More Gannett fun

[TimmyP]

I didn't see this covered elsewhere, so apologies if it has been, etc. ...

I see where the hammer is continuing to swing at Gannett, with the much-talked about Regional Design Centers (or some similar ****ty name), where local papers will edit their stories and send them to one of 5 places to have the pages designed and then returned to the local papers to be put on the press. Rumors are that it will result in about 500 layoffs on the copy/design desk at the local sites.

Apparently there is a Webinar with corporate and top editors/publishers this morning, to be followed by staff meetings at the papers to explain (lie about) what's going on.

http://gannettblog.blogspot.com/

I was a Gannettoid for about a dozen years until getting out in 2007, and I'm glad I escaped when I did, but I feel horrible for the friends I have who are still there and going through this. I used to think the people in upper management were largely good people put in a bad spot. Now I pray every night for them to be raped to death by a wild boar.

 

[Ace]

Understand your feelings, TimmyP, but I doubt Gannett will be the last paper to do this.

It's actually better than just bleeding each individual paper.

 

[TimmyP]

I'm sure you're right, Ace, but it's the motives I have a problem with.

I don't think this is being done to save the chain or save the individual papers. I think the only objective in mind is to boost the bonuses for and put more money in the pockets of the top execs. I realize Gannett is not alone on that island, but it still sucks.

 

[Ace]

I'm sure you're right, Ace, but it's the motives I have a problem with.

I don't think this is being done to save the chain or save the individual papers. I think the only objective in mind is to boost the bonuses for and put more money in the pockets of the top execs. I realize Gannett is not alone on that island, but it still sucks.

I agree that the folks at the top should do more than their share of belt tightening to start with.

 

[mustangj17]

Alot of problems with this beyond the fact that many hard-working people could be losing their jobs.

I used to work for a small Gannett paper. The copy desk would always catch things in my stories that I didn't know about because I was new in town. Little style things that you can't always learn in one day.

They also left the office late at night or on the weekends to chase stories, or go to the house fires when the reporters were gone home for the night. They also helped edit the web site.

Of course it is all about the bottom line. And if cutting five people can save $200,000 in healthcare, payroll and 401k costs then they are going to do it, even if costs them subscribers.

 

[Ace]

Alot of problems with this beyond the fact that many hard-working people could be losing their jobs.

I used to work for a small Gannett paper. The copy desk would always catch things in my stories that I didn't know about because I was new in town. Little style things that you can't always learn in one day.

They also left the office late at night or on the weekends to chase stories, or go to the house fires when the reporters were gone home for the night. They also helped edit the web site.

Of course it is all about the bottom line. And if cutting five people can save $200,000 in healthcare, payroll and 401k costs then they are going to do it, even if costs them subscribers.

I don't think that there is any question that having a full editing staff at each paper is best. I just think it's inevitable that chains will continue to go to these universal desks for editing and designing papers.

 

[JimmyHoward33]

We've got four papers under the CNHI banner here and we tried to have a centralized desk. It was a failure. Eventually each office got sent 4-5 paginators/desk people. Biggest issue was no communication. You tell someone over the phone or on email how a page should look and it comes back totally different. I suppose with the way Gannett wants a streamlined look they probably have more stringent guidelines so that won't be as much of an issue.

 

[GlenQuagmire]

Of course it is all about the bottom line. And if cutting five people can save $200,000 in healthcare, payroll and 401k costs then they are going to do it, even if costs them subscribers.

I believe that's the Gannett motto.

 

[GlenQuagmire]

Your timing is incredible, Timmy P.

Gannett apparently has started to announce the creation of the five regional News Design Centers. Will be located in Des Moines, Nashville, Phoenix, Louisville and Asbury Park.

Horrible news for page designers/copy editors.

 

[MonsterLobster]

Alot of problems with this beyond the fact that many hard-working people could be losing their jobs.

I used to work for a small Gannett paper. The copy desk would always catch things in my stories that I didn't know about because I was new in town. Little style things that you can't always learn in one day.

They also left the office late at night or on the weekends to chase stories, or go to the house fires when the reporters were gone home for the night. They also helped edit the web site.

Of course it is all about the bottom line. And if cutting five people can save $200,000 in healthcare, payroll and 401k costs then they are going to do it, even if costs them subscribers.

Every time I hear talk of an out-of-town universal desk taking over somewhere, I can't help but wonder how any misspelled names and places or incorrect items of note dealing with local history would ever be caught. Oh well.

 

[TimmyP]

Your timing is incredible, Timmy P.

Gannett apparently has started to announce the creation of the five regional News Design Centers. Will be located in Des Moines, Nashville, Phoenix, Louisville and Asbury Park.

Horrible news for page designers/copy editors.

I heard the rumors from friends my former Gannett shop and then read about it on the Gannett Blog.

So is everyone on the desk at the local shops getting laid off, or is that still to be determined?

 

[GlenQuagmire]

The people I'm hearing this from say there's no timetable. Could happen sometime in the next two years.

 

[Drip]

When will this cookie-cutter madness end?

 

[MileHigh]

Way I'm reading it, it's just from a design standpoint, right? Editing will remain local?

 

[Alma]

When will this cookie-cutter madness end?

When some rich person buys Gannett newspapers one by one?

 

[Magic In The Night]

Your timing is incredible, Timmy P.

Gannett apparently has started to announce the creation of the five regional News Design Centers. Will be located in Des Moines, Nashville, Phoenix, Louisville and Asbury Park.

Horrible news for page designers/copy editors.

On the bright side, Asbury Park as a city is making a comeback.

 

[Fran Curci]

Designing pages at a central site is do-able if you don't mind a lousy product. You can't really separate design from editing if you consider editing in its broader sense. Play of stories will be skewed .... charts will be used less frequently ... quality will decline across the board.

 

[Versatile]

Designing pages at a central site is do-able if you don't mind a lousy product. You can't really separate design from editing if you consider editing in its broader sense. Play of stories will be skewed .... charts will be used less frequently ... quality will decline across the board.

This.

 

[DanOregon]

I realize big news days don't happen often - but I really wonder what would happen if there was another 9/11 - when papers were putting out extras - or election nights when a ton of copy will be generated afte 8 p.m. from every paper in a hub's region.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I realize big news days don't happen often - but I really wonder what would happen if there was another 9/11 - when papers were putting out extras - or election nights when a ton of copy will be generated afte 8 p.m. from every paper in a hub's region.

I'd doubt there would be too many extras if there was another 9/11. They would just post stuff on the Web.

I worked at a Gannett paper when 9/11 hit, and we ran an extra edition every day for a week, and we did put some updates up on the Web site. That was considered revolutionary then. Now, it's Standard Operating Procedure.

And they probably haven't even thought about Election Nights. They'll probably just run regular pages and tell everyone to read the web sites for the election results.