Tribune Publishing -> tronc

[Riptide]

More from The Slapdick Executive Playbook:

The South Florida Sun Sentinel killed a news story on its website about Hallandale Beach Vice Mayor Bill Julian admitting on tape that he sought developer favors in return for his vote — a move by the newspaper’s leadership that appears to be part of a pattern of censoring controversial stories, according to multiple sources inside and outside the Fort Lauderdale newsroom. ...

Through it all, the Sun Sentinel refused to cover the issue in their backyard. It started on Wednesday evening, when editors quickly pulled down its story with the headline “Hallandale commissioner accused of taking possible bribe in exchange for vote.” ...

The story never made the paper the next morning, Thursday. And sources say that editors forbid the reporter who covers Hallandale Beach from attending a city budget hearing Thursday when two city commissioners were removed by police because they wanted to discuss the corruption allegations against Julian. The reporter, Susannah Bryan, could not be reached for comment.

Political insiders and newsroom staffers say the decision to kill the reporting was made by editor and publisher Howard Saltz, who did not return a POLITICO Florida email for comment Thursday.

Florida newspaper kills story of local official allegedly seeking favors from developer

 

[Bronco77]

More from The Slapdick Executive Playbook:

The South Florida Sun Sentinel killed a news story on its website about Hallandale Beach Vice Mayor Bill Julian admitting on tape that he sought developer favors in return for his vote — a move by the newspaper’s leadership that appears to be part of a pattern of censoring controversial stories, according to multiple sources inside and outside the Fort Lauderdale newsroom. ...

Through it all, the Sun Sentinel refused to cover the issue in their backyard. It started on Wednesday evening, when editors quickly pulled down its story with the headline “Hallandale commissioner accused of taking possible bribe in exchange for vote.” ...

The story never made the paper the next morning, Thursday. And sources say that editors forbid the reporter who covers Hallandale Beach from attending a city budget hearing Thursday when two city commissioners were removed by police because they wanted to discuss the corruption allegations against Julian. The reporter, Susannah Bryan, could not be reached for comment.

Political insiders and newsroom staffers say the decision to kill the reporting was made by editor and publisher Howard Saltz, who did not return a POLITICO Florida email for comment Thursday.

Florida newspaper kills story of local official allegedly seeking favors from developer

It's bad enough that local governments can get away with a lot more crap than they used to because newspapers (including the Sun Sentinel) have slashed their metro reporting staffs to the bone and don't have enough bodies to play much of a watchdog role anymore.

But it's reprehensible when for once there's a solid, veteran reporter on hand to report the news (I know Susannah Bryan and she's very good at her job) and the paper spikes the story because it would rather act like the Chamber of Commerce role.

Then again, I'm really not surprised at anything that happens at that place anymore. Rumor has it that when the paper's former managing editor died a few months ago, the current co-ME killed the obit because they hadn't gotten along years ago when he was an assistant metro editor and she didn't think much of his ability.

 

[BTExpress]

What former ME died recently? Sharon Rosenhouse?

I know former EE Gene Cryer died a couple of months ago. The only MEs when I was there (1986-2011) were Earl Maucker and Rosenhouse. The former is a Lighthouse Point commission president, and I've heard nothing about the latter since she left in 2008.

 

[Riptide]

What former ME died recently? Sharon Rosenhouse?

I know former EE Gene Cryer died a couple of months ago. The only MEs when I was there (1986-2011) were Earl Maucker and Rosenhouse. The former is a Lighthouse Point commission president, and I've heard nothing about the latter since she left in 2008.

Services set for Ellen Soeteber, former Post-Dispatch editor

 

[Fran Curci]

Not only was she a former key executive at the Sun Sentinel, she still lived in Fort Lauderdale. To not run a staff obit is a terrible oversight or a really bad judgment call.

 

[BTExpress]

Services set for Ellen Soeteber, former Post-Dispatch editor

Doh!

 

[Riptide]

Tronc is stepping up the harassment of veteran employees ...

In the latest incident, veteran Evanston reporter Bob Seidenberg was told that he is being removed from his beat. Seidenberg, an award-winning writer for the Evanston Review, has been covering the city for nearly 30 years.

Seidenberg was ordered to start covering Franklin Park and several other west suburbs starting Sept. 26.

About a week before he was informed of his new beat, Seidenberg riled his editors by withholding his name from a story. He considered a new lead written by one of the editors inaccurate. Pioneer reporters represented by the Chicago News Guild, A CWA (Communications Workers of America) local, have a contractual right to withhold their names from their own work.

Seidenberg said he got a call from top Pioneer editor John Puterbaugh, his local editor’s boss in Chicago. Puterbaugh, he said, asked why he withheld his name from the story and questioned the story’s value. The story dealt with an Evanston official declaring, for the first time in print, that the city was planning to build a new $30 million community center instead of renovating the existing center.

Seidenberg said Puterbaugh told him he was tired of dealing with such matters. The Pioneer editor told him to call his local editor and discuss the matter with her, he said. His local editor called the byline withdrawal “hostile,” he said.

A few days later, Puterbaugh informed Seidenberg he was being moved from Evanston to Franklin Park. Seidenberg said when he responded that his experience, his resources and his understanding of Evanston would benefit the Tribune if he stayed in Evanston, Puterbaugh said he was being removed “for business reasons.” ...

Tension was already growing leading up to the disputed article. Seidenberg said a new editor instituted a rule requiring almost all stories to be submitted on Fridays – six days before the Evanston Review comes out. Only “meeting stories” could be filed before the Tuesday evening press run, he said. Important news occurs over the weekends and early weekdays, he noted.

Seidenberg’s pending removal is just the latest in a series of warnings, threats and accusations by Puterbaugh and other managers against Pioneer Press reporters on almost a weekly basis since Tribune (now Tronc) took over the 32-newspaper chain last year.

In the past year nearly half of Pioneer’s full-time news reporting staff has received warning letters from editors. They have had negative letters placed in their files, been threatened with “termination,” been required to sign letters acknowledging they were informed about their alleged failures and required to attend “coaching” sessions the Guild regards as punishment or disciplinary steps for their record.

Veteran Reporter Yanked From Evanston »

 

[Bronco77]

Seidenberg’s pending removal is just the latest in a series of warnings, threats and accusations by Puterbaugh and other managers against Pioneer Press reporters on almost a weekly basis since Tribune (now Tronc) took over the 32-newspaper chain last year.

In the past year nearly half of Pioneer’s full-time news reporting staff has received warning letters from editors. They have had negative letters placed in their files, been threatened with “termination,” been required to sign letters acknowledging they were informed about their alleged failures and required to attend “coaching” sessions the Guild regards as punishment or disciplinary steps for their record.

It sounds as if these supervisors are employing a philosophy championed by a longtime top editor at several newspapers in one of the chains that was big before Gannett and GateHouse starting buying everything. This editor, who was notoriously hot-tempered and mean, was known to brag after a drink or two that in all his years as a boss, he'd never fired anybody except in a few extraordinary cases. If he simply didn't like someone and/or his/her work, he'd make that person's life so miserable (with horrible assignments, overnight shifts, etc.) that he/she eventually would quit. No doubt that is what these tronc managers are hoping for, except for one big difference -- given the company's direction, firings (in the form of layoffs) are likely sooner rather than later.

 

[HanSenSE]

Gannett deal to buy Tronc is likely imminent

 

[studthug12]

Gronk > G-ronc

 

[Fran Curci]

Still imminent?

 

[FileNotFound]

Reliable source says Gannett has pulled offer. Awaiting confirmation

 

[FileNotFound]

Gannett Co., Inc. Terminates Discussions to Acquire tronc, Inc. | Gannett Investor Relations

 

[FileNotFound]

GCI up, TRNC down in pre-market trading: Gannett Abandons Its Attempt to Buy Tronc

 

[steveu]

Looks like Gannett may have scared the banks by cutting too much? (Shrugs)

 

[Slacker]

These ****ing assholes, etc., etc. ...

The chairman of the company that owns the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News has awarded himself $15 million in consulting contracts for the publishing conglomerate, according to an SEC filing.

The document, which was filed on Friday afternoon ahead of the Christmas break, provides Merrick Media, the consulting firm owned by tronc Chairman Michael Ferro, with a three-year contract at $5 million per year "to provide certain management expertise and technical services."

Top LA Times, Chicago Tribune Exec Pays Himself $15 Million in Christmas Eve Surprise

 

[Fredrick]

These ****ing assholes, etc., etc. ...

The chairman of the company that owns the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News has awarded himself $15 million in consulting contracts for the publishing conglomerate, according to an SEC filing.

The document, which was filed on Friday afternoon ahead of the Christmas break, provides Merrick Media, the consulting firm owned by tronc Chairman Michael Ferro, with a three-year contract at $5 million per year "to provide certain management expertise and technical services."

Top LA Times, Chicago Tribune Exec Pays Himself $15 Million in Christmas Eve Surprise

This kind of stuff is just insane. It should be against the law. I mean there's one person in every chain at the top that gets this kind of money while the company continues to implode. All companies have a leader like this. It's not like these CEOs are valuable. They are the leader of sinking ships and have no ideas that are good ones, have no journalism background and this happens year after year. This guy has awarded himself 15 mill more?? This is all a scam? Management expertise? So basically newspapers today a.) sell their physical property to make one person at the top money and b.) allow the person at the top to do stuff like this, earn more for consulting. And the result of all this? Layoffs, furloughs, layoffs. Did I say gutting of staffs? This should be against the law.

 

[LanceyHoward]

If Tronc does not turnaround:

1. Their revenue decline
2. The financial black hole that is the New York Daily News

they are going to be acquired. This contract is, in part, a golden parachute.

One possible tipoff as to the financial state of Tronc is how aggressively they chase Palm Beach. Tronc rolled up the San Diego into Las Angeles and tried to buy Orange County and the Chicago Sun-Times but weer unable to do so for regulatory reasons. Palm Beach makes an immense amount of sense for them to buy but if they pass it may mean they are running out of cash.

 

[Bronco77]

One possible tipoff as to the financial state of Tronc is how aggressively they chase Palm Beach. Tronc rolled up the San Diego into Las Angeles and tried to buy Orange County and the Chicago Sun-Times but weer unable to do so for regulatory reasons. Palm Beach makes an immense amount of sense for them to buy but if they pass it may mean they are running out of cash.

For what it's worth: According to friends at the Sun Sentinel, there's no indication within the newsroom that Tronc is interested in the Post. Someone asked the publisher about it, and he said he didn't know anything about a possible acquisition and such discussions, if any, are "taking place above my pay grade."

 

[jr/shotglass]

tronc stock is selling at $18 a share, as opposed to $14 at this point last year. Not news I particularly enjoy conveying, but there it is.