tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post1066502737161868858..comments2023-12-31T06:41:45.412-08:00Comments on Gary Robert Scott: Furloughs and a vacation freeze for LANG papersGary Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164233287474327699noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-27165095943645873832010-12-10T16:56:47.761-08:002010-12-10T16:56:47.761-08:00you and mike make good points. it is by choice or ...you and mike make good points. it is by choice or inaction that people stay...if you really need to leave because of pay, benefits, opportunity, get out and look and make something happen. in the meantime, keep your head down. there aren't enough fairy godmothers in all the world to change lang.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-44691097788240737462010-12-10T16:00:25.927-08:002010-12-10T16:00:25.927-08:00I desperately want to agree with Mike Rappaport, b...I desperately want to agree with Mike Rappaport, but I just can't.<br /><br />I have no standing to criticize those who continue to work for MNG. They alone are responsible for the consequences of their decisions.<br /><br />But I also cannot relate to or sympathize with them in any way.<br />For many years the company treated it's employees poorly. For the last several, it has treated them deplorably.<br /><br />There are many job opportunities out there for MNG workers to escape to. I know because I looked for them and I escaped.<br /><br />The majority of those who remain are there by choice or inaction. <br /><br />They will continue to be furloughed and see their pay and benefits slashed until they are laid off or opt to leave.<br /><br />Dean Singleton isn't going to change his strategy to improve his employees' lives. They must do that on their own.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-84044298117771255102010-12-10T11:47:08.773-08:002010-12-10T11:47:08.773-08:00I agree with the above two posts. Working is bette...I agree with the above two posts. Working is better than not working. Working elsewhere than Lang is even better. Most firms are and have been in tough times which requires tough and sometimes painful decisions. Lang needs to learn how to communicate those tough decisions as well as learning how to make better ones.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-70634811240107459282010-12-10T10:13:15.031-08:002010-12-10T10:13:15.031-08:00I'm glad I left LANG while I could. I won'...I'm glad I left LANG while I could. I won't disrespect any of the current LANG workers because it's hard to find a job (especially a journalism degree job) in the current market. But If possible, get out of LANG and MNG's deathgrip ASAP! It's been getting worse year after year for employees there and will get worse.Former PTernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-65335839519883173992010-12-10T09:51:55.731-08:002010-12-10T09:51:55.731-08:00It always amazes me that people are critical of fo...It always amazes me that people are critical of folks who still work for LANG. It's as if there are all sorts of job options for journalists, and everybody can work wherever they want.<br /><br />If you've got a family and bills to pay, you work. And most people work at places they don't like for bosses they don't like.<br /><br />I will never disrespect anyone for working.Mike Rappaporthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15648005587039671935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-22002475283432219772010-12-10T04:40:02.627-08:002010-12-10T04:40:02.627-08:001. Bend over.
2. Insert head between legs.
3. Kiss...1. Bend over.<br />2. Insert head between legs.<br />3. Kiss your ass goodbye.<br />4. Repeat 1-3 above.<br /><br />That kind of sums up Lang's creativity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-32427780747481435922010-12-09T05:13:20.433-08:002010-12-09T05:13:20.433-08:00If this is a surprise to any of current or past la...If this is a surprise to any of current or past lang employees, shame on you. You did or still do work for dolts. They have done nothing to improve sales in a few years. Anyone who knew how to sell or manage a sales team left a long time ago. The only creativity these dolts have is the ability to write memos that are full of crap, and, blame others for failure. When the economy turns around it won't make much of a difference at lang because they don't know how to take advantage of it. Papers their size and with their slant on failure will do just that. There is no rainbow here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-44353858127237377572010-12-08T19:44:13.160-08:002010-12-08T19:44:13.160-08:00keep in mind this is all taking place after three ...keep in mind this is all taking place after three straight years of layoffs, furloughs and major consolidations, like the central copy desk and moving the finance folks to the bay area. they've literally used every demoralizing cost-slashing move in the book, except alleviating the excess bloat at the editor-and-above level.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-63954213237683161302010-12-08T19:42:29.422-08:002010-12-08T19:42:29.422-08:00Note that Hamilton does not say revenues are "...Note that Hamilton does not say revenues are "below expenditures" or anything else to indicate they're in the red. Just that revenues are "below budget." Singleton is notorious for demanding ridiculous returns and I suspect this is more of the same. He asked his cronies to return 10 percent, but they were in danger of only returning five percent, so good-bye vacation!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-77318539292363202192010-12-08T19:41:35.392-08:002010-12-08T19:41:35.392-08:00ad sales have "consistently been among the be...ad sales have "consistently been among the best of our peers" and yet they are so low that staff have to take two weeks off unpaid and will accrue no vacation for four months. tell me what world this makes sense in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-3767289815653193382010-12-08T19:37:56.424-08:002010-12-08T19:37:56.424-08:00former LANG'er here. I think a lot of folks ar...former LANG'er here. I think a lot of folks are still there because they had bad timing. they figured a few years in this crummy purgatory, build up some clips, and move on. next thing they know, the market crashes, Singleton blows hundreds of millions of borrowed dollars on buying the Daily Breeze and Merc and CC Times, and they're screwed. I was lucky enough to get in some good work and get out before it was too late.<br /><br />Singleton could buy OCR, and we all know what would happen. their website would turn to crap and all the other centralized offices like copy desk and finance would just add one more paper to their overworked plates.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-23026775869395260482010-12-08T14:35:52.710-08:002010-12-08T14:35:52.710-08:00Do you really think the papers are good to excelle...Do you really think the papers are good to excellent? I guess we can agree to disagree here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-15082150989375230302010-12-08T14:01:14.208-08:002010-12-08T14:01:14.208-08:00I left LANG some time ago and the last thing I wan...I left LANG some time ago and the last thing I want to do is insult the people who work hard everyday and struggle to put a paper with little resources - that's for the LANG suits to do.<br /><br />I want to think that they are staying because, let's face it, there aren't many jobs out there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-5341725324808544042010-12-08T12:25:33.140-08:002010-12-08T12:25:33.140-08:00People continue to work for LANG because they beli...People continue to work for LANG because they believe in the importance of news and the editorial product. It has nothing to do with the economic model, which is clearly broken, or the corporate leadership, which is clearly misguided. But the editing and news management at LANG is among the strongest in the industry, and the papers manage to be good-to-excellent despite everything.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-44518970756397525482010-12-08T12:17:29.626-08:002010-12-08T12:17:29.626-08:00yeah, it's really sad. heads are going to roll...yeah, it's really sad. heads are going to roll again. he will gut the LANG papers in order to buy the o.c. register. history repeats itself. unreal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-76563412364992780692010-12-08T09:11:28.654-08:002010-12-08T09:11:28.654-08:00re: 12:55 am
Yeah, those sports writers are the w...re: 12:55 am<br /><br />Yeah, those sports writers are the worst offenders when it comes to working for free, just to watch the games. What will you have at the end of the day? Nothing but a slip of the pink, I mean a pink slip. Merry Xmas to all too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-29653563145446875432010-12-08T08:27:04.735-08:002010-12-08T08:27:04.735-08:00this is a VERY interesting article. http://jxpato...this is a VERY interesting article. http://jxpaton.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/presentation-by-john-paton-at-inma-transformation-of-news-summit-in-cambridge-mass/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-28708919618624050432010-12-08T00:55:24.997-08:002010-12-08T00:55:24.997-08:00t's call profit sharing !
No sure each LA...t's call profit sharing !<br /><br /> No sure each LANG employees should give away $1600-$2000 plus 1600-$2000 of vacation time so they can buy the OC Register ! <br /><br />In your review, has a Lang Lap Dog ever said " mmm I see here you never call in sick .. nice well here is your merit raise ! " <br /><br />Take your sick time and use it ! and yes you Sports Dept. people !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-25331737110280817302010-12-07T17:57:22.667-08:002010-12-07T17:57:22.667-08:00Advertising revenues aren't as expected? That&...Advertising revenues aren't as expected? That's what happens when you have advertising managers whose selling strategy is to drop prices drastically, give extra ads and switch revenue into the "product of the moment". Their focus is managing upward and their teams are floundering. A number of advertising reps, that I've spoken with, don't believe in the product now, it's dead or dying, and have been conditioned to sell on price not value. Things will not improve until you have leaders who understand the current market place and know how to train and motivate the reps on the street.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16892206849702612301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-40376340183751176982010-12-07T16:57:23.117-08:002010-12-07T16:57:23.117-08:00tough times and some good people stay...understand...tough times and some good people stay...understandable.<br /><br />but, this crap of hamilton and his merry band of wizard's threats are laughable if they weren't so sad.<br /><br />drastic cuts coming if ad sales don't improve. well, listen here, they won't be improving. i ask yet again, where will the improvement come from fred? <br /> <br />maybe you can re intro newspapers next. or, discount your current ads with the promise of free space, or, let those who know how to sell leave, or, fill in the blanks lang leaders. golly gee people, what the hell are you bringing to the party but dead space.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-67869395403133851912010-12-07T16:18:13.229-08:002010-12-07T16:18:13.229-08:00There are people in this company who are complacen...There are people in this company who are complacent. But there are many others who are not.<br />How dare you talk down to us like we're dirt beneath your feet!<br />I have been in this business for 19years. I believe my job is to cover news and write local stories for the people who still buy or read the paper.<br />I have never had a decent paycheck since I started but I didn't choose this profession for the money. Did you?<br />Yeah my days are numbered. I don't need you to remind me of that.<br />And yes, I have been looking for another job for the past two years. NOTHING so far. Do you have one lined up for me? I didn't think so.<br />Are you going to pay for my law school? I don't think so.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-34023804856507196602010-12-07T15:19:52.991-08:002010-12-07T15:19:52.991-08:00Nonsense. You can't paint people with such a b...Nonsense. You can't paint people with such a broad brush and even come close to being accurate.<br /><br />http://reporter-g.blogspot.com/2009/05/broken-ladders.htmlGary Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05164233287474327699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-14425910079620266062010-12-07T14:47:35.528-08:002010-12-07T14:47:35.528-08:002:26 hit it right on the nose.2:26 hit it right on the nose.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-36220400652122703392010-12-07T14:26:57.965-08:002010-12-07T14:26:57.965-08:00Lies And Never-ending Gloom - That sums it up for ...Lies And Never-ending Gloom - That sums it up for LANG.<br /><br />Answer to the "Why not leave" question: Because everyone there is complacent. They have no ambition. They stay because they just want to fly under the radar until they retire or get canned. They could care less about quality as long as they put something out. They gave up on themselves years ago and are just working to make a living.<br /><br />They are all happy to be treated like crap for the meager salary they get. They are subsidizing this sinking ship by regularly working overtime without being compensated, by driving their cars into the ground without proper mileage being paid and by the many other little things they do on their personal dime so the boss does fly off his handle with a barrage of expletives. <br /><br />Merry Xmas to you and yours.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6514745.post-28763636563577944542010-12-07T14:19:29.390-08:002010-12-07T14:19:29.390-08:00Ho...Ho...Ho... or should I say, Ha...Ha...Ha... T...Ho...Ho...Ho... or should I say, Ha...Ha...Ha... Told you so. These lying sacks of *^@# give you promises and then pull the rug right from under you. Same thing over again. Why won't you saps learn not to believe iota of what they tell you. Go do Patch websites. Pay is probably better and you don't have to deal with people like those in change at LANG-Lies And Never-ending Gloom. <br /><br />Merry Xmas to you and yours!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com