McClatchy layoffs?

Nobody is really under the delusion they are re-inventing anything.

Ballast off the sinking ship keeps the ship afloat a little longer. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Good post BTE. You are my kind of person. I like your take here.

 

I notice a few columnists have been quitting. Not sure if all are from that gawdforsaken chain or Gannett, which is even worse than McClatchy I've been told. Well, maybe they are tied now. Or is Gatehouse worse. I digress. The columnists? I'm thinking they have no future in the world of page views? Haven't the beancounters/new age internet saviors deemed columnists expendable because fans think they know it all and don't need some columnist giving opinion? Not enough page views at all? Please educate me. Just what I'm picking up, the vibe of columnists quitting. I like your last sentence by the way.

 

Well, I think first things first, columnists are typically the voice of the neighborhood so to speak and most have been employed for a number of years. Therefore, they make too much money and are offered buyouts etc. They are smart guys they see the writing on the wall. Take the buyout/retirement. As many have said it's amazing how clueless those in charge are. Columnists have takes that are either controversial or lead to comments etc. which is what they crave...engagement...but they think they can find a young kid who really has no clue about the community or otherwise can come in and replace them for half the money!! But, they don't have the experience or the pulse of the teams/community. Then they scratch their heads, I mean, what do you want...them to invest in the people and paper? Come on! That's crazy talk!

 

Excellent post.
I still say the nuts and bolts issues are what ruined the industry. I just got a bill today for the newspaper. It's going up 160 dollars this year. One big LOL. For a shrunken piece of crap with no box scores, 3-4 pages of sports a day? Cmon.
More than ANYthing, here's what put us all in the unemployment line: a.) horrible leadership at the top (those who know nothing about newspapers are finally in charge and running them). b.) horrible bang for the buck (not worth the cost of a subscription). c.) horrible horrible sales people. They simply are the dregs of the sales community. d.) horrible delivery and an "I don't care" attitude toward the complaining customer. Notice none of this has anything to do with how stories are written?? See u in the unemployment line, folks. Buy another Rolls Royce CEOs. You've earned your bonuses. You are so valuable.

 

The reason the industry if ruined is that virtually no one has figured out how to make enough money to support decent on-line content. Until someone does the subscribers will continue to die and not be replaced by younger readers and the few remaining ads will fade away.

I wish I knew more about the situation in Anchorage where the paper just sold in bankruptcy court to a couple of locals for $1,000,000. The bankruptcy judge expressed skepticism that the deal would work out because of the amount of the negative cash run in Anchorage but had no other offers. What I find interesting is that Anchorage has a population of 400,000 and while it currently may be economically depressed due to low oil prices I think it is a generally prosperous place. None of the leading publishers such as Gannett bid on the paper. I would think that for a million dollars Gannett could go in, fire most of the staff, move design to a central facility, load the paper up with USA Today content and make a least a little money with virtually no investment. And they did not.

Which makes me wonder how many newspapers are in situations close to Anchorage?

 

Well, at least it seems we're finally past the tired, "They're laying off people because only a 20 percent profit margin wasn't good enough" argument.

 

I re-read this and it was provocative. BT I had a question: Do you think what you said is true? I despise the suits of course as my posts indicate, but the way they speak with such conviction makes me think they actually believe the crap coming out of their mouths regarding ways to do things. Like they really truly believe it. As far as "re-inventing" I still haven't had it explained to me what that means on here, but do you think the Gannet-oid higher ups and McWackys and Gatehouses to Hellers really truly believe the stuff they tell the underlings? I liked your post and wondered ...

 

That well written two sentences made me smile. Cause that is what Gannett would have done. It's so simple and so cruel at the same time.

 

Did O.J.'s attorneys really believe someone else murdered Ron and Nicole?

Or were they saying what they had to say given the positions they were serving?

 

BTE you are one of the great posters ever. I forget if you are a Fredrick lover or hater. I love your takes.

 

Consider a bag of chips. Compared to 20 years ago, it's 60 percent sealed air in each bag. If you're a little hungry, you'll buy it even if it is $1.75 instead of 75 cents. Buying "a little bit of news" isn't the same. Do CEOs know this? Yes. Do they care?