May 25, 2010

Haakenson opts out

Long Beach Press-Telegram sports editor Joe Haakenson has decided to quit his job rather than take a pay cut and be moved out to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, two sources say. Haakenson, a long-time Angels beat writer for LANG before taking the editor's post in 2006, apparently would have lost his title in the move and forced another person out of a job.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Joe was a good guy in the business. Sorry to see him go and I wonder what the hell the Press-Telegram is doing overthere.

Anonymous said...

Each time I say that it can't become worse in the land of toads they never disappoint.

Anonymous said...

Joe's a class act, that's a cardinal sin in the realm of toadies and yes-men.

Anonymous said...

Exactly what would expect from a totally classless organization and executive leadership that couldn't hit ground if they jumped out of a plane? He stood up and took the high road...good for him and maybe their "leadership" team could learn a lesson from. Who am I kidding?What this group has given away on the advertising side the last few years is a crime.

Anonymous said...

I agree, he took his stance and stuck to it. Most people would have been Yes-Men and done what the company's best interest was (give you less pay, take your title away, and make your drive to work a lot further) and Joe didn't.
Hope he finds something soon and something better.

As for the LANG/MNG/PT folk, what the heck are you guys doing? The paper is a shell of what it once was.

I wonder who will get fired next.

Anonymous said...

good to see someone in LANG has the courage to stand up.

Bridget said...

Good for you, Joe.

Anonymous said...

very sad the management team lacks the cajones to do the right thing.

Anonymous said...

I hear that advertising outnumbers the staff 3 to 1 now at the PT. I wonder if it is true.

Anonymous said...

Of all the newspaper groups that I am aware of and have more than a handful of information about, this group at Lang appears to be the most inept bunch of them all. And, that is no easy task. Each management change actually becomes worse than the prior boss, also, no easy task. Good journalists, support staff, and sales continue to vacate, and the ad numbers continue to suffer.

They are probably celebrating because they are now against easier comps, so they suck less. When the dust settles, they might figure out that their print biz is gone and what is left is going to go fast, also, there is no hope for them online.

Anonymous said...

You can't miss what really wasn't there.... I'm sure Joe was a 'nice' guy but word from all the sports desks was he was a ghost in the office... Budgets were never complete, two hour dinners and he stopped coming in to West Covina to help on the desk.

Anonymous said...

gee, I wonder why joe didn't participate in that wonderful drive to west covina, much like dozens who were forced to do so he opted out. as far a two hour lunches and being a ghhost in the office, the only ghost's in lang offices are the supposed leaders who have been absent for years. i am sure their motivation of joe was top notch at the end and compelled him to great heights. what a bunch of crap 9:34.

Anonymous said...

I didn't realize you had to be compelled to be a sports editor... maybe they should have held his hand at work? Crap? Hardly its called first hand experience. It was a nice gig and he didn't mind working 4-5 hour a day and being paid salary money. Hey 7:46 go down to Covina just ask the people that work on the sports desk what kind of "leader" Joe was. Compared to the hours the other "sports editors" put in .... he was just mailing it in and cashing those checks. No one was forced to do anything... either take the job or opt out... he took the job title but didn't do the work.