Fancy new digs for MLive Media Group

Here's the MLive story on the fancy new Grand Rapids digs for the MLive Media Group company.

Detailed layoff numbers for the Jackson Cit-Pat

Here are the total layoffs as reported to the State for the Jackson Cit-Pat. I will post links (the link to the Grand Rapids corporate layoffs is broken) as they come. It is a total of 71 for the Jackson paper and many from the newsroom.

A total of 91 of the current 142 employees at the Flint Journal received the layoff notices. The positions lost are listed here.

Saginaw News is reporting 12 positions gone.

Official State layoff notices are posted for Grand Rapids, Flint

Thanks to a FFE reader there is the first of what promises to be more WARN postings (this link, which worked yesterday is taking me to the page, but the information that was on there Monday is not on there today - the links to the information in the above posting still seems to be working) on the State website. So far Booth is reporting 82 Flint Journal employees received layoff notices and 55 Grand Rapids Press employees (a poster said those 55 employees are Booth corporate employees not Press employees) received layoff notices.

Previous layoff notices to the state were:

1/11/2010 - Kalamazoo Gazette - 105 employees

3/23/2009 - Flint Journal - 82 employees
3/23/2009 - Ann Arbor News - 85 employees
3/23/2009 - Valley Publishing in Bay City - 63 employees

Obviously, these numbers do not include those who accepted buyout packages which certainly number in the hundreds.

Crain's: An analysis of recent Booth moves

A couple folks, one here and one by e-mail have sent me this link to a Crain's in-depth article on the recent changes at Booth.

It's a pretty good look at what has transpired, although they, like me, can't get a handle on what the total layoffs are across the state.

Flint news via blogspot by an 'old' pro

Thanks to an FFE reader I received a link to a blog by former(?) Channel 12 news reporter Cathy Shaffran who always did a professional job in her work for WJRT-TV.

I met Cathy on the street at crime and accident scenes and bumped into her (not literally) over the years on the police beat.

Hopefully she will make more money on her blog than I have on this one ($46 here so far, not even enough for Google to issue a check). She has some interesting breaking news from City Hall today.

Yeah, probably needed a correction

A friend of the blog - Kevin McKague - sent along the following newspaper correction:

And as a point of reference I used to live very near to San Carlos, California where the Enquire-Bulletin is published.

More reflections (and info) from Chattering Teeth

There's more interesting stuff about the changes at Booth at "Chattering Teeth."

Welcome to the future of local journalism

Here's a story that shows what the future will be like with freelance "content producers," fewer copy editors and a reliance on non-paid staff.

What took the media so long in Joe Paterno story?

Interesting Reuters story on the initial reluctance and slow response of the media to the Penn State scandal.

Annarbor.com rankings

Here are some graphs and information about the current popularity of Annarbor.com. I'm no Internet guru so I'm not even going to try to pretend what these numbers mean. On the Alexa site it rates the Ann Arbor site as "very slow" in loading. In the bottom 18 percent of all sites.

And just to be fair my site is way down the list.

Job listings up at MLive Media Group

There are currently 72 job postings for the new MLive Media Group. They are heavily weighted toward sales, but there are some reporting positions and other "content producers."

None say what the starting salaries are, but with the experience and job requirements listed those positions should be worth at least $50,000 a year or more.

If someone applies for those jobs, please let me know what they are offering in salary and benefits so I can let others know.

Also, there are "content production" positions in all the properties except Bay City. The only jobs listed (so far) in Bay City are sales positions. Not sure if that means anything for the Bay City Times, but perhaps they are planning to have the Flint or Saginaw reporters fill that hole as well.

Maybe there are more jobs coming, but right now that's the list.

Newpapers dying: Not according to this survey

Here's a study published by  E&P that says newspapers are still viable.

A MLive Media Group announcement translation

This translation of the MLive Media Group announcement was too funny not to share.

A look back at one round of cuts at the FJ

This former FJ boss outlines the awful choices he had to make in "downsizing" at his former employer.

This is Part I, I'll link to part 2 when it is available.

What happens when a community loses its newspaper?

Here's a look back at a community that lost its paper 18 years ago.

Another blog takes a look at the new MLive Media Group

Chattering Teeth (a blog) has some interesting reflections on the new MLive Media Group.

MLive Media Group: Your Town. Your State. Your Way

MLMG_Video2 from MLMG on Vimeo.

And in case you've forgotten this classic.

There is just something about this clip that reminds me of the current MLive Media Group leadership team.

The Booth changes by another person who has experienced it

This blog post by a former Flint Journal reporter and editor says it better than I could.

The Community Engagement Specialist: Are you good at goobledygook?

I think this is related to journalism, but this new job description, listed on the new MLive Media Group site had to be written by a marketing guru. I had my techno savvy youngest child translate the following job description because I don't speak technobabble and she says what they are seeking is someone to find people to write news for free in each community and to post questions and prompt people to respond to items on the website. What the job description doesn't describe is how much this person will make. The job is full-time but does it come with benefits. Kind of important info for a job applicant, doncha think?

Job Details

ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF THIS POSITION

The Community Engagement Specialist will work with editors and content producers to keep consumers and user engagement at the center of all efforts while engaging users directly across all platforms. This position will manage and maintain news hub’s presence in social media and emerging platforms; work with community editor to develop and articulate institutional opinion pieces for web and print; conceive and execute public-facing events or other social opportunities to encourage public interaction with local news hub; and recruit and manage a network of local community reporters in a variety of subject areas.

REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Marketing, Public Relations or related field required
• Minimum of 3 years experience working in communications, marketing, social media or a similar customer facing role required
• Editorial/Media, Marketing, Customer Service experience, a plus
• Strong project management, multi-tasking & organizational skills
• Excellent writing skills and content creation/curation capabilities
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of online community platforms including social media and online presence
• Ability to effectively communicate information and ideas in written and verbal
  format, and build and maintain relationships
• Team player, with the confidence to take the lead and guide other departments
• Demonstrated capability in capitalizing on high-value topics by engaging audiences in frequency and urgency
• Understanding of the methods and tools used to deliver content across a variety of platforms such as Moveable Type CMS, SCC Budgeting and Archiving System, Smartphones
• Understanding imperatives of multiple platforms – print, mobile, Internet, etc.
• Proven ability to utilize a broad set of tools to tell stories and engage the audience
• Mastery of social media and digital interaction

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Duties and Responsibilities, work schedules and/or location may change based on evolving business needs

1. Work dynamically with editors and content producers to maximize traffic around posts through interaction and engagement techniques:

• Commenting in stories
• Elevating comments to comment posts
• Watch competing media for link-posting opportunities
• Monitor media – local, mainstream and social -- for trending topics with local impact
• Reader polls

2. Manage and maintain news operation’s presence in social media and emerging platforms, in concert with overall state editorial strategy and protocol.
3. Engage in comment streams as “voice of the organization,” in concert with established engagement protocols and editorial mission.
4. Probe comments for use in opinion pages/blogs or for other situational content purposes and curate conversations that are of community interest.
5. Work with community editor to develop and articulate institutional opinion pieces for web and print; budget and communicate with production center to meet print demands.
6. Maintain engagement statistics for use by local market management and staff, and prepare analytic reports as required by Director of Metrics/Community Engagement.
7. Conceive and executive public-facing events or other social opportunities to encourage public interaction with local news office.
8. Conduct regular staff training sessions on community engagement techniques.
9. Collaborate with community engagement specialists statewide on best-practices techniques, projects, staff training programs and other initiatives.
10. Create engaging, interactive and optimized product offerings, leveraging the relationship between technology and customer data and insight

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

General office environment. Extensive computer use required. Some travel may be required. Ability to work flexible schedules.

The Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, physical or mental impairment, or any other category protected under federal, state or local law.

There is also a posting for a reporter position in Grand Rapids that is more straight forward. Unlike the above job description this one does not whether the position is full-time.

My favorite MLive.com comment so far on the changes

Below I'm posting my favorite comment from the 125 so far on Publisher Dan Gaydou's announcement of the changes. Most entertaining are the frequent responses from the company about how they are going to amaze everyone with the new product in just three months. They are pleading for people to wait and see the magnificent product yet to come. This sounds vaguely familiar doesn't it? Let me think, what was it? Oh, AnnArbor.com promising to give us something we've never see before two years ago.

Remember what we received from that promise. We received crap, but most of us had seen crap before.

If you have a free half-hour check out all the comments on the post here. Remember that because of the wierd layout of MLive, you have to scroll down aways from the article to see the posted comments.

This from commenter Litterateur:

LitterateurNovember 04, 2011 at 10:58AM

Follow

The comments here about costs, home delivery and medium of delivery are entirely beside the point.
If the final product was worth it, I'd pay more. If the delivery medium of delivery changes, and the content is worth worthwhile, I'd adapt to it.

Restructuring is about downsizing. Downsizing is about eliminating people. If you have bad employees, you fire them. Period. If you're restructuring and downsizing, you're eliminating good people and working out ways to get more work from fewer people while doing your best to conceal that from your customers.

I've read every single comment up to this reply. If I read one more pathetic post from Bernie or Jeff from Booth, I'm going to cancel my subscription just for spite.

Bernie keeps posting "give us a chance" and "we think you'll be pleased." Really. Why? Spell out your intentions, and then I'll decide whether to give you a chance. And what part of "I want a daily newspaper on my front porch" is confusing you?

Jeff keeps posting about these popular features -- TV listings, puzzles. Really. You're thinking I can't buy a book of puzzles at the grocery story? Or get TV listings online? Besides, who really watches network TV anymore?

If my reason for subscribing is to get local news and information, how exactly is the MLive Media Group going to provide better content if you intend to layoff dozens of people?

You're guessing the local school board president will text you the dirt on the superintendent, and you'll hide it in the word jumble? That I'll get the latest on a serial rapist in my neighborhood, but only after I solve No. 2 across and No. 7 down?

I'm guessing that the point of the TV listings is to direct me to local TV news where, for the very first time ever, I might actually get news from the idiot box than from blank (editor's note: The spelling error was in the comment, not in my translation) ink on white paper.

How about being honest? You're laying off people because the economy is bad, you're restructuring in hopes of staying in business, and you hope readers will hang in because you're doing the best you can with the resources you have?

I'd take a chance on that. Really I would. But your pathetic attempts to sell the sizzle while replacing the steak with spam is a poor way of convincing me that I can trust your content for truth and accuracy.

Another view: Technology is the savior

Not sure I agree with much of what is written in this blog, but here it is for your reflection.

Job opening at The Center for Michigan

Someone sent me this link to a job opening at The Center for Michigan. Looks like a think tank group and don't know much about it except it is headed by Phil Power, who owned a chain of newspapers that I once worked briefly for.

In looking through the staff and the "Truth Squad" link there are a couple former Boothie writers and writers from several other newspapers in the area involved in the project.

Just an FYI for those now looking for work.

The new MLive Media Group leadership

Here's a link to a photo of the new MLive Media brain trust.

Follow some of the links at the top of the page, especially the job listings, which are right now heavily weighted toward sales. Didn't see any writing jobs, but perhaps those will come later. You wonder how long this has been in the works without anyone letting the troops in on the pain to come.

Links to news on the changes

Thanks to a reader here's some news links to the latest changes.

A television news report on the changes in West Michigan.

From News and Tech this story.

Another television news report on the changes on the west side of the state.

Reflections on a 'blood letting'

My e-mail and blogger account have been alive in the past 24 hours with staffers, former staffers and soon-to-be former staffers letting me in on what is happening in Booth World. Nearly 800 people, mostly from Michigan checked in overnight on the blog.

If it weren’t for the “Jim Smith” clause in the buy-out contracts I would have had many more on-the-record comments. But when people take the buyouts now, Booth requires them to sign a contract that prohibits them from saying anything negative about the company. Pretty incredible coming from a company built on the First Amendment of the Constitution.

I think a good lawyer could poke a large hole in a clause defining what negative comment is. Is the truth, negative? Are the facts, negative?  But who wants that hassle after losing a job? So the company’s attempt at intimidation of its former employees has worked to a large degree. That is why I’m pretty liberal with my anonymity policies on the blog.

Besides many of the folks who are posting anonymously I have talked to via e-mail and on the phone so I am confident they know what they are talking about.

More than one called Wednesday’s announcement a ‘blood-letting.’

All of this was more difficult that previous bad news announcements, the writers said, because for a year they have been hearing nothing but the mantra “we’ve turned the corner,” “ things are better,” and “we’re making a profit” from the suits.

Some folks aren’t waiting for the January date to leave. At least one apparently decided to quit on the spot after being told their job was gone.

At Kalamazoo, the estimates are that 20 newsroom employees are gone. That leaves 7, which is both editors and reporters on the staff. The losses apparently include the metro editor (who has been at the paper for 25-plus years) , the business editor, the public editor, the editor, the photo editor, the publisher and the sports editor.

That’s not all, four full-time writers and two full-time photographers also got lay off notices. The marketing department is no more and a lot of part-time and other support staff are gone as well.

Sounds like a bloodletting to me. Similar situations are described at other properties as well.

People inside the company are not buying this “there will be many new jobs that you can apply for” stuff that the company is putting out. Here’s what one person wrote:

“…everyone knows that those jobs will pay much less and offer little or no benefits. No one will come back to apply for the same job, working more, for less money. No one.”

The suspicions are that the new jobs will be largely paid interns and part-timers.

This blog has tried to avoid getting personal. As people, I like many of the current bosses at Booth. When I knew them closer they were good family people and friendly folks to work for, but something needs to be said about their leadership skills.

They stink.

I’m familiar with both military and civilian organizations (I was in the Navy during the Vietnam War as most of you know), I worked for two police departments in California and a few corporations, including Booth, in my civilian life.

I like the military model best. When a ship runs aground, it doesn’t matter if the captain of the ship is asleep in his bed and didn’t make one decision that led to the ship hitting land, the captain is responsible. In that scenario, his career as a Navy captain is effectively over. Most Navy captains don’t get a second chance at running a ship aground.

They either retire or they get shuffled into a dead end shore job that also ends their chance at promotions or honors.

Military responsibility runs from the top down, if things go badly in a battle, the soldiers who carry out the orders don’t get blamed, their officers do.

"To whom much is given, much is expected," Luke 12:48 (partial quote but one of my favorite).

Things at Booth, are completely backwards. Every time the captains screw up, more and more of the folks at the bottom get blamed and punished.

In 2008, after the folks in my buyout group left, the remaining staff was told that with all the high priced dead weight gone, the company was poised for a bright future. So it was full steam ahead into the future. For awhile anyway.

Then when the ship ran aground again, the same bosses who ordered the new alignment decided more folks had to leave so they could get younger and more agile minds into the mix. Oops, wrong again.

Only in corporate America is the strategy to shoot the wounded again and again.

Most of the folks commenting to me privately are astonished that the same folks who have led this disaster time after time, continue to get to lead this company and the new manifestation that comes after it.

No one disagrees that a new model is needed, but at what point does the captain and his leadership go down with the ship? I don’t think that’s a negative question, but a fair one.

A reminder on names

Other than reposting names already in circulation through news reports, etc. Let's be careful about using the names of potential lay off folks in our comments. To be honest I don't know specifically who has been laid off and who has not. Let's not make things worse by speculating with names. I was a little lax on that in accepting today's comments, but I don't want to have to edit or delete comments (pro or con) that use the full names of current employees. Thanks.

Business Week on the changes

Business Week has chimed in on the changes at Booth/Advance.

More on the layoffs

Information continues to arrive on today's Booth job massacre. Apparently, Dan Gaydou (who I always liked and respected) stood in front of folks, I believe in Grand Rapids, and explained that the company had to make a bold move and had to do it now. Next year, would have been too late. That kind of talk seems to indicate that all the positive talk about profitability we've been hearing for the past 8-9 months was corporate crap.

Actually the time to do something bold was 12 years ago, but none of the management was smart enough to see it or do it then. Why the same folks that were asleep at the switch 12 years ago think they are able to fix it now escapes me.

The layoffs seem very extensive throughout the chain. What also seems apparent is that the severance packages are not nearly as generous as in the past. Some of the folks getting the layoffs and severance will have a chance to apply for the new jobs, but I'd bet dollars to donuts the wage and benefit packages will be much reduced when they are offered.

There are reports of editors resigning and other editors being laid off. At least one sports editor is gone, according to sources. It is all very sad.

The Flint area editor is apparently defending the company's actions on Facebook, at least according to these comments I received.

Here's the whole Q&A about the Flint Journal as published on MLive. com.

And the video of Publisher Dan Gaydou is here at AnnArbor.com.

More info from some folks who know

Here is the link to some comments that shed more light on today's announcement.

Seeking info

I understand that some layoffs at the Journal may have been announced today. Haven't been able to confirm but sounds like at least one full-time long time reporter may have received walking papers. Sounds like there are plenty of layoffs, but they are not effective until the end of January. At least that's what I'm hearing so far.

If you can help with the info, please let me known anonymously and NOT from the office.

Security reminder for current Booth/Advance employees

Do NOT send me information from work. First, it's not ethical to do so, but even more importantly the company has a history of checking computers to find out where information is coming from. There is plenty of information coming my way from good sources who are not risking their jobs by doing so.

I wish you all well and want you to land on your feet, do NOT jeopardize that by posting anything to this site or to my e-mail from work.

Also, a lot of you were visiting here yesterday, probably in anticipation of the announcement. I had heard a large and mostly negative announcement was coming from Booth, but I simply didn't have enough confirmation yesterday to publish anything.



Thanks.

Letter from the Head Publisher

MLive has a letter from Dan Gaydou that outlines the changes, with the appropriate corporate spin. In other words, no mention of layoffs, coming online fees, etc.

Update: Just received information that the circulation call center work is going to move to Florida and perhaps another vendor. Many more local jobs are gone, although there is little mention of that in the official releases.

The closure of the Flint office and printing facility will be huge for downtown Flint.

All the talk coming out of Booth/Advance in recent months has been how they have turned profitable, blah, blah, blah. Maybe it hasn't been a big enough profit, but can't imagine huge changes like this if they were really on the right road.

Here's a tidbit from Poynter on the changes.

More Booth developments

Things are breaking quickly on the Booth/Flint Journal/Advance front: Here are a few Q&As from inside:

Sounds like the Flint Journal buildings will be sold, but a smaller office will be established in downtown Flint. And, of course, more layoffs. Sad for my friends still there.

Here's what I have from inside:

: Where will the papers be printed?
 A: The Flint print production facility will be closed starting February 2, 2012 and all Flint Journal print operations and full-time jobs will be shifted to the Valley Publishing facility in Bay County.
 Q. Will the local newspaper office remain open?
 A. Yes, but The Flint Journal plans to move from its existing building to a new, state-of-the-art digital media facility in a downtown location. That news will be announced when lease arrangements are completed.
 Q: What is going to happen to our local newspaper employees?
 A: Many of our newspaper employees will have a place in the MLive Media Group and will still work in your local community.  Many others will have a place at Advance Central Services Michigan. Some circulation call center jobs will be moved to an outside vendor. While we believe these changes will create growth opportunities for our current employees, the reality is they will also lead to reductions in our work force. We will provide as much notice and consideration to our employees as possible. We'll strive throughout this process to treat all our employees with the professionalism and respect they deserve.

Breaking News from Booth/Advance Newspapers

This is an announcement made today from Booth/Advance: This is either a press release or it is a Business News outlet's account of what is taking place: (There are huge changes, not the least of which is the end to a physical newspaper building and print shop in Flint staring Feb. 2.)


'"One of Michigan's largest media companies is restructuring into a digital-first company that its president says will better serve the needs of consumers and advertisers in Michigan.

Two new companies, MLive Media Group and Advance Central Services Michigan, will take over the operations of MLive.com, AnnArbor.com and Booth Newspapers, which operates papers in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Flint, Saginaw, Bay City, Ann Arbor and Jackson. The changes take effect Feb. 2.

MLive Media Group will handle news and advertising, while Advance Central Services Michigan will handle production, distribution and human resources.

Modern media companies need to move aggressively into the digital world, offering news on phones, laptops and tablets, even as they continue printing newspapers, said Dan Gaydou, publisher of Booth Newspapers and The Grand Rapids Press. Gaydou will be president of MLive Media Group.

Those new demands for digital content, reflected in steady growth at MLive.com, require a new structure, he said. MLive.com is Michigan's largest news and information site, with 2.7 million monthly unique visitors.

"We are focusing where our audiences are telling us they are living," Gaydou said.

The restructuring will include some employee layoffs and cutbacks in newspaper home delivery in four markets, starting in February.

At the same time, MLive Media Group will open new offices and hire people to produce content for MLive.com and the newspapers, and those jobs are open to employees affected by layoffs and others interested in working for the new company, Gaydou said.

"If you're a typical citizen these days, you are monitoring news around the clock: reading us on MLive.com, in paper editions, in morning newsletters delivered to your email boxes, and on apps for your mobile devices," Gaydou said.

"We will deliver on every platform."

Four newspapers, The Grand Rapids Press, The Muskegon Chronicle, The Kalamazoo Gazette and The Jackson Citizen Patriot, still will publish seven days a week, but starting Feb. 2 will change to a three-day-a-week home-delivery schedule: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

The newspapers will be available seven days a week at newsstands and by e-edition, which is the printed newspaper's digital edition for computers and tablets.

The Flint Journal will retain its current four-day home delivery schedule of Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. That same schedule will apply to The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times with the addition, beginning Dec. 13, of a home-delivered Tuesday newspaper. That edition currently is available only on newsstands in Bay City and Saginaw.

In Ann Arbor, Thursday and Sunday home delivery of AnnArbor.com's print edition will remain unchanged.

The number of employee layoffs is undetermined, Gaydou said, because he expects many displaced employees will seek jobs with the new company. The new company, however, will employ more local and state content producers overall, with less spending on structural costs, he said.

"Our digital-first company is going to be a smaller company, but it will be a highly effective communications and marketing solutions company," Gaydou said.

"We will be a growth-oriented company, more innovative and more engaged with the community."
MLive.com will add new features and its website will be redesigned. The company will invest heavily in product development in partnership with Advance Digital (formerly Advance Internet), an affiliated company that is a leader in the digital news and information space.

Media companies must innovate to serve a growing online readership, even as print circulation declines across the nation, Gaydou said.

"This is a new path that has promise. It offers growth opportunities for our employees, and a new way of reaching audiences," Gaydou said. "It's what's right for communities. We're making these changes to do our job better."

Gaydou, who has worked for the Booth family of newspapers for 36 years, also announced these changes:

-- New newsrooms, or hub offices, will be opened in downtowns of Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Flint and Muskegon, on or around Feb. 2. The current newspaper buildings in those four cities could be sold. "We're looking at properties and negotiating leases," he said.

-- Hub offices will continue in their current locations in Saginaw and Ann Arbor, as well as in Bay City and Jackson, where offices will be remodeled.

--Job openings at MLive Media Group will be posted in the coming days at mlivemediagroup.com.

-- The four newspapers moving to three-day-a-week home delivery will add new features and be larger on delivery days. The Sunday paper will include a new section with TV listings, puzzles and other popular features for the entire week.

-- Some statewide accounting services for the Michigan newspapers will be moved to a related company office in Delaware, and the Grand Rapids, Flint and Jackson circulation call centers will be moved to an outside vendor.

-- Newspapers will be printed in three locations: Walker, Ann Arbor and at the Bay City-area plant called Valley Publishing. The Flint print production facility will close Feb. 2, and full-time press employees will be transferred to Valley Publishing.

-- The Grand Rapids-area Advance Weeklies will continue to be published. The Flint community weeklies and Kalamazoo Hometown editions will be discontinued early in 2012.

-- The weekly West Michigan Business Review print product will end Jan. 1, and its content moved to MLive.com.

-- MLive Media Group's other top officers will be Matt Sharp, vice president of sales and marketing, Mark Hauptschein, chief digital officer; and John Hiner, vice president of content.

-- Advance Central Services Michigan will be led by Mike Ply, who will be vice president and general manager. It will oversee all production, distribution, purchasing, accounting, human resources and other support for MLive Media Group.

Plagiarism: The original sin of journalism just keeps on going

Poynter discusses the latest episode of plagiarism in the media. You just have to ask how people, in this day in age, believe they can get away with this when everything is so easily checked.

And then this latest example.

Yet another reason I am no longer in the news business

The new AOL online service is apparently adding a few new duties to its editorial reporters. The article at the link shows how difficult it is to be a news person today.

This is why journalism experience matters

Journalism experience does matter and this story illustrates it very well. That said, any Journalism 101 student should know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

Another take on the story is here.

Off to the land of Tombstones and a Great Canyon

Not that I have been posting here all that much anyway, but Joan and I are leaving on our next great adventure today so most of the writing and blogging will occur on the Grandmas Recess blog.

Happy trails!

p.s. I finally got around to posting the story of our trip to California back in May on Grandma's Recess.

Spin worthy of a national politician

In announcing its "progress" toward the digital future, the Savannah Morning News buried the fact it is laying off more employees.

Photo chief resigns rather than layoff co-workers

Love a person with principles. Of course, it won't likely save any of his co-workers jobs, but at least he didn't have to do the dirty work.

Sad news, Tom Kowalski, longtime Detroit Lions beat reporter dies at 51

This should have been up on the blog yesterday, but I have been in the Internet darkness for 36 hours because of a "tower" problem. That fixed I need to mark the passing of a great sports writer and a good friend.

Tom Kowalski, who I first met in 1984 when I went to work for the Oakland Press died unexpectedly Monday. No word yet on what caused his death.

I haven't seen Tom much since I left the Flint Journal, but we always joked together when he worked at the Oakland Press and I would see him occassionally when he worked for Booth. While most affectionately called him "Killer" my pet name for his was "Homer," which was a joke about some of his coverage of the Lions.

Of course he was not a "Homer" but he knew I was kidding when I would call him on a positive column about the Lions.

Here's another nice tribute from the Free Press.

RIP, my friend.

Non Sequitur gets it

This Non Seequitur cartoon was just too good not to share.

Every so often someone just gets fed up enough to tell the truth about newspapers

Poynter has a good story about a managing editor who went public, quite undercover, to expose the new owners of his newspaper. Make sure, if you are interested in this topic, to read the links in the Poynter article to the actual essay in the newspaper.

As you can guess the managing editor did not last long at his job after this was published.

Is Patch on the verge of being sold?

This also from Poynter on the future of Patch and its economic impact on AOL.

Hyperlocal or hyperstupid

Poynter has looked at a hyper local experiment at one major newspaper.

Better late than never, charging for the news online

Looks like a decade after they should have started this, newspapers have decided the online content has value too.

Ten years too late, the tune is changing

Really, not going to "do more with less" anymore. Finally a dose of reality.

Pot, meet kettle

This one is pretty funny. The Huffy Post has indefinitely suspended a blogger for borrowing too much from a story. I thought the Huffy Post was all about "borrowing" the work of others - for free - as its business model.

AnnArbor.com puts the clamps on its columnists

The new breed of Booth/Advance editors can't stand controversy. They buckle under the pressure of "offended" readers. Now they have decided to formalize that "buckle."

There are days when I miss being a newspaper reporter/columnist. And then I read this stuff and I'm glad I'm out. For good.

Newsosaur: Print is still king, but the crown is slipping

This article is an look at the print versus digital debate and specifically why newspapers can't go digital, at least not now.

Happy Fourth of July

Marching this morning in the Fourth of July Parade with my American Legion Post. Guess I can mark the parade marching off my bucket list after 11 a.m.

Happy Fourth everyone! Be safe.

Can't wait to read this book

The NY Times reviews a book - "Deal from Hell" - that sounds like my kind of story.

"Branding" and why it sucks

This column is probably the best response to the ludicrous recent trends in journalism. Mr. Weingarten, who I have quoted here before, has it exactly right.

During my last few years at the Flint Journal there was a big push at the Journal emphasizing our "brand." Which was, I think, In Touch, Involved and some other "In" that I can't remember right now. We reporters used to joke - privately - that we should have "Incompetent, Inert and In Trouble." There were a few others, but you get the idea.

We were all told to embrace this new promotion. Well, we see how that all worked out. Don't forget that many of those who thought this was the solution to our problems are still around, or running AnnArbor.com.

Ah corporate America in the new Millenium. The bosses get bonuses for their failure

The Indy Star is the latest victim of backwards journalism thinking. The bosses who lay off the employees get bonuses and raises for their dirty deeds.

Not surprising, just business as unusual.

The story of the "Greatest Paper" and how it died - and squandered $150 million

Received a link via e-mail about the rise and fall of "The National" an experimental national sports newspaper that burst on the scene about two decades ago and then faded into oblivion about 18 months later.

It took with it a number of some of the best sports writers in the country. Except for the short opening, the story is told entirely through the voices of the people who experienced it. For the faint of language there is some infrequent use of obscenities in quotes. If you are offended by strong language, don't click on the link.

The unpardonable journalistic sin claims another writer

Paige Wiser a reviewer/columnist in Chicago has lost her gig over an ethical violation. The older I get the more I wish we could cut folks a little slack over a one-time issue.

Here's another link to information about the story.

Let's not forget that Mitch Albom, an award-winning columnist for the Detroit Free Press got a pass from doing pretty much the same thing when he wrote a column implying he was at an event when he was actually somewhere else.

Like Albom, I think Wiser may have deserved a reprimand, but a second chance.

Here's another link that mentions that she only agreed to cover the event after she got an agreement from her editor to take her children. It was one of her children getting sick that forced her to leave the concert early.

The old mailroom circa 1960s

The "Green" thing, then and now

I really loved this.

In the line at the store, the cashier told the elderly woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment."

Her response: "Do you think you are right because our generation didn't have the green thing in its day? Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back then.

"In my day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks. You are right - we didn't have the green thing in my day.

"Back then, they washed and dried all the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts - wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. Maybe that's why we didn't have the green thing back then.

"Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house - not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

"Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They
exercised by working so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. You see, they didn't need the green thing back then.

"They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a throw-away cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water.
They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But they didn't have the green thing back then."

"Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

"Isn't it sad… the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks were just because they didn't have the green thing back then?"

A2Politico looks at AA.com nearly two years in

Former Ann Arbor News reporter Tom Gantert re-visits the success, or lack thereof, at AnnArbor.com some 22 months into the experiment on A2Politico.

One example of what I was talking about

One of the key newspaper delivery folks for the Journal gave his two week notice (found this on Facebook) with the new policies at the Journal.

In his Facebook posting the driver noted that when the three-day-a-week Journal started back in June of 2009 he had 859 customers. A year later that number had fallen 154 customers to 705 and as of last Sunday was down 230 customers to 629.

I don't think newspaper management can blame the folks who deliver the newspaper for the decline, but they are paying the penalty for yet more poor business decisions from the folks who yet survive.

This is just my guess, but a lot of those drivers hustle and work hard and over the years have done pretty well financially, many of them have incomes - due to their own efforts - higher than the bosses in the office. There may just be a tad bit of jealousy going on there as well.

In any event, they all deserved better.

One more home delivery day brings bad news for drivers at the Flint Journal

On June 14th the Journal will begin home delivery of the Tuesday newspaper (currently available only at stores). But the change also brings some really bad news for some veteran single copy drivers, some who have been with the paper for more than four decades.

The change will see the end of the careers of many really wonderful people who have loyally delivered the paper. These delivery drivers are the unsung warriors of the newspaper business and they work long and awful hours and back in the day sometimes worked seven days a week.

Termination letters have gone out to about 18 of the single copy drivers and when the Tuesday change occurs the home delivery drivers will also be responsible for bringing the single copy issues to the stores.

You probably will hear a lot about the Tuesday delivery, but you will likely not read much in the paper about the effect it will have on this unique group of workers.

From the best information I have the current situation is that the single copy drivers make 17 cents profit for a daily paper and 49 cents for a Sunday paper. Now the home delivery drivers will get 8 cents a copy for every paper they deliver, even if not sold.

So here's what will happen:

Say a driver gets enough stores to deliver 120 Sundays and the stores sell 100 of them.

Driver gets paid $9.60 to deliver and may have to pick up any unsold and take them back to the FJ.

In the past the same situation the driver would have paid the store its cut, paid the FJ $133, and then made $49 profit for all the work.

Now after the stores gets their cut the FJ collects $1.82 per paper sold or $182 and then pays the driver their $9.60.

Hardly worth the gas at current rates. And there are no buyouts for these long time newspaper delivery folks.

Some of the home delivery folks have already seen drops of up to 1/3 of the subscribers they had when the Journal ended daily publication.

More as I get information.

Memorial Day 8

Memorial Day 7

Memorial Day 6

Memorial Day 5

Memorial Day 4

Memorial Day 3

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day 2011

Thank you U.S. Military

Props to the U.S. Military and President Obama for finishing the task started almost ten years ago under President Bush. If you see a soldier, airman, Marine or sailor tell him/her "thanks."

You all know I'm a Navy veteran of Vietnam so I feel an immense pride that it was a group of Navy Seals that ended bin Laden's life and reign. So many men and women have sacrificed to bring about this day and I choose to remember them tonight.

Notice, we will be traveling for the next two weeks and posting will stop probably for the duration so you can save your time and return about May 23.

Jeff Jarvis: Newspapers vs. Digital: We win, you lose

Here's some thoughts on the future of newspapers by Jeff Jarvis.

FJ looking for full-time reporter

There's an opening for a full-time reporter at my old employer.

A discussion of the 'new' journalism

Follow this link to a online discussion on the Lucy Ann Lance Show (WLBY 1290) with Larry Eiler, Eiler Communications; and Charles Eisendrath, Director of the University of Michigan Knight-Wallace Fellows / Former Foreign Correspondent for Time Magazine.

It is about a 40-minute discussion of the status of journalism and journalism education today. As the timer counts down at about 24:30 you will hear a critique of AnnArbor.com and later a defense of print journalism. At about 4:30 there is an additional critique of Newhouse and AnnArbor.com.

When you get to the page at the above link you'll need to scroll down to the April 19, 2011 item and click on the "Click and Listen" tab.

Pulitzer Prize awarded to old fashioned beat reporting

The LA Times won a well-deserved Pulitzer for its work on the Bell, California public employee salary scandal. In its coverage of the prize, Poynter describe the various interactive tools used by the reporters to enhance the story.

What is interesting to me is that many of us suggested to our FJ leaders more than ten years ago that we should use the Internet and website to post the many documents that we were obtaining in investigations. So many times, we gathered information that was interesting, but simply too extensive to use in the printed version of the story.

I know that I had a direct discussion with the current content czar at AnnArbor.com about how we should make those documents available to our readers when we were first discussing how to use the Internet in the early 2000s.

Other reporters had similar suggestions, but what we heard back at the time is that MLive.com was not set up to do that kind of thing. The Michigan Booth group suffered, and continues to suffer, from the limitations of MLive.com and the fact that they can't, or won't, do the kind of linking and attachments that you find on other more sophisticated newspaper websites.

So the same ideas many of us were suggesting back then contributed to a Pulitzer at the Times this week.

Oops, maybe we should have disclosed this conflict of interest a little earlier

If you saw the 60 Minutes piece on Greg Mortenson and his alleged charity rip-off you will appreciate his hometown paper finally acknowledging that one of its editors had a direct connection to the charity.

Here's the Bozeman newspaper's coverage of the controversy after the 60 Minutes piece.

I really love college journalism

Some innovative students found a way around a college directive.

Sometimes only the printed word gets out

From Poynter comes this article about how reporters got the news out when technology was wiped out in an earthquake and tsunami. Contrast that to the time in Flint when it snowed a lot and the publisher made the decision to suspend publishing for a day.

The haves get their "haves" while the "nots" get theirs

This from Gannett about the "shared" sacrifice of top management with their employees.

Wonder what that 'buyout' cost?

The Advance trial on the "job pledge" ended in a confidential negotiated settlement. You know that Advance didn't want to lose that case on its merits. Too many potential suits in that case. Before the settlement there was some juicy testimony that gives a little insight into some of the perks of the "haves" in the Advance family of publishers.

Job pledge suit reveals a lot about Advance

From the mailbag comes this al.com story about a former publisher's suit against Advance Publications. It is an interesting read, including the amount of pay that the publisher received (and continues to receive in retirement) compared to the folks he supervised. You have to believe that Advance didn't want to have that information out. Glad the Press-Register is covering their own story, however. Here's a little more information from another source.

USA Today to give bonus based on "hits"

There is so much wrong from a journalistic standpoint with the idea of rewarding writers for the number of Internet "hits," but I don't have time to list them all now. Sensationalism and relevance come to mind just off the top of my head. Writers should be rewarded, and much better than they are now, but not based on this. (Attribution note: I found this link on Facebook, but can't remember who or when)

Gazette reaches settlement in tax issue

The cost of downsizing apparently was $1.5 million in Kalamazoo. And, surprise, surprise, the paper couldn't reach its own publisher for a comment for its own story. Update: Thanks to an FFE reader we now have the full written statement of the publisher. As a reporter you dislike written responses for comments because there is no chance to ask follow up or other relevant questions of the source. Interesting that a publisher avoids that interchange with his own reporter.

Crime doesn't pay, especially when you create the stories you cover

From time to time you hear about stories where reporters become the story.

Publishers: Stick a fork it in it, publishing is over

This from Reflections of a Newsosaur about a couple publishers who believe the old newspaper model is toast.

Comments become news

One of the troubling aspects of the "new" journalism to me is the idea that the comments on a story are as important as the story itself. It appears that when a story receives many - or outrageous - comments that newspapers believe that becomes news. At my old paper they repost an item on MLive.com that deals just with the comments. In a recent case a story about the increase in the African-American population in Swartz Creek suddenly required a repost when commenters turned the story into a chance to recycle racist stereotypes in the comment thread. You can see what I am talking about here. (Link no longer works - April 14, 2011) Some of the comments on MLive.com were taken down but they remain at this site - at least for now. Let me know if they go dark and I remove the link. To see all the comments click on the "here" link at the bottom of the item above.

AnnArbor.com finally responds to layoffs

The three leaders of AnnArbor.com have come forward (partially) to update the community on their recent layoffs, etc.

It's amazing to me that they needed a year-and-a-half to find out that what people want is crime and breaking local news. Any first year journalism student could probably tell you that, but better late than never.

Keep the comments on the topic and not so much the personalities. Thanks.

Tone down alert

I reluctantly deleted a comment today (one of less than 10 since I began). I've been a little lax lately about the no last names rule, but when the comments get too personal it crosses my line.

Feel free to attack me, or disagree with me, but anonymous comments that take on folks who are not the subject of the post cross my imaginary line.

Sorry.

Best journalism ad ever (Foul language alert)

Mother Jones reported on this ad for the Sarasota newspaper. If they are serious this would be a great place for a reporter. Especially love they enjoy the sometimes angry interaction between reporters and editors. (Hat tip to Kevin M. for the link).

The best news rooms are the ones where there is a real tension between reporters and editors and the weekly, sometimes verbally violent, flare up between a reporter and his/her editor.

Instead of viewing it as a distraction, as was the case at the Journal, it should be viewed as professionals battling for the best product they can publish. As an editor I would never want a reporter who wouldn't battle hard for their work. (Heck, when I was chief editor of The State News I was at least once referred to - to my face - as a "goat brain" by one of my reporters.)

Newspapers should never discourage or punish passion, they should reward it.

A few of my confrontations were show stopping fits of anger (not really proud of all those) but they were out of my desire to produce the hardest and most interesting story I could.

Better reporters than me were constantly battling editors (and company lawyers) to keep in information they felt vital to the readers. Where that is happening, everyone wins.

Job opportunity

My former employer is looking for an editor. Don't tell them I sent you.

More 'good' publicity for AnnArbor.com

Looks like a choice for an editorial board member has met with a bit of controversy over at AnnArbor.com.

Make sure you read the comments under the AnnArbor.com posting.

AP staffers protest contract

Oh, the happy business of journalism today. (Someone at Poynter should have caught the typo in the headline, though).

Another funny from The Onion

Spotted this on Facebook, good satire.

Something for Friday

This is funny on soooo many levels.

Ann Arbor Chronicle on the AnnArbor.com layoffs

The publisher of the Ann Arbor Chronicle does an excellent job of wrapping up the current and past history of the Ann Arbor News/AnnArbor.com situation.

More on AnnArbor.com

Thanks to Ed, late of AnnArbor.com, we have news about the layoffs here. A2politico.com has even more in depth here. I love the description of "Kontent King Tony" and his avoidance of discussing the profitability of AnnArbor.com.

As one who sat through way too many of Tony's meetings, I can only tell you he is a first rate spinmeister. Problem is, no one ever believes the spin.

Clearly the ship is taking on water. With the management team assembled anyone should have seen this coming.

Remember this was going to be a website like no other, it was going to define the new journalism, according to those who started it. Well, let's hope not.

Trouble at AnnArbor.com?

There have been some rumblings that all is not well at AnnArbor.com. This was posted on Sports Journalists. Apparently entertainment, sports and other areas of AnnArbor.com are being effected.

Feel free to contact me at jlsmediaservices(at)gmail(dot)com with further info. Anonymous is fine, but please try to give me some indication of credibility or how you know so I can double check.

A little something until I get home from Florida: Kzoo Gazette getting sued

I know I have been absent from the blog for a month. We are traveling and in Florida (grandmasrecess.blogspot.com if you are into other people's vacations). I promise to get back up and running when I get home, but for now this article about the Kalamazoo Gazette being sued by the city for back taxes may interest you.

It is terrible that the publisher chose a stupid "no comment" when certainly something could be said.

The same people who want everyone else to respond to reporters should never use a "no comment" for its own business.

How about this:

"We have been forced into difficult business decisions based on emerging technology and a difficult recession. Our attorneys will vigorously defend those decisions."

That says basically nothing, but isn't the stupid "no comment" we all hate.

On civility on the Internet

This is a good read and explains my insistence on civility here.

Joan and Jim's Excellent Adventure

For family and friends interested Grandma's Recess is up and running again for our current trip. I will try and blog at FFE, but it may get even slower than it has already been recently.

First installment of Grandma's Recess

When will they ever learn? Another sad tale

Hard to believe that people, especially in a digital age, still think they can invent stories. One of these fine days I'll let FFE readers in on a similar story that happened at the Flint Journal, but was never reported to its readers.

That happened at the Journal at a time when the editors were merciless about corrections and letting the public know about screw ups. But when this one happened, readers were never told. As I said, for another time.