Sunday, December 22, 2013

Dec. 16-22 | Your News & Comments: Part 3

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39 comments:

  1. Can Gannett monetize partying? I doubt it in a town with hundreds of bars/clubs/entertainment venues.

    http://nashvillepublicradio.org/blog/2013/12/16/cant-get-young-adults-to-buy-papers-gannett-tries-throwing-parties-instead/

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    1. Apparently not. They just shut down another Metromix site. The Reno one lasted from about 2009 to sometime this week. Not sure if other ones got their plugs pulled too.

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  2. Im new to Cincinnati....not impressed.

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    1. Really? They are all raving about you.

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    2. I hear you suck, 1:47. Hard.

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  3. Subject: A Message from Bob Dickey and Kevin Lord

    This message is being sent on behalf of Bob Dickey & Kevin Lord:

    It is our pleasure to announce the appointment of Steve Hyatt as the VP of Human Resources for USCP.
    Steve began his 31-year Gannett career with The Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs as Director of HR in January of 1983. His career has included several senior HR positions, including Group HR Director in the East Newspaper Group and Group HR Director in the former Northwest Newspaper Group. His Gannett journey has taken him to several Gannett communities around the country, including Palm Springs, Wilmington, Salem, Reno and McLean. He currently serves as VP HR, supporting the Corporate Functional teams in McLean, VA.
    Throughout Steve’s career, his unwavering commitment to diversity has resulted in his units being recognized with Gannett’s Leadership and Diversity Award in Palm Springs, Salem and Reno. He was also recognized by the Northern Nevada NAACP with its annual Corporate Diversity Leadership Award. Steve is a five-time USCP President’s ring winner.
    With his extensive HR background and deep knowledge of the company, Steve will be an asset to the USCP team. Please join us in congratulating Steve on his new assignment.
    Bob Dickey & Kevin Lord

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    1. Ask Steve about the Great Krispy Kreme Donuts email about 7-8 years ago when he was in Reno. It was a real humdinger!

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    2. Does this guy fill some actual need or is this just part of the Christmas promotion list that's been going round Gannett and USA Today this week? Kinda weird.

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    3. And, of course, this memo doesn't say who he's replacing. Is it Randi Austin?

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    4. Who is Kevin Lord?

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    5. Lord is Gannett's top human resources executive.

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    6. Steve Hyatt was listed as someone who read my Linked In profile this week. Guess this means I should pack my stuff.

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  4. No surprise that the latest reviews of Gannett on glassdoor.com have not been good ones!

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    1. I'm sure that will change everything.

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  5. Talk about maximizing our resources at USAT. I received the same exact holiday e-card from three different execs, including Gracia, Kramer, and "USA TODAY Publisher". They actually all sent THE SAME EXACT CARD. I had a very warm feeling each time I read the e-card.

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  6. WTF is a corporate functional team?

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    1. It's the former Dysfunctional Team after successfully completed its 90-day PIP.

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    2. Makes as much sense as when management refers to themselves as the "Leadership".

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  7. Should I worry that I only got one from Gracia? Uncle Larry got me nothing for the holidays. Waaaahhhhhhh !!!!!

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  8. Steve Hyatt as head of USCP H.R.? Did Bob Dickey lose a bet?

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    1. Hyatt as head of HR for USCP is a good pick. He's one of the most caring HR people ever at Gannett. A big improvement over Randi Austin who has just served as Michael Kane's hatchet woman for most of the last decade. Just check the Huot lawsuit if you need proof of her true character.

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    2. I'm as critical of Gannett as anyone, but Steve Hyatt is a generally good guy. Does he execute layoffs when corporate demands it. Yes, but I don't see where he would have any choice. But he also does many kind things for employees, and seems to generally care, which is more than I can say for most Gannett managers I have dealt with.

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  9. I got laid off and he was the only executive who took the time to find me and thank me for my work over the years. He didn't have to do that

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    1. Merry Christmas everyone!!

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    2. Well, I've always thought the term HR is useless when it comes to Gannett. From personnel decisions to lack of knowledge of the company's own practices. Nice guy or not, Hyatt is looking out for corporate's interests, not yours.

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    3. Steve is the real deal. I too was shown the door, and he was one of the only ones who checked in to make sure I was doing well. Yes, he's had to oversee some tough decisions. But, he is a man of integrity who always plays it straight. Maybe he can bring back some order to USCP ...

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  10. Pablo Picasso12/22/2013 11:59 AM

    The roll out of the newest of the latest newsroom makeover has started at the APP with the decision that only 12 towns will be covered as part of the Picasso initiatives "do fewer things better" pillar. To put that in context, Monmouth County alone has 43 towns and Ocean County has 32. What's being done instead? A Sunday paper team has been created, in addition to a "How We Live" team. If "How We Live" sounds familiar, it is because an infamous article in the Courier News about the opening of a TJ Maxx store ran front page under the How We Live banner. It earned them a dart from Columbia Journalism Review for being nothing more than an ad about an store opening. We can see how well "How We Live" worked for the C-N. Why recycle failure?

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  11. Why recycle failure? Because the same cast of characters is calling the shots! To deviate from the path they've laid out would be an admission of failure. So onward we trudge.

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  12. Has anyone seen the repercussions when these pillars fell in the newsroom (information center, whatever)? For instance, were the reporters (content providers, whatever) who covered the now-unwanted towns laid off?

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  13. Screw the Columbia Journalism Review. Let the, run a declining business with shrinking revenue and a corporate uberlord.

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  14. Wow! Any idea which 12 towns would be covered under that program? From your information, that 12 of 75 would be covered, that's just 16 percent. Why not report on how we live in Ocean and Monmouth Counties, make it relevant and you might cover closer to 100 percent.

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  15. there are 53 municipalities in Monmouth County.

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  16. The APP never covered all the towns in the past before so most of the readership, or what’s left of it, won’t see a difference.
    They should look more to covering counties like someone mentioned above.
    The town news is being covered by the completive weeklies that are thriving after the APP was forced to abandon their weekly products.

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  17. My site got the "do fewer things better" message, too, which somehow translated into an expectation that each reporter and photographer has to produce 10 pieces of content a week without lowering our standards. SMH

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  18. 7:13 PM, That has not been announced. The question is, how will the APP "know" what are the relevant issues in the 2 counties without a presence in the majority of them? Two major issues, Superstorms and Heroin addiction don't happen all the time. Obviously the days of having a reporter covering every town is gone, but to pull out of so much of the coverage area is a questionable decision.How can the paper decide what issues or trends to cover if they're not "in" the majority of the coverage area?

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  19. Posters are here 100 percent right. A suburban newspaper that stops covering towns quickly loses its sources and its relevance. I look at the APP's sister paper up in Morris County. the Daily Record. They are without the staff to truly cover any of the 39 towns in the county; the result is that circulation has dropped about 60 percent -- really -- in the last five years.

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