In an industry ravaged by the likes of Gatehouse/Gannett, what companies are still good to work for?

[SoloFlyer]

We all know how challenging it is to work for outlets owned by the likes of Gatehouse, Gannett, Tronc, Advance, and others. Budget cuts. Layoffs. Ridiculous quotas. Sweeping changes that add busy work and take away from actual newsgathering.

As the industry trends toward more and more corporate ownership, which companies are still good to work for? There may be some issues with all of them - we're all underpaid and overworked, after all. But which corporate entities or regional networks still try to pair a reasonable wage, offer decent benefits, and have tried to cultivate solid work environments?

 

[playthrough]

My brother works at Publix Supermarkets and it wasn't until my third newspaper job that I had pay and benefits as good as his.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Solo, three of the four you mentioned are the three I'm most closely familiar with. You could say my experience with newspapers over the past decade hasn't been real positive.

 

[SoloFlyer]

Solo, three of the four you mentioned are the three I'm most closely familiar with. You could say my experience with newspapers over the past decade hasn't been real positive.

You're not alone, believe me. Hence the question.

I actually liked the broader concept that Advance had of prioritizing digital. Then I saw what they were favoring (SLIDESHOWS!) and their other points of emphasis.

 

[User 149557]

My brother works at Publix Supermarkets and it wasn't until my third newspaper job that I had pay and benefits as good as his.

We had a reporter leave our staff to go work at Aldi. Worst part is I couldn't argue with the logic. The benefits were way better.

 

[Severian]

In journalism? Any newsroom that is not owned by a venture fund nor part of a chain.

 

[Severian]

My brother works at Publix Supermarkets and it wasn't until my third newspaper job that I had pay and benefits as good as his.

In management?

 

[Matt Stephens]

We could sit here and argue Gannett complaints and what’s justified for days. Maybe it’s the shop I worked for or the others I’ve considered working for, but having been on the inside, I’ve talked to a lot of former colleagues who’ve left for other publications/ownerships. Majority make Gannett seem like Disneyland.

Everyone has their own experience, but I’ll say Gannett isn’t half as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Biggest complaint was poor healthcare coverage.

 

[thizzellewashington]

Hearst seems OK, relatively speaking.

 

[Bronco77]

Cox made cuts over the years like everyone else, but I would've called it a pretty good place to work until about 2015 or so. Pay was good, benefits were better than average and there was some degree of stability. Then Austin outsourced its printing (meaning ridiculously early deadlines), Cox outsourced some of its design and copy-editing functions to GateHouse, and it was the beginning of a downward spiral that led to GateHouse's purchases of Austin and Palm Beach.

Had I not been able to continue my newspaper career, I might have wound up working at the Publix around the corner. Many of the employees have been there for years -- more than can be said for most newspapers anymore.

 

[Severian]

Many of the employees have been there for years -- more than can be said for most newspapers anymore.

I worked at Publix for four years when I was a teenager. More than a decade later, I see the some of the same people still working at that store. What does that say?

 

[Alma]

We could sit here and argue Gannett complaints and what’s justified for days. Maybe it’s the shop I worked for or the others I’ve considered working for, but having been on the inside, I’ve talked to a lot of former colleagues who’ve left for other publications/ownerships. Majority make Gannett seem like Disneyland.

Everyone has their own experience, but I’ll say Gannett isn’t half as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Biggest complaint was poor healthcare coverage.

Gannett, on some level, it depends. Gannett properties have continued to do, in some pockets, elite work.

But what Gannett has done some papers - such as the Des Moines Register - is borderline unforgivable. And the Web sites are, by and large, not fun to use.

 

[playthrough]

In management?

Nope. A cashier and a baker for more than 20 years. When he started, I was making $16k at a newspaper with lousy health benefits. He had that beat. I eventually passed him on salary, but otherwise he can give me a run with his paid vacation and 20 years' worth of the privately-held company stock. And when he hit 20 years, the Publix region where he worked threw an overnight party at a Ritz-Carlton for people with his length of service and longer, plus a guest, all on the company dime. At this point I'll kick his ass if he leaves, in part because I want to be invited to his 25th party.

 

[Severian]

Nope. A cashier and a baker for more than 20 years. When he started, I was making $16k at a newspaper with lousy health benefits. He had that beat. I eventually passed him on salary, but otherwise he can give me a run with his paid vacation and 20 years' worth of the privately-held company stock. And when he hit 20 years, the Publix region where he worked threw an overnight party at a Ritz-Carlton for people with his length of service and longer, plus a guest, all on the company dime. At this point I'll kick his ass if he leaves, in part because I want to be invited to his 25th party.

It's very hard for me to imagine any newsroom throwing that kind of party for someone who's worked survived that long, all on the company's dime.

 

[Severian]

Gannett, on some level, it depends. Gannett properties have continued to do, in some pockets, elite work.

Only a few papers. The rest are just used to fund the bigger ones.

But what Gannett has done some papers - such as the Des Moines Register - is borderline unforgivable. And the Web sites are, by and large, not fun to use.

Their website designs are some of the worst in the industry. Cox is pretty terrible, too.

 

[Doc Holliday]

There are no companies in newspaper worth working for. When my job gets cut, which will happen eventually, I will never work for another. This business sucks ass. It didn't used to. But it does now.

 

[Severian]

There are no companies in newspaper worth working for. When my job gets cut, which will happen eventually, I will never work for another. This business sucks ass. It didn't used to. But it does now.

This business eats the young.

 

[Tweener]

We could sit here and argue Gannett complaints and what’s justified for days. Maybe it’s the shop I worked for or the others I’ve considered working for, but having been on the inside, I’ve talked to a lot of former colleagues who’ve left for other publications/ownerships. Majority make Gannett seem like Disneyland.

Everyone has their own experience, but I’ll say Gannett isn’t half as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Biggest complaint was poor healthcare coverage.

I'll second this, Matt. I have plenty of complaints from my years working for Gannett (such as the conpany's high turnover, due largely to a lack of competitive wages, and now the super early print deadlines) but I fortunately don't have many of the same horror stories that friends who work(ed) for other media companies have had.

 

[Slacker]

I'll second this, Matt. I have plenty of complaints from my years working for Gannett (such as the conpany's high turnover, due largely to a lack of competitive wages, and now the super early print deadlines) but I fortunately don't have many of the same horror stories that friends who work(ed) for other media companies have had.

So ... High turnover, lousy pay and nightmare deadlines ... Sign me up!

 

[Fredrick]

Gannett, on some level, it depends. Gannett properties have continued to do, in some pockets, elite work.

But what Gannett has done some papers - such as the Des Moines Register - is borderline unforgivable. And the Web sites are, by and large, not fun to use.

Gannett is disgracefully bad.