Gannett Blog

2009-07-10T23:59:00.003-04:00

Farewell | Gannett Blog, by the numbers

2009-07-10T23:58:00.008-04:00

[Final traffic report from Google Analytics; click for bigger view]

I started Gannett Blog on Sept. 11, 2007, and closed it July 10, 2009 at midnight ET. I'm no longer posting new comments. You'll occasionally see a few updates, as I complete unfinished business.

For readers interested in the latest company developments, I have enthusiastically endorsed Gannettoid.com, a site kept by a former Gannett employee since December 2008. Several other sites recently launched; in the years ahead, please search for others, too.

I keep an active Facebook page, and I microblog on Twitter at Ibizaconfidant and at (uh-oh!) Gannettblog.

Since September 2007, I published 3,499 posts of my own. My wonderful readers posted more than 50,000 comments. I can't add anything more, except: Thank you for your support. I have no regrets.

Jim Hopkins

Publisher and Editor
Ibiza Town

Island of Ibiza, Spain

July 10, 2009

Earlier: Why I shut down this blog

Trolls Inc. | Take this with a grain of salt . . .

2009-07-10T23:57:00.004-04:00

. . . because it's likely bullshit. Still, stranger things have happened in Corporate America. (Hewlett-Packard anyone?) Therefore, if you're so inclined, investors concerned about ongoing abuse of shareholder assets might consider contacting the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Enforcement.

In Gannett Blog's final minutes, Anonymous@11:56 p.m. wrote the following on this comment string, and apparently thought it might never be published:

"Might as well admit it in the last 5 minutes. Yes, Gannett paid people to trash the blog. And it was worth every penny. Easiest. Work. Ever. P.S.: If Jim extends the blog, you never read this."

Friday | Your Final Layoff News & Comments

2009-07-10T23:56:00.000-04:00

Real Time Comments is parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.) Until midnight ET tonight, I'll keep a tally of job cuts, as you post in the comments section, below. As of 8:12 p.m. ET today. When possible, I'm relying on publisher's memos for these figures.

Newspapers

Reporting in: 58 of 84 (excludes USA Today and Newsquest)

Estimated jobs cut: 1,299

TV stations

Reporting in: 1

Estimated jobs cut: 2

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Part 3 | Friday's Layoff News & Comments

2009-07-10T23:02:00.006-04:00

This section is closed to new comments. Please go to Part 4. For earlier editions, here are Part 1 and Part 2.

Less than four hours to post exclamation marks!!

2009-07-10T23:02:00.005-04:00

This is about all I've got left to write, before closing up shop:

OMG!!!

Better post now, while there's still time to beat back those trolls!!!!

Gannett layoffs and other cuts rocket past 1,300; As mass layoffs finish Day 2, 26 sites uncounted; Virtually no severance pay | Employees stunned

2009-07-10T20:12:00.007-04:00

[Gannett's portfolio: 102 U.S. and U.K. dailies, 23 TV stations]

Updated at 8:12 p.m. today. For the latest numbers, please see the layoff tracker, top of page. This is the fifth and last in Gannett Blog's Roll Call series, where employees tally layoffs and other unannounced payroll cuts by the nation's No. 1 newspaper publisher: Gannett Co.

Our story so far: More than 300 jobs in May and April. At least 2,200 in December. Approximately 100 directors in September. And the first big one: 1,000, last August. Overall, Gannett employs 41,500 worldwide. (Employment by division.)

Now, from Alexandria, La., to Zanesville, Ohio, we say goodbye to more co-workers. Including 85 U.S. dailies, 17 dailies in the U.K., and 23 TV stations, GCI subsidiaries have now said they plan to eliminate the following jobs in this round.

Using the following format, please post your worksite's figures in the comments section, below. ??? indicates missing or incomplete information. Cities are newspaper sites. Note: The figures below are based on publisher's memos, Gannett Blog reader posts, published stories (please provide links) and other sources.
Alexandria, La.: 7 layoffs, or jobs cut
Appleton, Wis.: 3
Asbury Park, and five other N.J. dailies: 125
Asheville, N.C.: 16
Binghamton: 4
Brevard: 23
Bridgewater, N.J.: See, Asbury Park.
Burlington, Vt.: 10
Cherry Hill, N.J.: See, Asbury Park.
Cincinnati: 101 (story)
Des Moines: 42 (story)
Detroit: 132 (including the DMP) (story)
East Brunswick, N.J.: See, Asbury Park.
Elmira, N.Y.: 6
Fond du Lac: 2
Fort Collins, Colo.:
Fort Myers, Fla.: 45
Great Falls, Mont.:
Green Bay, Wisc.: 18 (story link)
Greenville, S.C.: 7
Guam: ???
Hattiesburg, Miss.: 8
Honolulu: 15
Indianapolis: 37 (story)
Jackson, Miss.: 20
Jackson, Tenn. 21
Lafayette, Ind.: 6 ???
Lafayette, La.: 6
Lancaster, Ohio: 2
Lansing, Mich.: 26 (story)
Louisville: 44 (story)
Manitowac, Wisc.: 3
Monroe, La.: 1
Montgomery: 7
Mountain Home, Ark.: 3
Muncie, Ind.: 8
Murfreesboro, Tenn.:
Nashville, Tenn.: 60
Opelousas, La.: ???
Palm Springs, Calif.: 18
Parsippany, N.J.: See, Asbury Park.
Pensacola: 4 ???
Phoenix: 113
Port Clinton, Ohio: 4
Port Huron, Mich.: 5
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: 16
Reno: 15
Richmond, Ind.: 10
Rochester, N.Y.: 64
St. Cloud, Minn.: 6
Salem, Ore.: 7
Salinas, Calif.:
Salisbury, Md.: 30
Sheboygan, Wisc.: 4
Shreveport: 9
Sioux Falls, S.D.: 25
Somerville, N.J.: See, Asbury Park.
Springfield, Mo.: 14
Staunton, Va.: 4
Tallahassee, Fla.: 26
Tucson: about 60
USA Today: ???
Vineland, N.J.: See, Asbury Park.
Wausau, Wisc.: 10
Wilmington, Del.: 46
WGRZ-TV: 2
Zanesville, Ohio: 1
To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

OMD! * | It's two more Gannett blog launches

2009-07-10T14:39:00.008-04:00

(Updated at 2:39 p.m. ET.) For your consideration, the newly launched, The Deuce: Gannett Blog 2. From the introductory post:

"I launched this last night and took it down; pondering the issues it has caused Jim. But I decided to move forward with it. I want this to continue the Hopkins Blog tradition, yet develop it's own identity."

Earlier: From the introductory post today, on Gannett Blog Deux:

I'll refine this site over the next day or so to make it look and feel like Jim Hopkins Gannett Blog, which everyone seemed to like because it was very easy to use. I have nothing against Gannettoid and hopefully we can work together towards a common goal of keeping active and former employees of the Gannett Company informed.

If you want to continue to participate in the tradition of Jim Hopkins, feel free to post your comments here. If after a week or two there is not much interest I'll simply shut it down.

Note that I will not identify myself at this time.

* Oh, mon dieu!

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Cincy | This publisher's layoff letter rings hollow

2009-07-10T13:56:00.003-04:00

"We work for our advertisers."

-- Cincinnati Enquirer Publisher Margaret Buchanan, in a letter to readers, posted yesterday afternoon as the Ohio paper was laying off as many as 101 employees. On June 4, Corporate named Buchanan "the top publisher in U.S. Community Publishing, receiving the division’s President’s Ring. Buchanan also received the division's Signet Award, given to 10-time President’s Ring winners."

[Photo: Enquirer]

How to terminate Dubow's employment contract

2009-07-10T13:33:00.003-04:00

It's all in an important clause, found in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing about Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow's contract. Please see my new comment, here.

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Commentary | Turner on, 'The crimes of Gannett'

2009-07-10T13:17:00.005-04:00

[Earlier: Oh, zarks! Condoms, Christ, Yakov -- and more!]

From a comment posted last night by reader Randy Turner, on the must-read Romenesko blog:

One thousand four hundred Gannett employees lose their jobs because of the inability of their executives to put their readers first. While Gannett employees have lost their jobs, served two weeks of unpaid furloughs, and watched as their reader base has eroded thanks to the elimination of dedicated employees, the Gannett officials responsible for providing themselves with millions of dollars worth of bonuses and coming up with crackpot revenue ideas like sending condoms and erotica advertisements to prospective college students in southwest Missouri, are still gainfully employed, and will undoubtedly will remain so in the future.

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Commentary | Transitional Pay 101 -- in English!

2009-07-10T12:56:00.001-04:00

Anonymous@12:28 p.m. has just posted the following primer on the severance benefit Gannett is now offering to laid-off employees.

My understanding of "transitional pay" is that instead of the company paying severance, it will make up the difference between your state's unemployment payment and your weekly pay. By using this program instead of a severance package, Gannett has shifted most of the burden of compensating laid-off workers to the state. That of course does mean that state and federal taxpayers ultimately foot most of Pay former Gannett workers will receive. As an aside, the company does pay a premium to the state for unemployment insurance and, like all other types of insurance, the rate increases when claims are made. So Gannett will pay more for its contribution to state unemployment through higher rates next quarter as a result of the transitional pay plan. But, obviously this is far less expensive than giving severance that includes weekly pay and insurance benefits.

Transitional pay differs from severance pay in several ways. For one, only workers eligible for unemployment will get anything from Gannett. No unemployment check = no company check. By comparison, those who received severance last year continued to collect their pay from the company even when they got new jobs or found freelance work. Transitional pay ends when you find work.

Transitional pay is 1 week for each year of service between 3 and 36 months. That means that anyone employed for less than three years is not eligible. When it runs out, you will likely still collect state unemployment. In Ohio, benefits run for 26 weeks. I don't know if that is true for all states. After that states normally offer at least one extention and the federal government offers two extentions.

You will automatically be eligible for transitional pay when you make your unemployment claim. To continue to be eligible for transitional pay, you must fulfill all state requirements for continued pay. You must also call Total Management Solutions, the company Gannett has contracted to administer the "Supplemental Unemployment Benefit Pay Plan," every week starting the second week of unemployment. Failure to do so will result in termination of eligibility and you will lose your right to any further payments.

Thanks to federal stimulus money, any state-required waiting period for your first check is gone. If you file(d) a claim with your state's unemployment office immediately upon learning of your termination, you should get a check on July 17.

Also thanks to the stimulus package, you will not have to pay into FICA (Social Security) during the transitional pay period and you will not be required to pay it when you file your 2009 taxes. That's an additional 7.65 percent of your gross pay that will go in your pocket.

I also read something that said the first $2,400 of your unemployment payments are not taxable. I believe that is also made available by the stimulus.

As for insurance, I was told that mine would end on Aug 1, unless I opted for COBRA. COBRA is the federal law that required employers to keep their laid-off employees on their group health plan for up to 18 months -- with the employee paying 100 percent of the premiums. The federal stimulus bill temporarily amended that. The federal government will pay 65 percent. The worker pays 35. I don't know if the length of time you can keep the coverage was extended under the new law. If I don't opt for COBRA by Aug. 1, I have 30 days to do so in order to have my coverage reinstated.

I hope this helps answer some of the questions I see out there.

Calling human resources!
Can any of you confirm -- and add details? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Pence on why GCI chose severance outsourcer

2009-07-10T12:34:00.006-04:00

New chief Corporate publicist Robin Pence also re-asserted that the current layoff target is 1,400 employees to be "impacted." It's all on Gannettoid.com's homepage.

Corporate-speak alert!
Your lender: "Now, why can't you pay your mortgage this month?"

Laid-off Gannett employee: "I got impacted."

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Here's what to ask the boss when you get laid off

2009-07-10T11:03:00.001-04:00

Boss says: It's the economy, stupid. That's why we're taking away your job, giving you almost no severance pay, and forcing you on pricey COBRA health insurance plans.

You respond: Why does Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow, plus other retired executive officers, get all the goodies outlined in his employment contract, a document Gannett filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission?

Need proof? Here you go:

Dubow's 2005 employment contract, which he signed after the board of directors named him chief executive officer four years ago. Now 54, Dubow (left), and Chairman Doug McCorkindale (below) executed the 11-page contract on July 25, 2005; it was filed four days later at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Also signing for the company: James Johnson, then head of the board's compensation committee.

I'm a public documents junkie, so my eyes lit up when I saw this: Paragraph 8(b) Miscellaneous Additional Benefits, Post-Retirement. I quote: "After Dubow ceases full-time active employment (whether before or after reaching his normal retirement date) for any reason other than good cause as defined in Section 5(a)(iii), he shall receive all benefits afforded to other retired executive officers generally, as described in Exhibit A to this Agreement as such Exhibit A may be revised from time to time."

Exhibit A: CEO Retirement Benefits
This is the first time I've seen the generous "executive health insurance" promised to Dubow and his family. As near as I can tell, it's 100% company-paid, and good for the rest of their lives:

1. Life Insurance. The CEO owns a whole life insurance policy in an amount equal to 2 times salary and last bonus plus $200,000, or $300,000 if a member of both the Gannett Management Committee and Board of Directors. Gannett pays the policy premium. Upon retirement, the policy’s face amount reduces 10%, and 10% each year thereafter, to a minimum benefit of $350,000.

2. Travel Accident Insurance. The CEO receives insurance equal to 3 times salary and last bonus on a 24-hour business or pleasure basis. (This is in addition to the regular employee travel accident insurance benefit of 3 times salary and last bonus.) Upon retirement, the benefit ceases. However, if a retired CEO is asked to represent Gannett at a function or event and receives prior approval from the then-current CEO, travel accident insurance coverage of $1,000,000 will be provided while on business travel status.

3. Executive Health Insurance. The CEO receives supplemental health coverage with a maximum annual benefit of $25,000 per executive family. (This is in addition to the regular employee health insurance coverage.) Upon retirement, the maximum annual benefit remains unchanged. Upon death, the maximum annual family benefit for eligible dependents becomes $12,500 per year for life.

4. Company Automobile. Upon retirement, the company automobile is offered to the CEO at the fair market value.

5. Legal and Financial Services. Upon retirement, this benefit ceases on April 15 of the year of retirement or the year following retirement, depending on the actual retirement date.

(Click on screenshot, below, for bigger, more readable view)

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

We need severance details from those just axed

2009-07-10T05:20:00.000-04:00

If you've been laid off in this round, please share what you've learned about severance benefits. We'd all like to know. Some of the early reports leave out important details.

For example, Anonymous@3:24 p.m. says severance is as follows: "You can only collect if you qualify for unemployment. If you do, then you receive unemployment, and Gannett adds to that total to bring it up to your current salary for the period of weeks you will receive (one week for every year in my case). You must call and qualify for every week's payment. It's like the hoops insurance companies make you jump through."

But the poster does not indicate the cap on severance. For most of those laid off in December, severance was capped at 26 weeks -- no matter how many years you worked. Is that still true this time.

Also, what are provisions for medical insurance? Some reports say laid-off employees are being told they must sign up for COBRA coverage, which is higher than the company-subsidized coverage made available for the duration of severance during past layoffs.

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Layoffs | Welcome to Westchester Confidential

2009-07-10T05:19:00.001-04:00

A forum for employees at the The Journal News in Westchester, N.Y. Details of layoffs and other changes there have been delayed until early August, a full month past when most other workers will get notified, according to a memo from the publisher.

It's munch time: Jersey Confidential is back!

2009-07-10T05:19:00.000-04:00

[Cue, scary music from that 1975 blockbuster]

I've just relaunched this special forum, for the six-paper New Jersey Group, after a reader said they need extra room for developing layoff news. Do not mess with Jersey! If any abused employees deserve their own forum, it's the folks who brought you last year's Poopgate!

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Tips | Advice from those laid off before you

2009-07-10T05:18:00.003-04:00

Please share your experience as a laid-off employee, so those going through this in coming weeks can benefit from what you learned.

Earlier: A Gannett Blog layoff FAQ

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Resources for journalists covering layoff underway

2009-07-10T05:17:00.000-04:00

A selection of key documents, and other links:

Text of newspaper divison's July 1 layoff memo
Text of recent broadcasting division chief's memo
The broadcasting division's 23 TV stations at a glance
FAQ accompanying the memo
Broadcast chief Dave Lougee's July 2007 appointment
CEO Craig Dubow announces medical leave of absence
The May round of newspaper division layoffs, and other job cuts; the December round; the September round, and the August round
Most recent Gannett annual 10-K
The most recent proxy statement
All the Securities and Exchange Commission filings
The current board of directors
A brief history of Gannett
About Gannett Blog

Related websites

Gannett Blog shuts down permanently on July 10; all traffic will be directed to Gannettoid.com.
The Gannett Blog-IRE Challenge fundraising blog

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Part 2 | Friday's Layoff News & Comments

2009-07-10T00:02:00.000-04:00

This section is now closed to new comments. Please go to Part 3.

Part 1 | Friday's Layoff News & Comments

2009-07-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

This section is now closed to new comments. Please go to Part 2.

Thursday | Your Layoff News & Comments

2009-07-09T23:59:00.004-04:00

Real Time Comments is parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.) This section is now closed to new comments. Please see today's edition.

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Publishers memos | The grade so far? F-

2009-07-09T23:58:00.022-04:00

[What, blame us? Dubow, Martore, Dickey]

I haven't seen a single publisher's layoff memo that mentioned decisions made by CEO Craig Dubow, Chief Financial Officer Gracia Martore, newspaper division President Bob Dickey, or any other Gannett Management Committee member. Instead, they blame -- what else? -- the economy.

But, really, Anonymous@7:24 p.m. puts it, ahem, more colorfully, in assessing the handiwork of Cincinnati Enquirer Publisher Margaret Buchanan.

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.

Urgent: Gannettoid's publisher has been laid off

2009-07-09T23:58:00.021-04:00

[Short note he just posted to his website]

We just spoke briefly by telephone. I feared this might happen, because he was in an especially vulnerable state. I'll tell you more about what this means for his site, once I know more.

For those of you just joining us, Gannettoid.com is the site where I plan to direct my traffic, once I close this blog for good at midnight ET tomorrow. When it rains, it . . . just sucks.

Part 6 | Thursday's Layoff News & Comments

2009-07-09T23:35:00.002-04:00

This section is now closed to new comments. Please go to Part 7.