Bankrupt Tribune Seeks $66 Million in Manager Bonuses

Don't count on it.

 

The question was put to a "top executive" at a town hall meeting a few weeks ago.

And this is basically his rationalization:

They aren't really "bonuses" per se. Most of their salary is the bonus. So if you wipe out the bonus, you are wiping out most of their salary.

Puts things in a slightly different light. But just slightly.

 

I hear what you're saying, BTE.

But let's face it ... if you or I as a reporter/editor/newsroom employee made even a couple of dumb-as-rocks decisions these Tribune executives have made in recent years, we'd be out of a job. And rightfully so.

 

That's true, but not all executives are making stupid editorial decisions and slashing payroll.

Some are negotiating with The New York Times, USA Today and Barrons --- among others --- to pay our newspaper to print their paper on our presses. Some are negotiating with the two other papers in our circulation area to pay us to deliver their papers in our county.

Stuff like that makes our bottom line better than it would be otherwise and positions us much better than the other two papers in our market.

Just something to think about.

 

Rewarding failure like this is very un-American.

 

Then they need to call it something else. Like, you know, "salary."

A "bonus," by definition, is a reward.

You deserve no reward for failure.

 

Over on hardworkingmanagers.com, they're wondering why the judge is taking so long to approve these bonuses. Something about it being a no-brainer...and how it's not really that much money after taxes are taken out.

 

It's a tax thing, pure and simple.

And anyone who thinks THAT angle should be looked into . . . is absolutely right.

 

NFL "signing bonus" is just another word for "guaranteed salary".

It's not a reward, of course, because it's paid before these players play a single down.

 

If the "management" here includes all the assistant sports editors and news editors and features editors who have done triple and quadruple work as staffs have been slashed to nothing, then I'm totally and completely in favor of this.

 

Oh, because no executive ever got bonuses for failure at Merrill Lynch or GM. Or Ford, or any corporation you can name.

 

I'm guessing not, since it's 720 across all properties and platforms.