tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post324374877994661078..comments2023-11-05T06:26:51.316-05:00Comments on Gannett Blog: USAT | Shrinking staff -- and top stories, tooJim Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-22006172005479169282013-03-30T17:38:45.115-04:002013-03-30T17:38:45.115-04:00Another day, another Callaway directive made witho...Another day, another Callaway directive made without talking to anyone. If all he wants is to turn over staff, why did he create an entire layer of new management and retain or promote most of the people he doesnt bother to talk to? What is the end game, Dave? Fill management with more holdovers who dont know anything about journalism? Get more outside filler that reads like crap? Tell us the BigAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-69338291093660251032013-03-29T14:46:06.752-04:002013-03-29T14:46:06.752-04:00Yet another ageist slam with his/her stereotypes! ...Yet another ageist slam with his/her stereotypes! Very sad, that wide brush. The disease at Gannett has nothing to do with age; it has everything to do with who's popular. In my too-long stint with this company, I saw lots of talent as well as entrenched thinking and incompetence -- and it was not limited to an age group, younger or older. It's insulting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-37067774329869530432013-03-29T02:56:36.475-04:002013-03-29T02:56:36.475-04:00"A design," not content, "initiativ..."A design," not content, "initiative."<br />By the way, enterprise stories provide the greatest opportunity for mainstreaming. How does this add up?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-16680497302864780622013-03-28T15:10:26.070-04:002013-03-28T15:10:26.070-04:00Here's my take. When I worked at USAT as a bus...Here's my take. When I worked at USAT as a business news reporter and occasional editor from 2000-2008, the paper had unrealistic expectations about what news it wanted to cover -- and how much it was willing to spend to do so.<br /><br />We were told to focus on a relative handful of subjects, so we could develop sources and write with authority. We were not supposed to try going toe-to-toe Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-31763317771118667382013-03-28T14:58:42.001-04:002013-03-28T14:58:42.001-04:00I don't see how USA Today can have that many e...I don't see how USA Today can have that many employees anymore. The entire circulation department, which made up much of the employee count, is now part of GPS. Maybe you can sink your teeth into getting to the bottom of that barrel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-59146915284557605532013-03-28T14:23:19.797-04:002013-03-28T14:23:19.797-04:00Obviously, you are not well versed in what it take...Obviously, you are not well versed in what it takes to produce good journalism. Producing great stories that tell people something they didn't know is time consuming, hard on the reporter and demanding. As a frontline editor, I didn't always agree with the time it took some reporters to do a story. Still, I appreciated what they were up against and respected that. Overall, their hard workAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-1016387372280658162013-03-28T02:29:15.452-04:002013-03-28T02:29:15.452-04:00Back in September, when USAT's print and digit...Back in September, when USAT's print and digital redesigns were launched, <a href="http://gannettblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/usat-in-redesign-question-peller-would.html" rel="nofollow">I wondered when the content would get a lift.</a> At the time, Callaway said:<br /><br />"The biggest brands are beginning to look at news not from the point of how it's collected and delivered, but for Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-72501541062356143842013-03-28T00:47:49.476-04:002013-03-28T00:47:49.476-04:00It is, indeed, a more graceful way out.
Buyouts a...It is, indeed, a more graceful way out.<br /><br />Buyouts are better because they're voluntary, and typically come with severance that's at least twice as valuable as that offered with traditional layoffs.<br /><br />And most of the 11,000 Gannett jobs <a href="http://gannettblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/urgent-gannetts-workforce-contracts.html" rel="nofollow">eliminated in the past five Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-65062653049449079652013-03-27T22:59:53.740-04:002013-03-27T22:59:53.740-04:00Not well put, Jim. Your type of comment is such an...Not well put, Jim. Your type of comment is such an absolute waste. We are talking about a newspaper flushing content down the toilet. Redefining content at this point is useless.<br /><br />Either get a clue and start addressing problems like this head-on with the full criticism they deserve, or admit you lack the courage to do so. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-83221183063546711162013-03-27T22:03:32.298-04:002013-03-27T22:03:32.298-04:00You nailed it, 9:22. Unfortunately, most of them s...You nailed it, 9:22. Unfortunately, most of them still dont get it. The entrenched thinking, the inability to realize change, the sheer incompetency to manage people or the news, it's shocking.<br /><br />Kramer is providing a graceful exit for those who dont buy in to the new reality. If you are anywhere close to retirement age, you really should take it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-19650492419089080712013-03-27T21:22:54.164-04:002013-03-27T21:22:54.164-04:00There's a buyout offer on the table for a huge...There's a buyout offer on the table for a huge chunk of the USA TODAY newsroom. This is the second time since it was offered that Callaway has dropped a big "get the message?" memo. This has nothing to do with design and everything to do with flushing slow-moving reporters into the open, along with their co-dependent print-focused editors. Unless you write six-month investigations Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-18661246343832152062013-03-27T19:41:03.603-04:002013-03-27T19:41:03.603-04:00Don't you get an owner's discount?Don't you get an owner's discount?Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-36384752687007779912013-03-27T18:44:43.468-04:002013-03-27T18:44:43.468-04:00Hey dere, them Packers tickets aren't too chea...Hey dere, them Packers tickets aren't too cheap.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-34926438090216069322013-03-27T18:14:13.673-04:002013-03-27T18:14:13.673-04:00This may be true for most staff,but several report...This may be true for most staff,but several reporters,editors and digital folks are routinely stressed carrying more than their share of the daily load.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-46456215227733663802013-03-27T18:09:00.542-04:002013-03-27T18:09:00.542-04:00Unless you get rid of legacy mismanagement and the...Unless you get rid of legacy mismanagement and their tight knit friends in high places, things wont change. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-84871065176696377102013-03-27T17:21:33.986-04:002013-03-27T17:21:33.986-04:00Blah, blah, blah. We were already DOA when these s...Blah, blah, blah. We were already DOA when these supposed great leaders arrived on the scene.<br /><br />Martore is counting the days until she gets her dream come true: the complete elimination and disappearance of USA Today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-35130669167929199552013-03-27T16:47:12.511-04:002013-03-27T16:47:12.511-04:00Here's just a hint at USA Today's labor co...Here's just a hint at USA Today's labor costs:<br /><br />The newsroom alone has about 350 employees. I suspect average salaries are around $100,000-$125,000, including medical benefits, which are higher than you imagine.<br /><br />Multiple one times the other and you get a payroll of $35 million to $44 million a year for the newsroom alone.<br /><br />Now, consider the fact that the Jim Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-50468162622225424642013-03-27T16:43:52.676-04:002013-03-27T16:43:52.676-04:00Design trumps content again. That has worked so we...Design trumps content again. That has worked so well in the pastAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-20545014032100532462013-03-27T16:22:59.213-04:002013-03-27T16:22:59.213-04:00It is so funny to read a post like this. I've ...It is so funny to read a post like this. I've worked with newsrooms at a lot of properties. I've seen stress in all shapes and sizes. Brothers and sisters of the news world if you ever want a good belly laugh visit the USAT newsroom. You could look until the cows come home and you will never and I mean never find any signs of stress. This is like the billionaire that tells you money isn&#Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-88611231308021113022013-03-27T16:12:56.321-04:002013-03-27T16:12:56.321-04:00I would never suggest that USA TODAY was ever a we...I would never suggest that USA TODAY was ever a well-oiled machine. The level of incompetency of some long-time newsroom managers and front-line staffers was legendary. Favoritism ran rampant. Territorial battles were conducted like junior high school fist fights. The worst offenders flew under the radar for years or were protected by higher ups with fancy titles.<br /><br />But there was one Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-24316618797360751982013-03-27T14:45:52.785-04:002013-03-27T14:45:52.785-04:00Much too little and certainly way too late. It doe...Much too little and certainly way too late. It doesn't matter what USA TODAY does at this point. There is absolutely nothing in print or digital that will change the direction it's headed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-74796478508256114252013-03-27T14:18:09.500-04:002013-03-27T14:18:09.500-04:00No cover story should occupy a reporter's tota...No cover story should occupy a reporter's total time during the week or day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-22216715734682096342013-03-27T14:11:40.926-04:002013-03-27T14:11:40.926-04:00This is a clear message that reporters can no long...This is a clear message that reporters can no longer slack off and avoid work other than their precious covers, which can take weeks of wasted time while actual news happens. Lots of covers suck.<br /><br />Bravo, Callaway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-63971843365898192262013-03-27T13:54:36.952-04:002013-03-27T13:54:36.952-04:00Well put, sir, and I agree with most of your take....Well put, sir, and I agree with most of your take. The exception is that I don't believe the "greater freedom" aspect. It's Gannett, and if that "freedom" doesn't toe the line, you're out of a job.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-88233164848446243592013-03-27T12:58:51.669-04:002013-03-27T12:58:51.669-04:00Since when has Gannett ever been in the business o...Since when has Gannett ever been in the business of giving any of their "front line" people more freedom to do what they think is best?<br />If a story merits "cover story" status? go with it. If not? don't. Pretty simple. Except the big G can't make it simple. Everything has to come from up high and become a mandate. <br />The G has always been about the packaging. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com