Form: Saridakis leaving GCI
April 7 — According to a form filed today by Gannett, Chris Saridakis, Gannett's senior vice president and chief digital officer, informed the company he plans to leave Gannett by the end of the month.
Saridakis was named to the position Jan. 14, 2008. At the time he left as CEO of PointRoll, Inc.
Saridakis was named CEO of PointRoll in 2005 after serving two years as the company's chief operating officer. Before that, he served as senior vice president and general manager of the Global TechSolutions division for DoubleClick Inc.
Gannett says no 2Q furloughs
March 16 — Gannett refuted a report posted here March 15 that said the company's Community Papers division would enact one-week furloughs in the second quarter for employees making more than $90,000 annually.
According to a memo from Bob Dickey posted on the Gannett Blog and a message sent to Poynter's Jim Romenesko, the company will not have furloughs in the second quarter.
This news comes the afternoon after Monday's report was posted when a senior vice president with Gannett told Gannettoid.com the company had decided on the limited furloughs.
GCI confirms end to wage freeze
March 1 — Gannett newspaper division president Bob Dickey confirmed in a memo today the company will lift its wage freeze April 1.
The freeze was imposed April 1, 2009 and said to be for 12 months. There had been growing concern the company would extend the freeze, but a Jan. 12 Gannettoid.com report cited company sources saying the freeze would be lifted as scheduled.
Today's memo is the first official confirmation on the topic from the company.
McClatchy, which began its own wage freeze in September 2008, announced in December that its cutback would end at different times for employees of its 30 daily newspapers at different times, depending on "financial performance and challenges at each individual paper."
Memo: Update on Journal News
March 1 — The Journal News, a Gannett newspaper in Westchester, N.Y., enters its final week before outsourcing its printing and packaging to a non-Gannett site in Rockaway, N.J.
The move announced in early December, also includes the production of Gannett's Poughkeepsie Journal in White Plains, N.Y.
Journal News publisher Michael Fisch confirmed to Gannettoid.com at the time that his paper was profitable, but the closing would lead to the elimination of 166 full- and part-time employees.
The move is effective with all editions dated March 8.
A new memo, dated Feb. 26, details the transition process has already begun.
"This transition has been under way for some time, and you will see some changes in our product as the length of our paper will be slightly shorter than it is currently," the memo read. "We've actually transitioned some of the packaging elements over the past several weeks, and the rest will occur the week of the 8th of March."
Gannett's senior V.P. of labor relations retiring
March 1 — In a move first rumored over the summer, Wendell J. Van Lare, Gannett's senior vice president of labor relations, is set to retire April 30 after 33 years with the company. William A. Behan, the assistant in that department since 2007, will take over as senior VP. Read more here: MarketWatch.
Gannett Board of Directors meet
Feb. 22 — Gannett's Board of Directors are scheduled to meet this week, company spokeswoman Robin Pence said in an e-mail Sunday to Gannettoid.com.
A report on the Gannett Blog speculated executive bonuses and the current wage freeze are likely topics. The meeting is scheduled to be completed by Wednesday afternoon.
Agenda set for Florida conference
Jan. 27 — The agenda for next month's conference with executives from Gannett's metro newspapers was released today.
According to the agenda, the attendees include publishers, advertising directors and other executives from Phoenix, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville, Louisville, Rochester, Westchester, Palm Springs, Des Moines, Fort Myers, Brevard, Asbury and Wilmington.
The conference, Feb. 3-4 in Orlando, is the resurrection of a group that functioned several years ago, but has been in recess for a while, a memo sent Tuesday to attendees said.
As expected, the meeting largely focuses on growing revenue, with discussions on 2010 advertising strategies and updates on accounts.
Dickey will attend Florida conference
Jan. 26 — Bob Dickey, president of Gannett's newspaper division, will attend the Feb. 3-4 meeting in Orlando, according to a note sent to planned attendees and obtained by Gannettoid.com.
The meeting, which is expected to focus on growing revenue, will also include publishers and top advertising executives from the division's top 13 newspapers and members of the corporate revenue team. The conference will also include a meeting of the LINC group, which includes executives from the companies papers in Louisville, Indianapolis, Nashville and Cincinnati.
Gannett plans February conference in Florida
Jan. 13 — Gannett is hosting a Metro Council Meeting next month at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Fla., according to internal documents obtained by Gannettoid.com.
"The South Group is hosting the conference, and will be handling the logistics of the meeting," Carol Hudler, recently appointed president and publisher of The Tennessean, wrote in the invitation to executives from Gannett's metro papers.
READ THE MEMO INTRODUCING KROST HERE
Sources: Gannett set to end wage freeze
Jan. 12 — Gannett is expected to keep its promise by lifting a wage freeze one year after its implementation, multiple sources have told Gannettoid.com.
The company announced in March 2009 the freeze would last from April 1 until March 31 for all U.S. Community Publishing employees. The move is in line with what division president Bob Dickey promised when making the announcement, but employees have wondered if a still-lagging economy would extend the freeze.
McClatchy, which began its own wage freeze in September 2008, announced last month the cutback would end at different times for employees of its 30 daily newspapers at different times, depending on "financial performance and challenges at each individual paper."
Gannett has not commented on the expiration of the wage freeze, but executives have confirmed to Gannettoid.com the budgets are set with room for wage increases to begin in April.
Despite the upcoming return of raises, Gannett remains in a cutting mode. The round of layoffs Dickey announced over the summer has yet to complete, employees are required to take five furlough days during the first quarter and the company is considering whether or not to impose another week of furloughs in the second quarter. The announcement last month that Westchester would lay off 166 employees when it outsources its printing is a part of the 1,400 planned layoffs Dickey announced over the summer.
Dickey, Pence set for audiocast
Jan. 8 — The following note was included in the weekly e-newsletter to employees, "About Gannett."
Audiocast Tuesday: USCP President Bob Dickey
Learn more about new initiatives being launched within US Community Publishing and the division's priorities for the year by tuning in to an audiocast Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 1:30 p.m. (ET) at http://gannett.gci. E-mail your questions by going to http://gannett.gci/chat now or during the audiocast. Host: Robin Pence, vice president of corporate communications at Gannett.
New target numbers set for sites?
Jan. 7 — Rumors have been swirling that at least some newspaper properties are being told to grossly exceed budget for the first six months of 2010.
This initiative does not appear aimed at all papers in the U.S. Community Publishing division, but involved sites are reportedly being told to hit numbers far higher than that set out on the budget.
Individual properties prepare a budget, but corportate then either increases or decreases the set number. The new target numbers are set above the budget numbers, not instead of the set number.
So far, it is unknown if there are any mandates set for sites to achieve new numbers, such as layoffs or other cutbacks, but most employees at all papers in the division are required to take five furlough days in the first quarter.
Keeping an eye on Gannett
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