Media General goes to furloughs

Obviously I don't wish anything bad on you but it would be interesting to see what would happen. I recall being at a very small shop once when something like that happened. All they did was use the paginated pages from the sister paper with a note saying something along the lines of "Due to technical problems, the Podunk Times sports section did appear. It would make an appearance the following day."

 

It is a revenue problem, and that what most management doesn't seem to understand. Buck, the guy you were talking to is right - cuts are not enough to solve the problem. When the newspaper, which until a couple years ago had a much higher profit margin than other businesses, makes cutbacks that are very public, the folks who have to sell advertising really have a hard time convincing other businesses that spending money on advertising is a wise use of their resources.

I spoke to somebody who ran several furniture stores within the past six months. He told me he placed an ad section in a newspaper and the newspaper ran a price wrong - the price was supposed to be $999 and the paper ran it at $599.

The error wasn't what upset him the most. What upset him was that he received only one complaint about the mistake. That told the furniture store owner that people weren't paying much attention to the newspaper ads, and convinced him that 20- or 30-second ad buys on newsradio stations were a better investment for him.

 

Oh I don't wish anything bad either, believe me. But I'm certain a meltdown of sorts would happen. And I would guffaw.

 

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the obvious: freelancing. As an "exempt" (i.e., salaried) employee I was told the money will be deducted from my check at certain times, but I'm not required to take any time off. However, I was also told I can take 10 days off if I want them. Hell yeah I'm taking them, and I'm going to do my best to line up some freelance stuff and schedule my furlough days accordingly. I know of at least one other MG SE who's already doing that and I'm sure there will be others.

 

So sad. So true. :'(

 

Not a Media General person, but my shop has been on the furlough-your-way-to-happiness plan this quarter. And there are very, very, VERY strict orders that no one is to work on their furlough day. At all. No checking E-mail, no answering the phone if work calls, nothing. There's no expectation that anyone would work for free on their beat - and there's no way I'm going to. I work hard on my beat and am proud of what I do, but if I'm told I am not to work, I'm sure as heck doing nothing work related that day.

One of our editors, in fact, told me that they kind of hope something big happens on one of the major sports beats when the beat guy is on furlough - so that it blows up in our corporate big-wigs' faces.

 

When furloughs hit here (10 days is expected, to be taken in 5-day increments), I'm going out of town for a little R&R and plan to be out of pocket. I hope something happens that requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, too.

 

He needs that money, so he can spend it and have it trickle down to working class Americans! </republicantalkingpoint>

 

Everyone be careful what they wish for, because not only would missing big news make the paper look even worse, but the next step might be straight pay cuts. Then you get hit in the wallet AND you're expected to keep working.

Of course, if no big news breaks and the paper gets to press on time without major incident, the employees out on furlough look expendable because, shit, the paper got out fine without them.

Nothing like a no-win situation, huh?

 

Just terrible. I feel for ya, man. I hope, somehow, everything works out for you. And everyone.

 

To repeat, from the standpoint of management, pay cuts are a better option than furloughs, because they don't dilute the product.
I assume managers know this, so I must also assume they are testing just how few employees can put out a paper in preparation for permanent staff cuts.