Corporate bigwigs coming to my paper tomorrow

Already laid off all the printing press people and moved it to a sister paper an hour away. This will not end well. I'm the most recent hire in sports and one of the more recent hires in the newsroom. [duckandcover]

 

Get there early and compliment their wigs.

Seriously, good luck. I'm sure everyone here echoes that.

 

For some reason, I don't think the four-man sports department will feel the wrath, but you never know. We've got about 15-20 in news so I figure one reporter there is more dispensable than one of us. I'll update after tomorrow's meeting.

 

Good luck and make sure your desk is clean when you leave.

 

See, look at this as an opportunity.

Meet with them over lunch .... or chase them down the hall if need be.... and explain to them what the paper really needs to be successful.

 

Good luck.

I remember when the corporates visited a rag I worked at. Everyone was frantically cleaning their desks, some people wore ties to work.

I left my desk a sty and wore a windbreaker over a t-shirt to work that day.

I told everyone I wanted them to see the reality of our workplace and wages.

On a positive note, no one was laid off. But that changed a few months later.

 

May I work the mills for just as long as I am able
And never meet the man whose name is on the label

 

Jay, try going for the Williston, ND SE gig. It's still open if you need a job tomorrow.

It's only an hour drive from Fargo. (An incorrect assumption that someone called me out on, exaggerated in this instance.)

 

Thanks but no thanks, I'm holding out for Roswell.

 

Quit trying to hone in on tom Petty's territory. You know damn well Roswell is his gig.


Now, Martinsville, on the other hand, ....

 

We had a seven man sports department.

One was shifted from sports desk to news desk. No replacement.

One left for another job. No replacement.

One was laid up in the hospital for a month. No sympathy.

Three full-time writers left. We've been told if either I or our other college writer left, neither would be replaced.

You may think you're safe ... but ...

 

A journalist with a spotless desk is a journalist who is not busy enough.