Gannett, Gatehouse talking merger

[SoloFlyer]

Breaking this out of the Gatehouse/Schultz thread because this is worth a new discussion.

Report from Wall Street Journal that Gatehouse/New Media and Gannett are talking merger.

Gannett, GateHouse Media in Merger Talks

If you run into a paywall, here's a non-paywall summary.

Gannett holds merger talks with Gatehouse Media

Not only is this a potentially terrifying merger of the two worst newspaper owners in the country, but at what point does it become a monopoly/anti-trust concern for one entity to own so many newspaper outlets?

 

[justgladtobehere]

It would be tough. Newspapers compete with a lot of other places to provide news. Newspapers compete locally so one company owning a lot of papers across the country isn't an issue.

 

[DanOregon]

GannettHouse sounds like the worst sitcom ever.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

GannettHouse sounds like the worst sitcom ever.

Gatenett is a close second.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

The two entities richly deserve each other.

Journalists and readers, however, deserve infinitely better.

 

[Monday Morning Sportswriter]

 

[rtse11]

There will be a ratio of about 12:1 of executive vice presidents of one thing or another to reporters

 

[DanOregon]

If a suit develops an "initiative" but there aren't any worker bees to carry it out - does it make a sound?

 

[Fredrick]

Let's write what comes to mind when you think of Gannett, then Gatehouse. Gannett: Suits, suits and more suits coming up with not only bad ideas but some of the worst ideas in the history of American business. The first company to really treat the reporters and copy editors horribly. Gannett was the first company to start the "yearly evaluations" in which suits ordered the supervisors to give bad grades to hold down raises. The decision to give good reporters bad grades probably has been one of the most despicable decisions in history of any business. Purposefully telling an employee he's average to crap just to make sure raises are miniscule. Despicable company. The company grade from Fredrick: F. A solid F.
Gatehouse: More repulsive than Gannett of late. Has stormed to the front of cut-throat places to work. People fear for their jobs on a daily basis because of all the cuts implemented by Gatehouse. Pretty much has decimated all the newspapers it has purchased. Despicable suits, but not as many as Gannett. All Gatehouse shops are poorly staffed, all of them need more bodies. Gatehouse more than any chain has probably turned good to decent newspapers into trash. Company grade: F. Anybody with any self respect will NOT work for a news outlet for either company.

 

[LanceyHoward]

Let's write what comes to mind when you think of Gannett, then Gatehouse. Gannett: Suits, suits and more suits coming up with not only bad ideas but some of the worst ideas in the history of American business. The first company to really treat the reporters and copy editors horribly. Gannett was the first company to start the "yearly evaluations" in which suits ordered the supervisors to give bad grades to hold down raises. The decision to give good reporters bad grades probably has been one of the most despicable decisions in history of any business. Purposefully telling an employee he's average to crap just to make sure raises are miniscule. Despicable company. The company grade from Fredrick: F. A solid F.
Gatehouse: More repulsive than Gannett of late. Has stormed to the front of cut-throat places to work. People fear for their jobs on a daily basis because of all the cuts implemented by Gatehouse. Pretty much has decimated all the newspapers it has purchased. Despicable suits, but not as many as Gannett. All Gatehouse shops are poorly staffed, all of them need more bodies. Gatehouse more than any chain has probably turned good to decent newspapers into trash. Company grade: F. Anybody with any self respect will NOT work for a news outlet for either company.

Maintaining one's self respect by withholding your labor may feel good in the short-term. But sometimes it is necessary to work for a sleazebag company to pay for life's essentials.

 

[wicked]

It’s all immaterial, man.

 

[LanceyHoward]

Fifty years ago railroads were in decline. The Pennsylvania Railroad merged with the New York Central Railroad in 1968 and with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1969. The combined companies filed for bankruptcy in 1970.

I think a Gannett-Gatehouse merger would quite likely lead to the same outcome.

 

[cubman]

Not sure how I feel about this, having worked for Gannett for most of the first 12 years of my newspaper career and GateHouse since they bought our local major daily and weekly chain in 2015. Here in Ohio, it would mean the vast majority of central Ohio (plus Zanesville, Chillicothe and Coshocton) and several of the biggest papers across the state (Columbus, Cincinnati, Akron and Canton) would be under the same umbrella. GateHouse has paid far more attention to my shop and treated us every bit as well as the previous owners, as odd as that might sounds to some, but obviously I've seen what they have done to the Dispatch.
I'll hold my judgment until something actually happens. We've seen both companies in these kinds of talks before and sometimes, nothing comes of it.

 

[LanceyHoward]

According to Ken Doctor Gatehouse was firing people this week because they are moving to regional reporting teams. The idea is that the regional team can provide content for a group of papers. Gatehouse needs to do this because they don't have enough bodies left in may places to put out a newspaper.

Newsonomics: The potential GateHouse/Gannett merger shows “more scale!” is still the newspaper industry’s top strategy

It is easy for me to imagine a scenario in sports where if the two companies merge that substantial consolidation would occur. In Indiana, Gannett/Gatehouse would, for example, cover IU from their Bloomington paper, Purdue from their local paper, Notre Dame from their South Bend paper and auto racing, the Colts, Butler basketball and the Pacers from Indianapolis. High school writers for the individual papers would be mostly fired.

 

[Liut]

According to Ken Doctor Gatehouse was firing people this week because they are moving to regional reporting teams. The idea is that the regional team can provide content for a group of papers. Gatehouse needs to do this because they don't have enough bodies left in may places to put out a newspaper.

Newsonomics: The potential GateHouse/Gannett merger shows “more scale!” is still the newspaper industry’s top strategy

It is easy for me to imagine a scenario in sports where if the two companies merge that substantial consolidation would occur. In Indiana, Gannett/Gatehouse would, for example, cover IU from their Bloomington paper, Purdue from their local paper, Notre Dame from their South Bend paper and auto racing, the Colts, Butler basketball and the Pacers from Indianapolis. High school writers for the individual papers would be mostly fired.

GateHouse began advertising for a state editor in Missouri about three weeks ago. That person would oversee the Columbia Daily Tribune, as well as GateHouse newsrooms statewide. Don't know how many newspapers in Missouri GateHouse owns, but I'm aware of several.

I think your scenario is dead-on.

 

[cubman]

We lost a news editor today at my weekly chain in Columbus. Only layoff as far as I am aware.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

This merger is a truck full of water careening headlong into a truck full of vinegar.

You know what sound that makes?

 

[JimmyHoward33]

 

[wicked]

I heard about that and it’s absolutely bananas. They will save a lot in production and press staffing I’d imagine, but if I wanted a regional title I’d buy a daily.

 

[Severian]

I still miss Romenesko.