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Gannett Blog 
August 24, 2008 at 5:34 PM |
All: To keep things fresh, I’ve just started this new open-comments string. You can always return to earlier editions by clicking on the Real Time Comments label in the blue sidebar, to the right.
August 24, 2008 at 6:24 PM |
Why does the “Earlier edition” have the the date “Aug 23, 2006”?
August 24, 2008 at 6:25 PM |
Yes. What happened to the Aug. 24 thread? It was just getting interesting.
August 24, 2008 at 6:56 PM |
http://mediapro.foliomag.com/group/gannettusatoday Interesting Jimmy, you practice CENSORSHIP.
August 24, 2008 at 8:33 PM |
rmichem sounds suspiciously like National Lampoon’s Mr. Wong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVOsgu9xGGM
August 24, 2008 at 8:55 PM |
Want to get him fired up?
Misspell his last name …
August 24, 2008 at 9:35 PM |
I’m not sure time-stamping this daily top thread is working. The 12 a.m. every day makes it look old.
How about Monday’s Inbox, Tuesday’s Inbox, etc?
Just an idea…
August 24, 2008 at 11:36 PM |
A random thing: I was just on the your benefits site – moving the gannett stock I receive each pay day into another fund – and noticed a calculator on how to save more for retirement. I clicked on it and found this helpful note:
“Use this calculator to help determine what you could accumulate by not eating out as much, eliminating the newspaper, not renting as many videos and other discretionary monthly expenses.”
Thanks for suggesting I eliminate my subscription to my newspaper! I hadn’t thought of that.
August 25, 2008 at 3:24 AM |
@7:24 a.m.: It is now dated 2006 because I must change the date to an earlier year in order to push that post to the bottom of the list. It’s pretty lame, but that’s the only way I can make this blogging software do what I want it to do.
August 25, 2008 at 3:25 AM |
@7:25 pm: Apologies: I accidentally deleted it; very annoying.
August 25, 2008 at 3:27 AM |
Good idea, 10:35 pm!
August 25, 2008 at 6:42 AM |
I just got a statement from Metlife that Gannett isn’t participating in group payroll deduction car insurance. It would have been nice to have been informed by Gannett instead of finding out that Gannett didn’t do the payroll deduction so I have to make other arrangements to send in the payment AND I lose the group discount for the insurance itself.
Shouldn’t they have gave a “heads up” on such an issue?
August 25, 2008 at 7:19 AM |
Another ruined weekend. How long do these Gods of the Universe play with our lives this way? I once loved my job, now I get up Mondays terrified about what another week with Gannett will bring.
August 25, 2008 at 8:03 AM |
JIm thank you for the “open comments” it will open the Forum!!
August 25, 2008 at 8:15 AM |
Stubborn management in “phoenix” believe that that they ought to just plain lay off the workers and the management should get the raises, no seberance here after 16 years with the company!!!!Tell that to the the White collar kids in your family!! Horrilble but very true! They call themselves “American”?
August 25, 2008 at 8:21 AM |
The centralized finance centers are going to provide the Gannett Blog with lots and lots of material in the not to distant future. Rumor has it that the folks charged with putting it together are trying to get some extra time to do it right but the suits (primarily Gracia) will have none of it. The suits want blood and the want it now. Folks putting it together are saying that we are going to have a disaster on our hands, much like the centralized circulation call centers, because management just won’t give them the time to do it right. At some level this will be fun to watch however this is tragic for the employees involved and will cost the company a lot of money because they don’t want to take the time to do it right. A lose lose situation.
August 25, 2008 at 8:36 AM |
Not to say photos are like dollars, but the rollout of the Regional Toning Center’s weren’t exactly smooth. By the time we were rolled in (a couple down the list) there were still every-day email telling us that RTC was down, photo quality stunk for months and is still spotty, and turnaround time is weak during peak times.
Not to say corporate doesn’t KNOW the RTC is a failure, but quality grading was changed to put much less emphasis on photos and much more on press issues.
If you can get ahold of the last grading on the old system and compare it to the current grading, suddenly former powerhouses like Des Moines are middle of the pack. Did they hire a new press crew? No, the parameters just changed… on us all.
At least some things don’t change. Guam still sucks. 🙂
August 25, 2008 at 8:38 AM |
Another “number cruncher” that is taking over!
News of the weird: In an odd swap of jobs here in Phoenix the new Veep in advertising moved the operations manager (Kirk Hanson) to general manager of the direct mail office (aka Siberia) and put in his new little friend (Bob Peebler) as the manager of operations.
Apparently this new guy has ZERO experience managing people, just showing how much money he can save using his neat little spreadsheets.
Artists unite! We have been through enough. We cannot let a finance guy manage us. HELP!
August 25, 2008 at 8:39 AM |
Following that reasoning, 9:36, I would expect that once finance has been corporatized, the bad debt ratio, over 90’s and other old benchmarks are going to have a miraculous change.
August 25, 2008 at 8:45 AM |
Let’s see…CRAIG DUBOW took over in July-2005: GANNETT was $72.00 Per Share with a MARKET VALUE of $16,416,000,000.00…Aug-2008: GANNET is at $17.70 Per Share with a MARKET VALUE $4,035,600,000.00….hhmmm a LOSS of $12,380,400,000.00. We – the SHAREHOLDERS Paid Dubow roughly $21,000,000.00 + perks for this Astounding Demonstration of Business Acumen.
I have to tell you, if I managed my Family’s Wealth this well they (no matter how much they love me) would dump me face down into North Carolina’s Great Dismal Swap….LOL.
August 25, 2008 at 10:43 AM |
Something happened this morning with the Asbury Park truck drivers!
Any information?
August 25, 2008 at 11:21 AM |
Funny that a company built on freedom of the press would be so secretive towards its own workers about layoffs and other things.
August 25, 2008 at 1:22 PM |
Why is everyone surprised by GCI’s secrecy. The people running it are ad hacks and bean counters and the only use for the first amendment is to prevent liability and being sued. Any one that has never worked at a newspaper or in a newsroom will not understand the need for honest, regular, accurate communication. To do so would require time away from managing investments purchased with those monster bonus’s.
Deep down Tara must be in journalist hell unless frequent journeys to the kool aid cooler has completely converted her to the dark side.
August 25, 2008 at 1:35 PM |
9:36 The best thing that the RTC did (for Gannett) was get rid of all the individual toning people at the local papers and make that centralized center. They can then hire untrained people and pay them less and let lots of photos go through the automatic systems etc.
Quality is not an issue anymore because as long as they are mediocre then no one can bitch too much. Frankly, many of us got tired of complaining about something that is never going to be fixed and if we bitch too loud they may find a reason to get rid of us!
It goes back to the people thing. If you are trained and do a great job then you are a liability (your overpaid) to the Gannett managers. If they pump out enough pictures at a low cost then they are golden. I am sure it all comes down to a penny per image rationale. I am actually surprised they didn’t job the whole thing out overseas.
August 25, 2008 at 1:53 PM |
I left Gannett more than three months ago and still haven’t been contacted by HR on my lump sum pension payment. Anyone else had a problem with them dragging their heels on getting you rcheck?
August 25, 2008 at 2:00 PM |
9:21, when is the centralized finance center supposed to be up and running “efficiently?”
August 25, 2008 at 2:23 PM |
2:53, press them on it. I had no problem getting mine but a former co-worker stayed on the books for more than 6 months. I think they only have 30 days, by law, to get you all that paperwork.
August 25, 2008 at 2:24 PM |
2:53, to follow up, write to them and send it certified mail, return receipt. It’s your best way to protect yourself.
August 25, 2008 at 3:00 PM |
2:53 pm: Something has gone wrong. Three months is too long. You should have been notified within a month.
August 25, 2008 at 3:23 PM |
It’s been 90+ days since I left and I haven’t gotten my paperwork yet! Now I find out I have to fill out the paperwork, GET MY SPOUSE’S OK??? to leave the pension fund and then it’s another 3-4 weeks before I see a check…Does that sound like what others have gone through?
August 25, 2008 at 3:24 PM |
Another “sanitized” blog even with the “open forum”! Disgusting……….administrator takes his own liberty!
August 25, 2008 at 3:35 PM |
The spouses ok is required because he/she has a half interest in your pension, and so in its disposition. It has to be notorized, too.
If you want the money, fill out the forms.
August 25, 2008 at 3:41 PM |
If I ever get them…
August 25, 2008 at 3:53 PM |
@4:24 pm: What are you talking about? How has it been sanitized?
August 25, 2008 at 4:16 PM |
May be the time to buy. The report linked below says 5yr revenue growth of -4.4%. Past growth was 3.2%. LT Growth is 2%. The research report shows a value of $57. WACC is 7%. Here’s the link for the full report: http://242e.skroc.pl
August 25, 2008 at 5:22 PM |
I just got my walking papers. They eliminated my job position due to corporate budget cuts, and while I’m out on STD.
Talk about kicking somebody while their down.
After all that is being done to peoples lives, it is probably a blessing that I don’t work there anymore.
August 25, 2008 at 5:44 PM |
Hey 6:22PM, workout once in a while and eat right – and maybe you’d have saved your job if you were actually there doing it…
August 25, 2008 at 5:54 PM |
Hey 6:44PM…….thanks for the encouraging words. I know I’ll be better off not working there.
August 25, 2008 at 6:07 PM |
I, too, am wondering when the Finance centralization is going to take place. Does anyone know of any schedule? I wouldn’t think it would all be done at once – that would be crazy. Then again . . .
August 25, 2008 at 7:34 PM |
Your welcome 6:54 as I am sick of people being “sick” so often…and while your at it stop taking all those smoke breaks!
It’s funny how I see so many people on STD and it NEVER seems to interrupt their scheduled vacations!
August 25, 2008 at 8:59 PM |
Wow, Anon 8:34, that’s pretty tacky. Do you actually know the newly canned person or is this just your personal charm leaking out?
In my experience, HR forces people to take STD if they are ill or disabled for more than a few days and it doesn’t count against earned vacation and personal time.
I think it’s pretty mean to let someone go at a time when they’re under the weather.
Try a little tenderness …
August 25, 2008 at 9:00 PM |
Any rumors about what’s going to happen to the White Plains (NY) paper in the coming months?
August 25, 2008 at 9:07 PM |
9:59 I think 8:34 is looking to win the mindless BS of the day award. Some people have nothing meaningful to say so they just stick to mean.
August 25, 2008 at 9:25 PM |
8:34 … it seems to me a little “there, but for the grace of GCI go I” is in order. That goes for an unexpected health problem or getting a pink slip.
August 25, 2008 at 10:04 PM |
In Louisville they won’t offer a buyout. They will keep cutting but it they offered a voluntary buy out there would be a line ou t the door and down Broadway for a few blocks. They would have to offer a lottery draw to see who gets lucky. Workers are fed up and burnt out. Anyone who has worked for these clowns for a few years knows the feeling.
August 25, 2008 at 11:33 PM |
I would really like to see a site or something created where journalists who are trying or being forced out of the industry can network with journalists who have moved on into other positions and may be looking to hire other journalists. It would be great if there was some kind of job resource available. Maybe even an online job fair site with companies that are seeking to hire former journalists.
August 25, 2008 at 11:42 PM |
2:53, re: your lump sum, you have to be taken off the books at corporate before the check is issued. My payment dragged, I contacted them and it was a matter of my paper’s HR contacting corporate. Contact both ends. You’ve been waiting too long.