tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post1242761135036026244..comments2023-10-24T01:17:35.297-07:00Comments on Etaoin Shrdlu: Pain & Promises at McClatchyHowardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379598516764590842noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-87681798950447047492008-07-09T05:33:00.000-07:002008-07-09T05:33:00.000-07:00I am a victim of the 6/16 layoff and I had just jo...I am a victim of the 6/16 layoff and I had just joined the company 3 months ago. I moved my whole life to this city for this job. I signed a 12 month lease agreement which I can't get out of without paying $3,000, I worked my ass off, even on weekends because I like to work ahead and also because I'm just a dedicated, hard worker period. I didn't see this coming, not at all. You can't even Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-35360083191759634702008-06-22T19:45:00.000-07:002008-06-22T19:45:00.000-07:00Well, let's see...The McClatchy buyout of KNR -- k...Well, let's see...<BR/><BR/>The McClatchy buyout of KNR -- known on Wall Street as a "leveraged buyout," "leverage" meaning "debt" as the cornerstone -of the acquisition -- was so ill-founded as to rank as one of the dumbest corporate moves in the history of American journalism.<BR/><BR/>And of course, Howard, people are writing anonymously, because they fear for their jobs and worry about their Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-42235584383083823832008-06-20T23:00:00.000-07:002008-06-20T23:00:00.000-07:00Did the State Workers' Union protest have any last...Did the State Workers' Union protest have any lasting affects? That seemed a battle not worth fighting over information found elsewhere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-42991116859838308692008-06-17T18:57:00.000-07:002008-06-17T18:57:00.000-07:00Please answer the question about corporate bonuses...Please answer the question about corporate bonuses. Do Mcclatchy execs like Pruitt intend to give up their bonus this year?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-81525030680413868102008-06-17T18:28:00.000-07:002008-06-17T18:28:00.000-07:00Whenever somone gets fired they panic...I know. B...Whenever somone gets fired they panic...I know. But then its just time to get another $100K job, there are thousands of these jobs posted (literally) so dont be shy.<BR/><BR/>http://www.realmatch.com<BR/>http://www.monster.com<BR/>http://www.simplyhired.com<BR/><BR/>The chinese word for crisis also means opportunity!Richard Jenningshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12053913915627310540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-53810379630899933862008-06-17T14:32:00.000-07:002008-06-17T14:32:00.000-07:00Please stop avoiding the question about the corpor...Please stop avoiding the question about the corporate bonus program. Your credibility is on the line here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-65959585933557465532008-06-17T12:03:00.000-07:002008-06-17T12:03:00.000-07:00Thank you.And shouldn't that be Anonymice?Thank you.<BR/><BR/>And shouldn't that be Anonymice?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-58561263323703451922008-06-17T11:36:00.000-07:002008-06-17T11:36:00.000-07:00I haven't answered Jim's comments, but I intend to...I haven't answered Jim's comments, but I intend to. I'm working on a new post that addresses that.<BR/><BR/>P.S. How come some of you don't make up names? I can't keep this many Anonymouses separate ...Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08379598516764590842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-61372272803962762272008-06-17T11:00:00.000-07:002008-06-17T11:00:00.000-07:00Howard, have you answered Jim Richardson's questio...Howard, have you answered Jim Richardson's question about how we're still supposed to do the quality journalism McClatchy is known for in an era of layoffs and steadily decreasing resources?<BR/><BR/>Leadership in Sac consistently brushes our concerns aside as if we're naive to even ask. But in some ways, losing reporters while creating new local sections is the journalistic equivalent of Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-57736196460607956042008-06-17T10:36:00.000-07:002008-06-17T10:36:00.000-07:00Anonymous 15: This seems like a valid criticism of...Anonymous 15: This seems like a valid criticism of the coverage to me.Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08379598516764590842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-1443842604520502102008-06-17T10:33:00.000-07:002008-06-17T10:33:00.000-07:00To: Anonymous 13 (I think it is)If you invest a di...To: Anonymous 13 (I think it is)<BR/><BR/>If you invest a dime and make 15 cents, you have a 50% profit margin. But you still can't pay back the quarter you owe me.<BR/><BR/>Margin is a derivative of business operations, not the point of them. You can't spend margin. You spend free cash flow -- the amount left after you subtract expenses from income --, and that's what has declined so Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08379598516764590842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-34131314115889178602008-06-17T10:25:00.001-07:002008-06-17T10:25:00.001-07:00In not one of the stories on the McC layoffs have ...In not one of the stories on the McC layoffs have I seen any reaction from an affected employee, or any evidence of reportorial efforts to obtain such. Is this an example of the quality journalism McC keeps promising? It seems more like press release journalism of, by, and for VPs and other suits who aren't being laid off.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-88480835617308722552008-06-17T10:04:00.000-07:002008-06-17T10:04:00.000-07:00Howard,I appreciate your commentary and your willi...Howard,<BR/>I appreciate your commentary and your willingness to be open and criticized.<BR/>I feel like a couple questions have not been addressed. <BR/><BR/>Our industry is definitely facing revenue declines, but isn't the real pressure to meet some Wall Street-inspired demand for profitability? Isn't a business with only a 5 percent profit margin still profitable? Why must our industry, and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-32239287292648928762008-06-17T10:00:00.000-07:002008-06-17T10:00:00.000-07:00It's a shame that corporate leadership rarely feel...It's a shame that corporate leadership rarely feels the pain they inflict on journalists who have remained dedicated to their profession despite poor newsroom management, low salaries and long hours.<BR/><BR/>A great deal of the blame for our current situation belongs to the bean counters who long ago replaced the entreprenuetrs who built the industry. They don't know how to make money. Cutting Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-30750660632216561232008-06-17T09:34:00.000-07:002008-06-17T09:34:00.000-07:00I only take issue with your contention that the co...I only take issue with your contention that the company has never eliminated positions or outsourced jobs in its newsrooms. I appreciate that yesterday's announcement is more sweeping than anything that's happened before, and certainly more difficult because it is company-wide. But I contend it is not accurate to say "Some people also were let go when jobs were outsourced, though never in the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-59478637586346640382008-06-17T09:04:00.000-07:002008-06-17T09:04:00.000-07:00Thanks for using your name, Theresa; I appreciate ...Thanks for using your name, Theresa; I appreciate that.<BR/><BR/>Your comment, though, is simply wrong. I obviously don't know your personal situation or what happened to your husband, but for you to suggest "The only thing new about yesterday's announcement was that McClatchy decided to issue a press release," is wildly at odds with the facts.<BR/><BR/>Of course some people have lost jobs; some Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08379598516764590842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-12787814893996175172008-06-17T06:08:00.000-07:002008-06-17T06:08:00.000-07:00Journalists are supposed to care about facts. It i...Journalists are supposed to care about facts. It is disingenous to state: "We’ve never done anything like this before. While other news companies went through round after round of broad, across-the-board layoffs, we relied principally on managed attrition to help cut expenses while revenues fell. (Some people also were let go when jobs were outsourced, though never in the newsrooms.)"<BR/><BR/>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-10003882560383433912008-06-16T23:31:00.000-07:002008-06-16T23:31:00.000-07:00Howard,I'm not sure I understand what you meant wh...Howard,<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure I understand what you meant when you said, "The economic squeeze we’re in right now has nothing to do with...business mistakes." <BR/><BR/>Can you elaborate? It seems to me that newspaper companies' failure to get online earlier and innovate was a catastrophic business mistake that has exacerbated the economic squeeze. Shouldn't we have created sites like Craigslist Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-35433350928725623162008-06-16T22:51:00.000-07:002008-06-16T22:51:00.000-07:00Howard --As an alumni of McClatchy whose wife is s...Howard --<BR/>As an alumni of McClatchy whose wife is still there, I am deeply in grief at losing so many friends, as I know you are also. I appreciate your words here and they help. <BR/><BR/>What I find lacking is a conversation about journalism. How will this impact the core mission of the newspapers to cover our communities, states, the nation and the world? It is fine to talk about strategy Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-24818724922239370282008-06-16T21:45:00.000-07:002008-06-16T21:45:00.000-07:00What I find troubling in these cuts (at least in C...What I find troubling in these cuts (at least in Charlotte) are that NO upper management personnel were let go and seemingly no department heads in the newsroom. All of the cuts are front line employees or managers. These are the people doing the majority of the daily work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-42383725955360116402008-06-16T20:57:00.000-07:002008-06-16T20:57:00.000-07:00What would Howard have said in the Bee newsroom th...What would Howard have said in the Bee newsroom that would have been any different from what Melanie or Cheryl had said?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-66027192050990722732008-06-16T19:01:00.000-07:002008-06-16T19:01:00.000-07:00I, too, want to know why Gary Pruitt accepted a ge...I, too, want to know why Gary Pruitt accepted a generous bonus last year. And how about you, Howard? How much was your bonus? And did you visit any of the departments at the Bee today and answer their questions? They were asking for someone from corporate in the Bee newsroom today. Why weren't you there?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-47443892755005188832008-06-16T18:35:00.000-07:002008-06-16T18:35:00.000-07:00Middle management certainy did know this was comin...Middle management certainy did know this was coming -- we weren't told <I>who</I> was going to be culled, but we knew this annoucement was going to be made soon.<BR/><BR/>And the Washington bureau isn't entirely composed of stenographers. There are <A HREF="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/39432.html" REL="nofollow">political cheerleaders</A> there, too.<BR/><BR/>Industry troubles can't Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-56700735776465201172008-06-16T15:19:00.000-07:002008-06-16T15:19:00.000-07:00This forum is a fine way for people to have a say ...This forum is a fine way for people to have a say in a reasonable dialogue, unlike the Bee's website with all the vitriol and narrow-minded comments. Many will say they saw the layoffs coming and I can't say McClatchy knew too and was trying to avoid the inevitable. So more of the people I knew from my tenure are now in bind. It's not a happy time for anyone and I'd bet this is not the end of Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15043089058783472840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3039863.post-30816603971863166722008-06-16T14:15:00.000-07:002008-06-16T14:15:00.000-07:00I wish I could share the optimism, but it's a litt...I wish I could share the optimism, but it's a little difficult when things like <A HREF="http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2008/06/mni-cuts-may-not-be-deep-enough.html" REL="nofollow">this</A>, it's hard not to "look over our shoulder" for more fallout.<BR/><BR/>I just want to throw up knowing that I'm losing two good friends in a bureau at a time when metro reporters in the main newsroom -- some of Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com