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.

Rochester | D&C just launched redesigned website

The Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y., today became the latest community news site to adopt a new look modeled after USA Today's, launched a year ago this month.

Corporate has said it expects to add the new template to newspaper and TV sites in its 35 biggest U.S. markets by the end of the year.

WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tenn., was first out of the gate early this month.

USAT | After recent tweaks, new tech problems?

Maybe it's just my browser, but USA Today's website hasn't been functioning so well since the paper recently tweaked the format -- the first big changes I've seen since the site got a major redo a year ago this week.

The changes across the top now include a logo that functions two ways: the infamous blue ball to the left of the logo takes on a different "dynamic" appearance to reflect the subject of an inside story -- just like the ball in print. When clicked, the USA Today logo itself still takes readers back to the homepage.

Also changed: a huge -- and I mean huge -- search box has been added, complete with a magnifying glass and the word "search." Apparently, the previous search tool was too hard to find.

As a result of all these changes, pages have been briefly stuttering when I load them.

And early this morning, the site's really a mess. On the Money page (screenshot below), a Lincoln Financial ad pops up first when I click on a story about Jeeps. But the close-it "x" in the upper right corner is partially hidden, making it a pain to find. That doesn't endear me to an important advertiser. What's more, the logo and ball aren't loading at all.

Recent USAT screenshot shows elements that don't load.

Worth noting: I haven't been having these problems on any other site I visit, making me think it's not my browser.

Coming to a site near you!
This would all be bad enough if USAT's other millions of readers were having the same technical issues.

But I'm still having similar problems with the first community news site to adopt the same USAT template two weeks ago. That guinea pig was station WBIR in Knoxville, Tenn. -- the first of about 35 broadcast and newspaper sites to get the new look by the end of the year. Ultimately, all 100 community sites will get the redesign.

What happens when you click on USA Today or WBIR? 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 green rail, upper right.

Phoenix | New website design badly needed here

I see many Gannett news sites, but few look quite like the one for The Arizona Republic and KPNX-TV. All of the company's news sites are due for a makeover in the months ahead. WBIR in Knoxville, Tenn., was apparently first out of the gate last week. But Gannett Digital ought to fast track the one for Phoenix.

To get a full measure of its awfulness, go to azcentral.com. Could that Bedmart banner ad be any bigger? Here's a recent screenshot:

Here's one of the first new community websites; redesign for all 100-plus sites took over two years

WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tenn., launched a redesigned website today -- one of the first (indeed, the first I've seen) of more than 100 that will eventually roll out across Gannett's U.S. community newspaper and broadcasting divisions.

Plans for the redesign were first announced by then-CEO Craig Dubow more than two years ago. As promised, it's patterned after USA Today's site overhaul. Unveiled a year ago this month, that new look mimicked a tablet's functions, where readers could click arrows to move pages laterally, rather than a more traditional design, where pages only scroll top to bottom.

Corporate has said it expects to switch to the new template in 35 of the company's top markets by the end of the year. In disclosing that timetable to Wall Street analysts, however, CFO Victoria Harker didn't break down how many would be newspaper vs. broadcasting sites, according to Seeking Alpha's transcript of her remarks.

CEO Gracia Martore told those analysts during the July quarterly conference call that the redesign also included mobile apps. The goal: "to provide better consumer experiences and more higher-value advertising such as video. Our sites and apps will have a more unified look and feel based on the award-winning USA Today mobile apps and will have consistent advertising options across properties, with advanced targeting to enable broader ad solutions."

WBIR introduced the redesign with a note to readers. "We are the first local television station to try out this new website," editors said, "so there will no doubt be a learning curve for us, so we ask for your patience as we figure out how to make this format work best to get you the news and information you need."

USAT | This Christmas story was dead on arrival

[Exhibit A: screenshot of TV segment shows crime scene]

USA Today is using more video from Gannett's 23 TV stations to stand out in a crowded news market. But as this occasional Gannett Blog series shows, some of the videos aren't quite ready for primetime.

In Knoxville, Tenn., resident Cassie Rogers managed to get WBIR to report that someone stole Christmas gifts from her parents that had been delivered to her front porch. The thieves left only the shipping boxes behind.

"I couldn't believe somebody would actually do this, especially so close to Christmas," Rogers told the station.

Mind you, this isn't a trend story, where gangs of thieves are raiding front porches across the nation. Heck, as WBIR notes, this isn't even a trend in Knoxville; it's the first such incident of the year!

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.

Documents: GCI eliminating 275 finance jobs; Asheville, WUSA-TV among first 11 taking hit

The company will eliminate the accounting and other jobs as part of the previously disclosed creation of two national shared service centers in Springfield, Mo., and Indianapolis, according to internal documents I've just obtained.

The documents were provided by a Gannett Blog reader who requested anonymity. They describe in detail the timetable and scale of the plan to consolidate finance work at newspapers and TV stations in a bid to cut costs as Gannett wrestles with declining revenue and profits. Previously published reports gave only a broad outline of the project.

The plan calls for a combined 11 papers and TV stations to be used as pilot sites starting last month, the documents show, with completion of the entire project expected by March 2009. About 55 jobs will be created at each of the two new centers -- for a net job loss of 167 positions, the documents show. Gannett now employs about 46,000 in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

"The termination dates for employees losing their positions are determined by the implementation timetable,'' one of the documents shows. "As a site begins migrating their activities to the national shared service centers, employees begin losing their positions.''

The documents say the first 11 pilot sites are the papers at Asheville, N.C.; Greenville, S.C.; Springfield, Mo.; Mountain Home, Ark.; Jackson, Miss., and Hattiesburg, Miss. The TV stations are WGRZ in Buffalo, N.Y.; WUSA in Washington, D.C.; WTSP in Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.; WBIR in Knoxville, Tenn., and KTHV in Little Rock.

In sharing the documents, my reader says: "This is top secret. You have to protect my identity! So many people are frustrated because Gannett is keeping this such a secret. People just want an idea of when this transition is going to happen at their units. These people are not stupid -- they know there's a schedule out there somewhere, so why not share it -- even if it's tentative. So, here it is. I'm not sure if Gannett is on schedule or not. Do with it as you feel is appropriate."

All readers: Can you provide confirmation -- and further details? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.

[Image: yesterday's Asheville Citizen-Times, Newseum]

Layoffs hit the TV division, too; details, please!

[Cutting staff? Screenshot of WBIR-TV's website in Knoxville, Tenn.]

Gannett's 23 TV stations are eliminating jobs in a new wave of layoffs that apparently mirrors the cuts just enacted at the company's newspaper division, Gannett Blog readers tell me. I'm now looking for more details about the scale of this reduction, including the targeted number of jobs to be eliminated, and the date when this campaign began. (See my questions, below.)

Here's one of the latest notes I've received: "Gannett broadcasting is 'restructuring' its broadcast operations. I know this for a fact; I was re-organized right out of a job at the Knoxville, Tenn., station. Master control at all the TV stations is being centralized in either Jacksonville, Fla. (NBC and ABC), or Greensboro, N.C. (CBS). Graphics is being centralized in Denver -- and graphic artists have been laid off at all the stations, with the 10 largest stations retaining one artist. All the news graphics will done by the news producers and reporters via an automated graphics system (can anyone say, lots of typos?)

"At my former station, at least 13 people (out of 130) have been laid off, including my boss. He was in charge of programming, new media and commercial production. All of us in commercial production were laid off: Two were turned into 'backpack' client-services producers and moved into sales. They are being managed by a GSM who doesn't think quality is important. ('Everyone just watches it on YouTube or their phone, so quality isn't important.' She actually said that to me! Gee, then why is everyone buying those HD, plasma-screen monitors? Don't you think they want to see pretty pictures?)

"So, my friend, newspapers aren't the only ones feeling the pain. The TV guys are taking it on the chin, as well."

Did broadcasting division President Dave Lougee (left) notify employees in a memo? (If so, can you shoot it my way?) Or did he follow newspaper division chief Bob Dickey's example, and leave the dirty work to individual station managers? Please post replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.

Earlier: Layoffs at WLBZ-TV. Plus: Graphics group a 'clusterfuck'