Layoffs coming at the OCR...

[LongTimeListener]

That is correct -- because, as Riptide pointed out, a very large portion of those employees were absorbed into the other newspaper. Also at the time, the other newspaper profited greatly because it was the only game in town for advertisers. Those presses were printing dollar bills.

Really if you think the revenue picture, the employment picture or anything else in newspapers these days resembles a previous time, you're just showing your lack of understanding of the landscape.

 

[da man]

That is correct -- because, as Riptide pointed out, a very large portion of those employees were absorbed into the other newspaper. Also at the time, the other newspaper profited greatly because it was the only game in town for advertisers. Those presses were printing dollar bills.

Really if you think the revenue picture, the employment picture or anything else in newspapers these days resembles a previous time, you're just showing your lack of understanding of the landscape.

Revenue is the big difference. Classified ads and the government ads/legal notices that had to be published were gigantic money makers that could always be counted on in the past. Those are all but nonexistent today -- they moved online when Craigslist started giving away classifieds for free. Newspaper advertising is way down. Experts have been telling businesses for years now to abandon print advertising for the Internet because it's far more effective and cost-efficient. That revenue is gone and it isn't coming back.

 

[SnarkShark]

Looks like T.J. Simers' final column...

http://www.losangelesregister.com/articles/choc-601125-baby-says.html

 

[TigerVols]

Print's dead.

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2014/06/register_stumbles_lead_to.php

 

[Walter Burns]

80s were the golden days for the papers that survived.

Not so golden for the LA Herald Examiner, Baltimore News-American, Dallas Times-Herald, Knoxville Journal, Chattanooga Times, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, Miami News, Hollywood (Fla.) Sun-Tattler, Charlotte News, Memphis Press-Scimitar, Louisville Times . . . . and dozens of others.

One of these things is not like the other, one of these things, does not belong...
http://www.news-sentinel.com/

On a more serious note, I'm starting to wonder if the entire post-World War II era was an economic aberration.

 

[Walter Lippmann]

You mean a scenario where the U.S. did not have to emerge from rubble, unlike the rest of the world powers at the time?

 

[Walter Burns]

You mean a scenario where the U.S. did not have to emerge from rubble, unlike the rest of the world powers at the time?

Not just that. I don't think it's coincidence that wages have declined as union membership has declined (and, of course, prices are going up). Also, the advance of technology (as well as globalization) has led to the elimination of a lot of what used to be well-paying blue-collar jobs. Some jobs -- including those at newspapers -- became obsolete. We don't need typesetters, we don't need composing rooms and a lot of press (and unfortunately, newsroom) jobs are going away because of economies of scale.

 

[JayFarrar]

There's a pretty good story I recall that basically laid out the post World War II in the U.S. time was a blip unlike other in recorded history.

Manufacturing capacity was way up here to provide for the war effort, then that went to the rebuilding efforts in Europe and Asia as any other world power had almost zero capacity to do anything since the bombers had blown up all the factories.

And, back on the sorta topic. Newspapers aren't dead and neither is print. What is dead is the idea of a person moving around the country for a "career" as a reporter that ends after 40 years with a nice retirement.

How many places, right now, have reporting jobs that are strictly reporting with no desk work, editing, assigning or social media obligations?

As a matter of fact does anyone here have a job in journalism that doesn't have social media obligations?

 

[JRoyal]

There's a pretty good story I recall that basically laid out the post World War II in the U.S. time was a blip unlike other in recorded history.

Manufacturing capacity was way up here to provide for the war effort, then that went to the rebuilding efforts in Europe and Asia as any other world power had almost zero capacity to do anything since the bombers had blown up all the factories.

And, back on the sorta topic. Newspapers aren't dead and neither is print. What is dead is the idea of a person moving around the country for a "career" as a reporter that ends after 40 years with a nice retirement.

How many places, right now, have reporting jobs that are strictly reporting with no desk work, editing, assigning or social media obligations?

As a matter of fact does anyone here have a job in journalism that doesn't have social media obligations?

Here's why I disagree with you on something: Social media is part of reporting. Most of our reporters have no desk work, assigning or editing work, but social media is expected. But that's just another platform for getting your story out. That, to me, is part of reporting. Just because it's not what reporting was 20 years ago doesn't make it less a part of reporting.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Bumping it up. Seems like after the disaster that accompanied having a new contractor delivering papers, which resulted in hundreds, if not thousands of complaints from people who didn't get their paper, the new suit in charge has a brilliant idea.

He's asking reporters and editors to "volunteer" an hour to take customer service complaints and call subscribers. Oh, and another suit wants them to do it "to show that we care."

Predictably, it has not gone over well for the staffers who really aren't in the mood to cover for the suits' ****-ups.

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2014/11/rich_mirman_oc_register.php

 

[JayFarrar]

Feel free to disagree but it would do most reporters some good to spend some time in other parts of the operation.

Catching complaint calls might actually make them better employees instead of the newsroom usual of bitter, jaded and absolutely clueless about the business.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Feel free to disagree but it would do most reporters some good to spend some time in other parts of the operation.

Catching complaint calls might actually make them better employees instead of the newsroom usual of bitter, jaded and absolutely clueless about the business.

Sounds fine. Let the publisher take some JV swimming results over the phone.

 

[Riptide]

Bumping it up. Seems like after the disaster that accompanied having a new contractor delivering papers, which resulted in hundreds, if not thousands of complaints from people who didn't get their paper, the new suit in charge has a brilliant idea.

He's asking reporters and editors to "volunteer" an hour to take customer service complaints and call subscribers. Oh, and another suit wants them to do it "to show that we care."

Predictably, it has not gone over well for the staffers who really aren't in the mood to cover for the suits' ****-ups.

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2014/11/rich_mirman_oc_register.php

Oh, boy, a telethon! Does everyone get a T-shirt?

 

[king cranium maximus IV]

Feel free to disagree but it would do most reporters some good to spend some time in other parts of the operation.

Catching complaint calls might actually make them better employees instead of the newsroom usual of bitter, jaded and absolutely clueless about the business.

Back when I worked in newspapers, my phone line as the night news editor doubled as the general phone line after-hours. So I'd get complaint calls all the time, except they were almost rarely legitimate complaints. More random bitching from elderly shut-ins who just wanted someone to yell at. Along the lines of "the newspaper deliveryman tossed my paper two inches into the grass." Or, if they legitimately did not receive a paper, I'd redirect their call to the circulation after-hours line. That was rarely good enough; they'd call back and demand that I personally drive to their home with a paper. (For the yucks, in my last week at the paper, I actually drove one out once. Turned out Edna May just wanted someone to talk to.)

I guarantee absolutely none of the bean-counters and their flunkies who worked during the day would have gone the meager above-and-beyond steps I did taking those friggin calls. If anyone needs to Do More For The Business, it's the daytime cubicle jockeys.

 

[MileHigh]

Feel free to disagree but it would do most reporters some good to spend some time in other parts of the operation.

Catching complaint calls might actually make them better employees instead of the newsroom usual of bitter, jaded and absolutely clueless about the business.

Management can "volunteer" to hand back those lost weeks of pay that were taken away in mandatory furloughs.

They're beyond broke. They can't pay the bills. And now they want the rank and file to donate an hour of their time with no compensation -- and no guarantee they won't be next to be asked to bring their playbook into the office?

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Feel free to disagree but it would do most reporters some good to spend some time in other parts of the operation.

Catching complaint calls might actually make them better employees instead of the newsroom usual of bitter, jaded and absolutely clueless about the business.

Management can "volunteer" to hand back those lost weeks of pay that were taken away in mandatory furloughs.

They're beyond broke. They can't pay the bills. And now they want the rank and file to donate an hour of their time with no compensation -- and no guarantee they won't be next to be asked to bring their playbook into the office?

I couldn't tell if they were seeking employees to work an extra unpaid hour (which would be illegal), or just wanting them to take an hour from their paid 40 to do their 'volunteer' work. Which of course, then means cramming 40 hours of work into 39 hours.

 

[jeff.pearlman]

Been a long time since I've written here, but this one fascinates me.

I moved to Orange County a few months ago. Subscribed to the Register for a weird reason: I took my kids to an Angels game, and there was a woman sitting at a table inside the stadium, peddling print subscriptions. Felt awful for her because nobody approached. Went up to chat, felt even more guilty—signed up for a cheap two-month print subscription. Have actually sort of enjoyed the paper. The sports guys are clearly busting their asses, and the work is strong. The news is v-e-r-y thin, the paper is more inserts than content, etc.

But here's the weird thing: I recently went away for a few days, and I called to put my delivery on hold. And I could not reach anyone. I called, I e-mailed—nothing. Like, I could not suspend delivery because nobody was available to suspend delivery.

I'm planning on canceling my subscription shortly, but I don't even know if there's anyone available to handle the request. I feel awful for the employees, because they're clearly working hard, employed by a sinking ship. The whole situation sucks.

And my driveway was filled with rolled-up old newspapers.

 

[king cranium maximus IV]

A few years ago, I subscribed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for basically the same reason- I felt sorry for the person promoting the paper. And figured, hey, coupons are good I guess. Had a trial subscription that was next to nothing with an automatic subscription renewal that jacked up the price something fierce. I called a couple days before the subscription was sent to renew and I swear, I've had easier experiences getting out of Comcast plans than trying to get out of that AJC subscription. I'm actually doing missionary work in Haiti and won't have an address for you to send the paper was an actual line I had to use.

The bean-counters and flunkies are either desperate, as in my case, or have checked out entirely, as seems to be yours. (And probably in most places, IMO.)

 

[playthrough]

A few years ago, I subscribed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for basically the same reason- I felt sorry for the person promoting the paper. And figured, hey, coupons are good I guess. Had a trial subscription that was next to nothing with an automatic subscription renewal that jacked up the price something fierce. I called a couple days before the subscription was sent to renew and I swear, I've had easier experiences getting out of Comcast plans than trying to get out of that AJC subscription. I'm actually doing missionary work in Haiti and won't have an address for you to send the paper was an actual line I had to use.

The bean-counters and flunkies are either desperate, as in my case, or have checked out entirely, as seems to be yours. (And probably in most places, IMO.)

I was corralled at the supermarket the other day by a lady selling subscriptions to the Indy Star. I think I scared her when I stood there and rattled off the person-by-person layoff count and egregious copy-editing mistakes from my last few home-delivery issues I received before canceling. "Um, you don't want the Sunday coupons?" was all she could come back with.

On the flip side, the St. Augustine Record, a very good small paper, calls me every couple months to renew (even though I haven't lived there in a year) and I make a point of telling the rep her product is quite good -- and then I politely tell her to update her call list. But they'll call again next month, and that's OK.

 

[Meatie Pie]

Feel free to disagree but it would do most reporters some good to spend some time in other parts of the operation.

Catching complaint calls might actually make them better employees instead of the newsroom usual of bitter, jaded and absolutely clueless about the business.

Sounds fine. Let the publisher take some JV swimming results over the phone.

Yeah!

You tell those "suits"!!!