the economy.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:46 PM

    Poopgate, Part Deux!

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  43. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:48 PM

    Any word yet on Jackson, Miss. or Hattiesburg?

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  44. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:49 PM

    Part Deuce as it were...

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  45. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:54 PM

    Florida Today is well on it's way in lay-offs. Over 30 gone so far.

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  46. Anonymous12/02/2008 3:56 PM

    Hello Springfield. What' shappening there?

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  47. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:01 PM

    Based on that Wilmington list, looks like they have no respect for their copy desks. What else is new?

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  48. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:04 PM

    Publishers think that newspapers are put out by magic. Who needs copy editors?

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  49. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:07 PM

    Re: 1:53 p.m.-Pensacola-Part I:
    What are the other positions that were cut in Pcola?
    TIA

    Where is teh 1:53 comment??? What did it say?? WHo is gone in P-cola???

    ReplyDelete
  50. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:10 PM

    Among the Courier-Post casualties in Cherry Hill:

    Pam Lyons, food editor, who did a hell of a lot more in Features than just food.
    Mike Radano, sports, who covered the Philadelphia Phillies.
    Alexia Schmdit, a very talented features designer.

    Some of these moves are absolutely baffling. The food section was among the highest-rated pages in the paper, according to reader surveys. Mike worked his ass off this year, covering the Phillies on their way to the World Series Championship. And Alexia is one of the most talented designers we've come across. Such a shame.

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  51. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:13 PM

    Looks like Cherry has lost at least 18 newsroom staffers. Many more lost in advertising, production, etc.

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  52. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:14 PM

    The most talented will survive plus they will probably end up making more money after they leave Gannett.

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  53. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:14 PM

    While the above named people and others are walking out of the building, carrying their belongings in boxes, the C-P has high school all-stars coming in for headshots. What a great day to have high school students visiting, huh?

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  54. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:15 PM

    Re: 4:02's comment: Newsroom cuts so far are heavily in that over 40 age group too at the APP.

    What are the possibibilities of an age discrimination lawsuit?

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  55. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:17 PM

    Good question. I'd like to see how many others are laid off and the breakdown.

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  56. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:17 PM

    The Sheboygan Press is having a meeting at 1pm tomorrow 12/3/08-I imagine that's when the news will be heard.

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  57. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:20 PM

    Sheboygan also has a listing for a reporter opening on the GCI website. How bad can their newsroom layoffs be?

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  58. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:21 PM

    Voluntary cuts rolling hard in Louisville: three reporters and one columnist accepted so far, but at least one reporter has been turned down.

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  59. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:21 PM

    are sites seeing a lot of people wearing black....

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  60. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:22 PM

    Add Cherry Hill sports writers Kevin Roberts and Sean McCann to the list of the departed.

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  61. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:22 PM

    Sad about Westchester and hope to find out more. One of the craziest, most unmanageable sites in the group (as they used to say), and they've gone hopelessly off-course with this Lo-Hud thing (Lower Hudson Valley).

    Trying to convince people in Yonkers, Scarsdale, even White Plains that they live in the Lower Hudson Valley instead of suburban New York City has never made any sense. Even people in Yorktown say, wha--?

    But good people there, good journalists and it needs MORE people, not less. Sigh...

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  62. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:22 PM

    Who is gone in Greenville, SC? Circ? Advertising?

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  63. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:23 PM

    Word is 92 employees at the APP. There were 22 volunteers.

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  64. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:24 PM

    What is going on in Des Moines?

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  65. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:24 PM

    RGJ staff in Reno will face axes on Wednesday. Any word from other papers West of the continental divide?

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  66. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:25 PM

    In Cherry Hill just thirty minutes ago, a handful (roughly 10 of us) of caring workers and I escorted and helped a 14 year graphic designer named Lori, who was so caring, dedicated, passionate and friendly. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this where those who have been touched by her and her talents followed her and said goodbye in the parking lot. That says a lot...and I will miss her talks from just across the desk. It's just not right to let go someone who was so talented and valuable. :(

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  67. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:25 PM

    Did anyone notice that Westchester Publisher said "thank you" about 5 times in his memo to the employees he has terminated?? Give me a break. He even thanked those who left on their own...insincere words from an insincere publisher. He could care less...and he knows it. Those of us still left here have never been very impressed by him. He doesn't seem to really have a grasp of what needs to be done (unless of course he is told to eliminate jobs by Curtis Riddle).

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  68. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:26 PM

    I was one of the age over 40 with 10 years of service let go today for The Asbury Park Press. I too am curious about the possibility of age discrimination. BRING IT ON!!

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  69. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:29 PM

    Battle Creek, Michigan announced today that production will be moved to Lansing, MI

    Including the loss of several information center employees the total affected will be approximately 18 full-time. 32 part-time out of 122 employees.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:30 PM

    In Nashville....it's 25 total from the newsroom -- three unfilled, 22 filled. Apparently, today was for those who asked for a buyout and tomorrow will be the rest.

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  71. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:32 PM

    Just wondering, has the Information Center been officially abandoned?

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  72. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:32 PM

    A memo handed out at the APP said 92 people have been laid off - 51 full time, 22 full time who volunteered and 19 part time. As of about 3 p.m. this afternoon, the total was one from editorial, two voluntary reporters, one voluntary manager, four from the art department, one from Web development, one from entertainment and one unconfirmed photographer. In the rest of the building and other bureaus, at least one from facilities, at least four from advertising, one from ADS, several from classified and, as rumor has it, a whole bunch from the state bureau.

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  73. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:32 PM

    I'm in my twenties and got canned, so there's one mark against age discrimination.

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  74. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:32 PM

    The reason you are hearing nothing from those Ohio and Indiana and midwest papers today is that they have been beaten into silence by Gannett Corp. Most are afraid to speak these days.

    Thanks a shame...

    We'd like to know what's going on in the infamous 2000 acquisitions!

    ReplyDelete
  75. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:34 PM

    Word is that Gannett laid off all four its Trenton bureau reporters.

    Tom Baldwin, Michael Rispoli, Lisa Ryan, and Greg Volpe are gone.
    Editor/columnist Bob Ingle and deputy editor Michael Symons remain.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:34 PM

    The turks were on the way to the plate room at the APP when i left at 2.....a good tech services manager...seems like more than a few middle management guys at Freehold...this is gonna hurt those who survived

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  77. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:35 PM

    Not Bob Ingle...love the guy!!! he has guts to fire off at he Corzine Monster in NJ

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  78. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:35 PM

    Reno axe is falling now. Outlying bureaus are meeting for "an announcement" as we speak. Wish us luck...

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  79. Shirley in Texas12/02/2008 4:35 PM

    From the AP published online by DelmarvaNow.com:
    RICHMOND — The Virginian-Pilot will cut at least 125 positions, about 10 percent of its work force, mostly by laying off staff and closing or selling affiliated publications.


    The Norfolk newspaper company will run its business section on Sundays only; shutter its 2-year-old free daily, Link; close or sell three out-of-state military-base newspapers; and trim the flagship paper’s size by at least 40 pages a week.

    “I think I can confidently say it’s the worst week in the history of The Virginian-Pilot,” editor Denis Finley said Monday.

    Finley said the newsroom will lose 15 employees, mostly editors and managers, in order to keep “as many reporters and content producers on the street as possible.” It also will drop two open positions.

    That will leave the newsroom staff at 193, down 22 percent from 248 journalists in January 2007.

    The cuts are expected by the end of the year.

    Privately held Landmark Media Enterprises LLC, which owns the Virginian-Pilot and its subsidiaries, hopes to sell the newspaper, but newspaper officials said that didn’t influence the cost-cutting measures.

    About 45 of the jobs to be lost are outside the Virginian-Pilot’s central coverage area, the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia. The Pilot will sell or close three military base newspapers in Alabama, Georgia and Texas.

    “We have a good staff and we will keep the quality of the journalism really high,” Finley said. “They’re still going to get a good report every day on the state of south Hampton Roads, there just will be a little less of it.”

    Although the business section will be eliminated on weekdays and Saturdays, the newspaper is keeping a full business team, including an editor, who will produce stories for the front and Hampton Roads sections, Finley said.

    The front section also will include a “market page” on Tuesdays through Saturdays that will include major indices, stocks of local interest and national and local business briefs. Stock listings will appear on The Pilot’s Web site. Those changes will begin on Jan. 12.

    “One thing that’s a little troublesome is we’re in the worst economic crisis since the Depression and we’re getting rid of our business section,” Finley said. “However, the stories that really impact everyone in the community and are of national interest would probably appear on our front page anyway.”

    Link, which was geared toward readers aged 18 to 34 and launched in October 2006, will close at the end of the year but may retain its Web site. Company officials have not decided whether to continue Port Folio Weekly, an alternative newspaper, or Mix, a multicultural monthly publication.

    The newspaper is seeking new ways to generate revenue, like selling advertising space on the newspaper’s front page.

    Newsstand prices are likely to rise — on top of a September increase of Sunday editions from $1.25 to $1.50.

    The Pilot’s average circulation for weekdays is 174,573, down 3.4 percent from the previous year, according to an Audit Bureau of Circulations report for the six months that ended Sept. 30. The Sunday average was 200,457, down 4.3 percent.

    The paper’s figures beat national average declines of 4.6 percent on weekdays and 4.8 percent on Sundays.

    Newspapers nationwide continue to struggle as the economic downturn exacerbates the challenges they faced as advertising dollars moved online.
    ...
    Finley said the mood in the newsroom is bad because workers don’t know if this will be the last of the cuts.

    “Everybody is worried, everybody is I think depressed just over the state of the industry,” he said. “They don’t want to be working for a dying industry. They want to be working for a growing, robust industry.... The scariest part is that nobody really has it figured out yet.”

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  80. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:36 PM

    Also - one longtime APP newsroom employee was relocated to advertising.

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  81. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:36 PM

    Current totals for Cherry Hill:

    Newsroom - 18
    Advertising - 9
    Production - 4
    Circulation - 2
    Finance - 2

    Total - 35

    Probably more coming when the night shift gets in.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:38 PM

    OK!!!! Am I reading this right!!!! Radano, McCann, and Roberts all gone from the CP!!!!!!?? Seriously, WTF is that!!!!!!! So the Eagles and Phillies writers, along with one hell of a columnist all gone!!!?? Good God!!!! I can't describe the amount disgust running through my body right now. I'm really at a loss for words. I worked with all three of these guys and they're all great journalists and great human beings!!!!! Screw Gannett!!!

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  83. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:38 PM

    Are there layoffs at Corporate?

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  84. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:38 PM

    @4:35: Bob Ingle is still there.

    Unfortunately.

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  85. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:38 PM

    Tally so far in The Tennessean newsroom:

    Two clerks, two designers, one ame and a copy editor.

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  86. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:39 PM

    If circulators have been doing their jobs well, they’ve already been counting each employee as a paid subscriber. Those canceling their subscriptions on the way out the door will result in a net loss of two subscribers not one as a result. It may be a small victory for some, but still a victory, especially if everyone does it.

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  87. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:40 PM

    any update on Florida Today?

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  88. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:41 PM

    I worked for the Pilot after I left Gannett (there are a few, actually) -- it's been a sad week to hear the fate of so many of my former colleagues.

    It's happening everywhere. But Denis Finley is one of the few executives who has been honest from the get-go. Class act.

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  89. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:42 PM

    5 from Ithaca. 3 voluntary, 1 involuntary, 1 still to be told (not called in on their day off)

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  90. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:42 PM

    to 4:38
    why unfortunately for bob Ingle???? tell me yer not one of the Corzine Fans...I have heard there are a few of them left in NJ

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  91. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:44 PM

    @4:42: Not a Corzine fan.

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  92. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:44 PM

    I won't forget to cancel. The paper is no longer covering news.

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  93. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:44 PM

    Update on the USAT Newsroom 20: At least five are leaving voluntarily, meaning about 15 will face the executioner Thursday.

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  94. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:45 PM

    APP special sections and a VP

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  95. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:45 PM

    OK we can be friends then

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  96. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:47 PM

    4:45 VP from which department?

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  97. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:47 PM

    I'm with you, 4:38. They've just ceded the Philly market to ... the Philly papers. And they're too stupid to realize that Philly fans are among some of the most passionate ones in the world.

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  98. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:48 PM

    Two in sports at APP.

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  99. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:51 PM

    They'll just use the Wilmington paper's coverage of Philadelphia sports.

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  100. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:51 PM

    45 gone from Pensacola and they're still not done. Yes, 45.

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  101. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:53 PM

    who was let go from GCI?

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  102. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:54 PM

    oops meant GCS- who was let go?

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  103. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:54 PM

    Re 4:32 you are incorrect about ADS: 3 ad designers so far (1 was voluntary) and 2 from ad design services.

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  104. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:55 PM

    It's a great day to join the editorial board! At least that's what the Newark OH Advocate editor is blogging today but, "surprisingly," no mention of layoffs.

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  105. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:55 PM

    3:43, LOL. Make sure his CrackBerry is on the desk, first.
    Best of luck to you in your post-Gannett career.
    4:38, I got a tip that layoffs at corporate include the sommelier, chief Gannett ring polisher, Reiki master and the hyper-local fairy of nimbleness.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:56 PM

    At least one of the five volunteers for the layoff at USAT is a dotcom staff member who is following Kinsey to NPR. I wonder if any other dotcom people are that lucky.

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  107. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:56 PM

    who was the APP newsroom employee relocated to advertising?

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  108. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:59 PM

    Wausau has done there

    Circulation - 3
    Production - 2
    News - 1
    Creative - 1
    HR - 1

    There was more

    ReplyDelete
  109. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:59 PM

    am also wondering about Brevard...I know of 8 or 9 for certain (with more about to be announced) but the number of 30 given above is a huge jump...from which departments did the other 20-some come from?

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  110. Anonymous12/02/2008 4:59 PM

    Apparently most of the magazine department at Westchester is gone.

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  111. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:00 PM

    any news from phoenix?

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  112. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:00 PM

    Maybe the layoffs at corporate will include the polisher of MacCorkindale's blue ball -- not to be confused with the polishers of Neuharth's blue balls.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:02 PM

    Iowa Independent is reporting six layoffs and one buy out so far, but it is expected to continue tomorrow.

    http://iowaindependent.com/9168/developing-des-moines-register-cuts-more-jobs-today

    ReplyDelete
  114. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:03 PM

    Florida Today-
    Julia Bowman (voluntary)
    Ciarra Smith(voluntary, but was on the list to go).
    Nick Reyes
    Christina Miller
    Sabrina Gowin
    Paul Lefave
    Dennis Peer
    Jay Yerkes
    Lisa Green
    Jean Palmer

    and I heard that Greg Watson is moving to the corporate level.

    I'm positive there is more people, I just don't know their names.

    Let's see how AdPro will meet their India quota now, with no traffic people to do the leg work.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:04 PM

    True or false?
    Pensacloa News Journal layoffs
    Newsroom: 6

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  116. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:13 PM

    Cincy started early this morning. With cuts everywhere - well, except for those who go cry to the publisher and must be working on being surgically attaching their lips to her backside. But the voluntary was about 60...this week's events will turn probably another 50. Outside of that the VP of IT and Circ positions are gone.

    It is a sad sad day in Cincy - especially with the lack of empathy for those losing their jobs. Too many people walking around with shopping bags - giggling as they drink their Starbucks..

    ReplyDelete
  117. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:15 PM

    FT newsroom: 12 so far.

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  118. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:17 PM

    Any specifics from Michigan? I haven't heard anything about Lansing, Livingston or Battle Creek yet on this blog.

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  119. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:19 PM

    I'm kind of glad I got laid off, but I took pleasure in making the EE and HR squirm as long as I could with questons. Of course, they didn't veer off script in answer to any of them.

    Gannett ruined my newspaper, both as a product and a work place. It was stressful and depressing to work there. I just hope I can get something better now. Time will tell.

    I think Gannett may have a problem with discrimination law here, though. Although they wouldn't say what the rationale was for our layoffs, it's clear they were targeting people with higher salaries and earned benefits. It seems to me that this is a form of age discrimination, because it has the same effect.

    The kicker was being encouraged to apply for job postings, at those salaries and loss of tenure. I'm qualified for just about any of them, so it basically couldn't be clearer that Gannett is just looking to selectively cut pay and earned benefits of older workers without cause to discriminate against us other than to give bigger dividend checks to investors for sitting on their asses and exploiting us all. And, of course, to maintain the millions given to Dubow. It's like a bait-and-switch of the employment contract.

    ReplyDelete
  120. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:22 PM

    Just heard of one from circulation in Montgomery.

    ReplyDelete
  121. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:27 PM

    4:51
    Pensacola did not lose 45. More like 21 full and 7 part timers.

    True - six from the newsroom

    ReplyDelete
  122. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:29 PM

    They are doing all these layoffs before the end of the year because, if you are an active employee as of December 31, they would have to dump money into our 401K. If you are inactive you will not get any of the money. They don't prorate.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:30 PM

    One laid-off reporter's blog about how it went down today:
    http://bruceritchie.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  124. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:30 PM

    To those of you at papers where layoffs have begun: How are the notifications occurring? We're waiting for the ax in Phoenix but not sure whether it will come in the form of a phone call tonight at home, or in the morning in-person at work.

    ReplyDelete
  125. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:30 PM

    I mean penison not 401k...sorry

    ReplyDelete
  126. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:31 PM

    I mean penison not 401k...sorry

    ReplyDelete
  127. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:32 PM

    to 4:48 p.m.....who were the from APP sports?

    ReplyDelete
  128. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:33 PM

    Rumor has it that majority of Louisville will be tomorrow, Wednesday. We expect alot of coffee carriers tomorrow due to lack of sleep!

    ReplyDelete
  129. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:33 PM

    100% of my newsroom layoffs were people well over 40!

    ReplyDelete
  130. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:37 PM

    Yeah, Louisville only let the volunteers go today... which wasn't a very large number. Tomorrow will be a nasty day.

    ReplyDelete
  131. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:39 PM

    In Tallahassee, Associate Editor Ron Hartung, Associate Editor Bill Berlow, Features Editor Zilpha Underwood and Metro Reporter Bruce Ritchie were laid off today. Three of them had been there more than 25years and the fourth almost 10. It seems as though Gannett is culling the Knight Ridder crew it inherited when it bought the paper in '05 -- at least the ones who haven't already left. There are others in the newsroom hired by EE Bob Gabordi since then who earn more and contribute less to the online or print product, but they stay. The quality of the paper has gone down the toilet since Gannett bought it, and this will make it worse.

    ReplyDelete
  132. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:39 PM

    Any word on Springfield or Mountain Home?

    ReplyDelete
  133. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:41 PM

    Thirteen people are now gone from the Wilmington newsroom (the big one in Delaware), out of 31 total. They include:

    1 librarian
    1 editorial writer
    1 features reporter
    1 biz reporter
    3 sports people (reporters and copy editors)
    1 local news reporter
    2 copy editors
    2 photographers
    1 page designer

    In addition to calling one of the copy editors in early, they also called one of the reporters in from his vacation.

    ReplyDelete
  134. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:41 PM

    I just read Bruce's blog.... my, oh my... this ex-reporter will soon be in for a reality check.

    I was also surprised to see that Gannett mainstay Bob Garbodi as Tallahassee's executive editor. Isn't this like the 20th or so newspaper he has polluted the last 5 years? What a Gannett suckup and idiot he is!

    HE'S the one that should have been laid off - I've heard he does nothing at any of the papers he works at - except leave chaos in his wake.

    Poor Bruce... hang in there! SOMEONE must want an environmental freelance reporter in Florida.... er, maybe not.

    ReplyDelete
  135. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:41 PM

    Phoenix rumored 6 from La Voz. 330 mtg to confirm the voluntary buy-outers - number unknown (i know of only 2). We're being told the hammer will come down tomorrow...Will keep posting

    ReplyDelete
  136. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:43 PM

    Louisville rumors 22-25 to come from advertising sales both retail and classified

    ReplyDelete
  137. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:44 PM

    I heard Florida Today has finished its cutting, 10 people from the newsroom from what we hear.

    ReplyDelete
  138. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:45 PM

    What are the local chambers of commerce and city/town officials saying about these layoffs, especially at the places that are shutting down press operations? Do they know? What are your senior advocacy groups saying when you tell them the majority of the people laid off seem to be the more mature workers.

    ReplyDelete
  139. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:45 PM

    There's a serious nepotism problem in Tallahassee that is affecting morale already, and this makes it worse. I didn't notice the name of the reporter who is married to the managing editor on that list.

    ReplyDelete
  140. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:48 PM

    Is Asheville done or were most of those buyouts?

    ReplyDelete
  141. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:50 PM

    What a shame at the CP - 35 so far and the night shift hasn't come in yet? The sad thing is the Marketing Director and Classified Ad Manager are both still there . . . I wonder if everyone in sales is still logging all their telephone calls, etc????
    One of the worst run outfits I have ever worked for. . .if you have an original idea, you are considered a troublemaker (at least in the advertising department). . .

    ReplyDelete
  142. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:50 PM

    But wait! There is a huge upside to all of this! We now OWN Ripple6!

    ReplyDelete
  143. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:51 PM

    When all is said and done Pensacola will lose at least 45. I so wish that wasn't true. And it is now 8 from news.

    ReplyDelete
  144. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:51 PM

    any word about employment advertising from these sites?

    ReplyDelete
  145. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:52 PM

    Here is all the info I have on Westchester:

    - A business reporter
    - A copy editor
    - A metro editor -- a darn good one!
    - Some in sports
    - Some in the magazines
    - The theater critic
    - Some in information technology
    - A photographer.

    Altogether, I understand about 16 newsroom employees were let go.

    The site as a whole, including bureaus, has something like 850 employees, including all workers. Which seems like a high number to me.

    Can anyone else make up the other 36 who were involuntarily terminated. And who were the volunteers? Good for you!

    ReplyDelete
  146. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:52 PM

    Courier Post still has a marketing director? I thought they all went in the last round.

    ReplyDelete
  147. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:53 PM

    Is it too late to volunteer?

    ReplyDelete
  148. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:53 PM

    Jim, it's hard for me to keep track, but how many Director's have been cut?

    ReplyDelete
  149. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:53 PM

    While Rome is burning, Nero has "Pet Photos" as one of the carousel top stories at HNT-CN's mycentraljersey.com. Way to go uber-Gannettoid Paul Grzella!! You really know what the readers want spoonfed to them. Maybe someday you'll actually let a reporter cover a council or school board meeting in Bridgewater. Advertisers and readers know your game, Paul, and they don't like it. Just look at how pathetic our advertising and circulation numbers have become.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:54 PM

    Was APP's 4074 magazine dissolved?

    ReplyDelete
  151. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:55 PM

    Un-fucking-believable.

    There were developments today in three local homicide cases, one of which was major breaking news during the whole holiday weekend.

    So what's been the lede on the online home page all day?

    The mo-jo's feature on restaurant chefs.

    This is why Gannett deserves to die.

    ReplyDelete
  152. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:57 PM

    Florida Today-

    Mike Holloway
    Valerie Shaw
    Cindy Gilbert
    Shawn Davis-- ??

    ReplyDelete
  153. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:58 PM

    5:50- Ripple6 is just going to replace the rest of you news. Just wait.

    ReplyDelete
  154. Anonymous12/02/2008 5:58 PM

    Besides the newsroom, how many have been let go in at the NJ in Wilmington? which departments?

    ReplyDelete
  155. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:00 PM

    any word on Salisbury?

    ReplyDelete
  156. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:02 PM

    2:46 -- You can surely find more worthy causes for that $5. The information-sharing among the commenters is useful, but you have to sort through a lot of hateful crap to get to it.

    If a bunch of people here really wanted to chip in $5 each, we could run a really nice message board with a lot of the functionality Jim isn't going to deliver here -- ignore lists, threading, etc.

    Maybe I'll do that if I'm laid off. Beats coming in here and trying to correct misconceptions all the time. (And no, I'm not an exec -- I'm very much a peon. Salary under $60K.)

    Back to info-sharing -- yes, I've also heard five or six voluntaries at USAT. Does that mean other people actually have jobs lined up? That'd be nice to hear. We heard last year how all the old-timers were going to start getting out, but they're not going anywhere because USAT is such a quirky paper that their skills don't necessarily translate elsewhere. ESPN doesn't raid USAT the way it raids the Post and other papers.

    ReplyDelete
  157. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:03 PM

    Employment laws vary from state to state, but I've been told that successful age discrimination suits usually require the over-40s being replaced by under-40s. If the people being axed today aren't replaced, then they probably don't have a strong case. too bad.

    ReplyDelete
  158. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:03 PM

    We're supposedly safe (a.k.a. no newsroom layoffs) here in Fremont and Port Clinton, Ohio, but the EE has been wrong before...

    ReplyDelete
  159. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:04 PM

    Does anyone else think it's terribly unwise to ask the guy you just fired to stay on until he finishes his project? I mean, I knew they were assholes, but this is ridiculous.

    ReplyDelete
  160. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:05 PM

    5:58 - For a tally so far, subtract 13 (newsroom) from 31 (total).

    ReplyDelete
  161. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:06 PM

    Any word on Fort Collins?

    ReplyDelete
  162. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:06 PM

    5:32, one was an assistant sports editor.

    ReplyDelete
  163. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:07 PM

    6:05

    are you saying they're done in the newsroom and all the other layoffs are from the rest of the departments?

    ReplyDelete
  164. Unknown12/02/2008 6:09 PM

    Four of seven employees in Reno's Carson City bureau/satellite paper office got axed this afternoon. Apparently done by seniority, and by surprise. It's thrown the rest of the office into a neoGannettoid frenzy of gloom and doubt, because they've been putting a lot of resources down there in an attempt to compensate for plummeting circulation of the Gazette-Journal and staffers assumed they were relatively safe. Hard to see that they can continue with just three bodies.
    Bad news for the Reno office delayed until tomorrow, according to reports.

    ReplyDelete
  165. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:09 PM

    The Courier-Post does not have a marketing director. He was laid off and rehired as an ad rep.

    ReplyDelete
  166. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:10 PM

    Fort Myers has let go of some good ones in the meantime they keep to managing editors on the books. Makes sense to me

    ReplyDelete
  167. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:10 PM

    6:07: No, in fact I don't think they're done in the newsroom in Wilmington. No editors are on that list.

    - 6:05

    ReplyDelete
  168. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:10 PM

    Will someone please tell us how those who are laid off are being notified?! In person? A phone call at home?

    ReplyDelete
  169. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:11 PM

    meant to say: Fort Myers has let go of some good ones in the meantime they keep two managing editors on the books. Makes sense to me

    ReplyDelete
  170. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:12 PM

    Yeah, 5:58, Ripple6 is so genius.

    Now tell your buddies who work over there to put down their lattes. Then tell them to go fix the broken links on their front page.

    Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. Ripple6 has already begun to be Gannettized!

    ReplyDelete
  171. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:12 PM

    I'm curious as to why papers like Fremont and Port Clinton in Ohio are layoff-free this week?

    Like the other Ohio papers, there is lots of excess baggage and tons of extra Gannett editors with little to do. Why can't some of the other papers be sparred in places like Indiana and Wisconsin and jettison the ones in Ohio?

    ReplyDelete
  172. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:13 PM

    6:03 PM
    I believe perhaps you were given some wrong information about age discrimination.

    ReplyDelete
  173. 'tricko12/02/2008 6:18 PM

    Cory, was Matt one of the Reno Carson-bureau layoffs?

    ReplyDelete
  174. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:18 PM

    Gannett eliminates positions at New Jersey newspapers

    STAFF REPORT • December 2, 2008

    Gannett Co. Inc. has eliminated 206 positions at its six newspapers in New Jersey due to declining advertising revenues and the severe economic downturn afflicting the state and the nation.

    The company began notifying the affected employees Tuesday at the Asbury Park Press in Neptune, the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, the Home News Tribune in East Brunswick, the Courier News in Bridgewater, the Daily Record in Parsippany and the Daily Journal in Vineland.

    "The economic downturn we are facing is severe and is expected to last throughout next year,'' said Thomas M. Donovan, president and publisher of the Asbury Park Press and vice president of Gannett's East Newspaper Group. "We have reduced expenses significantly throughout this year. But, unfortunately, as we looked ahead to economic forecasts for 2009, it became clear that we needed to make further reductions.''

    Employees who were laid off received severance benefits commensurate with their years of service.

    ReplyDelete
  175. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:20 PM

    5:50 PM - do your homework and update your tired rant. The C-P Marketing Director was axed in September.

    We lost a lot of great people today. Black Tuesday indeed.

    Anon 6:10 - Our AD personally came out and escorted our victims back to her office one by one. I think the newsroom employees got a phone call when they got into work and asked to report to the EE's office.

    ReplyDelete
  176. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:22 PM

    what about app production dept

    ReplyDelete
  177. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:23 PM

    Re: 5:41 ... There is something that Gabordi does -- he coaches little league full time while pretending to hold down a full-time editing/publishing gig. Nice work if you can get it. Is he related to Neuharth, he of the USAToday blueblood, blueballs, $15,000 bathroom and million-dollar wine list?

    No wonder this company is imploding.

    ReplyDelete
  178. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:23 PM

    5:48
    total 16 in Asheville. 4 volunteers. i don't know the complete breakdown. this is what i know:
    1 graphic designer
    1 production designer
    1 online news
    1 online director
    4 classified sales reps
    1 classified manager
    1 page layout

    anyone know more?

    ReplyDelete
  179. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:23 PM

    6:12 -
    Fremont and Port Clinton have one EE, three management-type editors, three copy editors/paginators, five reporters, two sports guys and one photog. For two six-day-a-week newspapers. Who are they supposed to fire?

    6:03

    ReplyDelete
  180. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:24 PM

    Who are the two Fort Myers copy editors?

    ReplyDelete
  181. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:25 PM

    Fort Collins so far

    1 copy editor
    4 advertising
    1 IT
    1 Finance/Receptionist

    ReplyDelete
  182. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:25 PM

    6:10
    i heard of one being called in Asheville. he had started his vacation today and wouldn't be in the rest of the week.
    that's not to say others weren't called, i just don't know.

    ReplyDelete
  183. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:27 PM

    I just got fired in the Carson bureau of the Reno paper. (Hi Cory.) The editor and the head of HR came down and first took the bureau chief into an office to talk, then one by one took the people losing their jobs. Weird thing is the weekly they're shutting down is going to publish for another few weeks so they're making us all work until the 26th. I'm sure they'd contest our unemployment if we don't comply.

    ReplyDelete
  184. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:28 PM

    Oh, RE: the Carson bureau: meant to say the positions elminated: assistant editor, reporter, copy editor and photographer.

    ReplyDelete
  185. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:29 PM

    6:23

    You do not know enough about Gabordi and his family to be making cracks. Why don't you ask him about his kids sometime and maybe you will understand why he has a life after work. Stand Down until you know the details my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  186. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:29 PM

    6:27 -- That's just wrong

    ReplyDelete
  187. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:32 PM

    I just cancelled my subscription. Instead of giving my carrier a holiday tip, I'm gonna send it to Jim.

    ReplyDelete
  188. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:33 PM

    Tallying up all the numbers is going to be a long job for Jim.

    300 posts and counting.

    Put on the coffee Jim...you are in for a long night.

    ReplyDelete
  189. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:34 PM

    VP at APP??
    Anything to the earlier-reported AFL outsourcing rumors?

    ReplyDelete
  190. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:34 PM

    ...and in for another long day tomorrow...

    ReplyDelete
  191. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:37 PM

    In Cherry Hill, Radano and Roberts were given their walking papers, along with a $20 giftcards as Employees of the Month, in recognition of World Series coverage.

    ReplyDelete
  192. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:38 PM

    Why don't we all start up our own wire service and compete with AP *and* CNN ;-)

    We'll soon have unemployed reporters, editors and photographers all over the country to staff it.

    ReplyDelete
  193. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:40 PM

    Jackson, Ms. cuts are expected tomorrow. So far, four are leaving voluntarily.

    ReplyDelete
  194. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:41 PM

    3:43 - Aim for his car. or better yet do it with Bologna.

    ReplyDelete
  195. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:41 PM

    re: outsourcing-- plans are for home delivery to be outsourced to PCF, may also involve vending machines. nothing yet on outsourcing printing and mailroom, though there were discussions. seems like the local operating committee is looking at every available option to cut costs in this tough economic climate.

    ReplyDelete
  196. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:42 PM

    6:32pm

    Your carrier didnt lay you off.

    Tip them.

    ReplyDelete
  197. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:44 PM

    The way it went down here was
    Publisher's assistant calls and asks if you have time to see publisher
    Publisher and HR person offer regrets and bye bye, say talk to ME when ready
    Collect thoughts a moment
    Talk to ME
    Told to take time needed but after a bit called by ME and asked for key
    Took that as a signal to get out soon and did

    ReplyDelete
  198. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:44 PM

    After hearing and reading about Brevard people that were let go, I just want you to know I feel really awful for all of you. Stay strong and start looking for a new job.

    ReplyDelete
  199. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:44 PM

    My boss was the hardest working person I have seen. Edited, wrote like 10 blogs or so, managed staff, booked pages, posted web updates, answered phones, tried to fix reader's circulation and delivery problems...New media? This person did it all - digg , twitter, video, etc. So this person broke a phone every now and then....
    Oh, and this person was the sole supporter of a family with young children.
    GONE!!!!!
    I couldn't believe that of all people to fire, they chose this person. So stupid...So short-sighted...So Gannett.
    AV - It won't be the same without you. But you'll have the last laugh -- you'll end up in a better place while we're stuck on the Titanic.

    ReplyDelete
  200. Anonymous12/02/2008 6:45 PM

    FYI:

    A blog has started for newsroom "folks" in Wilmington, to stay in touch and connect. Delaware people, please spread the word.

    lifeaftertnj.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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