At least five, and as many as seven, newsroom employees have lost their jobs in the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group. Layoff notices went to three from the copy desk, one photographer, and the city editor at the Pasadena Star-News.
The layoffs come as the papers' owner, Denver-based MediaNews Group, is being asked to up its offer for the Orange County Register.
The newspaper group includes the Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Whittier Daily News.
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57 comments:
the hits keep on coming. way to go genius managers/owners. what do you do when there isnt any more content or people to cut...maybe increase revenue. now, thats an idea worth considering.
Yep, that 250k will seal the deal.
they just spent that money in New Hampshire
Mmmmm wonder why the Sun didn't take a hit ?
Wouldn't want to piss the Union voters off.
"If I had my choice between pleasing one banker or 1,000 journalists, I'd rather please the banker," says Singleton. "You can't run your business over what the newsroom thinks. You just can't worry about that. I'd rather be demonized and be successful than be the most wonderful guy in the world and go down. You don't like to read that people think you are a demon or something, but you can't worry about that."
AJR-Dean Singleton 1995
Hey Tribune, Star-News and Whittier people. All this bad news is hard to hear. Just wanted to say I am proud of the great stories you all did while I was there, that goes for the veteran reporters and editors down to the brand-new editorial assistants. If hard work and a good attitude were money, you all would be able to pick up the phone when the credit card company calls.
Back when I worked at the Trib, I wished that our good results on the Internet and in print would somehow buy us a reprieve from all the slashing. I knew it probably wouldn't, but the numbers encouraged me. I guess I was naive. If it's true, it's especially sad for me to hear about Hector, who was a good friend. He taught me a lot about writing and reporting. So much talent has passed through that drab building since I first walked in there in 2000. I wish were all born 40 years earlier. We would have ruled.
Memo to Dean,
Your company went bankrupt. Your partners went down with you as did your bankers. In your case, you can't please anyone at anytime.
Face facts, you aren't running a newspaper company, you are running a ponzi scheme in the hope the music never stops.
Frankly, I hope it does so that what is left of the industry will finally be rid of your ilk.
Good job, Ben. Thanks!
I could have sworn, if I am not mistaken, that a while ago there was a statement saying no more layoffs. The organization must speak with forked tongue.
Thanks Ben.
Hector's a good editor who knows how to put out a good paper. Why him? Is there any logic in these decisions? What a silly question, eh.
I used to work there and seeing this just makes me sad :( Considering the volume of great talent that has come and gone it is amazing how SGVN is always the butthole of LANG:(
Hasn't anyone on Hamilton's management team ever heard of selling more instead of slashing more????????? Heads at the top need to roll not the heads of the men and women who pour blood sweat and tears into Singleton's crappy and inferior products every day and night ................
The continued mayhem has left employees with PTSD. Too bad no one's got the balls to go class action for OT, stress claims and persecution. Hey sheep! If you can not get another job immediately, then it is time to stand up and get a cash settlement of this place and the amateurs who run it. Call in sick then go to court and get what you can - now!!!!! Face it SGVN and LANG is going under and taking any survivors with it. There ain't no life rafts on the Titanic for the pee ons in steerage.
12:07 you have no idea what you are talking about. this is all quite sad but honestly, Hector should have been fired or demoted for incompetence years ago and everyone who has worked with him knows it. Ben even you must be aware that Hector inserted factual errors and misspellings into at least 40 percent of the stories he edited. every star-news reporter over the last five years stayed late every night to fix their stories after he worked them over. it was so bad the SGVN copy desk referred to having an error placed in your story by an editor as "you've been Hectored." I'm sorry he lost his job, but just because someone promotes you to a position you're totally unqualified for does not mean you get to keep that job forever.
folks, you're ALL just numbers. it has nothing to do with whether hector was good or bad. NUMBERS. slash and burn. why is anyone surprised? the reality is the writing has been on the wall for the past 3+ years. plenty of time to make a better move and get out. the only one's left are too afraid to venture out into the world. so they stay. i just wish they were mor pro active in their futures.
That place is like the sweat shop of newspapers.
Who were the editors. Hector was good at what he did. That's the problem, the good ones have gotten the axe while the newest and cheapest stay on board. And that's not to knock those who make less than others.
@12:54 well let's be real, lots of people at LANG are incompetent and get to keep their jobs, many get promoted. and yeah I am replying to my own comment.
If anyone of you had balls, that class-action on overtime would be filed TO-DAY. You could also include verbal abuse, stress and everything else the book on "bad conduct by employers" has, they've done it. Making someone work until multiple stories are finished without providing over-time is unlawful, illegal and immoral. Why do you stay? Why take the abuse? Look for something else, even if it is not in journalism. I guess all you sheep just hope to fly under the radar until the big bad wolf picks you out of the bunch. Good luck until your number comes up.
I'm terribly sorry to hear this. Again. I worked with a whole bunch of talented, dedicated, hard-working people at SGVN who weren't in it for the paycheck (obviously). They were there to do their very best job to inform and educate their community, and they did it, every day. I was proud of what I did there, and I hope they were all proud, too.
Best wishes to the people who have to leave, and also to the people who are still there.
Singleton does not give an S*#@ about anything but $ and his ego. He will get the OCR on the backs of all you hard working LANG journalist.
If SGV were union you would really piss him off.
Unionize not for a voice but just to say FU I'm not paying for your new scooter this time.
The key quote in Singleton's AJR interview is: "I'd rather be demonized and be successful than be the most wonderful guy in the world and go down."
If he actually was SUCCESSFUL, I don't think there would be a problem. Unfortunately, he's demonized AND he's going down. Just like Sam Zell. And the real problem is that I don't think he cares about either one.
He never cared other as stated earlier for ego and money. He went bankrupt, but, my guess minimum impact if any on his income/portfolio. I doubt if he worries about his mortgage. The difference between him and the employees is that their job makes a difference to them in all ways, the least not being financial. This bankrupt owner has created misery on the backs of others, still is, and, it does not impact him. It should.
The thing I get tired of is people saying "the writing's been on the wall", "plenty of time to get out" and "you should file a lawsuit." Anyone with half a brain IS looking for a way out, ANY way out. Your "suggestions" are low-hanging fruit and really offer nothing in the way of commentary.
You want to truly help? Hire someone AWAY from LANG. Otherwise, clam up.
For a company who claims to be in the information/communication business, I find it hard to turn up another firm that gets such bad pr due to their own lack of skill in communicating. Many other newspapers have painfully let people go, have furloughs, reduce benefits., etc. Only lang appears to do so in such a way , actually, they go out of the way to rub salt in the wounds. That is probably one of the key reasons why this blog gets so angry about medianews. If that is how they handle their own employees, does anyone think there is clear thinking on how to grow the business?
Owners, mamagers, it is called having a bit of vision and a plan. You need to get both.
Those who bash the employees for staying fail to realize that most are there because they want to be reporters and are hoping things improve.
And most of those who are still there are the best ones. The problem is how much longer can anyone choose to stay before going on to something else. (And what jobs would you have them get anyway?)
Save your harsh comments for the management, Singleton, and the rest of the industry for failing to come up with a plan to pull out of this.
Other businesses -- the recording industry, photography industry -- came up with new products and ideas as their old products died. This industry is still grasping.
the industry is not capable of reinventing the business. they have been in free fall for nearly two decades and continue to pursue the failed products that got them there those many years ago. the print product is dead, check out circulation, not the bogus readership crap they pander. check out revenue and margin. check out content and quality of product. check out online failures and competitors eating their lunch. check out the crappy leadership. as a matter of fact i cant find one good thing to say about the current newspaper industry except on a flotilla of fools, medianews leads the way.
I know some people have addressed this already, but I'm quite tired of reading comments slamming the people who still work there. WTF is the point of that. Like someone else said, some of them wanted this for a career, others have been trying to get out and haven't been able to get other jobs, which shouldn't be shocking in this economy where even f*&^$ing Starbucks isn't hiring. They're getting hammered by their own employer, so why do you @ssholes (or @sshole, maybe it's only one person) have to denigrate them further? If you actually tried to find a job today, you'd see there are very few available, and the ones that are pay peanuts because with the selection of thousands of desperate applicants, they can afford to exploit new hires. So if you don't own a company or aren't in a position to hire them from LANG, your opinion is about as good as ice in Antarctica.
L-acking
A-ny
N-ewspaper
G-umption
7:14: cop out, cop out. most of them haven't even looked and tried to get out. how can you say there are no jobs out there? that's a big generalization. folks aren't looking. and the one's that have, do find jobs. this is a cop out to say there is nothing. have heard them say how "comfortable" they are in LANG and "just too lazy to look."
I beg to differ with the "cop out" comment. Almost all of the people I know from any LANG papers encounter several things when they try to look. They are either stonewalled trying to transition to other fields (because they don't know anyone), find freelance gigs that pay next to nothing, or run up against a stacked field of much more qualified applicants. I too get annoyed at the occasional comment lambasting some of the good people who still work there who are basically trapped, especially when it sounds like some of these sanctimonious stone-throwers haven't even been part of that newsroom. If you're young, single and mobile, sure, get out and explore. And I agree, if you're not looking and have the flexibility, you're probably not very bright.
At the same time, if someone's put down roots in a town, are putting kids through school/daycare and what have you, or God forbid, actually like living in the area, then don't take pleasure or try to spray your venom around in judging them. Because if you do, then I personally hope you break your neck when you fall off your high horse.
12:39, I think you are living in an alternate universe.
LANG/MNG will always find excuses to fire people. I wonder how long until it's only Denver producing all the papers it owns?
12:39, google the words troll and web.
9:29 you have an excellent point. these poor folks should do that.
you're right about good luck until your number comes up. because sadly at some point each persons number will come up.
10:57 thank you. this dude trolls every LANG-related post and attacks people he doesn't know for no reason other than misplaced animus. the only reason he doesn't get ignored is the anonymity prevents us from recognizing him/her immediately. Folks, next time you see a comment about how LANG reporters are lazy losers for not getting a new job yet, just ignore it.
In addition to Hector, any names of the others who got the axe?
Would be an eye opener to see the list of employees four years ago versus today. My guess is that roster has changed a lot. Singleton and his merry band of misfits should be proud of what they have created. Maybe they all should get a raise.
1:16, I'm sure they are proud. They got rid of most of the highest-paid and most-experienced reporters and editors, and they replaced them with two people for the price of one. And then they laid off one of the new people. Win-win!
And all of the top management people keep their jobs, and get big raises for improving the bottom line. Win-win-win-win!
People might not like the following but take it as you may. Simply because you've put roots down and like the place you live does not mean you can have a guaranteed job for life, specially if you work for someone else. Having said that, when you get comfortable with how you are treated, you loose your self dignity. There are jobs out there, albeit at a lesser wage most of the time, but if you do not like the way your company is going, the way you are being treated, then leave and suffer a bit for a better tomorrow for yourself. No one else will look out for you except you. It can be a pain in the @$$ to feel uncomfortable having to start new, somewhere else, but in the end, you have to do what's best for you and staying at LANG is not, period. If you stay, then don't complain, don't get yourself unionized and do as you are told because as long as you work for LANG they own you and you are their BI*CH.
The one item that appears to get lost in the shuffle here is that there are other people at lang who are not reporters. They have to put up with the same crap, if not more and are let go just like reporters/editors. And, those in charge of the sales and other functions appear to have less talent, if that is possible than the current publisher.
When Ron WOOD left the SGVN, al hell broke loose with the Inland Valley People. They took over without having any idea on how to run anything. They knew the SGVN was VERY profitable and thought that just by being there, they would have the same success. All those who have been in charge of the SGVN post RON WOOD have done everything in their power to destroy the entire group simply by existing, by occupying air space and by their ARROGANCE and DISRESPECT. A pile of dung in the Calahari Desert gives more to the environment than the ones running all of the LANG now. Ron Wood, the day you left, was the day SGVN, the most profitable of the groups, died. RIP SGVN, LANG and all those who remain there. LANG and SGVN are like a patient with stage four cancer - you are going only one way.
I disagree. Things went very south when John Mckeon got the boot for speaking up to Singleton in Denver. When Little Eddie arrived, it didn't take him very long to continue to cut as he did in all other positions he did hold and even after his stint with lang. Let is not forget that the economy went further in the tank the last three years too. Clearly, solid management and wisdom could milk the cow longer and better, but, it was and is dead bovine mooing all the way to the slaughter house. Glad you think well of Ron. He did a good job in a crap organization, but, I wouldn't build a monuement to him for that effort.
I was one of those who left voluntarily. I did it because I had good options at the time and a spouse with a good paying job. But it wasn't easy leaving my beloved world of newspapers.
I worked at the Daily News, and when Carolina Garcia stepped in, she gave the newsroom an icy speech that reflected how little she or the company cared about journalism. When she was asked if she had a mission for the paper, if she foresaw any more layoffs, her response was cold. Instead of pumping up the newsroom, she made a standoffish comment about how many of us could use our talents in so many other ways and in other places. In other words, F-U. Luckily, I was ready to leave anyway. If not, I would have left after that speech. I'm reminded of her each time I read comments about how people should be looking for other jobs. NO doubt staff are looking, but after being a reporter or in the news business, many of the jobs out there either pay very little or are boring as hell or both. And the sad truth is that while many local reporters are as talented as anyone else, the LA TIMES seems to only hire reporters who live in Silverlake or Echo Park.
I do miss the newsroom still and it's been almost 3 years. But I give much of the reporters whose names I still recognize so much credit for their dignity and well written stories. My advice: tell the community what's going on at your paper. Email community leaders. Sooner or later, the message will reach someone influential, who will tell the Carolina Garcias of the world and all the other sell out managers to either respect their employees and help them do their best work or get the heck out of dodge.
8:19 - wouldn't it be more accurate to say you HAD to leave b/c they made you. they moved you guys to san gabe? so you had no choice BUT to leave or make the looong commute.
Remember the good old days when these companies were family owned all across the country, and the people running things worked their way up in the business, and they actually cared about the product and not just the profits, and customer trust and loyalty were important because this was literally the family business, and their name was on the door?
And now it's all run by giant media and real estate and investment conglomerates, and the decisions are made by accountants and lawyers in the business department to meet the demands for more profit, even though the business model is hopelessly outdated and broken and hasn't been changed for decades.
And then, when things fall apart, the owners just lay everyone off, declare bankruptcy and lock the doors, and move on to their next shiny toy.
And, yes, of course, I'm talking about the Dodgers.
But, now that I think about it, it also applies to newspapers. Maybe Frank McCourt will buy LANG, and Sam Zell will buy the Dodgers. Despite their bankruptcy filings, I don't think either one of them is hurting for cash. It might be worse, but it won't be any different. Or, if we're lucky, Mark Cuban will buy them both. (Except I don't know too many reporters or editors who could repeatedly flunk a drug test, retire in shame, and still be waiting for $21 million.)
With all this union talk and people really doing something with it, why are we just accepting the abuse?
Because a union in that organization is toothless and you can't bargain gumming the opposition to death.
Lot of good the union did in Long Beach.
unions are only as strong as their members. it's your call whether to try to organize, but just remember you're not getting some dude from "the union" who will go to war with LANG on your behalf. you're getting the right to band together with your co-workers and fight yourselves. a big reason so many unions suck is no one is involved, everyone waits around for someone to lead them, and without that unity, management crushes them.
sorry, i disagree. as stated before, the union did not prevent one loss from those it did represent in the pressroom. you can wax poetic on what you think the union would accomplish, and you have the right to do so. the better course of action is to walk out on your own preventing publication of the paper. you dont need a union to do that if you want to go to war. these clowns would probably understand that action.
actually it sounds like you do agree.
representing yourself vs having a paid lackey fight your battles is different. hope you arent a journalist.
that's the problem: too many people think joining a union means getting a paid lackey to fight on your behalf. if that's your impression, either you've been involved with some crummy unions or you're just misinformed. what being in a union means is you and your co-workers can band together to represent your interests, collectively. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. but without a union, actions like picketing or striking or even asking your boss to consider other options before laying anyone off aren't even on the table. sorry you had a bad experience with a union (I assume) but that's not the be-all end-all on the issue.
Proud to say I have never been a union member. Don't have a problem with those who choose to be. My issue is that you believe that unions will prevent shit from rolling down the hill. They don't, at least not at these newspapers. Go back and take a look at how effective the pressmen's union fared. It didn't slow the plant closings down, prevent layoffs, change severence, or change any other outcome in the debacle to shutter the plants. The union was just not effective. I don't need a union to band together with coworkers to fight my battles, especially one that appears to get run over by a truck.
The last two posters both have good points. However, until any union at LANG wins one, I just don't see the need to get all hot and bothered for no results. Show me just one victory.
Thursday, July 7 is the scheduled union vote in San Bernardino. Pray that there is enough spirit left to vote for ourselves.
your prayers went unheard.
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