Dear Anderson

[Moderator1]

MORE from The Pipeline. It just never stops.

Dear Independent Publishing Company colleague,

Recently, the Independent Mail embarked on a business transformation that will strengthen our advertising sales capabilities, build on the historical brand of the Independent Mail as the daily provider of news and advertising content to the Anderson area, and provide content of interest and advertising to non-readers of the daily newspaper through exciting, new niche products.

Our business transformation is being implemented while the newspaper industry, and businesses throughout America, face current economic challenges never before seen in our history.

Today, I want to give you an update on where we are in this transformation, and talk about further actions we’re taking and where we’re headed as a company.

We are aggressively restructuring advertising into a geographically based sales force selling to large, medium and small accounts to ensure no advertising dollars are left uncovered. We are redistributing our advertising expertise so our strongest sales staffers are responsible for accounts where we can maximize their efforts and revenue potential. We are designing our rate structure to have competitive rates for all advertisers to grow market share during these difficult times. We will be well positioned to compete where the ad market is heading.

Our new editor will work with the newsroom to restructure our news organization to increase our ability to provide indispensable local news and information – in print and online – that benefits the readers and advertisers in our area.

Readers are interested in the information we provide. Unique visitors to IndependentMail.com, TigersXtra.com and GoFridayFootball.com sites are up. Our products are once again creating buzz in the market. And to reach the widest audience possible across the Web, we will be unbundling our products as needed so users can take them along wherever they go online.

We are focusing the business around three core areas – Independent Mail, IndependentMail.com and new, exciting niche products.

The last important piece in this transformation is the realignment of our costs against these three core areas so we can operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. This is in many ways the most difficult step, but a necessary one.

As a part of this realignment, today we began a reduction in force that will, over the next couple of weeks, affect a total of 17 people out of our workforce of 135.

Everyone impacted by this reduction deserves our thanks and respect for their contributions to the company.

This realignment will allow us to focus investment in high-growth areas of the company.

So where is this taking the Independent Publishing Company? We will be positioned to provide the best daily news and advertising information in the Anderson area while we grow the size and engagement of our audience through our distinctive websites and new niche publications.

We want our future to be as bright as our past and through this business transformation, it will be.

Butch

 

[accguy]

Butch apparently isn't a fan of getting to the news. He writes 13 grafs and waits until graf No. 9 to talk layoffs.

It's like it's an afterthought, sort of a "btw, 17 of you are going away."

Hey Butch, these employees of yours aren't idiots, don't treat them like they are. Have some nuts and get to the point.

 

[Ace]

That's among the worst of these memos for incomprehensible optimism, burying the lede and idiotic innovation (we're going to put our best sales people where they are most effective -- brilliant!)

Great job, Butch.

Include yourself among the 17, whydoncha.

 

[Drip]

Once upon a time, a layoff meant that you might get called back. Now, that is no longer the case. That 10th graph is a monster.

 

[2underpar]

Perfect example of Butch burying his lede.

 

[write then drink]

**** a bunch of Butch

 

[JoelHammond]

Sports was spared, I'm told, which is good, because it's bare-boned to begin with.

Got my start here, had some good times.

What's this of a new editor, though? Is Don Kausler out?

 

[Drip]

Sports was spared, I'm told, which is good, because it's bare-boned to begin with.

Got my start here, had some good times.

What's this of a new editor, though? Is Don Kausler out?

He's leaving.

 

[Moderator1]

From another piece of The Pipeline:

An update on today's carnage.
No cuts in sports - we were pretty thin to begin with, but you never know.
In the newsroom, we lost our longtime photo editor, 2 news-side copy editors and 2 clerks.

 

[Cadet]

But it's to make way for "new, exciting niche products!"

****ers.

 

[ondeadline]

Butch also doesn't have a grasp of the fact that "impact" isn't a verb.

 

[Death]

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2008/oct/11/happy-birthday-butch-hughes/

Wonder if his "day" today was filled with love and laughter. But if there is anyone capable of dispassionately making cuts and being convinced it's the right thing to do because corporate said so, it's old Butch.

 

[editorhoo]

P.S. My own exciting niche in life will not be affected by these changes. My family will still enjoy the food, lighting and roof over our heads my continuing paycheck will bring them. Oh, and don't let the door hit your ass on the way out. We had to cut cleaning staff.

 

[Freelance Hack]

Thanks for posting this. I'm supposed to write letters for my company's president tonight. One for distribution if we win a multi-million dollar bid. The other in case we don't win it. I'll use Butch's as a perfect example of how not to write a bad news memo.

Hate to hear downtimes in Anderson. Always loved to visit down there.

 

[JoelHammond]

Wow, too bad about the photo editor, Greg Beckner. Great guy.

Drip, what's up with Kausler?

 

[SCEditor]

Kausler left already. His last day, I believe, was the day before Election Day. He was quoted in a story I read, I think on the SC Press Web site, as saying he's done all he can accomplish at Anderson. We thought it was curious he would leave the day before Election Day.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Butch also doesn't have a grasp of the fact that "impact" isn't a verb.

Thank you. It disturbing enough that many people in important professional positions don't understand that. It's even more disgusting that people who work in publication fail to grasp this concept, too.

I knew of some people in Anderson during my time there, all of them in sports. It's good to see that they'll be OK. But, to pile on with the others on this thread, boo on Butch for burying his lede and the fact that cuts have been made.

 

[Drip]

Kausler left already. His last day, I believe, was the day before Election Day. He was quoted in a story I read, I think on the SC Press Web site, as saying he's done all he can accomplish at Anderson. We thought it was curious he would leave the day before Election Day.

He knew the cuts were coming just like many others in the industry. Look after the election, there was "no need" for many people to remain on staff.
I anticipate another swift kick in the ass to come between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

[JoelHammond]

Tough to hear about these things. ... This is a newsroom that was thin on staff four years ago; I'm guessing it's only gotten worse. I know everyone's short, but in Anderson's sports department, for what they want to cover (UGA/USC/Clemson, plus a ****load of high schools), can ill afford to lose anyone.

 

[slappy4428]

Corporate assholes that write nonsense like this just kill me. Speak to your staff not at it.