Some more DMN stuff

Don't know how many exactly, but the DMN doesn't have that many editions. Perhaps one of the DMN folks could chime in as to exactly how many.

 

Someone from the DMN called our ASE a couple of weeks ago and was stunned --- stunned --- to learn we regularly put out a section with as much space as them (or damn near close to it) with about 45 people.

 

TDMN has two editions. It was just scaled down from three a couple of months ago. Word is, when they got rid of the "early" edition, all those on the copy desk had to switch from a four-day workweek to five days. That couldn't have been good for morale.

 

Best guess:
10-12 editors (bosses, assigning, etc), including Yates
5 columnists
19-25 college and pro beat reporters
15-20 high school reporters (a group that took a big hit 2004)
20-25 deskers and designers

On the high end, that's about 87 FTE's, and I think I'm leaving out a few folks. They probably count the administrative folks in the employee total, as well.

The whole situation is bad and a lot of blame can be put in Belo's mistakes and bottom-line thinking over the past 10 years. When it comes to business decisions, it's made a few mistakes for the record books.

That said, the business is changing. Adapt or die. It's a harsh fact of life, but it's the capitalistic society we chose.

 

It really isn't, though.

Most organizations would plan ahead, make capital investments, train a workforce, etc.

Newspapers do none of these things.

That's not capitalism. It's douchebaggery with a capital D.

 

As I hear about all the cuts to be made at the DMN, I think of the Indian crying when he sees trash thrown onto his land.

A sad, sad time for those of us in the business.

 

A lot of organizations don't plan ahead.
It isn't just newspapers ... I can think of dozen businesses off the top of my head that have failed in recent years. All for a variety of reasons. Most for not planning ahead.
Nobody covers the media, like the media, so things get amplified. The Tribsters are in a world of hurt, but they anticipated a relaxing of the cross-ownership rules. If that had happened, then the talk would be the genius move they had made.
And you say no capital investments, but I can name a dozen newspapers, big and small, that have spent millions on new presses since 2000. I would think droping $10 mill would qualify as a capital improvement.

 

OK, here's the numbers I garnered from their Web site off their staff listings, though I have no idea how reliable they are:

79 sports positions
1 sports editor
1 assistant managing editor
2 deputy SEs
2 design editors (though I'm pretty sure one of them, Rob Schneider, was recently promoted to presentation director for the whole paper)
3 assigning editors
5 assistant editors
30 copy editors
1 agate editor
4 columnists
28 reporters
1 executive assistant
1 office manager

They may have more positions (part-timers, zone bureau guys, whatever), and I have no idea how up-to-date the contact information online is kept, but that's the best breakdown I can garner off their site. The listings for the bureaus seemed incomplete, with some just listing the bureau chief and others with several listings.

 

And I can name five dozen that didn't train their workers, cut staff to the bone at the drop of a hat in 2001, continued (and continue) to use obsolete programs like Windows 95 and equipment that should have been thrown out long ago.

Again, that's not capitalism. That's idiocy.

 

One-word reply to SportsDay Future: Bleak.

Tuesday's DMN sports section was SIX PAGES. Five were open with a 4x14 ad on the back page. Page One centerpiece was a Fraley column on ex-Rangers Rogers and Rodriguez that typifies current newspaper thinking _ lots of space-eating display with quicky stats/blurbs to support a 20-inch story/column.

RIP, SportsDay.

 

We are now opening up that forum to a
> wider audience so we can get greater input on those topics.
PLEASE, sign in and get axed?


"open mike" portion so we can
> discuss anything someone wants to bring up.
Does that translate, step right in and get axed?

I grew up reading DMN sports. This is truly a sad 'sports day'.