Gatehouse spends some more money

This was my experience too. Inner Circle was an absolute joke. We met the requirements once in my two years and the "well we met them when we were fully staffed and now we're not fully staffed and fuck you" didn't seem to get us out of having to meet the inner circle. Still, as much as my publisher huffed and puffed about meeting the requirements, which were a bunch of bullshit prepackaged newspaper modules, web updates (which was less bull), video, photo galleries, and other social media things. My biggest problem with Gatehouse is it doesn't understand local markets. It tries to shoehorn things that work in the Chicago suburbs and Boston into small market papers.

While Gatehouse is often a joke, if you have a strong publisher that can hold corporate off the paper works better. But they still demand squeezing every last drop of juice from every lemon even when that lemon is dried and turning to dust.

 

At the Gannett shop I am at was similar story in these latest rounds. "Hey this isn't performance based but we have to lay off 2 percent across the board. Hey, look at the bright side corporate noticed we were more successful than some and only had 3 laid off." Well suck it. Just so Dickey and others get their 7-figure bonuses. No matter if your shop is having success or breaking even they are going to try to be more successful with even less., which as we have seen is such a great business model.

 

GateHouse just purchased my parent company, Dix Communications. Seven or so small to mid dailies in North-Central/North-East Ohio.

 

Isn't that what happened in Durham?

 

Paxton did that when that when they bought Durham. This time McClatchey, who owns Raleigh bought them. I would like to know what McClatchey's plans for Durham are. I am not optimistic.

 

As someone who got whacked by Gatehouse in August

As someone who got whacked by Gatehouse in a cost-cutting move back in August, I'd suggest all who work at the newly acquired papers to start updating their resumes.

 

A bit off topic, but ... are there any designers and copy editors, sports or otherwise, at Gatehouse's studio in Austin who read these message boards? If so, it would be interesting to hear from you. That operation is trashed regularly on these boards, and it's only fair that you receive equal time.

As I've said before, a few former co-workers have wound up at that Austin studio. All were all highly competent when I worked with them. Unfortunately, the impression is that the conditions at Gatehouse make it very difficult, if not impossible, to consistently do good work. True or not?

 

GateHouse's design hub of course isn't free, even to GateHouse-owned papers. My editor told me it would cost us three reporter slots in addition to the paginators to use Austin. So it's not in the plans.