Anything from Fort Myers?

[Me]

The News-Press cuts 30 jobs
NEWS-PRESS.COM • JULY 9, 2009
Post a Comment RecommendPrint this pageE-mail this articleShare

The News-Press eliminated 30 jobs, or about 6.5 percent of its work force, this week.

Jobs were cut from throughout the organization, including distribution, production, advertising and news positions. Some employees were laid off; others were offered alternative positions.



A weak economic environment has forced the company to trim its workforce, said Carol Hudler, president and publisher of the company that produces the top daily newspaper and Web site in Southwest Florida.

“These decisions are very difficult, but they are necessary. We will learn how to operate with a lower cost structure, then as the market turns, we'll reinvest in resources that can only make us stronger.”

Local news reporting and watchdog journalism remain priorities for The News-Press and news-press.com, said Vice President and Executive Editor Terry Eberle.

He noted the company had committed to protecting newsgathering positions as much as possible in the difficult economic climate.

“We are losing some first class professionals and great people,” Eberle said. “We worked very hard to maintain our reporting staff and we remain committed to our growing online and print readership.”

Gannett Co., The News-Press’ and news-press.com’s parent company, confirmed last week that it planned to cut 1,400 U.S. jobs.

The company publishes 84 daily newspapers and Internet sites, including USA TODAY, and nearly 850 non-daily publications and 23 TV stations in the U.S.

It also owns Newsquest, a regional news company in the United Kingdom.



© Copyright 2009 The News-Press. All rights reserved.

[Guest]

I was spared today. I honestly feel for those of you who where let go. I have cried many tears today for you. Best of Luck. I honestly hope you find a company that treates you better because you deserve better.

[Guest]

Yikes. The one word that stands out to me in all that is OUTSOURCE. I hate that word. Thank you for posting that message. As a former employee, I find myself curious about what's going on. Mostly because of all my friends I left behind who are being affected. Does anyone have numbers? I am hearing 5 graphic designers and their manager, 1 HR, 2 maintenance and varied from other departments. This is a sad day indeed. My thoughts are with those of you who were laid off and also to those who must face the day tomorrow with the sad atmosphere of missing friends and colleagues.

27 was let go today. Very sad day. I am sure you don't miss that part-the anticipation of watching if they are coming to get you or your friends.

[broken]

None of the *right* people were let go. As usual.

[db]

Any word on who or what positions in FMY?

[guest]

Sad day for TNP. As a former Gannett employee, my heart goes out to those kicked aside. The strange thing about a layoff, it is just that,....... a layoff. When things get better, the laidoff people are SUPPOSED to get called back FIRST, while at TNP, they are hiring people while laying off....... very strange indeed. And those laid off are never heard from again. Makes you wonder doesn't it ?

[madashell]

Here's the rundown so far:

Prepress and production lost a bunch of people and internal printing has been completely shut down and will all be done from a third party printing company.
Circulation lost 5 people.
Editorial lost 6 people.
IT lost one person.
Lehigh lost their assistant and receptionist.
5 designers where laid off. All exceptionally hardworking people. Obviously, outsourcing will be forth coming. They only have a hand full of designers left and the majority of them aren't very good. And the exceptions to that statement will be worked to death.
All the sales people from the Cape will be moving into the main office.
3 people where given options of a lower paid position or a severance package.
One of the positions offered was an ARS down in Bonita.
The Production Manager has been demoted to a supervisor instead of manager and is taking a pay cut. She deserves better than that.
In total 27 people where laid off. Some were offered part time or lower positions.

Naturally, none of the people who SHOULD have been canned are going. Once again they have made the WRONG decisions. I don't know what their reasons are for letting these people go, but it's got to be political. Last time they when by senority... there is no real method to their madness this time around.

[Ex-News-Presser]

Does anyone have names particularly those from the news department?

[Not from Ft Myers]

IT lost one person

Initials of the IT person?

[Me]

PY

[madashell]

Lehigh will be moving their operations to the Main office as soon as their rental lease is up.
This is really bad because Lehigh needs to have a physical presence in the community.

All designers will be moved to the Main office in August. Outsourcing to India will be implimented in a large part. They've tried not to outsource to India in the past because of the time difference and the sub-par work. I guess they just don't care anymore.

To the people who asked... I don't know who was let go in the Editorial department.
The IT person was PY.

[Guest]

When is the Cape moving over to the main office???? I have heard this rumor before.

[saidit]

What does L.O. do anyway? Or who is she doing, that she is still safe?

[saidit]

What is going on with the Press Room and Pre-Press? Any word?

[saidit]

saidit

Here's the rundown so far:

Prepress and production lost a bunch of people and internal printing has been completely shut down and will all be done from a third party printing company.
Circulation lost 5 people.
Editorial lost 6 people.
IT lost one person.
Lehigh lost their assistant and receptionist.
5 designers where laid off. All exceptionally hardworking people. Obviously, outsourcing will be forth coming. They only have a hand full of designers left and the majority of them aren't very good. And the exceptions to that statement will be worked to death.
All the sales people from the Cape will be moving into the main office.
3 people where given options of a lower paid position or a severance package.
One of the positions offered was an ARS down in Bonita.
The Production Manager has been demoted to a supervisor instead of manager and is taking a pay cut. She deserves better than that.
In total 27 people where laid off. Some were offered part time or lower positions.

Naturally, none of the people who SHOULD have been canned are going. Once again they have made the WRONG decisions. I don't know what their reasons are for letting these people go, but it's got to be political. Last time they when by senority... there is no real method to their madness this time around.

[saidit]

Are you still there??

If so, then as you said, that all of the best were let go, then you must be a bad employee!!!

Naturally, none of the people who SHOULD have been canned are going. Once again they have made the WRONG decisions. I don't know what their reasons are for letting these people go, but it's got to be political. Last time they when by senority... there is no real method to their madness this time around.

[saidit]

Name?


sa

I can't see them letting 15 go from adv. Who would be left????

We have graphics, digital reps, ARS's, outside sales reps, national sales reps, inside sales reps, classified reps, sales assistants, managers, etc. Have I missed anyone? I hope not. So, I think a few from graphics, classified, and outside sales perhaps. WHat ya think?

Since credit dept is gone will they still need our layout dept?

I think so. How many do we have total???

[madashell]

Are you still there??

If so, then as you said, that all of the best were let go, then you must be a bad employee!!!

No, I'm not. My job was eliminated last year. Are you?

[Guest]

I think you missed mentioning the adver. courier, which was there for 26 yrs.

[former employee]

5 designers where laid off. All exceptionally hardworking people. Obviously, outsourcing will be forth coming. They only have a hand full of designers left and the majority of them aren't very good. And the exceptions to that statement will be worked to death

That is infuriating. I know that at least two of those people, MR and MM, were smart, ambitious workers who developed new skills over time and were open to learning new things. They were probably the two biggest assets on that team, especially when you take into account their personalities and attitudes. I just don't understand the reasoning behind letting them go but keeping people whose skills never left 1990. I guess it is probably because the people who made these decisions hasn't the foggiest idea who was good and who wasn't. Everyone is just a set of numbers, a graph of production where quantity is the only variable. Was DW kept? If so, great, because he knew what he was doing but that just makes it even more of a mystery since he had the least seniority. I heard about MR, MM, CH, ST and TP and their boss, DH.

Sorry to hear about the courier, who I think would have been KS? Did something happen with ER? She had almost no department left. Was the demoted manager MV? Please tell me it was. He has this air of being smug that makes me want to hate him.

And in HR, really, they didn't let go of SR who sent the whole company some manager's employee history including pay? She's smug too. Never had time for anyone. I guess they kept Captain Corporate Doublespeak, AW.

I heard that the creative artists, none of which was let go, have been asked questions about their web skills. They will probably be thrust into doing something none of them has ever been trained on in order to eliminate people in online.