Monday, October 6, 2008

Modesto Bee subscribers not happy

Judging by the blistering comments left on my blog and the Modesto Bee's web site, subscribers in Modesto are not happy.

Here is a sample from the Modesto Bee's web site:
... its smaller n harder 2 read...n my carrier can't get on the drive way...who needs delivery with Mod.bee.com....

More...
Your print quality will not get better, WHY? A quote from 2 pressmen who worked on that particular press..."It's a piece of crap". The gaffs and errors such as missing comics and missing color will continue because YOU are in Modesto and the PRINTING is in Sac. No oversight, people who don't care.

More...
The Sactown presses are not "new", paper width is the only major change to the press. Sactown has been printing narrower since July on the presses."Offset ink" will always rub off, there is no minimizing. The press crew standards seem to be lower with color pages out of register all week,ink transferring or missing from paid ads (My Sunday paper H-4 missing color (red) on the Celebration page), duplicate comics on Friday, things that would have never left the MoBee pressroom.

Still more from my blog:
... the mediocre product that is being forced on the remaining subscribers will not get much better. Look at the Sac Bee and how fine their paper has looked over the years. History will be repeated with the Modesto product.

And this:
Hey it rained last night - it's 8:35 am and I still have not received my Saturday paper, & the 800 phone number is busy - I can not get through.

As always, your comments are welcome.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who in the Hell is buying McClatchy stock today? Look at the numbers and you wonder if the McClatchy family is doing it. Nobody in today's market would think that it is a good buy. Even Gannett had to borrow over a billion dollars.

Anonymous said...

To the 2 "pressmen" (and I use that term loosely), that gave their 2 cents on the printing in Sacramento and their experience on the Sacramento presses. One can only assume that you "used" to work on the press in Sacramento because you were fired or you were a part-time worker that came in and did the same crappy job you did while in Modesto. Since I know of the people in Modesto that worked in Sacramento, I also know that none of them were instrumental in getting Modesto's paper out each night or for that matter having the knowledge to do anything more then be a reel tender. While there were many talented pressman in Modesto, please don't consider these 2 morons when thinking of them. And also consider that the same union representing these folks has been just as successful in the bay area keeping their members jobs. Perhaps looking for ways to help the company versus unrealistic wages and conditions would have suited the employees better then what the union did for them.