Bay Area bloodbath

``William Dean Singleton says he plans to slash costs and eliminate about 400 of 650 jobs at the 118-year-old daily when he takes over this month – a modus operandi that has kept other struggling Singleton acquisitions afloat.''
[From AJR article about Lean Dean buying Trib in 1992 Ridgeway posted]

What's more remarkable, slashing 400 jobs, or the Trib having 250 employees as recently as 92? Last I heard, the Trib was down to 20-30 reporters, and that was a few years back...

 

That was for all departments, not the newsroom.

 

As an alumnus of the Contra Costa Times, and having worked with some of the best people I've every had the pleasure of doing so, this saddens me beyond belief. And that goes for everyone. John Armstrong was a mentor for me and was an absolute joy to work for. And the folks at the CCT are great pros. I hope this all gets worked out and the economy improves for all of us. I was there from May '97 until March '04 and I can tell you it was the best time ever to be a Sports Editor. We did pretty much what we wanted and had the priviledge to deliver non-stop coverage to our readers. The A's and Giants were going great guns; The Raiders made a Super Bowl; Stanford a Rose Bowl; The Sharks were always contenders; Stanford hoops made a Final 4; We had a US Open at Olympic Club. And we did it right. Our industry is killing itself and it breaks my heart. While I miss my colleagues at the Times, I'm glad I'm in Pittsburgh under private ownership. We have our struggles, too, but the bottom line isn't the only thing that's looked at by the bosses. To my friends and colleagues in Contra Costa: Hang in there.

 

Aint what it used to be, Jerry. Armstrong's become a tool. You wouldn't even recognize him.

 

BANG's stepping up anti-union effort in lead up to June 13 vote. They're meeting with staffers company-wide, and have put up an ask-Armstrong feature on company website. They're promising ``no reprisal regardless of views expressed.'' Believe that, or any of the other bunk they're pedaling?

Check it out...

Website: www.bangeb.com
Username: bang
Password: eastbay!

 

Anybody hear of CWA vs. Beck? Probably not. It's a Supreme Court case BANG publisher cites at his internal website Q&A, where the Singleton waterboy dodges some tough questions and even makes up some of his own in misinformation campaign ahead of Friday the 13th union vote.

Some questions from anonymous poster ``SINGLETONPHOBE''



John,
Let me start by saying this: You're a respected newsman, and I can say with great confidence that the vast majority of those who’ve worked for you share that view.
But like many of us, I've got some serious Singleton issues.
You and Kevin have asked us to do our homework, and frankly, the more I’ve learned about Singleton, the less I like him.
It is for this reason that I am posting my questions to you under the cloak of anonymity – not out of disrespect to you.

1) For those of us who are mistrustful of Singleton, can you assure us that if he acts in a way that’s inconsistent with the values we know you to hold, you will spare no effort in standing up to him?

2) If Singleton's history is any indicator, he has little use for those at any level who've stood up to him. Publishers have been axed too. On a scale of 1 to 10, how certain are you that you could stand up to Singleton under the above-mentioned scenario, and remain our publisher?

3) Strip away the rhetoric on both sides, and this election really comes down to one thing and one thing only: William Dean Singleton. That’s the face we’re going to see on that ballot. Whether you're for or against unions in theory, it’s an entirely different matter when you're dealing with Singleton if even half of what most of us believe about him is true.
In your view, what are the most significant misconceptions, or even misrepresentations about Singleton you think we should know?
Saturday, May 24, 2008 - 07:35 PM

 

Chigur, you sure user/password's right, or is it just me that can't log on?

 

From the Bay Area News Gulag - East Bay, Publisher John Armstrong (finally) replies to anonymous poster. For those who can't get on intranet site, exchange reporter by Gary Scott's excellent Reporter g blog:

Armstrong, rambles, stumbles, and repeats himself. Money quote: ``... to fully understand Singleton, you need to experience the man first-hand ...''



http://reporter-g.blogspot.com/2008/06/conversation-in-run-up-to-june-13-union.html

 

I love how the ad on the Reporter G blog is for replacement workers.

 

I love the comparison of Barry Bonds to F.P. Santangelo.