So is McClatchy about to drop the hammer?

[leo1]

I have nothing but empathy and hopeful wishes for all involved.

There have been a lot of terrible, short-sighted decisions in this business the past five years.

But now, it's almost a case of they have to do something. Forget 20 percent profit margins ... the bottom line is shrinking quickly -- possibly partly as a result of some completely wrong-headed earlier cuts.

It's just a terrible cycle -- even for the bad guys at the top, at this point.

I'm not saying those trying to preserve an economic picture that wasn't preservable deserve one second of sympathy. But now, at least to some extent, there seems to be little choice.

exactly, SF. this is horrible for the individuals involved and their families. i know people who have been laid off in the past and i know people who will be laid off this time. there is nothing good about it.

but the venom here is misplaced. yes, the CEO types make millions while the rank-and-file make a whole lot less. but that's no different in journalism than in any other business. all for-profit businesses operate this way.

and that's the key. journalism is a business. it's a business that is not making a lot of (or enough) money because of reasons everybody knows. quibble all you want about the definition of "a lot" or "enough" but this is the reality we live in.

no one in particular is to blame for not having yet figured out how to make the new media world as profitable as print used to be. once that's figured out, if it ever is, the journalism business will stabilize.

 

[OrdinaryAvgGuy]

Awful decision to merge Charlotte and Raleigh sports means Raleigh's SE is out the door. She was great. Stood up to mgmt, cared about her people (but came down hard when she needed to) and wanted good ideas. A pioneer in the industry (Track down exec ed John Drescher's column about women at the legislature from just a few short months ago.) I truly think those papers deserve whatever bad things happen to thim at this point. Drescher is a total spinless jellyfish and worked in Charlotte earlier. His love of that place exceeds anyone else's love (among Raleigh people anyway) and will end up killing the raleigh paper

 

[Write-brained]

Awful decision to merge Charlotte and Raleigh sports means Raleigh's SE is out the door. She was great. Stood up to mgmt, cared about her people (but came down hard when she needed to) and wanted good ideas. A pioneer in the industry (Track down exec ed John Drescher's column about women at the legislature from just a few short months ago.) I truly think those papers deserve whatever bad things happen to thim at this point. Drescher is a total spinless jellyfish and worked in Charlotte earlier. His love of that place exceeds anyone else's love (among Raleigh people anyway) and will end up killing the raleigh paper

Probably because she was a reporter's editor and not a company (wo)man.

 

[1HPGrad]

1HP sources say Herald lost two in sports: a revered assignment editor who was retiring next month and a young clerk. Undetermined is whether it will lose two copy editors.
Every writer was offered a buyout; none accepted.
Four MEs were reassigned, reclassified and forced to accept a pay cut.

 

[thegrifter]

there are way too many qualified people out of work.

 

[MMatt60]

From what I've heard at APSE, Herald sports could afford to lose a writer or two before it lost copy editors.

 

[Lollygaggers]

From what I've heard at APSE, Herald sports could afford to lose a writer or two before it lost copy editors.

That's probably true at most shops, but for some reason people think that anyone can copy edit, so just hold on to the writers and let them do a few shifts. And we wonder why the quality of our product is diminishing. I'd be curious whether there is a measurable increase in errors and corrections for papers now compared to 5-10 years ago.

 

[WriteThinking]

From what I've heard at APSE, Herald sports could afford to lose a writer or two before it lost copy editors.

That's probably true at most shops, but for some reason people think that anyone can copy edit, so just hold on to the writers and let them do a few shifts. And we wonder why the quality of our product is diminishing. I'd be curious whether there is a measurable increase in errors and corrections for papers now compared to 5-10 years ago.

Not sure it's that so much as that it's generally easier to find reporters who want to, or who at least, would be willing to, also copy edit, than it is to find copy editors who who would also want to do any reporting that involved doing much real legwork.

Copy editors generally are older and more experienced for a reason. They've often already been reporters, but they've reached a point where they no longer want to run around all over the place in pursuit of sources and stories; they don't want to worry about being beaten; and they don't want to make phone calls at all hours, work on days off, or work on inconsistent or odd-ball schedules/shifts anymore.

 

[1HPGrad]

Herald would be better served by getting more production from some of its high-end talent. There are never enough reporters to cover the myriad events. Problem is, the same small pool of mid-level reporters is asked to handle all of that. So they end up with 400 bylines in a year in which some have as few as 50. I imagine the disparity is no more glaring now than when board favorite F_R worked there. It seemed rather set in stone whenever I suggested alternatives.

 

[beefncheddar]

and they don't want to make phone calls at all hours, work on days off, or work on inconsistent or odd-ball schedules/shifts anymore.

They'd much rather work nights, weekends and holidays. THAT'S your argument?

 

[MMatt60]

The reason management often is inexplicably willing to lose copy editors is because management doesn't really know the copy editors. The executive editor at one paper I know couldn't pick the copy editors out of a lineup.

 

[Pilot]

The KC buzz on this thread was Howard Richman took/was forced to take a buyout, but I haven't heard any other names.

I agree about the section. KC's a pretty damn good paper overall, so I hope McClatchy's cuts don't have a dramatic effect on the quality.

Damn that forkn sucks! Howard's a great guy. He could give you the home phone number for a kid he covered 20 years ago.
Great forkn guy!

Howard is a great guy. As a young guy, learning the business while working on his beat, nothing ever meant more to me than when he approached me and complimented me on this exclusive interview and story I snagged. Even today I think that was classy and cool considering where he was and where I was in our careers.

That really, really sucks. If anyone has a private e-mail for him, I'd really appreciate if you could pass it along via PM. Thanks.