Tennessean's David Climer retiring

Another one bites the dust.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2015/10/23/david-climer-retiring-tennessean/74278896/

 

Is this a #NewGannett thing or a legit retirement?

 

Gotta be a #NewGannett thing. Heard of others throughout the chain who were offered, then coerced into taking, an early retirement offer, and their last week is the same week.

 

Round of buyouts throughout #NewGannett

 

It's true. David Climer, a colleague, a mentor, a friend and a great journalist is leaving The Tennessean. His last column will publish Oct. 30. It will be a sad day when the cubicle next to me is empty.

 

He was going to wait for the Titans to get good again, but then remembered he's not immortal.

Hate to see it.

 

I'm gonna assume a buyout. I think John Fay, longtime Reds beat writer in Cincy, took a buyout as well.

 

A lot of really quality people are leaving Gannett in the next couple of weeks. The kind of people who had devoted followings in the paper.

 

But as Gannett has proven through The Hunger Games in each newsroom and now this, they really don't care about loss of institutional knowledge or those with devoted followings leaving.

 

It's no secret they are doing buyouts, right? Free Press sports editor just took one, too.

 

Yeah, names are starting to trickle out. Rick Brown of the Des Moines Register. Lyndal Scranton in Springfield, Mo. Jennie Rees, the horse racing writer at the Courier-Journal in Louisville. Some great writers. Sad.

 

What sucks for the public is that these writers are embargoed for the length of their buyout agreement. Not sure what is allowed and what isn't, but I figure it is basically a year-long non-compete.