Posted on 09/09/2008 11:11:21 AM PDT by abb
Letter from Gannett U.S. Community Publishing president Robert J. Dickey
September 9, 2008
Dear Fellow Employee,
Given the job reductions across our division in the past month, I wanted to share with all of you our reasoning and plans for the future under a new structure we are implementing beginning today.
Like many businesses, the weakening economy has had a significant effect on our financial performance. Hardest are the classified categories – real estate, employment and automotive, where our year-over-year classified losses are in the 25% range. But it does not stop there: All segments are struggling with the current economic conditions and, unfortunately, forecasters predict that a rebound won’t occur until well into 2009 or later.
While our local market position remains strong, it is critical to our future as the preeminent local news and advertising source that we adjust and align our resources for continued success. Although we worked hard this year to manage costs, the decline in revenue has outweighed expense reductions almost threefold. Last month this led us to adjust our workforce by 1,000 positions, while attempting to minimize the impact on content creation and ad sales capacity.
Today, we are revising our overall organizational structure by eliminating approximately 100 department head positions. This new structure flattens our executive management ranks, enhances the role of our group sites and aligns corporate resources with the field as we aggressively pursue our print and digital strategies to deliver what readers and advertisers want.
Group directors in circulation, finance, human resources, information technology, marketing and production/operations have been appointed to support their area of expertise across their group. Current executives within their respective groups will fill the new group director positions as well as retain their current responsibilities. You can find a listing of these new directors at the end of this letter.
I believe this new structure will improve communication, streamline processes, accelerate program deployment and, most importantly, improve our marketing efforts.
This is a difficult time for those leaving us and, I am sure, for you and your colleagues still on the job. I would like to emphasize that none of these job reductions was a reflection on anyone’s performance. Those affected made valuable contributions to their newspapers and they will be missed.
We have important work ahead of us as we maneuver a changing media landscape amidst a difficult U.S. economy. But I am confident the desire and need for accurate news, information and advertising content is only increasing and we – with our multiple platforms are in the best position to deliver it.
Over the coming months I will be travelling to many sites to hear first hand how best to position U.S. Community Publishing for the future and to update you on our plans to improve our market share. In the meantime, do not hesitate to call or email me with your thoughts and ideas. I know each of you has tremendous insight that can be beneficial to our overall future.
I strongly believe that our local media companies will always play a critical role in their communities. You and your colleagues are key contributors to this important mission each and every day. Thank you for your support and dedication in these difficult times … times we will successfully navigate.
Respectfully,
Bob
GROUP DIRECTORS
East: Circulation: Mike Kane, Wilmington Finance: Don Lemire, Wilmington Human Resources: Dolores Pinto, Wilmington Information Technology: Wayne Peragallo, Asbury Park Marketing: Open Production/Operations: Antoinette Franceschini, Wilmington
Interstate: Circulation: Mike Huot, Louisville Finance: Dawn Fisher-Polomski, Indianapolis Human Resources: Randi Austin, Louisville Information Technology: Gary Shawd, Louisville Marketing: Steve Simpson, Cincinnati Production/Operations: Bill Bolger, Indianapolis
South: Circulation: Bob Sutherland, Fort Myers Finance: Matt Petro, Fort Myers Human Resources: Julie Lusk, Brevard Information Technology: Stacy Martin, Nashville Marketing: Bob Faricy, Nashville Production/Operations: Mike Monscour, Fort Myers
West: Circulation: Rick Bell, Des Moines Finance: Julie Harvey, Des Moines Human Resources: Joyce Ray, Des Moines Production: Larry Urrutia, Tucson Market Development: Susan Patterson Plank, Des Moines Information Technology: Open
ping
It’s the lunatics from the DNC’s MSM that are driving up the country’s unemployment rate.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003847825
‘Orange County Register’ Studying Switch to Tabloid
The Bums need a real job in the real world. Maybe Obama will send them to Law School!
LOL! PERFECT!
or live w/his brother (6 x 8 cubicle).
These people are clueless...
Do they really have a clue?
Like a little fairness and honesty?
Eight years of failed lefty media policy. Insults don’t sell.
If you just keep telling yourself this, it will come true!
Buggy whips will be huge in "2009 or later"!
The funny part is they are all convinced this is because of the “Bush economy” rather than the idiotic way they choose to report the news.
Here're some hints for Mr. Dickey:
1. Print only true, accurate, complete, timely, and appropriate stories. That's called "news"
2. Place opinions and editorials back on the Op-Ed page. That's the only place they belong.
3. Cease bashing and start praising American. We have earned it.
4. Stop hiring journalism school graduates and start hiring/promoting those with real-world experience. "Journalism" is Communist brainwashing masquerading as a profession. We want "Reporting" which is an honorable trade.
5. Free your papers from the tyranny of wire-service propaganda. If you are going to print the truth, you will have to get it yourself.
That's it. Americans can have propaganda for free from the Democrat and Communist Parties (but I repeat myself). We will pay for real news. But it had better be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Recently, my wife’s sister-in-law lost her job at the Alt. Constitution. She is so liberal, and so uninformed, that she actually came to our house and tried to convince us that there was a “Palestinian peace movement”. After picking myself up off the floor, sides splitting, I had to leave the room.
Big sources of income for print media were real estate and autos.
Savvy real estate and auto sales firms are shifting to their own internet advertising, depriving the traditional print newspapers of the revenue.
Autotrader was a printed magazine. It successfully made the transition to internet advertising.
Same for Harmon Homes.
So print firms are trying to switch over to internet business models. Many will fail. Hopefully the most liberal will fail.
Why would I go to a regional newspaper (print or online) to shop for an auto, when a specialty option like Autotrader exists? Same for real estate.
So I think part of the plight of print newspapers has nothing to do with editorial bias, and everything to do with the trend to online marketing.
The Orange County Register is a much, much thinner paper than just a few days ago, and it is not a liberal operation.
I agree. I think it is more a function of technological advancements than anything else. But still it makes no sense to antagonize half your customers when business is bad. Losing them is one thing, but driving them away is just plain dumb.
“I agree. I think it is more a function of technological advancements than anything else. But still it makes no sense to antagonize half your customers when business is bad. Losing them is one thing, but driving them away is just plain dumb.”
Absolutely.
I work in real estate in Orange County, home of the Register.
The paper put out scathing articles on the bad real estate market. Some big independent real estate companies cut their advertising way back.
The cut back reflected bad news/editorial policy of the paper as well as following the buyers—away from print media.
In real estate, the paper companies can be cut out almost entirely. A good web designer can put up lisings, from the agents’ own MLS system, cutting out the newspaper company as a middle man.
The website www.autotrader.com grew from a regional (southern California) print paper, to a national website giant.
In the big metro markets, like Lost Angeles, websites make far more sense to consumers, than papers.
Cool, right?
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