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Ryan Eashoo
F L I N T O I D
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Shhhh! It is supposed to be a big secret, but the Flint Journal is letting go (offering an early out) to about 100 people. Great reporters like Doug Pullen, Carl Stoddard, Todd Seibt, and Ed Bradley (to name a few) are among these chosen 100.
Also, 3-4 Flint Journal photographers will be leaving. The photography department
will now be running on only 2 full time photographers and 1-2 part timers (possibly some interns as well).
The graphic design department will be fully eliminated and most of the work will be contracted out. Staff and office workers are also leaving.
The Flint Journal has witnessed newspaper readership declining for years, along with local businesses and residents. A Flint Journal worker who wished not to be identified said "They are trying to keep it hush-hush and not write about it a lot in their columns or articles". A few people are starting to write about it now as the early outs start now and end in May 2008.
One of my favorite writers, Andrew Heller will stay at the paper ( for now ).
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Flint Michigan Resident, Tax Payer, Flint Nutt - Local REALTOR - Activist. www.FlintTown.com |
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Tue Jan 01, 2008 3:31 pm |
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last time here
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please don't tell me their gonna off-shore any departments!
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Tue Jan 01, 2008 3:36 pm |
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FlintConservative
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That's old news, Ryan...where have you been?
Flint Journal offering employee buyoutsMonday, October 15, 2007 | 6:24 PMNewspaper business being hit hard by economy By Joel FeickFLINT (WJRT) -- (10/15/07)--Staffing cuts at the Flint Journal should be clarified by the end of the month. The publisher of Flint's largest newspaper blames the economy for the cuts.
The Flint Journal's publisher says the paper is offering voluntary buyouts to staff members, but there will be no layoffs.
According to Dave Sharp, the publisher of the Flint Journal, staff members have been offered voluntary buyouts in order to reduce expenses.
Story continues belowAdvertisement
Sharp declined an on-camera interview and added no one else at the Journal would be authorized to talk about it.
The employees would be offered four weeks' pay for every year of service, plus paid medical benefits.
Sharp says he has no target number of employees he's trying to buy out, but the process should be complete by Oct. 29.
For readers, it may result in some familiar columnists, reporters and photographers disappearing from the publication.
A publisher of magazines in Flint says he feels the moves are caused by the declining ad market and a shift to more people getting their news online.
"I personally think it's sad because I know right now this town is suffering in a lot of ways," said Uncommon Sense publisher Matt Zacks.
"I think what's going to happen is the Flint Journal will go toward free lancers and a lot of times there might not be people who have a personal stake in the community, so some of the stories aren't going to be as powerful."
A similar buyout offer is being made to employees of the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, a sign the newspaper business -- especially in Michigan -- is hurting.
"There's a real struggle with newspapers right now," Zacks said. "Obviously the Internet -- especially with my generation -- is becoming the primary source for gathering information."
Sharp insists the circulation of the Journal is strong, claiming it was the only newspaper in the state to grow in circulation last year.
But he says the local economy is too weak and its staff is too large, forcing them to, quote: "align staffing with volume."
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=local&id=5708569 |
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Tue Jan 01, 2008 4:52 pm |
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twotap
F L I N T O I D
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Maybe if that had a few "fair and balanced " reporters and columnists like Fox news they wouldnt be cutting back.  |
_________________
"If you like your current healthcare you can keep it, Period"!!
Barack Hussein Obama--- multiple times. |
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Tue Jan 01, 2008 6:20 pm |
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Ryan Eashoo
F L I N T O I D
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I guess its not a hush hush thing... thanks for passing that along FC.
quote:
FlintConservative schreef:
That's old news, Ryan...where have you been?
Flint Journal offering employee buyoutsMonday, October 15, 2007 | 6:24 PMNewspaper business being hit hard by economy By Joel FeickFLINT (WJRT) -- (10/15/07)--Staffing cuts at the Flint Journal should be clarified by the end of the month. The publisher of Flint's largest newspaper blames the economy for the cuts.
The Flint Journal's publisher says the paper is offering voluntary buyouts to staff members, but there will be no layoffs.
According to Dave Sharp, the publisher of the Flint Journal, staff members have been offered voluntary buyouts in order to reduce expenses.
Story continues belowAdvertisement
Sharp declined an on-camera interview and added no one else at the Journal would be authorized to talk about it.
The employees would be offered four weeks' pay for every year of service, plus paid medical benefits.
Sharp says he has no target number of employees he's trying to buy out, but the process should be complete by Oct. 29.
For readers, it may result in some familiar columnists, reporters and photographers disappearing from the publication.
A publisher of magazines in Flint says he feels the moves are caused by the declining ad market and a shift to more people getting their news online.
"I personally think it's sad because I know right now this town is suffering in a lot of ways," said Uncommon Sense publisher Matt Zacks.
"I think what's going to happen is the Flint Journal will go toward free lancers and a lot of times there might not be people who have a personal stake in the community, so some of the stories aren't going to be as powerful."
A similar buyout offer is being made to employees of the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, a sign the newspaper business -- especially in Michigan -- is hurting.
"There's a real struggle with newspapers right now," Zacks said. "Obviously the Internet -- especially with my generation -- is becoming the primary source for gathering information."
Sharp insists the circulation of the Journal is strong, claiming it was the only newspaper in the state to grow in circulation last year.
But he says the local economy is too weak and its staff is too large, forcing them to, quote: "align staffing with volume."
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=local&id=5708569
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Flint Michigan Resident, Tax Payer, Flint Nutt - Local REALTOR - Activist. www.FlintTown.com |
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Tue Jan 01, 2008 7:17 pm |
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last time here
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their a little late........
i never thought they wrote stories that exuded a "personal interest".
i've always considered many of their stories "shaped".
why did the price go up if their dumping employees?
oh well, i wonder if heller's getting the buy out? |
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Tue Jan 01, 2008 7:52 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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| The reduction in sales of newspapers could also have something to do with people having to pinch pennies in these changing economic times. Comcast and AT&T should take note as well. People who have previously subscribed to higher-priced phone services or entertainment packages may also be reducing rather than expanding purchases. All things unnecessary are subject to being cut from budgets. |
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Tue Jan 01, 2008 8:30 pm |
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Demeralda
F L I N T O I D
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Ryan, I don't know where you get your information, but it's all wrong, sorry.
The buyout was offered to anyone who works full-time and has been there for more than 2 years. This is not a selective group of 100. Hundreds qualified, I believe, and about 90 or so took it.
There are still full time graphic designers and artists. I haven't heard of any move to freelancers.
I do believe much of the writing staff has taken it, but many of them have been there so long that it was an offer they couldn't refuse. |
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Wed Jan 02, 2008 11:04 am |
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Ted Jankowski
F L I N T O I D
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| Actually, The word I heard is with the parent company buying up all the Newspaper media (the new policy change under the Bush Administrations (I can't think of the department at the moment)). Which violates current anti-trust laws. It's all part of the Republican deregualtion where only the biggest companies own everything. Now more little guy! |
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Wed Jan 02, 2008 11:18 am |
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Demeralda
F L I N T O I D
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Do you mean to free up money to buy? Because they haven't bought anything yet.
It's a private company, so who knows what will happen. If I had to guess though, I'd guess they'd be thinking of selling properties rather than buying them. |
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Wed Jan 02, 2008 1:34 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
F L I N T O I D
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| The way I understood it was that no one enity could own multi media (newspapers, tv, radio) outlets. Because of anti-trust laws. But, some new changes in regulations have changed the way this is defined. |
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Wed Jan 02, 2008 1:49 pm |
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Demeralda
F L I N T O I D
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Yes, newspapers can now one one TV (or radio?) station in the same market.
I don't think they're dying to gobble up any local TV stations, either. Whatever is happening to newspaper advertisers is also happening to TV, radio, and cable. Everyone's moving money to online advertising, which I don't get, since I avoid it even more than I do TV ads. |
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Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:40 pm |
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BlahBlah48439
F L I N T O I D
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yeah its in the works for that department to leave according to a couple of current Flint Journal workers.
quote:
Demeralda schreef:
Ryan, I don't know where you get your information, but it's all wrong, sorry.
The buyout was offered to anyone who works full-time and has been there for more than 2 years. This is not a selective group of 100. Hundreds qualified, I believe, and about 90 or so took it.
There are still full time graphic designers and artists. I haven't heard of any move to freelancers.
I do believe much of the writing staff has taken it, but many of them have been there so long that it was an offer they couldn't refuse.
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Wed Jan 02, 2008 5:54 pm |
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Demeralda
F L I N T O I D
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Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:36 am |
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Opinionated
F L I N T O I D
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Help - I need everybody to weigh in on this!  I was told last night that these Journal workers each got buy-outs of like $300,000-$500,000, depending on how many years they had in. I find this very hard to believe! Is this true?  |
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If you can imagine it, you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it. |
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Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:48 am |
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