Sentinel Watch

Greed is Good

2009-05-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

At a hearing this week, Tribune Co.'s bankruptcy judge approved more than $13 million in bonuses to nearly 700 employees for their work last year, but denied about $2 million in severance payments to about 60 employees who were laid off before the company entered bankruptcy proceedings.The employees had an average length of service of 20 years. According to the court, "Tribune had not

Gimme Shelter

2009-05-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

The Senate Commerce Committee's recent hearings on the future of newspapers brought together some fascinating characters--Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post meets David Simon of The Wire meets Sen. John Kerry.Of course, Kerry got everything off to a fine, fine start, saying newspapers were an "endangered species."I found the different approaches to the issues intriguing. Huffington, as

Up, Up and Away

2009-05-05T16:28:00.001-07:00

For the second time this year, and in what seems like a counter intuitive move, the Orlando Sentinel hiked the price of its single-copy daily paper to $1. Back in March, the Sentinel increased the price of its single copy daily to 75 cents from 50 cents, according to Editor and Publisher.If this is true, the Sentinel would have jacked up the single-copy price of the daily paper 100 percent in

Shoehorn Journalism

2009-05-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

If you want to read a heated discussion of what people are whispering about the Orlando Sentinel redesign, its layoffs and what the future holds, visit Charles Apple's blog at http://visualeditors.com/.Some folks have been going at it hammer and tong for several days about the goings on at the Orlando Sentinel. They are mostly taking visuals guru Bonita Burton to task for what some say is "

Log Rolling in Our Time

2009-04-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

The old Spy magazine had a feature called "Log Rolling In Our Time," in which it took to task reporters, authors and others who wrote blurbs and book-jacket copy for people who had done the same for them. Like a lot of things in Spy, it was witty and irreverent.Well, my thoughts turned to Spy when I spied Arthur (Pinch) Sulzburger Jr.'s write-up in Time about Carlos Slim, the Mexican

Trickle Down Theory

2009-04-30T17:56:00.001-07:00

You know things are really, really bad when the decline of the old media has trickled down to the Poynter Institute. Staffers over the age of 55 years old were offered voluntary buyouts this week in order to reduce expenses.Earlier this year, Poynter froze employee wages and reduced its contributions to retirement accounts. As an industry group, they've got to change drastically, like the

Your ESOP at Work

2009-04-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

Tribune Co. is going to pay Sam Zell's legal expenses in the Rod Blagojevich mess. Catch the Chicago Tribune story here:Financially strapped Tribune Co. plans to pay the legal bills of company Chairman and Chief Executive Sam Zell, who has been interviewed as a potential witness in the federal corruption investigation of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, according to a filing today in bankruptcy

Goodbye, Cruel World

2009-04-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

Folks, there's lots to catch up on. If you haven't read Orlando Sentinel Editor Charlotte Hall's goodbye letter to ASNE, here it is. My editorial observations are in (red).Dear ASNE friends:As I end my year as ASNE’s president, I want to thank you for your support and guidance. I have been honored to serve as your president. Along with this note, you will find my report to the ASNE board on an

Arrested Development

2009-04-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

The latest newspaper circulation figures came out this week, and--quick!--run for the hills. Things look worse than ever. The industry decline didn't take a holiday. In fact, it accelerated.The Orlando Sentinel -- down 9.4 percent to 206,205 daily circulationThe South Florida Sun Sentinel -- off 10.4 percent to 195,522 dailyThe Los Angeles Times -- fell by 6.5 percent to 703,181Baltimore Sun --

Missing Persons File

2009-04-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

A reader sent this link to an Orlando Sentinel "careers" video that apparently is on the newspaper Web site. The clip is supposed to demonstrate what a great place to work the Orlando Sentinel is. However, it's outdated.The point of the clip now would be, how many people can you count who no longer have "careers" with the paper? I counted six or seven, but there could be more. This is a little

Cashing In

2009-04-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, this little nugget was buried in Tribune's bonus news as reported by the Chicago Tribune: "The Tribune Co.’s publishing division generated $461 million in operating cash flow last year, a margin of 16.7 percent 'during one of the worst years in newspaper advertising history.' ”Sounds like that's a very respectable figure--considering. Cash flow measures the money or cash

Tribune Asks Court for $13M in Bonus Money

2009-04-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

Tribune Co. has asked the bankruptcy court for permission to award $13 million in bonuses to certain employees, even as more newspaper employees are being shown the door across the country, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune. About 670 managerial employees are to benefit for doing such a great job of escorting people to their cars, with average payments of $18,000.Payments are expected

Spiked

2009-04-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

I am heartened by the response to my last meager post. I think many of you may already know who was on the hit list (see below). From what I understand, there is more to come later this year as well.Writing this blog is getting harder. The bloodletting is huge, and folks can't blame Sam Zell any longer. Zell 'fessed up in an interview posted on Romanesko (http://www.poynter.org/romanesko) last

Days of Thunder

2009-04-14T18:38:00.001-07:00

Folks, there's a lot of chatter taking place over the social airwaves about heads rolling at the Orlando Sentinel this week. One source put the figure at 20 job cuts affecting the copy desk. Frankly, I didn't know there were more than 20 people on the copy desk left. Seems very high, but also somewhat plausible. The Chicago Tribune is cutting about 20 percent of its staff.Definitely a red

Heads Roll at the Sentinel

2009-04-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

Don't know all the particulars just yet, but I've received several emails stating the Orlando Sentinel has cut more positions. I know that some newsroom veterans have left or are about to leave. Other folks say the copy desk is the target of this round of staff cuts. Just letting you know the ranks at your hometown paper are getting thinner by the day.

Back to Basics

2009-03-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Chastened by the embarrassing massive layoffs, cutbacks and bankruptcy of the Tribune Co., Sam Zell is returning to his roots--real estate. So states the article in the Wall Street Journal, "Sam Zell Looks to Brazil to Change His Luck." Zell is poised to become a big player in the affordable housing market in --Brazil. Yes, you read correctly. Brazil. Zell's private equity real estate firm

Day of Reckoning

2009-03-17T17:15:00.001-07:00

Heard there were some more staff cuts at the Orlando Sentinel, but don't know the particulars. It wouldn't surprise me, given that so much has been happening of late in the newspaper industry.The Miami Herald is about to slash about 19 percent of its staff, and those remaining will take a pay cut and a one-week furlough. Those making less than $50,000 will take a 5 percent cut, while those

It's Mourning in America

2009-02-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

A newspaper died this week. Will anyone notice? Will anybody care? The Rocky Mountain News shut down Friday, about a month-and-a-half away from its 150th anniversary. It must have been wrenching for the staff. Newspaper people dedicate a lot of time and energy to their jobs. This is a great letdown.Scripps owned the paper, and I predicted on this blog oh so many posts ago that the company would

What Ever Happened to Shame?

2009-02-21T08:21:00.000-08:00

It used to be that when alleged bad people did alleged bad things, you could detect a teensy-weensy bit of shame in their attitude or that of their families: The head held low, the biting of the lips, the inability to look you in the eye.Oh, how that has changed.Now, when alleged bad people do alleged bad things they get the 15 minutes of fame (maybe even wealth) that Andy Warhol predicted would

Millions of Trees Saved

2009-02-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

No, you didn't imagine that your paper is getting thinner and less newsy.Newspapers in the United States consumed 16 percent less newsprint in 2008 than the year before. That's 5.2 million tonnes, down from 6.2 million tonnes -- or a clean 1 million tonne, according to an item in Editor and Publisher this week.The decline in newsprint consumption is accelerating as papers move more content online

So That's Where the Money Went

2009-02-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

A Tampa Tribune credit manager and his wife allegedly swindled the newspaper out of $1 million by creating a private credit collection company and diverting checks to a private account.The couple, Lynda and Charles T. Wilson, were arrested Thursday in Tampa. The scheme took place over a 10-year period, indicating folks at the Tampa Trib weren't minding the store. Newspaper executives said it

Incredibly Shrinking Severance

2009-02-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

Shoulda. Woulda. Coulda.Right about now, scores of Sentinels are wishing they had volunteered to take the earlier Tribune buyouts. That's because Tribune's bankruptcy judge this week approved the company's motion to significantly reduce the severance offered to employees in any future buyout/firings.Instead of getting two weeks of pay for every year at the Sentinel, as many former Sentinels did,

Tribune's Major Creditors Owed Big Bucks

2009-02-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

The Fort Lauderdale folks who got left out in the cold by Tribune banktruptcy got me thinking about the company's other creditors. So I looked it up. Some of this information has appeared in print and online, although I don't think in its complete form.So here are Tribune's 30 largest creditors, as disclosed in Tribune's bankruptcy papers, in ascending order. Drum roll, please: 30. Paramount

Left Out in the Cold

2009-02-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

The New Times of Broward-Palm Beach posted an item Monday that shows the ripple effect of a bankruptcy filing (see it here blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/juice). Tribune apparently owes some off duty police officers and the city of Fort Lauderdale more than $800 for past services related to last year's Sun-Sentinel-sponsored CityLink Beer Fest.In the big picture scheme of things, 800 bucks is nothing

Orlando Sentinel Job Cuts Likely

2009-01-31T14:23:00.000-08:00

Based on an Orlando Sentinel staff meeting held Friday, it looks like:Jobs will be cut in stages. How many people will be affected is unclear. Bankruptcy court will have to weigh in on whether next set of ex-staffers get severance payments, as others have. Earlier deadlines will be established for Sunday paper so it can be printed in two press runs, instead of three.No more movie listings in the