Creating a more attractive experience for newspaper and Web site audiences enhances advertising revenues. Conversely, cutting back too much on content while raising prices to readers and advertisers accelerates audience declines, which in turn undermine advertising revenues. It's pretty much impossible for any business, including newspapers, to increase market share and profitability by decreasing the quality of its product and driving away customers.
Ironically, Ms. Barrett's op-ed column was published in the Cape Cod Times five days after she sent a memo ordering all CNHI employees to take unpaid furloughs during the second quarter. That should enhance the quality of CNHI newspapers, a group that includes the Joplin Globe. Nowhere does it mention that one of the companies that has been systematically decreasing the value of its news product, through newsroom cuts, has been CNHI. The Turner Report has obtained a copy of Ms. Barrett's memo, which is printed below:
"
To: All CNHI Employees
From: Donna Barrett
Much media coverage has been given to Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. (CNHI) CEO
Subject: Second Quarter Work Schedule Reduction and Pay Reduction
Date: March 11, 2009
__________________
The recession continues to negatively impact businesses across the country, including those we rely on for advertising revenue. Until we see meaningful recovery in the economy, we must reduce expenses while maintaining our ability to serve our customers and our readers. We believe we have found a solution that should help us avoid future staff reductions. We have chosen to implement reduced work schedules for hourly employees and reduced work schedules and pay reductions for salaried employees in the second quarter.
The decision was not made lightly. Of all the remaining options available, this will have the least impact on our ability to conduct business while delivering a level of cost savings that protects the company. Most notably, it lessens the likelihood of additional staff reductions, helping us to keep our team intact. We firmly believe this represents the most responsible course as we manage through a difficult time. Our plan is the following:
- A reduced work schedule will be implemented for hourly employees during the second quarter. Employees will take off five days without pay between April 1, 2009 and June 30, 2009. It is expected that no work will be done during this time. This applies to full and part-time employees. Part-time employees’ work schedules will be reduced on a prorated basis. These days off must be taken during the second quarter, and must be taken before any regular vacation or personal days. Regular vacation, personal and sick days may not be substituted for these unpaid days off.
- A reduced work schedule will also be implemented for salaried employees during the second quarter with a corresponding reduction in pay. The pay reduction will occur over the six pay periods in the second quarter. In turn, salaried employees will then take five days off from work between April 1, 2009 and June 30, 2009. Under this plan, the days off will not reduce the employees’ existing allotment of regular vacation, personal and sick days, but must be taken before any regular vacation or personal days.
Salaried employees may not perform any work during the five days they take off under this plan. This applies to all salaried employees, including myself.
- We are asking our unions to voluntarily agree to similar arrangements for the employees they represent. If our unions agree, this will help us avoid future layoffs.
- In order to ensure staffing needs are met, the off-days described above must be planned and approved in advance. Please submit the attached request to your manager by March 20.
I am optimistic that with the changes we’ve made, we will weather the current storm. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated team. Thank you for your many contributions."
While many newspapers, including I am sure, those in CNHI have run Ms. Barrett's op-ed and written effusively about her efforts to promote the industry, there has been little or nothing, written that I can find, except for this blog and a couple of others, and two CNHI newspapers, about the company's furloughs.
Again, what level of trust can CNHI communities, including Joplin, have in their newspapers when those papers are willing to publicize everyone's bad news but their own?
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6 comments:
"... there has been little or nothing, written that I can find, except for this blog and a couple of others, and two CNHI newspapers, about the company's furloughs."
Which is exactly how Donna Barrett wants it. The bright side is, since she'll have to take a week off like everyone else, that'll be five fewer days she has to desecrate her newsrooms.
Hmmmm. Is this the same Donna Barrett that is a founder of the "Newspaper Project"? Defender of all things newspaper?
In all fairness to Mrs Barrett, this is not really news, except to the newsrooms affected.
Why hasn't the Birmingham News reported on this?
Another year of furlough days, or as we call them, "CNHI" days. I'm unsure of the positive impact when the already short staffed papers (from previously being put on hiring freezes) having to pay over time to the other members to cover the days off???
I hope her math is better than that or we are all in trouble.
Oddly enough, we have been told to "refrain" from reporting on this story in our local paper.
I work at a CNHI paper and we are not allowed overtime. Hourly workers put in 37.5 hrs/week. Salaried workers, on the other hand, put in 60-70 hours/week, trying to do the work that the furloughed/vacationing/time-limited hourly workers can't do.
Meanwhile, the hourly workers, because they are simply not paid for the five furlough days, can file for unemployment and recoup about 70 percent of their pay for that week (if they take all five off in a row, which of course they do). Salaried workers can not file for unemployment because we're taking a wage cut for the entire quarter, not five unpaid days.
And before I start sounding like some highly paid whiny salaried worker, I should say that at least two hourly workers on my staff make more than I do. I make about $32,000 a year. (The agreement that I signed when I took the job was for $40,000/year.)
When (not "if") they announce the next round of furloughs we're going to try for a compromise for the salaried workers - restore our wages and just don't pay us for the five days we don't work. If they won't do that, we're going to tell them we can only work 40/hours in a week because we have to find part-time jobs to pay the bills.
What do you all think will happen?
And the bloodletting continues years later! They are decimating the graphic artist teams at their WV papers, sending the work to "hubs" in Valdosta and Boston. This was 2 years after an initial consolidation sent most of the WV design work to their production artists in Beckley - with a promise this would be the only consolidation and their jobs would be safe. Some of these artists have been with the paper 10 years or more. They were just given the news. Merry Christmas, we don't need you.
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