Gannett, Gatehouse talking merger

I've heard the best description of consultants from the radio side. They're like birds. They fly in, shit all over everything and fly out.

 

More than Alden?

 

When I worked at Gannett, during the late 2000s, we had to fill out a survey showing our workload to see how “efficient” we were and where we could improve.

We weren’t stupid. We knew they wanted it so they could see whose jobs could be cut. And sure enough, a few months later, there were job cuts.

 

I realize all jobs - whatever you do - is about showing that you make a difference. But it always blew my mind how much "extra work" some newspapers put their people through. It's a newspaper, if you can't figure out what your people have been up to when you open the paper each morning, a story log, a 10-plan or whatever isn't going to help.
"Well, I could be hitting the phones trying to get more info for a story, or I could write a memo describing how much time I spend filling out paperwork that won't better inform our readers."

 

That so sums up my Gannett experience. We would have to put together weekly planners that ended up taking a good hour to put together, with METRICS! from the week before, what the coming week looked like, with short-range, medium-range and long-range projects spelled out and chances for VIDEO! options, when our days off wiuld be, when we would be working nights and weekends, etc.

We would turn these in by noon Monday, then my manager would call my cell on Tuesday or Wednesday, when I'd eithet be at availability or off because I was working on the coming weekend, and ask where I was, because he was in the office and he wanted me in there when he was there. I'd tell him I spelled my schedule out in my planner and it would just lead to an argument.

That led to me camping out in the office, skipping practices and availability, and the first time I didn't have a story that TV did, he tried to call me out in a full newsroom meeting, and I gave right back to him, saying it is hard to build sources and be plugged in to what is going on with my beat when he has me chained to my fucking newsroom desk.

 

You are describing living hell. No job is worth that crap treatment. If there are any suits on this board, try to tell us that what this person went through was good for the newspaper. It's intimidation. It's b.s. And it sure as hell makes reporters want to put down overtime instead of agreeing to the wink/wink work 70 get paid for 40. Who in their right mind is going to write down long range project ideas and medium range ideas. Cause you suits will want those stories written immediately. Weekly planners my butt.

 

What does this mean? First I've heard of it.

 

What always pissed me off was writing down stories I wanted to work on, things I wanted to do - and I'd always get sent out to some daily story because none of the other reporters had stories that would have "center package" type art. Ugh. "Oh, and try and keep it tight." Seriously, I always wondered why they just didn't send one of our photojournalists out to shoot some standalone with an extended caption.

 

I love this. "It would make me so mad I'd almost develop a trace of self-respect!"

 

Man, this is taking me back and triggering some PTSD feelings.

About 2 years before I was jettisoned, we had a new executive editor come in who was all metrics, all the time, with the message pounded into us that if something we were doing wasn't going to get us our targeted PVs, we weren't going to do it, period. He was a slave to all the pithy little mantras, like "Do Fewer Things Better" and "Work Smarter, Not Harder"

Anyway, we had a little organization in our area that was doing a check presentation event. They did a ton of different events throughout the year, and no matter what it was or how we covered it, it always drew crickets for metrics. And same for the crowds they were desperate to attract, just nothing.

The director of this organization got his hooks into our EE about us covering this check presentation, and the EE pulled me aside and told me I needed to cover it, with a photographer. I asked if he had any ideas for covering it differently, since we have never found a way to make it engaging for our readers. He said no, and to "just take the bullet on this one and move on."

It didn't go well when I suggested we needed to pick a lane, and either it's entirely metrics-driven, or we could "take the bullet" when we need to.

I will say this, though, about this EE and the managers I had at this Gannett site (except for one): If we worked 41 hours and it was later discovered that you put down 40 on your time card, there would be hell to pay. No wink-wink, no nudge-nudge. You work it, you get paid for it. You needed to get approval in advance for OT, but there was no bullshit about working off the clock.

 

My editor is fantastic about this also. We're simply not asked to work and not get paid for it. And once in awhile, we get the go-ahead to work OT.
I think there are some reporters out there who love to play the victim card "waaa...I worked 60 and got paid for 40." Fact is, they legally can't make you do that. And if you call them on it, they can't legally fire you. And if they try to fire you, one phone call to your local federal building and the wage and hours department, or one phone call to a wage and hours attorney will take care of it.
Stand up for yourself, goddammit. It's a shit business but they can't make you work hours you don't get paid for.

 

This has been true most of the places I've worked, also. Of course, I've been "salary" for the past 11 years, so the time clock no longer matters for me. Still, I'd say I usually work between 40-45 hours a week.

I recall my previous daily newspaper, back in the Midwest, would occasionally slip into ABSOLUTELY NO OVERTIME mode. One time when the management weather vane changed direction, a photographer and sports writer decided to test this. Our weeks ran Saturday through Friday, and since they hit 40 hours on Friday afternoon, they both announced they couldn't cover a high school football game because they were at 40 hours, so they left for the week. The game was covered, but everyone's assignments were scrambled at the last minute, and the sports cover had a wire photo as dominant art.

The next week, the photo editor (salary) adjusted his schedule so he would shoot Friday night sports. That's how they took care of that problem.