USA Today plans reorganization, layoffs on the horizon (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

World Editors Forum ^ | June 23, 2010 | Carole Wurzelbacher

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USA Today president and publisher Dave Hunke, recently announced they would be reorganizing the paper, reports Gannett Blog. Most shockingly for the publication's staff, the reorganization will include layoffs. USA Today, which in April reported a 13.6 percent decrease in circulation over six months, has been under increasing pressure to revive their newspaper sales. Moreover, Today's advertising revenue fell 11 percent during the first quarter, while the overall decline amongst Gannett's (owner of USA Today) other papers was 8 percent. Hunke announced the upcoming restructuring and layoffs at a staff meeting last week, however he did not include a timetable or details about the upcoming changes. One anonymous commentator on Gannett's blog expressed frustration over the manner in which Hunke shared the news, saying "either Hunke buried the lede or he has so little regard for us that he just plumb forgot to mention the fact that some of us are going to be laid off, and soon." Hunke reportedly waited until the post-meeting Q&A session to share the news about the layoffs.

Moreover, USA Today recently announced that is would delay its plans to start charging for and iPad application, thus dashing and hopes for a slight upturn in revenue. It has also been speculated that the UAST and the Wall Street Journal have been in talks about a deal where they would share advertising sales or news distribution.

Coming off of a success with a Detroit newspaper, Hunke was expected to save USAT when he was hired to the publication in April 2009. Unfortunately, a solution to the woes of the newspaper has thus far escaped him. Facing major competition from The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, USAT will need to re-organize its business model, a model that the Gannett blog states is "overly dependent on the business travel market."

While the layoffs at USAT may be a surprise for its employees, it's certainly nothing new for the newspaper industry, particularly in light of The Guardian's recent voluntary redundancy initiative. Hopefully, however, Hunke's planned re-organization will help to fix USAT's dysfunctional business model. Otherwise, there could be one less contender on the media landscape.

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Thursday morning good news.

[abb]

Ping and VERY important article here.

http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/06/the-battle-lines-are-being-drawn-over-fair-use-two-povs-on-the-barclays-v-theflyonthewall-com-case/

The battle lines are being drawn over fair use: Two POVs on the Barclays v. TheFlyOnTheWall.com case

[DustyMoment]

USAT is a crap paper anyway.

If they would stop pushing the liberal lies and just report the news, they might be useful, but . . . . . .

[Past Your Eyes]

The only time I ever read it is when I find it in front of the door of my hotel room. That happens once in every 2 or 3 years.

[abb]

http://inventorspot.com/articles/extra_extra_eroll_give_newspaper_new_lease_life_other_news_paper_43819
Extra! Extra! eRoll To Give Newspaper New Lease On Life! In Other News, Paper Routes Down 100%

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/palm-beach-newspapers-to-discontinue-la-palma-its-759958.html
Palm Beach Newspapers to discontinue La Palma, its Spanish-language newspaper and website

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i—VTd4twDDwIs6fFZPTcO6Gkn1AD9GF5RJ01
FCC asks: Do media ownership limits make sense?

http://gannettblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/for-usat-surprise-news-ushers-in-long.html
For USAT, surprise news ushers in a long summer; Hunke’s team now hunts for paper’s ‘future path’

[Commander X]

This is good news. This paper is akin to TP.

[SJSAMPLE]

Yeah, but the pretty colors keep me entertained.

Colors ........

[Grunthor]

“USA Today plans reorganization, layoffs on the horizon (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)”

DIE
DIE
DIE

[catnipman]

If they would stop pushing the liberal lies and just report the news, they might be useful, but . . . . . .

The WSJ already has that national market to themselves, given that they have been "just reporting the news" for over a 100 years. Guess the national market for liberal lies just isn't big enough, and shrinking at that, hey?

[Vigilanteman]

Same for me, although I've learned to ask when checking in if there is a discount for opting out of the USeless Today.

Marriott, for one, gives you $1 per day off the bill. We have corporate people who visit frequently and leave it in our break room. Since we have a fairly decent local paper as an alternative choice, most of our people don't even bother picking it up.

[laconic]

Half their circulation must be the daily papers shoved under your door at hotels and motels across the USA. Can’t imagine most people read them or even provide anything more than a cursory glance; mine go into the wastebasket as a daily nuisance.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Agree. If USA were to lose two or three motel/hotel chains, they’d evaporate completely.

[george76]

Ask the hotel front desk clerk to remove the 75 cent charge off your hotel bill for the * free * USAToday paper.

[abb]

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20100624_Bankruptcy_judge_to_hear_arguments_in_pending_sale_of_Philadelphia_Inquirer__Daily_News__Philly_com.html
Bankruptcy judge to hear arguments in pending sale of Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News, Philly.com

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=130803
Viacom’s Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against YouTube Dismissed

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/06/madison-avenue-man-rains-on-hollywoods-parade.html
Madison Avenue man rains on Hollywood’s parade

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-mgm-20100624,0,3313278.story
Lions Gate, MGM in merger talks

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127984202
‘Time’ Magazine: The Last Of The Big Newsweeklies

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0624-tribune-20100623,0,286148.story
Extension sought in Tribune bankruptcy investigation

[Grampa Dave]

Remember when we check into a motel, hotel, B&B, resort to tell the desk clerk that we don’t want USA Lies Today or USA Pravda Today. Then ask for a refund for not getting this trash.

It ain’t free!

[Grampa Dave]

The USA Today is no more free than a free lunch on our credit card.

[abb]

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20100624_New_media_too_speedy_to_outflank.html
New media too speedy to outflank

http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/reporting_on_orszag_departure.php
Reporting on Orszag Departure is Skin Deep

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704629804575325053095958586.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Perils of the Media Presidency

Watching Barack Obama engulfed for two months by an oil spill, and now the McChrystal mess, the thought occurs: Some day an American president, “the world’s most powerful man,” is going to have to figure out that modern electronic media is bigger than he is.

Partisans everywhere get upset that various nooks in the news media are too left or too right, for or against their president. That was media way back when, say four years ago. Now in addition to talk radio, talk television and newspapers, politicized media includes comedy, Twitter, newspaper websites that reboot the news every 60 seconds, vast email distribution lists among friends, smartphones and endless other streams of digitized input.

http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/2010/06/why-are-so-few-tv-journalists-sparking-buzz-for-top-jobs-at-cnn-and-msnbc.html
Why aren’t TV journalists landing top jobs at CNN and MSNBC?

http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20100624/OPINION/6240319
Rough road to ‘saving’ journalism

http://bigthink.com/ideas/20632
Michael Wolff on Rupert Murdoch and the Future of the New York Times

[PATRIOT1876]

“USAT is a crap paper anyway.

If they would stop pushing the liberal lies and just report the news, they might be useful, but . . . . . .”

Ha Ha!

The Leftist dinosaurs should die by the comets of truth and the fact that TEA Parties have woken up many to what is really going on.

Bye Bye Leftist “newspapers”

Just because it’s called “Pravda” doesn’t mean they were always telling the truth.