Update: Gannett world — USA Today for sale?

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

I read a few months ago about a theory that the future newspaper model basically would be the same as most magazines; an editor or two and a few design people are the only fulltime folks while all the writing is done by stringers, thus no benefits. I know of a paper that got rid of a bureau person and was replaced by a stringer. The stringer is a University of Missouri grad and is quite good, and quite hungry. The more assignments he gets, the more money he makes, so they give him a ton of stories. He's a good kid and I'm glad for him in that sense. Yet, not every paper has a Missouri grad around. I remember my days as sports editor of a small daily where it was almost impossible to find any stringers, let alone good ones. I'm sure the future thinking by management will be that with all the writers out of work, finding quality stringers won't be a problem.

 

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

I totally agree.
Sooner rather than later, you'll have a decent sized daily paper where all but a handful will be contract writers with an obligation to produce XX amount of copy a week. A fair chunk of the design will contract work as well.
The only real jobs will be some copy editing, assigning and a little bit of layout.

 

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

Eternity in hell... next to Jimmy Hoffa.

 

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

If you have any choice as to when to take your furlough, take it at the time it will absolutely fuck them over to the maximum degree possible. And don't do even a micro-scintilla of extra work ahead of time to help them "cover" while you're gone.

Blazing white-hot cast iron poker. 20 inches deep.

 

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

Smiling from hell:

 

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

Hmmm...

Gannett still owes me $75 for a game I covered --- three months ago.

 

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

Only three months? We had a stringer go six months without getting paid last year. Oddly enough, they kept "losing" his paperwork. He must have faxed/e-mailed the stringer agreement in about a dozen times.

And Starman, we've been told that our furlough dates have to be scheduled and approved through our executive editor. I submitted the week of our state basketball tournament and was told that week wasn't available. So, in other words, I can't even decide when I'm going to take MY UNPAID week.

This company is being run by certifiable assholes and morons.

 

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

Except that in a small department, immediate managers who cover for your ass and didn't make nor support those decisions are taking it in the ass when you do that. I know, it's frustrating, especially if you like your immediate boss.

 

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

Major cuts have occurred at the Gannett New Jersey Group, reducing 99 editorial positions to 53. Apparently, no severance, but you can apply for one of the positions. What a deal.

Here's the link from Poynter.

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/114319/editorial-staffs-at-three-nj-gannett-papers-to-go-from-99-to-53/

 

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

Christ. What'll be left of those papers at this point?

I have no words except my sympathies to the employees involved and best wishes they'll land on their feet somewhere.

I'm most curious about how this is going to work.

I've never dealt with this as an employee before and it sounds even more awful and degrading than just being laid off.

 

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

I think we're pretty much at the point of no return. If you're at a Gannett property and you're not looking for a viable escape route, you're seriously jeopardizing your future well-being.

I've always been one of those stubborn idiots that keeps saying "I think I'm safe. How much more could they possibly cut?" Now that I've seen several of my friends, who were also once as stubborn as me, get laid off, I think it's time to face reality head on.

 

Re: Giant and mostly bad news in Gannett world

I remember being in a meeting when layoffs and buyouts were being discussed and I walked out shaking my head and our deputy sports editor said, "What are you worried about? They're not going to get rid of you."

Three days later, they got rid of me.