*LA Observed has updated information about today's cuts. Two reporters, Brandon Lowrey and Jerry Berrios, got pink slips and photographer Tina Burch took a buyout. LAO also reports that three editors were reassigned to the Metro desk.
**Updated 4/25: Add staff artist Jon Gerung to the list of those laid off yesterday. That from the union's Daily News[room] blog, which also includes rumors of more layoffs as early as next week. Here's a portion of the goodbye letter Brandon Lowrey sent to his soon-to-be former colleagues:
Even as a pretty idealistic young guy, I can't deny times are depressing for our industry. Reporters are unappreciated and undervalued, both by corporate bigwigs and many in the public. I can see how some can become cynical and jaded.
But the very fact that you all keep doing is inspirational. It reminds me that there are good, smart and reasonable people out there who really want to change the world - or at least their corners of it - for the better.
Posts
77 comments:
Where are the layoffs in the sales department, which supposedly needed more "feet on the street" to generate revenue and prevent this sort of thing from happening? If they're not selling, why are they holding on to jobs while newsroom staff hard at work providing content get shown the door? Readers and advertisers might actually want the paper if its content had some depth and breadth, but instead they're being told, "No, buy it first, and maybe the content will come. In the meantime we're dumping more writers and editors." Brilliant.
If anyone needs to go, it's Carolina and little Eddie.
The Daily News is so far down the drain even Roto Rooter can't save it.
I beg to differ. This ship was doomed even prior to her arrival at the DN. If Carolina's guilty of anything, it's of taking the job despite of it...
Roto Rooter is a good suggestion, and it's not too late to seek their help. The Ghosthunters on SciFi Channel are Roto Rooter guys during the day. 1) Maybe LANG should hire them as consultants to help with organizational issues, blockages, problems in the pipelines and with dead accounts, as needed, 2) or, to establish advance communication in case things don't work out.
To 5:34---
The deal may well have been sealed prior to her arrival, but she never showed any leadership or independent thinking. Unlike Ron, she just rolled over for the front office.
She never met with staff, couldn't make a decision in a meeting, nor came out of her office and associated with the newsroom.
Even with a staff half the size that it was when she arrived, she still doesn't know who people are or their job functions.
The once proud DN is producing about half of the retail revenue that west covina is. Simply a joke. Little Eddie will destroy what little remains. Look at his track record in this job and his many, many other weak efforts in prior assignments. He hires bad people and when they don't perform fires them. The last ad leader was his choice, the last publisher was his choice, etc. Feet on the street, newspapers next, and a host of other time wasters are his legacy. When does circulation fall below 100k? Revenues will continue to fall. Take a look at their brilliant recruitment Yahoo deal and how well that has worked. People fought against their very bad recommendations over a year ago, and, they were right. Little Eddie, you were wrong. Check your numbers. And don't tell me it is a bad economy. If that is the case why is the DN being outsold by west covina? Because you don't spend a lot of time there.
west covina is small time. it's cheaper out there than in the valley.
right. west covina...it's a factory with smoke puffing out. lovely.
have the folks there been at any other big time papers?
Oscar Garza's departure will not hurt what is left of the paper because his work ethic was never exactly stellar and like Carolina, he remained an enigma to staff during its darkest hours.
Also, many of the changes announced Friday are merely the undoing of needless promotions the hapless Carolina made in the first place. Yes, the paper is on life support, but its top editor has been in over her head from day one - did not and does not have the news or management chops. She has been a failure on basically every level - not even a single even small success to point to.
I wasn't defending west covina as a great city. I was simply stating that in spite of the ills they may face, that group of newspapers not outsells the DN in just about every category of advertising. Maybe all. And, whether the folks there have been at any other big time papers isn't the issue...they are kicking ass versus the other LANG newspapers. I know that is like in the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king, but, it is quite unique that with less circulation, higher average rates etc. they manage to leave their sister papers in the dust.
Take a look at one of little Eddie's other brilliant moves. The DN retail rates have shrunk by bringing in yet another one of his "key" executives. Right Renee! How has that plan worked out?
There's a substantial amount of Running Wind but not many advertisers running ads.
Someone please explain to me how the honchos in Denver can let this farce at LANG continue. You clearly have three newspapers in San Gabe that have and continue to outperform all others. It was doing so in circulation, news coverage, advertising, spirit, production etc. Was does the brilliant minds at LANG do. Circ manager gone, publisher gone, editor gone, etc. Now, I recognize all may not be liked, but, the results were there. How has the reorg gone Eddie? Happy with your performance? Happy with the people running the place? Happy on your decisions over the past 18 months? If you are, seek qualified mental help.
LANG was supposedly busted apart and each paper to go back to their own and suddenly it's together again.
the folks mentioned at a meeting once that they didn't understand the whole LANG thing since all the papers are such different markets and demographics. now they consolidate.
perhaps to avoid bankruptcy? if one goes down, they all do.
perhaps to avoid bankruptcy? if one goes down, they all do.Nope. They started that stuff long before going broke was ever a threat. Consolidation was the business model from day one. MediaNews took a page straight out of the Clear Channel playbook and adapted it to print media.
- Create a regional monopoly by buying up every property you can get your hands on
- keep a few local faces for color and personality, but fire most of the rest and use cheap generic content across the whole company instead
It's important to remember that Singleton and Scudder and their partners have been getting rich this whole time. Whether or not the ride is over, and whether or not the company goes belly up is irrelevant. They got their millions out of your ass the hard way.
Am I reading this right? Some of these posters consider the Daily News "big time"? I think they've stumbled across a big part of the problem right there.
Who moved the goddammm cheese? It was here - and there and over there too - for a long time, and then he lost his cheese and she lost her cheese and I'm starting to think pretty soon there ain't gonna be no more cheese left around here BECAUSE ALL THE CHEESE WENT SOMEWHERE ELSE
re: Anon @ 11:49
Well, the Daily News surely has its faults, and it's in truly sad shape today. The paper's further gutting this week will make it even less important.
But it is one of the top 100 circulation papers in the country -- at about 130,000 subscribers weekdays. And in theory the Daily News seeks to cover a major U.S. city, whereas the other LANG papers take just a piece of the suburban L.A. pie.
This is mid-2008 circulation data for the LANG papers:
Redlands ~7,000
Whittier ~15,000
Pas Star-News ~26,000
SGV Trib ~38,000
Bulletin ~51,000
SB Sun ~52,000
Breeze ~64,000
P-T ~78,000
So yeah, comparatively the DN is "big time."
Of course, it's not clear print circulation even matters any more, and those numbers are probably a lot lower now.
But still, let's get some facts into the fight.
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/NEWSPAPERS0903.html
Audit Bureau of Circulation
http://abcas3.accessabc.com/ecirc/newsform.asp
Last poster you raise a fair point...vs all but the LA Times DN is bigger. However, as you pointed out, about to shrink even further in print. And, since it appears they don't have an online business model that works, print is what they have to sell. Of course, print continues to shrink, but, their overall readership is growing...give me a break. On the negative side, the DN revenue is a joke and their circ is dropping at a faster clip than sister papers.
ENOUGH ALREADY!
Does West Covina bring in more money than Woodland Hills? I have no idea, but I'll trust you on that one. Congratulations on making your budget.
Is it meaningful? Yes. Does it make them a better paper? No.
West Covina is more profitable at the moment. The Daily News is bigger. Leave it at that and stop trying to impress everyone.
Be proud of what you've got and stop acting like an insecure child. What do you gain by trying to pick a fight and insult other papers in LANG?
This is NOT the time for us to be fighting with each other. When the layoffs come back around to West Covina (and if you think you're safe I've got news for you bubba) are you going to enjoy it if everyone else does the same thing to you?
To the prior poster. Are we overly sensative? First off, I don't work in West Covina, and I wasn't bragging about their accomplishments. I would put up the three San Gabe papers against the DN and I doubt if readers would be able to rate the DN higher from an editorial perspective. Second, when you have a larger audience to sell and you are being outsold by a much smaller sister paper with higher costs per thousand, it speaks volumes about the lack of direction and leadership in Woodland Hills. It isn't picking a fight, it is just stating the facts.
San Gabe has been more profitable for at least two years if not longer, so it is not a recent event. As a matter of fact, profit is not a word the DN should be using...it doesn't make one and hasn't for quite a while.
If I could be a paper to own, it would not be the DN over the three San Gabe products...you have your current publisher to blame for that newspapers rapid downfall.
And one more point, the San Gabe newspapers have been hit just as hard if not harder on layoffs etc.
T
Mr. T,
I'm not sensitive, because I don't work at the DN either. But someone (is it you?) is obsessively crapping on every thread with the same line over and over again about how much better San Gabe is than the rest of the chain. Get over yourself.
As far as comparable layoffs go - what's your newsroom staff at now? How's the ratio of reporters to circulation? Are you willing to lay any money on a bet that you're at a distinct advantage over the DN?
where is san gabe?
http://www.google.com/search?q=san+gabe
San Gabe is comprised of the pasadena star news, san gaberial valley tribune and whittier daily news. The three newspapers at least a while ago were referred to the San Gabe newspapers because the plant was in the San Gabriel Valley...I guess all three are in the San Gabe Valley.
And to the stressed out individual at 2:27, as I mentioned in an earlier posting, I don't work there so how would I know those critical stats such as number of reporters vs circulation. It has no bearing and never did. I guess covering over three dozen cities, city councils etc is the same as covering the san fernando valley, etc.
No dog in the fight on who wins here. Just reporting the facts...those papers are better run than the DN and have been for a few years.
Argue all you want on resources, if you count correctly, and not add in all the employees working in the office who work for all the papers, the DN isn't any weaker in staffing. Though they should be.
And by the way, not scientific, but, it seems more folks in this thread seem to think the DN just isn't a solid paper.
my response has been a little late due to the kleenex run I had to make to dab my tears to the ranting of annon at 2:27.
get a grip. seems to me you are keeping score, and if so, you lose!
how many other papers have people from san gabe worked out? why compare the big leagues with the minors? i don't get this. the league is the league regardless of anything else.
btw, media news is in forebearance, not the DN. media news is ALL the papers. so no need to take swipes at each other guys.
the newsdesk consolidation of torrance, long beach and daily news to west covina was simply a money decision. cheaper out there.
Baby T,
At first I wasn't sure about your claim that you don't work for San Gabe, but all the criticism against the Daily News is clearly not coming from people who work in the industry. Lying or not, that's close enough to the truth for me.
Maybe you're management, maybe you're advertising, maybe you're just an idiot with an axe to grind. Doesn't matter either way. I discuss industry news with journalists, not nimrods.
But you go right ahead and keep on telling us all about how much better West Covina is. Coming from a non-journalist, I doubt any of us are going to care.
Jeez, c'mon. Calling the Daily News major league is like calling the Lancaster Pilots major league.
The DN was a godawful big paper before Dino got hold of it, now it's a godawful medium-sized paper.
Soon it'll be a dead small paper.
8:03 i beg to differ. it clearly is people in the industry writing these comments. only insiders would know such detail. even going as far as to describe and name names.
Newsjunkie:
Like I said, they might be management or advertising, but they're sure as hell not a reporter. My money is on a SGVT manager trying to make themselves look good.
No journalist would ever say that circulation is irrelevant compared to advertising, or that staffing doesn't matter, or that the ratio of reporters to circ doesn't matter.
The only thing that seems to matter to this critic is ad sales. You tell me where they fit into things? It should be obvious.
Well, if you were betting the big bucks you earn as a reporter, you would lose. Not management, not ad sales, just someone who knows some facts that you want to push under the rug.
I am not on anyone's bandwagon. I was just stating a statistic that surprised me...how a smaller newspaper in what a number of people would say is an area that isn't strong from a demo point , outsells the DN.
It wasn't meant to crap on journalists, it wasn't meant to do chest pounding on how great their ad sales team is doing. It simply was a statement of facts that seemed to run against what I would have guessed without knowing the numbers.
And, you are flat out wrong about the circulation/journalists, at least wrong about what you think I said. The ratio of reporters to circulation is a statistic that is useless and you know it. It doesn't have any bearing on staffing. A number of publishers, CFO's etc will back this up. Maybe in the dark ages it was a number people could look to gauge how they were staffed to their peers, but, it was useless then and it is now.
Finally, I could care less about MediaNews other than a number of talented folks still work there in all facets of the newspaper. Yes, journalists, sales, management, etc. However the numbers are shrinking rapidly and that is the point.
Because the so called leaders are paying attention only to cuts and not growing revenue the papers will continue to bleed.It won't work.
So journalist at 2:41, if ad sales were stronger, do you think there would be less stress in the newsroom?
The venom that continues to run through any LANG message is always surprising. Othe newspapers announce layoffs, reduced benefits, closings, and, there is little hand wringing.
LANG announces moving ahead with layoffs and we get into an arguement on ad sales, circulation vs editorial, my daddy can beat up yours.
Even journalists who post here are saying things like close enough to the truth for me.
Since most of these posts are anonymous, guessing isn't spot on.
What I gleen from these posts are that this group of newspapers are in bad shape. Financially, organizationally, and mentally.
I wish them well because they are worth keeping.
5:45: good for you!! totally agree. someone has to speak up here. all this venom and infighting is ridiculous.
Those smaller papers were better products until the LANG braintrust made them look like the DN. I go back to what I said in another post, the DN has had problems with typos and botched headlines for years. The DN sports section is notorious for putting headlines and photos for the wrong features. If that's what you call a big-time paper, maybe that's why bankruptcy is the answer.
the DN has won many awards. has name recognition. can get the interviews and highest circulation in lang.
Before this goes any further, I'd like to point out that this started because I told someone else to knock off the infighting.
But to answer a couple of statements:
"I am not on anyone's bandwagon...."
Really?
"they are kicking ass versus the other LANG newspapers"
"they manage to leave their sister papers in the dust"
You're from a newsroom huh? That would be the first reporter I've ever met who got hot and heavy over retail rates, used the term "advertising products," name dropped ad managers and their decisions, and relied on publishers and CFOs to make their point...your bias is showing.
This whole time, your main point has been that the SGVT is a better paper, purely because it outsells Woodland Hills in advertising. I didn't start this argument, I just called you out for making that claim. Smaller paper? Who cares. Less awards? Big deal. It's all about the money to you. There's nothing wrong with that, but you're not from the newsroom.
You appear to be confused. I never said I was from the newsroom...at a LANG newspaper or any other.
A journalist I know well use to teach a journalism class at UCLA. The assignment the first half of the semester was to create the best newspaper you could without any consideration to the cost. The second half of the semester was to make a profit.
Profit is not a four letter word and as mentioned prior, wouldn't employees and readers be a lot better off if some money was being made?
I say your bias is showing and if you are from a newsroom, you should know better. I guess other opinions don't matter especially if the disagree with yours.
As far as awards go, so what. Because the Los Angeles Times won awards does that make them a great newspaper today?
The DN glory years are behind them, especially under this current management team.
Also, you seem to have an ability to read what isn't there. I never said the SGVT is a better paper. As a matter of fact I am defending the DN because it is sad to see how a once proud tradition has been dropped in the toilet and getting ready to be flushed by those who now run it.
And if you are a reporter, taking statements that are incomplete is misleading the reader. You should know that.
I AM NOT ON ANYONE's BANDWAGON
What about the rest of the paragraph and the next. Seems to have a different meaning when you look at it in a complete way.
So Anon journalist. This anon poster wishes you and your newspaper well. I hope the carnage ends, the days of excellence return, and most of the stress in the industry disappears.
Good luck to you.
FWIW, UCLA doesn't have a journalism program.
Boy oh boy. You have a hard time reading. No one mentioned a journalism program. I believe the poster said journalism class. And, it is a fact. Can't speak for today, but, UCLA had a journalism class. Bet on it.
Profit is not a four letter word and as mentioned prior, wouldn't employees and readers be a lot better off if some money was being made?I never said profit was bad - I said it shouldn't be the only metric of quality, and that a paper with better ad sales isn't better than a paper with a bigger circ. You disagreed, and you're wrong. Sorry.
I say your bias is showing and if you are from a newsroom, you should know better. I guess other opinions don't matter especially if the disagree with yours.No, your opinion is worthless because you're not a journalist, and you have no idea how a newsroom works. If you don't understand the product side of the business, don't presume to lecture others on how the business should be run.
As far as awards go, so what.I don't even need to respond to that one.
Also, you seem to have an ability to read what isn't there. I never said the SGVT is a better paper. As a matter of fact I am defending the DN because it is sad to see how a once proud tradition has been dropped in the toilet and getting ready to be flushed by those who now run it.Liar. And I quote:
"The once proud DN is producing about half of the retail revenue that west covina is. Simply a joke. "
"I would put up the three San Gabe papers against the DN and I doubt if readers would be able to rate the DN higher from an editorial perspective."
And here's your full post, the one you think I'm quoting out of context. I'm not seeing anything new there.
"I wasn't defending west covina as a great city. I was simply stating that in spite of the ills they may face, that group of newspapers not outsells the DN in just about every category of advertising. Maybe all. And, whether the folks there have been at any other big time papers isn't the issue...they are kicking ass versus the other LANG newspapers. I know that is like in the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king, but, it is quite unique that with less circulation, higher average rates etc. they manage to leave their sister papers in the dust.
Take a look at one of little Eddie's other brilliant moves. The DN retail rates have shrunk by bringing in yet another one of his "key" executives. Right Renee! How has that plan worked out?"
Yeah, you're not on anyone bandwagon at all.
Your cover's been blown chief. Tell Lambert and Pine to send someone a little smarter next time. You haven't got the chops for this kind of work.
Hey,
To the all knowing journalist. You are right. All the other posters here are wrong. Seems like you have all of the answers and can even decipher who all the anon posters are. We all bow to you brilliance.
And my guess is that some of the posters here who are critical of the daily news revenue dept are actually being critical of the revenue dept.
And I do know who Lambert is and have never met Pine. Guess you need to go back to the drawing board oh wise one.
You all need to find something to do with your spare time. Maybe you can help hang up all those awards.
blah blah blah blah. for all this drivel i can read singletons papers
To the all knowing journalist. You are right. All the other posters here are wrong. Seems like you have all of the answers and can even decipher who all the anon posters are. We all bow to you brilliance.If you can't beat 'em, smear 'em. Can't say I blame you - the facts weren't exactly helping you out any.
I only argued with you, but if you want to think there's some massive West Covina uber alles uprising going on here, be my guest.
Don't go away mad baby, just go away.
Never get into a battle of wits with an unarmed man seems to fit you pretty well. After your journalism career is done, which is probably sooner than you think, politics may have a special place for you.
Best to you and all your cronies at the NFL DN.
I liked side two of that album better than side one. You mean uber alles isn't a dead kennedy's song. Oh my!
you guys both suck, but Mr Journalist sucks more.
Who is this Uber Alles guy? Does he work in West Covina?
It would appear that you have offended more than one here. You are a bad man. Please stop before you make them cry.
Your barbs are really causing pain and anxiety.
I get the feeling that any one of these posters quite possibly were recently laid off. The hallmark of a recently laid off journalist: anger, frustration, passion, smarts, but some blindness.
And a desire to stay in, and to stay relevant. Much like what newspapers are going through too.
I know because I was recently laid off and I could have posted almost every one of these comments.
Keep this passion. It will be necessary to remake journalism of the future.
Ok so all of this bickering aside, I have a few questions to throw out here and would love some honest commentary in return...How long do you think Singleton will remain in SoCal? When will the doors finally shut on all these papers? Have you heard word that the papers are soon cutting back to four-day publications?
Dean will leave when he can't strip mine the assets any longer. Then the papers will die.
April was the first concern because the company knew it could not meet the debt payment due. And, it did not. In this case, the speculation was right. The forbearance was a polite default. It's through a glass darkly from here. The word is that June is the next date certain, with speculation that some form of disposition of assets possible over the summer when the polite pretense of the "metro" papers turning a profit is over, and letting the banks take the metro portion in lieu of unmeetable bond payments. Presumably, the partnership will want to separate the still profitable "Inland Division" from MediaNews-owned metro LANG. Perhaps cutting back frequency is another step, like throwing carriage passengers to wolves as the horses tire.
it is a fact that the Daily News is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars per qurter. Other Lang papers are not.
The Breeze outsells West Covina.
When they run out of cards to play the four day delivery option most likely will be tested at certain newspapers. That is just an opinion, no facts here. They continue to bleed and as an earlier poster mentioned, much more so at the DN than other Singleton LANG newspapers. And, they are running out of cards rapidly.
What good would the note holders derive out of closing the operation down? It isn't worth much and will be worth less in the future. They can't win. Seems like Singleton will be able to continue his havoc at least in the near term.
This "Covina is better than Woodland Hills" argument is amusing.
Similar to hearing the third class passengers tout their superiority to the first class passengers on the Titanic as it's sinking.
Perhaps a contest to see who gets laid off first is in order.
if media news goes down, they all go down. also, there is no breakup of lang. in fact there is a consolidation.
but put it this way, all a forebearance is is putting off the inevitable. sorta like when your studen loans or house payment is due and you get an extention. but unless you come up with the money.....
Yes, it seems the Daily News is heading in the direction of shedding publication days. This is also an opinion. But they've slashed the reporting desk to 10 Metro reporters. How can a newspaper cover the nation's second largest city with such a small staff seven days a week? It could work though if the paper cut back on publication. And btw, to the comments about the DN losing hundreds of thousands of dollars...part of the problem is that DN management keeps their over-paid friends employed and fires everyone else. So nearly all the newsroom layoffs at this point have occurred at the lower level where there are smaller salaries, such as photographers, reporters, Internet. LANG could get a bigger bang for their buck if they actually laid off an over-paid manager and were able to keep more people earning lower wages. Just a thought.
The Bi-Daily News, there's a concept. Lean Dean is making the papers worthless so nobody can rebuild them. Run while you can.
I agree they are very management heavy. The whole system is screwed. Singleton wanted consolidation and shared content or a " communist " newspaper. The problem is the managers don't want to work together and they all turn on each-other, fighting for the same piece of pie. Not only does the reader get the same boring story in each paper the mangers energy is spent trying to protect their territory in stead of making a better product.
if you want proof of that, just look here. management infighting is one of the biggest problems in lang
Remember, the shrinking print size and 30 word story began at the DN and was forced on the other successful papers. The DN is a joke and so is Dean.
Be careful, you could get the DN DEFENDER all riled up again.
...I don't work at the DN.
Be careful, you could get the DN DEFENDER all riled up again.
Still thinking about me? Don't worry, the butthurt will fade with time.
Your status as a moronic little troll? That one's gonna last a little longer. Sorry 'bout that.
you seem to think that every poster who disagrees with you are the same individual. never said you worked at the daily news now or prior. frankly i could care less where you work.
and i must say those rapier like witty comments do rankle my sensitive side, please, please stop the pain.
my guess is the butt hurt will fade quickly based on , well, your talent and ability.
moronic little troll, oh my. but you are right about being sorry. rest in peace misguided one.
I warned you. He is off his medication and is pissed off again. He may have to resort to large words yet again.
methinks the lady doth protest too much.
saying it won't make it so.
how many awards has san gabe won? poll people and ask how many of them have heard of it?
38,000 circulation?
and what about the coverage?
If you were to take a poll on who has heard of the Daily, News, San Gabriel Tribune, San Bernadino Sun, etc. you would be surprised who has heard of any of them.
Why don't you try that out on media buyers and see how many of them recognize any paper besides the LA Times and possibly the Register.
Congratulations on the awards.
don't lang executives have anything better to do than surf the internet and mess with people?
The Daily News is an okay paper, but the Trib looks and reads like a bad college newspaper.
6:39, that's an interesting comment considering the articles are mostly the same articles. SGVN has much better editors and journalists than the DN. All the DN had was a union that doesn't work. I'd put the PT over the DN in a landslide.
5:46...no they don't.
btw, the daily news isn't losing hundreds of thousands of dollars per quarter as an earlier poster mentioned, they are losing more than that each month. way to go little genius.
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