Posted on 11/05/2011 3:29:15 AM PDT by abb
Layoffs have come to the Daily News.
Since this morning, staffers to be laid off have been getting called into a conference room to meet with senior vice president of human-resources Jeff Zomper. They're being told the layoffs are part of a "downsizing" operation at the paper. The layoffs aren't yet complete, (The New York Observer and the New York Post are putting the total number at 10); we've confirmed the names of a few of those who've been laid off so far.
Bob Kappstatter, a 43-year veteran of the paper who just turned 68, was one of them.
"It's been a great ride, I've loved this paper; it's been the best job in the world," Kappstatter, whose most recent title was Deputy Police Bureau Chief, told Capital. "I've seen and done things I never would have done anywhere else. I look forward to staying in the business. I'm available!"
Other victims of the downsizing are long-time political reporter Frank Lombardi; federal courts reporter Scott Shifrel; City Hall reporter Kate Lucadamo; and long-time staff photographer John Roca.
Asked about the layoffs, spokesperson Jennifer Mauer would only say, "we don't comment on personnel matters."
The News is in the throes of some internal tumult. Managing editor and tabloid veteran Stuart Marques was reportedly pushed out Oct. 14, though not all reports seemed sure that he didn't quit.
The managing photo editor also resigned this week and will leave the paper at the end of the month, as Capital first reported last night.
Last week editor in chief Kevin Convey brought the managing editors into a meeting telling them he was restructuring the top of the masthead, according to the New York Post's Keith Kelly.
They would name three new managing editors: One editor from the digital side, one "senior editor of convergence," who is working on integrating the digital and print newsrooms, and a third who'd been Senior Executive Editor.
This replaced a structure in which seven managing editors, each with their own departments, reported to Convey.
Kelly also reported that the M.E.'s appealed to chief executive William Holliber about the changes.
Another change: Arthur Brown's jump from the editorial pages to the No. 2 position at the paper, under Convey.
Convey is rumored to be under the gun. But during an online chat with readers last week, he put a positive spin on all the change at the paper.
"We're in the midst of a reorganization right now to bring the print and web staffs together for the first time, make the company digital first, and make all of our content platform-agnostic," he said. "We're always looking for ways to get better."
The staff reductions come at the end of a week that started off on a high note for the News. Data released Tuesday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations showed that the paper had moved up the auditor's rankings to become the No. 4 top-selling daily in the U.S.
“Modern media companies need to move aggressively into the digital world, offering news on phones, laptops and tablets, even as they continue printing newspapers, said Dan Gaydou, publisher of Booth Newspapers and The Grand Rapids Press”
Exactly 13 years late to the party, namely, 13 years after the founding of craisglist, ebay, and google. All the good digital real estate was snapped up a long time ago.
“TAMPA —
Media General Inc. announced a series of changes in Tampa on Wednesday with The Tampa Tribune and WFLA, Channel 8, including the departure of several top executives and more direct links to the company’s headquarters in Richmond, Va.”
Deckchairs ... Titanic ...
“For the newspapers who are still stubbornly persisting to hang on to print and not gradually move their advertisers to online, they will painfully die an agonizing death in the near future.”
It’s too late for the big newspaper publishing empires. They’re going to die an agonizing death whether they go digital or not. All the good online real estate has already been grabbed by ebay, craisglist and google 13 years ago. Why on earth would an online user or advertiser go to some local dipshite website to read ads, find goods, or find sevices when they can do their one-stop shopping at ebay, craigslist, google, etc.?
Not to mention online revenues per ad are infinitesimal compared to print ads because: 1) online ad space is essentially infinite, driving cost per ad close to zero, and two 2) newspapers only achived high ad rates to start with because they had a local market monopoly on information exchange which has been broken by the Internet, which has an inherent readership scope approaching infinity.
I don't know right off hand but it's working. If I can find some numbers I'll post them, but there is exponential circulation growth at online, small town newspapers. Probably because of the LOCAL aspect/Facebook. If an advertisers just gets a very small .02% return out of how many X impressions that KILLS print advert numbers!! Big Time! Small town 20k circ can not compete with 800K viewers. No way, no how!!
Not to mention online revenues per ad are infinitesimal compared to print ads because:
It's "IMPRESSIONS and VIEWS." That's what counts online per month. As ad revenue counts, it's really no different than print other than being cost effective for the advertisers. The same revenue can come in no matter what if the paper is smart about it. It's being proven every day cost wise.
These dinosaurs just have their heads up their asses because they want to hang on to what they perceive as "purity" print. They can not stand the fact the Avg Joe can get a blog and balance out their B.S. or post news locally before one of their pampas-ass writers drags their feet to investigate.
I don't think Print will ever totally go away, but it will most certainly be back burner material in the next 5-10 years, if not sooner.
That is very cool how you make the words flash.
His suit should be interesting.
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/161763/baby-boomers-feeding-money-into-online-sales.html
Baby Boomers Feeding Money Into Online Sales
You are correct.
It’s probably been over 35 years since I noted the 5 ws. I forgot “when” with my mind growing more clouded with age. That’s “WHY.” LoL!
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