Gannett, Gatehouse talking merger

What does he mean about byline changes?

 

Thoughts on the Town Hall meeting? I thought what sounded like the Emergency Broadcast System alert going off in the middle of it was very fitting.

 

From the New York Times:

The Democrat and Chronicle stopped covering the Red Wings a few years ago. The Daily Messenger never covered the team. Not a good sign that the CEO is that out of touch with his local papers.

 

Name the last time a Gannett or GateHouse product "got stronger."

 

A CEO out of touch? Come on ...

 

"Reduction of workforce" incoming. No timeline on when.

Everybody's fucked. Just a matter of timing.

 

For a lot of places that are already running a skeleton staff, a "reduction of workforce" may entail just shutting down shops entirely.

 

Was in Burlington, Vt., this morning and looked at the Free Press while grabbing breakfast.

A 24-page Berliner. Went to grab the paper without looking, thinking it might be in two sections, and found out it was just one — had grabbed two by mistake.

Three or four local stories, by two people.

Photos accompanying staff stories taken by the reporter, not a photog, including the A1 art.

Five pages for sports. Not one staff story. In fairness they did have a story on the UVM-UVA game that came from another Gannett paper.

Even the waitress at the joint was sneering at it. “Oh, they’re part of that USA Today network.”

Keep in mind: This is the paper of record in the state’s biggest city.

 

I'm guessing they'll shut down one paper if there are two within 150-200 miles of each other and publish them both out of one location with a "bureau" in the closed location with two or three staffers.

 

I agree with this. I do think that separate mastheads will be maintained. Ken Doctor said that about a third of the existing Gatehouse papers already operate with editorial staffs of two or three.

 

You can scoff at Fredrick for being a dolt in your minds, but I'm thinking we're taking a major step toward online only. My belief is that the folks buying newspapers are the boomers who frankly are "addicted" to their morning newspaper routine. The highest of the suits have decided these boomers will purchase the print product no matter what it costs and no matter what crap is in it as long as there's comics, a crossword puzzle and "something" readable in there (perhaps a reasonably recent sports column or a political editorial or two that's fairly recent. Meanwhile, NOBODY ELSE in their minds will purchase a print subscription. That ship has sailed (in their minds), cept for the boomers.
So ... what I'm saying is there will be a bloodletting of bodies so to speak in terms of staff being reduced after the start of the new year that will take us even closer to an all online operation.
I'm telling you, once it's all online (which we're steaming toward), any "name" reporter/sports writer with a following or a brain will quit (if she/he is not laid off yet) and start their own Websites. There will be simply no reason to write for a newspaper Website and reduced salary. None. Fredrick predicts just as there are a ZILLION different people podcasting on politics, there will be a plethora of sports websites/podcasts. Unfortunately this will require the reporter/sports writer with a following to hire one buddy to sell ads or sell them herself/himself. To make 50 to 100,000 a year one will need to sell his/her work a bit.
Maybe get a one-time donation from a multi milionaire who likes your writing.

Anybody agree with me this time?
I think we're hitting a significant time as we continue to rid ourselves of print. I think many companies (Gannett/Gateway to Hell, McClutcheon, Alden, others) are gonna weaken the print product significantly in the next few months. Thank u for your time.

 

I'll agree. I know one sportswriter, laid off at the paper where he worked for 25+ years, who started his own website so he could keep writing about the same thing that had gained him such a large following. Had someone do the business end, someone else take photos for the site. Also wrote a book in the interim. Seems to be working out well and he was able to stay in the same place where he had all his local/regional contacts. Just don't know how the cashflow is though.