Monday, 2 October 2017

Fall/winter 2017/18 open forum

Another season, another reason for Toronto Sun Family members to stay in touch.


Posted by Toronto Sun Family at 00:23

36 comments:

  1. Anonymous19 October 2017 at 12:34

    The numbers are out. Revenue down in Advertising and in Circ, up though in digital. Not enough to offset either decline of the former. Spoke to a former co-worker, he was "in-the-know" back in the day and can't figure out how our local paper is still publishing. Read the financials and one recurring theme is evident, the outlook seems very much in the air. Read the financials over, you'll have some understanding of the dire straits we are in.

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  2. Anonymous19 October 2017 at 13:28

    Ok this is almost laughable. "We will need to keep and recruit valuable staff?" Really? The report mentions consumer acceptance. Anyone see the number of people reading your product or buying an ad? I was fortunate to leave a year or so ago and though I was always told I was a key person, they accepted my VBO pretty quickly (thanks for that) People do NOT accept the product you are delivering (when is does get delivered). On that point they mention service? Ever try to have your paper stopped for vacation or call in to speak with someone? Let's see ads are done overseas, calls are somewhat answered in the Caribbean. No one answers a phone locally. If you read the financial report, compare it to how things really are in your newspaper. Oh and FYI, I don't have an axe to grind, I put in more hours than I was ever paid for, paid pretty well to let the door hit my arse when I left. Just can't stand the off focus reality of the folks in Toronto.

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  3. Anonymous23 October 2017 at 12:00

    What's next? No, or very little property to sell. Only thing left is a few staff members and maybe a closure or two. Had PM not sold a print facility and the LFP building they would have been in the red again.

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  4. Anonymous24 October 2017 at 07:28

    The redesigned Sun website is a dog's breakfast. No better than the old mess.

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  5. Anonymous31 October 2017 at 11:18

    Had a strange comment from a friend that manages a chain store late last week, wondering who in our city distributes flyers, he's heard that his head office is looking for contact information. He doubts anything will come of it right away, but that they looking for alternatives. He isn't wanting the change but the call has gone out, so be aware.

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  6. Anonymous31 October 2017 at 13:06

    https://betakit.com/postmedia-commits-to-40-million-in-indochino-advertising-for-a-cut-of-revenue/

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    1. Anonymous1 November 2017 at 20:38

      Guess this money is better than no money. Congrats to whomever thought this and the other revenue sharing packages up, might keep us in business for a while longer.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous21 November 2017 at 15:49

    So Bell Media has started the lay-off ball rolling this holiday season. Guess the Grinch and Scrooge aren't only with Post Media. Good luck folks and Happy Holidays.

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  8. Anonymous26 November 2017 at 19:36

    Does the Toronto Sun union contract expire in a couple weeks? If so, what's the plan? It's no secret that Postmedia wants to merge some of the TorSun and NatPost newsrooms. And "merge" is corporate-speak for layoffs.

    -Geoff

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  9. Anonymous27 November 2017 at 11:38

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/postmedia-torstar-1.4420955

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  10. rob lamberti27 November 2017 at 12:06

    Sorry, I meant yes, Dec. 31

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  11. Anonymous27 November 2017 at 12:08

    It's not December, but it's certainly a black Monday:
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/ontario-newspapers-torstar-postmedia-metroland-buying-1.4420920

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  12. Anonymous27 November 2017 at 12:17

    https://www.thestar.com/business/2017/11/27/torstar-postmedia-announce-community-and-daily-paper-deal.html

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    1. Anonymous29 November 2017 at 10:15

      What a shame. Oddly I heard a couple people blaming the federal government for not helping out newspapers. Maybe this is part of the strategy to push them into action? No notice to readers, advertisers, certainly not staff. I know this is and will leave a very bad taste in peoples mouths. Would seem to me that looking at some of these papers all they did was get rid of competition, isn't that what the commission is supposed to stop? Boils down to profit, we all know that. Just terrible that Christmas is the culling time for newspapers. Sleep well Torstar and Post Media board members, your jobs are secure.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous4 December 2017 at 09:29

      Wow, what a blow-back from this community (Orillia) readers, advertisers feel like they have been left in the lurch, and they have been. they advertised in the paper they did, because they liked the rep or got a good price. Now it's "we're the only team in town" how is it possible that the competition bureau can let this go through? Isn't competition a good thing? Folks are seeing this for what it is, bad business from Post Media, money grab from Torstar. Talk about hurting an already struggling business.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous27 November 2017 at 14:30

    Goodbye 24 Hours!

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  14. Anonymous27 November 2017 at 15:03

    A TorSun/NatPost merge has been long overdue, considering all the other newsrooms across the country (Ott, Cal, Edm) merged years ago. Yes, it would mean layoffs, although if you look at a section in the Sun like Showbiz, you have to wonder if any reader would notice. The ent pages are 80 per cent CP/AP wire now...the same content that is published in the broadsheets. Why bother having an ent editor or writers at the Toronto Sun at all?

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    1. Anonymous3 December 2017 at 20:04

      why merge them when you can close one?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous4 December 2017 at 12:47

      They didn't do that in Cal, Edm or Ott, so presumably both products (the Postmedia broadsheet and the Sun tab) make money appealing to different audiences, getting different ad dollars, maybe. So keep both products going, but cut and merge the staff (aside from a couple 'star' columnists and some copy editors who slightly tweak the same copy). So far, that's been their strategy.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous29 November 2017 at 17:03

    Can't even imagine getting to the office and finding out this news. I asked for and had my release accepted. Feel bad for those left with nothing. Sad to think even about the little carriers with nothing to deliver. Bet the guys at the top still get a bonus at Christmas...for doing such a good job at running a business into the ground. Best of luck to all that have left, brighter days are ahead, might not look like it today, but keep moving ahead. There is a life after newspapers!

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  16. Anonymous19 December 2017 at 11:24

    I dont think everything is done in Niagara. Still expect the dailies to eliminate full distribution and transition all the inserts in the core Metroland papers. Niagara advance looks terrible with the change

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    1. Anonymous20 December 2017 at 10:50

      Surprised this already hasn't happened. Back in the Sun Media days that was the plan for ALL newspapers, not just the Niagara region. They wanted to eliminate all flyers into the paid products and move them into a non-paid vehicle, simply it would make closing or amalgamating products easier in the minds of advertisers (pre-prints). They wanted to use a model that was just a flyer wrap, could save big money. Just pack the flyers into the wrapper, no editorial, thus no expense, could run millions of wrappers at a fraction of the cost. Saves money doesn't hurt revenue too badly...after all revenue is down for ad sales.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous2 January 2018 at 20:50

    Anyone read the Troy Media story regarding rumoured Sun dailies merging with Postmedia dailies in Calgary, Ottawa and Edmonton. Very interesting.

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  18. Anonymous3 January 2018 at 01:26

    Can you provide a link? Those newsrooms have been merged for years with a single staff basically filling two products. Does the Troy Media story suggest one of the papers in each market might actually cease being published?

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  19. Anonymous3 January 2018 at 10:35

    Rather dated story. It may still be looked at, sooner than later. Revenues are taking a serious hit yet again. Looks like all the Liberal bashing has left PM without federal funding, perhaps that will change once another large scale closing takes place like the most recent in Dec. Being a former employee and working for another newspaper, we've seen some rather drastic strategies, pricing of ads in particular. Almost giving away ads to fill a depleted editorial product. Wish them well, but someone seems to have forgotten the word profit. Great to run large newspapers but at what cost? All they do is continue to weaken their pricing strategy and profitability.

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    1. Anonymous4 January 2018 at 07:26

      Nothing wrong with calling out the Liberals on their boondoggles? Good for PM for doing so. Liberal bashing has nothing to do with federal funding. The problem is location. The company isn't headquartered in Quebec. If the Canadian government was able to tax Google and Facebook, maybe some of the revenue could be used to help the newspaper industry. Heck, if Google and Facebook had to pay Canadian taxes, maybe their pricing would go up and some digital ad revenue would revert back to the newspapers. Seriously, no bean counter has ever forgotten the word profit! The poor buggers left trying to put out a product keeps shrinking and as a whole, haven't seen wage increases in several years. Sad, so sad.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5 January 2018 at 07:58

      I agree 07:26 no problem calling anyone out. I have NO affiliation to any party, never have never will. The point was, the power at the top pulls the strings, has the cheque book. Are we blind enough to think that ANY party wouldn't hold a grudge? We're human, humans hold a grudge. As to profit... really selling ads at below, yes below 50% of rate card, selling subscriptions at less than 50% or more is good business? I do agree though, Facebook and Google are making out like bandits, keep in mind PM is a Google supporter, and utilizes Facebook for all of their titles as well. Guess they have to, everyone does these days. Do they make the same from a Google ad or Facebook ad as in the printed paper? My guess is no, so they in theory are eroding there own business. I feel for the "poor buggers" I was one of them, for many years. Sometime you have to face the fact that the PM train is headed for a bridge that is out, good luck.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous4 January 2018 at 17:55

    Postmedia sells all their papers in Simcoe County (2 dailies, 3 weeklies) to Metroland, Metroland shutters them asap on that same day of Monday Nov. 27th.

    Village media announces launch of new digital only daily newspaper on January 2nd in Orillia, and on January 3rd Metroland reactivates the previously shuttered facebook sites of those papers? Wow is that legal or just unethical, both, neither or who cares?

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    1. Anonymous5 January 2018 at 07:50

      Facebook gives them a reach, they apparently thought they didn't need, and it cost them nothing and keeps their name in the game so to speak. Look for more new online editions to start up. My mother lives in Orillia and subscribed to the Packet for over 50 years, then oh well we're closing. No regard and none expected I guess for the diehards that bought the paper, placed the ads, delivered the paper, wrote the stories and were all part of the community. I know it's about profit, has to be, but if the company wasn't so poorly run things might have been different. They say hindsight is 20/20, PM and Metroland might rethink this venture. The communities they served were loyal to them, guess it should have gone both ways.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous11 January 2018 at 06:55

    Grand Bend (Sun Media) office will close Jan 17th - to merge with Metroland paper in Exeter --first new combined paper Jan 24th. Two long time employee casualties with this closure plus one other person who had just started a few months ago.

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  22. Anonymous12 January 2018 at 13:01

    I'm sure more to come. If they don't make money out they go...as it should be

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  23. Anonymous5 February 2018 at 15:15

    What happened to the National Post's union drive that started 5 months ago? What happened to the Toronto Sun's contract that expired in December 2017? Since all is quiet, is it safe to assume everyone settled for the status quo? The Windsor Star unions just voted in favour of a strike but only after 13 months.

    Does everyone know that newspapers have no money and that a strike will do more harm than good? For example, the 19-month strike at the Halifax Chronicle Herald that ended with layoffs and pay cuts.

    Are newspaper unions dead?

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    1. Anonymous7 February 2018 at 08:52

      There comes a time for members to step up. If you are angry with the bonuses that are handed out at the top, with NO REGARD, for the people that slug along, smiling that everything is peachy, it isn't. Poorly run from the top. There will be layoffs regardless of the union, just the pecking order is all that is confirmed. What's the backup plan for Windsor should they go on strike? They had alternate printing sites ready to go in the past...lets see the next closest press is where, Toronto, Hamilton, and it's not owned by Post Media in Hamilton. Good luck folks.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9 February 2018 at 09:10

      No money? Are you serious? Paul Godfrey gets a bonus, others a bonus, we spend money on promo banners, lunch meetings, but the staff can't have a pay increase. Something is wrong with this picture. Step up ladies and gentlemen. They paint the industry in such bad light, if it's that bad why are we still publishing...just to lose money?

      Delete
  24. Annonymous6 March 2018 at 07:48

    IT staffers throughout the company are losing their jobs to a third-party. Four departments within IT were called into a meeting on December 5th and given a very Merry Christmas announcement that their positions were being terminated and replaced by a company named Jolera. That same company that recently took up residence on the 2nd fl of the 365 Bloor St. E. Toronto location that Postmedia has both newsrooms in. Only 45 staffers affected so no doubt they'll be finding other ways to cut costs and save more dollars in order to meet targets and realize bonuses.

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    1. Anonymous7 March 2018 at 10:33

      Guess you don't need computers if you don't have staff. Sadly this is just the tip of that ol' iceberg.

      Delete

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