In an industry ravaged by the likes of Gatehouse/Gannett, what companies are still good to work for?

Years ago my paper was sold by Donrey to Media News Group and Dean Singleton.

After a couple months, the publisher said to me "whoever thought that Donrey would be the good old days."

 

That sound like a fun way to make money. I'm sure you made some good money off tips.

 

It absolutely is. One of the biggest things I appreciated at Gannett was corporate at least acting like they cared about you from time to time ... you know, other than no OT/comp time and healthcare that literally has the finance counselor at the hospital across the street from your office tell you this is the worst coverage she’s ever seen for labor and delivery.

But I did like the Christmas bonuses, which were an extra paid day off to use in Q1 (honestly, it’s not costing the company a damn thing to do that), opportunities for advancement were often (Gannett likes to hire Gannett) and trying crazy ideas and giving you the financial resources to make it happen were appreciated.

I will say this ... as much as I like Gannett’s push for truly digital first, I rarely see a legitimate push to get folks to buy digital subscriptions. That bugs me. As for the websites, when Gannett first switched to its in-house CMS (Presto), a few years back, they were great for the time. Brought device detection to all markets, which was important for mobile. The new sites are so simple, they’re messy. Not a fan.

 

I did not know this about the labor and delivery coverage. Glad my wife had her own insurance when my kids were born and I worked for Gannett.

Overtime was rarely a problem, probably because we were understaffed and it was easier and cheaper to pay OT than hire someone.

 

At my work, we don't get paid for overtime. Instead we get compensation days, which has its pros and cons.

 

This thread revives memories of my first job 37 years ago with the largest newspaper in a chain of about a dozen Midwestern newspapers with circulations ranging from 15K-35K. Starting salary was $200/week (equivalent to about $29K annually in 2018 dollars) -- with free health insurance, which did end a few years after my departure. OT was allowed up to eight hours a week, with the option of taking a comp day. And there was a holiday bonus, generally half your weekly pay. No layoffs, even after the local economy's unemployment rate surpassed 15 percent. We always bitched and moaned about the chain being tight-fisted, but it seems downright generous now, doesn't it?

 

Haha! Damn!

 

This is true, but it's kind of the state of newspapers these days. Very few publications offfer ideal working conditions.

 

Yes. Yes, it does.

 

Define working conditions.