Some persistent rumors this week that were not solid enough to post earlier this week apparently have come true this morning with the resignation of the Journal's editor to "pursue other opportunities."
Speculation is that he was odd man out of the three-way management system between the Bay City Times, Saginaw News and Flint Journal. As the editor of the larger of the three he may not have wanted to answer to a boss from one of the other papers. That's my speculation.
Also there is news that the current publisher of the FJ is also retiring, leaving his son as his replacement. More Newhouse nepotism. And the same minute I posted this, here's the story on Mlive.
Add to post: Although our motto was always, "it can always get worse" with a change in leadership, at least as far as the newsroom goes, and the little I know about John Hiner, this could be an improvement for the folks working in the Journal newsroom. How this will all shake out in the day-to-day management is anyone's guess. Hiner at least seems open to listening to reporters and respecting their point of view.
Remember also there was a report which I released earlier about a $430,000 severance payment to a retiring publisher. This may be it.
My wife and I are leaving on vacation tomorrow, but I will post as new information becomes available if I have a good wireless signal.
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30 comments:
John Hiner was nothing more than Tony Dearing's hatchet boy at BCT.
OK, no more names and not so personal. I've got a reject button and I'm not afraid to use it.
If you want to put your name on the post, I'll give you a little more leeway.
I've let the first one go, but no more.
John became editor after Tony left for Flint. They didn't work together.
Clearly, former newsie never worked at BCT. Hiner was metro editor when Dearing became editor. They were both on board in those positions for the last three years I worked there. In that space of time, they fired three good journalists.
Cool. The decor in the publisher's office at Flint was getting pretty stale.
It was completely redone twice in the last decade, as I recall, from cherry to ... was it oak?
that was during a time when clocks in the features department didn't work, there were holes in the employee bathroom walls, urinals were intermittent, and the newsroom carpet looked like a thin layer of compost.
Glad they are keeping the buyout money and the power in the family, too.
That national search must have been exhaustive, time consuming and expensive.
America needs you, Danny G.
I worked with both these men at The Times, and the first comment here is absolutely right. Former Newsie is absolutely wrong. Just look at the former's job history in The Journal's story. One was metro editor when the other came from Ann Arbor to be editor. Either that or the last years I worked with both of them were all a bad dream.
All I can say is: Be careful what you wish for.
The Titanic has hit the iceberg and this is the move they make? Get ready for a heavy dose of soft news in Flint. In BC, the story of a 93-year-old man freezing to death because the city turned off his heat was buried inside. It got better play nationally. A kid who died after he was tasered by cops ran under the fold. Welcome to "community journalism" in its worst form.
OK, it's not ALL their fault. But:
Will we ever know what these arsonists got paid in buyout and parachute money to burn down hundreds of years of journalism, centuries of brand and thousands of years of employee experience?
Nah, prolly not.
Word of caution of to Flint reporters: Either be the new guy's best buddy or never turn your back, because that knife's gonna hurt when it goes in.
Jim, you know I have been no fan of Flint newsroom leadership since shortly after the Indians were pushed out and Michigan became a state.
But there's no reason to do a happy dance about the current editor leaving Flint. Not that I would never EVER defend that guy --personally I'm delighted that he's leaving. But I just don't think it makes any difference about now, there's no damn newspaper left and only seven reporters and a photographer to write and shoot whatever they are calling The Journal these days.
T. A. Gonzo
Wow. The editor at the Journal out after 80 or so days. That must be a record.
I don't know the new publisher but from what I know of his dad, he's probably a pretty decent human being. But this is not a good day for the news side of operation. Nope.
So right about being the new "executive" editor's best buddy. The only difference between him and his predecessor, who can be seen boring us to death on annarbor.com,, is that one of his two faces shows some personality and charm. Don't be fooled!
One guess who the new "exec" editor hand picks to be editor at BC. He and his right-hand girl don't know jack about news, but the evidence shows they sure know how to climb over bodies to get what they want, plotting with their little heads together the entire time. Guess we all should have learned to crawl with the snakes. Maybe we'd still have jobs.
Hiner? An IMPROVEMENT?????
Good one.
Well, he DID do away with those idiotic recognition speeches on Wednesday afternoon, but anyone could've done that.
That's OK, Jim, you don't know Tennis Boi. And, honestly, there are those in Saginaw and Flint who will adore him -- those insulated folks at the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, etc. I mean, the next time the cops are stringing 400 yards of crime tape around a bunch of chalk outlines on the north side of Flint, half of The Journal's cover the following day will be filled with a photo of some little kid helping his 4-year old sister get a drink at some water fountain.
When Tennis Boi and The Princess were simultaneously promoted at The Times in 2006, those of us stuck there knew the boys in New York had given up on the property.
Today, we've learned they've given up on the entire region.
The only manager left in Booth who deserves any respect is Paul Keep.
Just heard that the reporter left with the most time in the Bay City newsroom is getting a 55 percent pay cut. The editorial page editor is getting a 40 percent pay cut. They both have kids to feed! How can the new "executive" editor go to work and face those guys every day? He's worked with them for more than a decade! He's sitting pretty, and they're screwed.
Flint Journal just hit my tube.
Front page story of the father-son-Hiner dynasty. Lots of gray hair in two of the mugs.
Jumps to A2.
Only other story on A2?
"Inbreeding takes toll on gray wolves."
"ISLE ROYALE — The gray wolves of Isle Royale National Park are suffering from backbone malformations caused by inbreeding, posing yet another challenge to their prospects for long-term survival, wildlife biologists said Thursday."
You can't make this stuff up ...
I appreciate there's a need to vent, but I've now had to reject five posts on just this one entry.
Emotions are running high and I want to let people vent, but because I really don't know either the new publisher, or much about the new editor I'm not going to let much more over the transom.
I am deeply sorry for my friends and former colleagues at The Bay City Times and throughout Booth. At the same time, I am so thankful to be at my smaller Iowa paper making a little more than half what I made in BC. The best part is I don't have to look over my shoulder all the time.
Jalene Jameson
Jim, I appreciate everything you've done in trying to keep people informed about what's going on. But if you knew Tennis Boi and The Princess and knew what a climate of fear existed under the TD and JH regimes in BC, and still exists, you'd let staffers finally get it all off their chests.
I heard that the soon to be former publisher will be staying on as a "consultant". I hear he may be receiving nearly 6 figures in that capacity.
I'm letting people get a lot off their chests. I'm setting some very weak limits, just to keep things somewhat under control.
I know very little about Bay City, so I'm tempering that lack of knowledge with just holding the line a little bit on over the top comments.
Only those who have had comments spiked know how bad they were. Even some of what I'm posting now makes me wince just a little, but I know there is some benefit to letting folks get some of this off their chests.
But I really don't want this to become simply an angry thread similar to nearly half the threads on MLive.
You can see here the range of comments that I have posted so you pretty much know the limits now.
Post away, just no profanity, no questioning someone's paternity or maternity and most of your are adults and now how to talk to one another.
Thanks, Jim
Not sure what it's like in Flint but if any of you are thrilled that the editor there is leaving, you're in for a rude, rude awakening. The new guy cares about himself and his laughable rise to the top. That's it. All sizzle (and not even much of that) and no steak.
I hope the post referring to the former publisher being a consultant at a 6 figure income is wrong. Clearly we could save the 6 figures, and clearly his advice will not be very effective considering the ship has been going down since he came on board. I know a lot of this is written about editors, and journalists and not from sales, but we are all a team and let me say, that without advertising dollars we will be in really bad shape very soon. There are a small group of FJ sales people who are experienced and good-- one was laid off, and some of the other more experienced ones are looking to jump ship as soon as they can. If they do, FJ will hire inexperienced people in. Who else would come to a failing business, with reduced benefits, no pension offer, and small paychecks? All they will get, is college grads who don't know a thing about selling newspaper advertising. There is a rumor that FJ and maybe the other papers, having one year to turn things around. Don't think that will happen, with ad dollars unlikely to rebound in one year. They are and will lose more of their good hard working sales people who have been giving them the majority of the revenue-- the majority of the staff have very weak revenue numbers. Believe me this is a sinking ship, i wish it wasn't but the reality is what it is. Use this time to save yourselves!
Why does the publisher get such a huge severance package? Is it because he did such a good job driving the business into the ground? He should be offered what everybody was offered 1 week for every year. It seems to me that they are rewarding these guys for their FAILURE and RUINING the folks that actually worked for the company. UNBELIEVABLE
I know many have their differences with the departing editor -- with justifiable reason -- but I think those with the biggest problem with him never saw that he did improve as an editor ever since he became a manager.
I think those who had the biggest problem never let him live down any mistakes he might have made and forever saw him as a micromanager who liked to rewrite stories and hold grudges. The fact is while at times he could be a jerk, he did have some employees with the egos to match. They never saw that over time he became less of a micromanger who did give his reporters the room to do their jobs. Those big critics usually never acknowledge the man's professionalism and commitment to journalism. Yes, he's never been as diplomatic in dealing with a tough situation, but what good newsman is?
With his departure, all Flint is getting is one less good journalist -- and that -- like all of this -- is sad.
Speaking of Booth publishers in this region, what if you've just been "retired" by the company . . . do you now have to actually PAY for off-season storage for your sailboat, or do you still get to park it in the building?
Oh, the trials and tribulations of the common folk.
"Hiner at least seems open to listening to reporters and respecting their point of view."
Jim, when did you turn to satire?
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