gannett plans to layoff 3,000 by december.

File this under "journalism sucks" and "corporations are heartless". 8)

 

StaggerLee, I was just wondering how football season went with the Gannett papers in Louisiana with the regional desk. The whole deadline issue had to be a complete mess. Any other updates on what's going on in Louisiana?

 

I can vouch for that. Mustang has very few answers and lots of questions. (grin)

 

It's all fun and games unless you have to listen to some of the phone calls I get each morning. ;D

Caller: Is this the information center?
Me: Yes.
Caller: I lost the phone number to my internet company can you find it for me?

 

And you don't have that information? Goodness.

 

I heard the other day a former Gannett shop in Washington state, already gutted in recent years since McClatchy took over, has gone from bad to worse. Advertising people have taken over empty desks in the newsroom, so that now the remaining employees can be one happy intertwined family. Plans evidently call for the former advertising room to be leased out. Gee, what could go wrong with advertising and editorial people in the same room?

 

It's not uncommon at smaller papers. And these days, everyone is working at smaller papers. Considering the location of the building, it would seem to be a perfect space for a lobbyist to set up shop.

 

You wouldn't believe the call we got today. Some guy wanted to know what time the doors to the Palace opened. ;D ;D ;D

 

I heard he called a reporter who once worked at the Palace. In other words, used a source.

 

I'm guessin' it sucks.

Haven't heard anything in a while, but I know a lot of 'em balked at moving to Funroe.

Which was the plan all along, I believe.

 

Sorry about that writestuff, I must have missed your post.

JM has it right, it pretty much sucks, but the mantra on the sports desk has become "It is what it is." Basically, until changes are made and it gets better, it's serving as nothing more than someone to "help" do the pages.

I don't know that any of the papers fully trust the regional copy desk to do the entire section. Most of them are pretty much sketching everything out and the regional copy desk just basically fills boxes. Tons of mistakes are still being made and the proofing situation is pretty bad (imagine trying to tell someone the corrections over an IM chat).

Frankly speaking, the regional copy desk is severely understaffed, but aren't we all? And the staff they do have are mostly fresh out of college, no-experience on copy desk, type employees. Nothing against them personally, they're probably all great people, but you can tell this is not what they thought they'd be doing.

 

Heard 34-35 writers and editors were let go at the News and Freep today... anyone?