This blog is mainly about the spectacular train wreck at The Sacramento Bee and its parent company, the McClatchy Company. But I also post about current events, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, politics, anything else that grabs my attention. Take a look around this blog, hope you enjoy it.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Wednesday Feb. 18 -- Got news or a question?
If you have news or a question, leave it in comments. . .
16 comments:
Anonymous
said...
There is supposedly a two-hour "all hands" meeting Wednesday morning at McClatchy Interactive. Could be nothing, could be something.
So is it not with me as with that Muse, Stirred by a painted beauty to his verse, Who heaven itself for ornament doth use And every fair with his fair doth rehearse, Making a couplement of proud compare With sun and moon, with earth and sea's rich gems, With April's first-born flowers, and all things rare, That heaven's air in this huge rondure hems. O! let me, true in love, but truly write, And then believe me, my love is as fair As any mother's child, though not so bright As those gold candles fixed in heaven's air: Let them say more that like of hearsay well; I will not praise that purpose not to sell. XXII
But wherefore do not you a mightier way Make war upon this bloody tyrant, Time? And fortify yourself in your decay With means more blessed than my barren rhyme? Now stand you on the top of happy hours, And many maiden gardens yet unset With virtuous wish would bear your living flowers, Much liker than your painted counterfeit: So should the lines of life that life repair, Which this, Time's pencil, or my pupil pen, Neither in inward worth nor outward fair, Can make you live yourself in eyes of men. To give away yourself keeps yourself still, And you must live, drawn by your own sweet skill.
I vote to delete 5:50 AM 6:02 AM. Off-topic trolls, serves no purpose, they want to spoil this blog. ---- Guys you're looking at it all wrong. These are clearly former, or soon to be former McClatchy writers who recognize that they have more readers here than they do in their local McClatchy rag.
It is an audition for them. Maybe some profitable paper (The Wall Street Journal) will need someone in their Arts Section. Give em a break.
Then again, it could be their way of saying goodbye before they jump from the top floor of the nearest McClatchy owned building!
This is not really news, but some interesting insight ... from bottomlinecom.com.
What is the end game here?
Already we have seen dozens upon dozens of layoffs from every department at The Star. Some tasks have been outsourced to India (an experiment by the way that has had shaky results at best). Benefits have been cut (including pension freezes, elimination of the match to 401K contributions, and an unannounced reduction of the short-term disability payout for exempt employees).
Now management at The Kansas City Star is readying a plan for yet another round of layoffs and, rumor has it, the possible elimination of entire departments.
We have reached point where the layoffs are no longer as big a problem as the uncertainty that permeates the staff.
Nobody, management included, seems to know what the “end game” is.
Someone always leaks information about the pending layoffs to staff. The rumors start to circulate, and productivity nosedives while everyone is trying to figure out what is happening. Then the “official” announcement comes, and productivity dips.
When the layoffs finally do happen, the staff spends two mostly unproductive weeks trying to figure out how to operate with the reduced staff. There are then two to three weeks of normalcy before the entire process starts again.
The Star (and other companies in similar situations for that matter) would be well-served to figure out where they want to go before trying to get there, and they should make every effort to share that information with the staff. They should tell employees how many people they believe they need to operate in this business climate. They should establish a timeline for when they hope to reach that number. They should reassure staff that these are hard cuts to make, but that when and if things improve they will look to rehire employees.
A staff that is in constant fear is not in anyone’s best interest … not management’s and not the community’s.
11:18, that is spot-on. I work with people at a lot of the papers and that feeling is widespread. One just called me and I greeted her with, "You fired yet?" She said, "No, you?" We agreed to check in every Wed. to see who was last man standing. I've worked with her for many years and we've both been conscientious employees. Now we have zero motivation. Managers hide behind closed doors, and the air of secrecy/doom is overwhelming. I'd rather just have it over with.
"A staff that is in constant fear is not in anyone’s best interest … not management’s and not the community’s."
Well said, but, did you know I read the very same sentiments when Capital Cities bought out the Star and decided to decimate the ranks. I also heard the exact same thing when they decided to bust the unions. Then again when Disney came along, and also when Knight Ridder appeared and McClatchy too. The only difference was, when those all happened, the newsroom people laughed and belittled their unfortunate peers thinking that they were untouchable.
More grim news from Executive Editor John Drescher in Raleigh. More lay-offs...size and number to be determined by the boys at the head office based on a MONETARY number only, meaning firings until a certain level of money is obtained. Salary cuts, at this time not sure if it will be across the board, above a certain pay grade, or percentage of how much you make. Not one but a two week furlough (fancy word for a SECOND pay cut. Lay-offs are to be on the level of the September 2008, which means in all probability 20-30 more in the newsroom. The policy will be last hire first fire. Looking for some voluntary buyouts but there is no guarantee this will save anyone else's job. Worst case scenario apparently losing the Monday and Tuesday features section. And cutting even more pages from the news and sports sections.
A little bird told me that the Dallas Morning News has decided to stop sharing sports content with FW Star-Telegram because the FWST's final deadline (11:10 p.m.) is too early for their tastes.
My two cents: Even with crappy early deadlines for the past 5 years, FWST stories are consistently better than the hardly-better-than-AP crap cranked out by the DMN beat writers (especially colleges).
Also from the FWST rumor mill: Paper's management to announce earlier deadlines soon and by early next week might cut up to 100 employees, per McClatchy's stock price hitting record lows.
Employee newspaper buyout? Something to watch. ---------------------------- Union explores P-I buyout idea Meeting to gauge employee interest By DAN RICHMAN P-I REPORTER
The union representing most Seattle P-I workers is scheduled to meet next week to discuss an employee buyout of the newspaper. The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild is "trying to figure out if enough P-I employees are interested in a buyout that it would be worthwhile for us to bring out a consultant and to seek state money for a feasibility study," Guild Administrative Officer Liz Brown said.
16 comments:
There is supposedly a two-hour "all hands" meeting Wednesday morning at McClatchy Interactive. Could be nothing, could be something.
So is it not with me as with that Muse,
Stirred by a painted beauty to his verse,
Who heaven itself for ornament doth use
And every fair with his fair doth rehearse,
Making a couplement of proud compare
With sun and moon, with earth and sea's rich gems,
With April's first-born flowers, and all things rare,
That heaven's air in this huge rondure hems.
O! let me, true in love, but truly write,
And then believe me, my love is as fair
As any mother's child, though not so bright
As those gold candles fixed in heaven's air:
Let them say more that like of hearsay well;
I will not praise that purpose not to sell.
XXII
5:50AM
WTF?
And now, for the inspiration of McClatchy employees everywhere:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA125tBP7q8&NR=
Les Weatherford
But wherefore do not you a mightier way
Make war upon this bloody tyrant, Time?
And fortify yourself in your decay
With means more blessed than my barren rhyme?
Now stand you on the top of happy hours,
And many maiden gardens yet unset
With virtuous wish would bear your living flowers,
Much liker than your painted counterfeit:
So should the lines of life that life repair,
Which this, Time's pencil, or my pupil pen,
Neither in inward worth nor outward fair,
Can make you live yourself in eyes of men.
To give away yourself keeps yourself still,
And you must live, drawn by your own sweet skill.
I vote to delete 5:50 AM 6:02 AM.
Off-topic trolls, serves no purpose, they want to spoil this blog.
6:39 I agree. Go for it Kevin.
I vote to delete 5:50 AM 6:02 AM.
Off-topic trolls, serves no purpose, they want to spoil this blog.
----
Guys you're looking at it all wrong. These are clearly former, or soon to be former McClatchy writers who recognize that they have more readers here than they do in their local McClatchy rag.
It is an audition for them. Maybe some profitable paper (The Wall Street Journal) will need someone in their Arts Section. Give em a break.
Then again, it could be their way of saying goodbye before they jump from the top floor of the nearest McClatchy owned building!
This is not really news, but some interesting insight ... from bottomlinecom.com.
What is the end game here?
Already we have seen dozens upon dozens of layoffs from every department at The Star. Some tasks have been outsourced to India (an experiment by the way that has had shaky results at best). Benefits have been cut (including pension freezes, elimination of the match to 401K contributions, and an unannounced reduction of the short-term disability payout for exempt employees).
Now management at The Kansas City Star is readying a plan for yet another round of layoffs and, rumor has it, the possible elimination of entire departments.
We have reached point where the layoffs are no longer as big a problem as the uncertainty that permeates the staff.
Nobody, management included, seems to know what the “end game” is.
Someone always leaks information about the pending layoffs to staff. The rumors start to circulate, and productivity nosedives while everyone is trying to figure out what is happening. Then the “official” announcement comes, and productivity dips.
When the layoffs finally do happen, the staff spends two mostly unproductive weeks trying to figure out how to operate with the reduced staff. There are then two to three weeks of normalcy before the entire process starts again.
The Star (and other companies in similar situations for that matter) would be well-served to figure out where they want to go before trying to get there, and they should make every effort to share that information with the staff. They should tell employees how many people they believe they need to operate in this business climate. They should establish a timeline for when they hope to reach that number. They should reassure staff that these are hard cuts to make, but that when and if things improve they will look to rehire employees.
A staff that is in constant fear is not in anyone’s best interest … not management’s and not the community’s.
11:18, that is spot-on. I work with people at a lot of the papers and that feeling is widespread. One just called me and I greeted her with, "You fired yet?" She said, "No, you?" We agreed to check in every Wed. to see who was last man standing. I've worked with her for many years and we've both been conscientious employees. Now we have zero motivation. Managers hide behind closed doors, and the air of secrecy/doom is overwhelming. I'd rather just have it over with.
"A staff that is in constant fear is not in anyone’s best interest … not management’s and not the community’s."
Well said, but, did you know I read the very same sentiments when Capital Cities bought out the Star and decided to decimate the ranks. I also heard the exact same thing when they decided to bust the unions. Then again when Disney came along, and also when Knight Ridder appeared and McClatchy too. The only difference was, when those all happened, the newsroom people laughed and belittled their unfortunate peers thinking that they were untouchable.
My how things stay the same the more they change.
I sort of appreciate the sonnets. Their beauty stands out amid the bile.
More grim news from Executive Editor John Drescher in Raleigh. More lay-offs...size and number to be determined by the boys at the head office based on a MONETARY number only, meaning firings until a certain level of money is obtained. Salary cuts, at this time not sure if it will be across the board, above a certain pay grade, or percentage of how much you make. Not one but a two week furlough (fancy word for a SECOND pay cut. Lay-offs are to be on the level of the September 2008, which means in all probability 20-30 more in the newsroom. The policy will be last hire first fire. Looking for some voluntary buyouts but there is no guarantee this will save anyone else's job. Worst case scenario apparently losing the Monday and Tuesday features section. And cutting even more pages from the news and sports sections.
Rumor from another site:
http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/index.php/topic,66999.0.html
A little bird told me that the Dallas Morning News has decided to stop sharing sports content with FW Star-Telegram because the FWST's final deadline (11:10 p.m.) is too early for their tastes.
My two cents: Even with crappy early deadlines for the past 5 years, FWST stories are consistently better than the hardly-better-than-AP crap cranked out by the DMN beat writers (especially colleges).
Also from the FWST rumor mill: Paper's management
to announce earlier deadlines soon and by early next week might cut up to 100 employees, per McClatchy's stock price hitting record lows.
Employee newspaper buyout? Something to watch.
----------------------------
Union explores P-I buyout idea
Meeting to gauge employee interest
By DAN RICHMAN
P-I REPORTER
The union representing most Seattle P-I workers is scheduled to meet next week to discuss an employee buyout of the newspaper.
The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild is "trying to figure out if enough P-I employees are interested in a buyout that it would be worthwhile for us to bring out a consultant and to seek state money for a feasibility study," Guild Administrative Officer Liz Brown said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/400456_pisale18.html
Anon 5:21, Where do you get your drivel? There was no meeting, of any kind.
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