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Sunday, 26 March 2017
Spring/summer 2017 open forum
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interesting reading...I guess
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/postmedias-problems-piling-up-with-print-revenue-declining/article34569674/
Quarterly results come out Thursday...So what's the better bet: a) More cuts to staff? b) Piecemeal sale of papers to keep the shrinking empire afloat? Or c) All of the above.
ReplyDelete"c" with another bonus for the execs, cause they stayed on the sinking ship
Deleteonly lost $26 million, not bad, thought a lot worse.
ReplyDeleteConrad Black (yes, that Conrad Black) says the company's executives are doing a “deliberate power dive into bankruptcy” and have been “terribly incompetent” in handling the newspaper chain’s finances.
ReplyDeleteYou hate to agree with a Trump supporter, but ....
Well at least they are doing a good job. Guess there is much less stress at the top.
ReplyDeleteThree Southwestern Ontario ad guys were forced to say so long last week, another jumped ship on his own. The walls are closing in.
ReplyDeleteSome jobs saved in B.C. with a new contract. Not much hope for many others though. Anyone know who the ad guys are?
ReplyDeleteAll so predictable. Reduced staff=reduced content = reduced readers = reduced revenue = more reductions.
ReplyDeletePost guys following in the footsteps of Quecor and slowly letting the industry wither on vine.
when will someone figure this out? Everyone think about your newspaper and see how each of these pieces of the puzzle has impacted your place of work. You'll be shocked once you put the pieces together, why can't head office figure it out?
DeleteExactly. The same cycle of the past decade, just accelerating to the end.
ReplyDeleteThe question is, when Postmedia goes bankrupt (in 2-3 years) who is going to want to buy any of the papers? Will most just shut down?
There might be a market for some of the larger ones, London, one of each of the now or soon to be amalgamated metro papers. Many of the smaller ones might have a place, if they had a press, but those are long gone. There are so few printers in the market now, it may come down to who can get a paper printed, cost effectively. Most offset printers print pre-prints, must be a lot of money in those. On that point what will happen to all of the remaining revenue from those said pre-prints? Those companies must be almost in panic mode wondering how they will get there messages into the marketplace., Online flyers are doing better but not the best...yet.
DeleteKnow for a fact they are looking at moving some business, simply due to the fact Post Media is having troubles. They will not be in panic mode as you mentioned, they are planning for the inevitable.
DeleteThe pre-print folks are not panicked at all. They are already shopping around.
ReplyDeleteNow Mike Strobel has 'retired'. Who will be the last person out, to turn off the lights? Godfrey, with fat cheque in hand.
ReplyDeleteInteresting development...someone who was refused the VBO has just been informed this week... he has now been approved.Hang on to your hats!
ReplyDeleteStill hope for some of us then, fingers crossed!
DeletePostmedia today is bragging that it won 21 awards in Ontario where Postmedia just happens to be the largest publisher.
ReplyDeleteTo report this wonderful journalistic achievement, every Postmedia paper in the province ran the exact same story with no room for any local reporting.
Plus, instead of running a photo showing their own newspapers, every Postmedia outlet used the same ironic(?) photo: a 2015 picture from London, England, showing a ton of free newspapers dumped on a street, waiting to be trashed.
Nice to brag, but no bodies to take a picture of a stack of papers? Perhaps there are no bodies to even take the pic...sad state of affairs indeed.
DeleteAgree--how many of those who were responsible for awards are still with the company?
ReplyDeleteMost of us are still with the company, it appears. And to be fair, some papers have done their own coverage on both winners and nominees, complete with pix and congratulatory ads.
ReplyDeleteI and a few of my co-workers resigned ourselves to the fact that we are short lived in this atmosphere. A number to those above. Yes we're the heart of the company, but the heart is being silenced. We're ok with that. But we'll all be damned to go on our own, without and compensation for the hell we've been through. Post Media pay us and we'll gladly leave this mess.
ReplyDeleteAfter almost a decade with Sun Media I was given a forced buyout. At first it was traumatic and devastating. The first year was difficult but I can sincerely say that my life is so much better now away from that cess pool. Even back then people were willing to throw each other the bus to save their position and this created an extremely toxic work environment where it was every man/woman for him/herself. That's no way to live and function. Someday you may look back on it and realize leaving was the best thing that could have happened. I know it was for me. Of course I got my buyout, which helped with the transition into a new and better life. Keep your chin up. There are better days ahead. Really.
DeleteI was far longer, forced out and from day two realized that there was and is life after this corporate mess. Still in the newspaper game, only now with a smaller indi newspaper, run by local people. It is the way it used to be, still long hours, pay not great buy a really fantastic place to work everyday. The owners are all local, they treat people that work WITH them like family. Hard to wrap your mind around after being beat up for so long. I feel lucky the first day I was a wreck, day two, on the phone with them looking for a meeting...well the rest is recent history. What I can say though is that they are very selective about who works with them, and they do have a list of those that will not fit their ideals. Not one spec of corporate blood in them, it's a great feeling!
DeleteAnon at 23:16, what a great story. I hope I can afford one like you you in a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteNot to say it's easy, it really isn't. Sometimes the moons align just right. The point being, there is a life after the mess, train wreck, whatever you want to call it. Some will be happy still in a newspaper, others will find that the world doesn't revolve around PM and the group at the top, regardless how they might feel. Good luck to all, sadly the end is closer than one would like...unless you're Paul Godfrey that is.
DeleteMachine shop pin-up 'Grace' is looking good today. She's hardly aged since the other 23 times she's been the Sunshine Girl!
ReplyDeleteThe Sun never should have gotten rid of their 'comments' online. Yeah, it was a cesspool at times, but with proper monitoring it was an interesting gauge on public opinion, free of the PC crap that stifles so much free speech. Closing it down probably cost their online readership big time.
ReplyDeleteagree but it was done by Post Media to all the Sun Media papers. Resistance is futile
DeleteReader input, comments. Come on when did Postmedia or Sunmedia care what the readers like? That's rhetorical of course, we all know they could care less, and boy does it show int eh number of views or readers
ReplyDeleteToday's Sunshine Girl 'Krista Lee', is proudly announced as making her 11th appearance in that role. Big deal. Compared to some of the other shop-worn regulars, she's barely a rookie!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2017/06/19/national-post-newspaper-ending-monday-print-edition-starting-in-july/#.WUg-4JLyuLu
ReplyDeleteFalling dominoes.
Deletefirst sale...fire sale?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.canadianbusiness.com/business-news/postmedia-signs-deal-to-sell-infomart-to-meltwater-news-canada-for-38-25m/
I imagine the cheque will be sent directly to hedge fund keepers anyway.
DeleteAd in LFP announcing price increases, wow good idea??? Glad I got my money when I did.
ReplyDeleteWasn't there supposed to be some big Postmedia meeting/announcement today? If so, what came out of it?
ReplyDeleteFinancials are out...MADE MONEY!
ReplyDeleteMmmmm....somewhat misleading. They cut enough last year to squeak into the black by 13 mil this quarter. BUT print revenue is still plunging and while they tout digital gains, it amounts to a fraction of what print advertising brings in. So you can expect more cutting, since it is the only way they can eek a profit.
ReplyDeleteGodfrey confirms, more cost-cutting to come....
ReplyDeletehttps://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/postmedia-swings-to-profit-but-print-ad-revenue-takes-hit/article35587283/?ref=https://www.theglobeandmail.com&service=mobile
So the company sold LESS (except) digital made money, yet again on the backs of their released staff, oh and if you're not union watch out for your benefits. Excellent I feel more motivated than ever before...to leave!
ReplyDeleteSo if I read this correctly...they reduced benefits, by more than the losses, therefore made money? Seem like that to anyone else?
ReplyDeleteWhich has appeared more times in the Sun, used car ads, or today's Sunshine Girl 'Theresa'? It's a toss-up.
ReplyDeleteHello? Hello? Anybody left out there?
ReplyDeleteThere goes Islington.
ReplyDeletehttp://business.financialpost.com/telecom/media/postmedia-sells-toronto-property-to-a-developer-for-30-5-million-will-use-proceeds-to-repay-debt/wcm/5b6c4286-2849-4b63-8eef-917f97de0d91
https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/postmedia-sells-toronto-printing-plant-for-305-million/article35861757/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&
ReplyDeleteWhy aren't Donato's cartoons in the Sun anymore?
ReplyDeleteHe'll be back.
DeleteAny word what happened to Jose Rodriguez, former EIC at the Sun and Herald in Calgary? Jumped or pushed?
ReplyDeleteWas let go, along with Bev Wake, national sports editor. https://twitter.com/bevewake/status/893290312730263552
Deletehttp://www.lfpress.com/2017/09/13/the-free-press-moving-into-new-home-in-heart-of-downtown-london
ReplyDeleteFor anyone that worked or visited there...it was a shell of its former greatness, kinda like what PM has done and Stun Media before it to the newspaper business. Don't need all the office space with no employees.
ReplyDeleteHonestly who needs their own building anyway? I've been in a confessional that had more people in it than our office most days lol. Easier and easier to make light of such a sad work environment. If you live through this laughing is much better than crying.
DeleteMy only thought to this is...they are paying down debt, but taking on more debt, revenues are continuing to decline, what happens when they have run out of real estate to sell? How many do they still own? London (no) Toronto (no) Chatham (no) Sarnia (no), St Cath's (no), Niagara Falls (no) Welland (no) Brantford (no). Guess the point is they have so little to sell, money will soon run out.
ReplyDeleteDid I read somewhere that the newsroom at National Post is NOT unionized? How did that ever happen? If it's true it'l leave them to be cherry picked over. At least with union protection everyone is somewhat on the same footing.
ReplyDeleteUnifor is launching organizing drive at Postmedia Editorial Services in Hamilton. This happens just days after staff at National Post decide to do the same, but with CAW.
ReplyDeleteI was downsized by sun/post in 2012 as sales manager of the Chatham News. then 9 months later ( no I was not preggo) Shawn Stevely and Dean Muharrem hired me back to work for the Chatham Pennysaver. I worked tiredlessly for 3 years, and at the end, even though meeting my integrated budget ( rop and on line sales target) I was called into the office by internet "expert" Aaron Rodreguez to be told I was being downsized again. Sept 6, 2016 was my last day. I was told to leave within the hour , so no fan fare just hand in your keys. I started with Thompson in 1975 , the year Elvis played Pontiac Stadium in Detroit : )...and enjoyed my career to the max. Thank you for that at least, but many of us shown the curb...without a handshake or a hug...oh yes got a couple hugs from co-workers , but all in all, there'sthe door. I recently started delivering newspapers for the local competition The Chatham Voice, for exercise and was hired by Bruce Corcoran,to work part time with his team. Bruce is also an ex Chatham Daily Newser...and a good Editor, shown the door the same day as me in 2012. Bruce started up his own weekly, along with Jim Blake , also an ex Publisher with sun/Post, and they/we are now in 5th year of serving Chatham with local stories. The acceptance of this publication has been just the boost to my ego that I needed. I WAS NOT READY TO BE RETIRED.... and am proving that each and every time I get a new customer.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this block space..I have not told this story to many. It is like writing to a family member, sharing my thoughts with you. Thank you
from Jeanine Foulon (a k a Jean Jean the Ad Machine) aka Jeanine Rose, or Jeanine Lauriston or just Jeanine. Now married to David Foulon, this time he's a keeper..: )