MEMO IS A TIME BOMB (nasty fallout from Time Inc. layoff)

NY Post ^ | 11/21/08 | Keith J. Kelly

[TigerLikesRooster]

MEMO IS A TIME BOMB

By KEITH J. KELLY

November 21, 2008 --

THE South is burning.

A former top editor at Time Inc. fired off a scathing memo to Executive Vice President Sylvia Auton, the London-based head of the magazine giant's lifestyle group, criticizing her handling of the deep job cuts within her group.

The letter was penned by Susan Haynes, a senior editor at Coastal Living from April 1998 to August 2007, who is now the senior acquisitions editor at Manasha Ridge Press.

"I don't know what Time Inc.'s master plan is - or if you even have one," Haynes writes. "But from any standpoint, business or otherwise, Time Inc. is demonstrating shockingly shortsighted and reprehensible behavior.

"I had an opportunity to leave. . . of my own volition and choice. Now, like so many in the community of Birmingham, Alabama, I watch in horror and disgust as Time Inc. conducts its endless bloodbath at my former company."

A copy of Haynes' missive made its way to Time Inc. CEO Ann Moore and her boss, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes.

Auton recently was made the head of Time Inc.'s newly created lifestyle group, which includes the London-based IPC division, magazine Real Simple, and the Birmingham, Ala.-based Southern Progress Corp. unit that is comprised of titles Southern Living, Cooking Light, Coastal Living and the recently shuttered Cottage Living.

SPC endured significant job cuts during this week's bloodletting.

In a follow-up e-mail to Moore and Bewkes, Haynes' venting went further.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Bloodletting at Time. B*tch fight between former and current life-style section figures. Here are Susan's letters:

Subject: Fwd: Message from former Time Inc (Birmingham) employee

Dear Mr. Bewkes and Ms. Moore,

I decided this morning to share with you the email I sent to Sylvia Auton yesterday. I do not expect a reply from her (or from either of you), but I think it is worthwhile for you to hear some thoughts from a person like myself—who enjoyed 9 1/2 happy and creative years at COASTAL LIVING Magazine, produced by Southern Progress Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama. (For that job, the magazine moved me to Birmingham from San Francisco, CA, where I had lived for 22 years.)

As you can see from my email to Ms. Auton, I left in mid-2007, before your bloodletting began. I left in high spirits to pursue some other interests, so I have no personal grudge against you or Time, Inc.

However, I hope that you will read my email below to understand the widespread awareness of the sloppy, ill-conceived, poorly planned, and monumentally wasteful series of executions you preside over. Everyone understands that cutbacks and layoffs and career changes must occur in a downward economy; but Time-Warner/Time Inc. can't seem to decide how many to lay off, when and how to do it properly, and how to leave some sense of integrity within your venerable company. In fact, the memos from Ms. Auton are so blatantly, transparently insincere that they make one want to gag. Of course I see them, despite the fact that I am no longer a Time Inc. employee. They are being forwarded around the world with a smirk and a gasp.

Why don't you at least instruct Ms. Auton to simply write her memos to say thus: XXXXX has been laid off. We appreciate his/her XX years of service. We wish him/her the very best.

I suggest the above because it is too late for you to alert the company, worldwide, of what could be coming to all divisions, and that divisonal meetings will be held to discuss the situation forthrightly. No, your MO has been to do it piecemeal, to instill fear and rancor throughout the troops of people you expect to do the work that will keep you in business. Look at your stock price! Thank goodness I exercised my options when it was at a "low" of $21.

You are truly a failed "leadership" team.

Susan Haynes

Subject: Message from former SPC employee

Dear Ms. Auton,

From April 1998 until August 2007, I was a senior editor at COASTAL LIVING Magazine, at Southern Progress Corporation. Joining the staff a few months after the launch of COASTAL LIVING, I helped to build that magazine into the success it became. Unlike many of my Southern Progress Corporation friends and former colleagues, I had an opportunity to leave SPC of my own volition and choice. Now, like so many in the community of Birmingham, Alabama, I watch in horror and disgust as Time Inc. conducts its ENDLESS bloodbath at my former company.

I don't know what Time Inc.'s master plan is—or if you even have one. But from any standpoint, business or otherwise, Time Inc. is demonstrating shockingly shortsighted and reprehensible behavior. Why don't you just cancel all of the magazines and save yourself all of those salaries and benefits costs? Your "kind" but grossly insincere memos to SPC's demoralized teams of employees would be laughingstock were they not so vile. You and your "team" make me ashamed to have ever worked for Time Inc.

Thank you,

Susan A. Haynes

Suan Haynes

Sylvia Auton

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[hinckley buzzard]

The picture of Auton speaks volumes about her “sincerity.” That glacial smile could stop global warming in its tracks.

[Trajan88]

Hard to sell something if customers are not buying... funny how that capitalism thingy works.

Susan A. Haynes... don't go away mad... just go away.

[bcsco]

That glacial smile could stop global warming in its tracks.

He eyes belie the smile...

[Malone LaVeigh]

You reap what you sow.
Time and the rest of the MSM chose to sacrifice their credibility to advance their agenda. Now that they have lost the trust of an ever dwindling readership they have no one to blame but themselves for whatever misfortune befalls them.
Good riddance.

[B-Chan]

Those androids get more realistic every day.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

The picture of Auton speaks volumes about her “sincerity.” That glacial smile could stop global warming in its tracks.

I wish I had her lipstick contract.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

****unit that is comprised of titles Southern Living,****

If they control Southern Living they also own Progressive Farmer, a mag I have taken for the last 40 years, even when I was living in town in an apartment. I hope they don't gut it!

[montomike]

What’s a Progressive Farmer? I hope it isn’t a Liberal Farmer.

Couldn’t they have called the magazine “New-Fangled Farmer!”

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

What’s a Progressive Farmer? I hope it isn’t a Liberal Farmer.

Couldn’t they have called the magazine “New-Fangled Farmer!”

It used to be about farming and ranching. Then they downsized the magazine, now it is more about urban farming gardening with a couple of family interest farm stories thrown in between lots of advertisements.

Next year it might be down to two pages, front cover and back cover with nothing between.

[Mr. K]

A complete memo devoid of any wisdom, knowlege, or insight, containing only vile epithets aimed at the Time’s leadership.

Is this her normal way of expressing herself?

... and she WAS A “LEADER” IN THAT ORGANIZATION????

[dennisw]

Looks like Sylvia Auton has that passive aggressive thing down cold

[neb52]

I subscribed to http://www.farmandranch.com/. I like quite a bit and it has a lot more than few pages. LOL!