The fun in the Wellington Daily News (I assume the name will change) announcement is how it is twisted to make it sound like this is the best thing that ever happened. The newspaper is owned by GateHouse Media, the same company that owns The Carthage Press, Neosho Daily News, and Pittsburg Morning Sun in this area:
Stephen Wade, Group Publisher for Kansas for The Wellington Daily News’ parent company, Gatehouse Media, says it’s not a matter of lost revenue, but lost opportunity that has brought about the change.
"This is an exciting opportunity for your newspaper and this community. We believe this will demonstrate that Wellington is a progressive town ready to leap ahead. We noticed last fall how eager this town was to embrace Twitter during the disappointing lottery commission hearings. That spoke loudly and positively about Wellington." said Wade.
With two publications gone a week, reporters will have more time to produce stories, photos, video and more of what readers want.
"Our readers will have access to continually updated news every day.
You will see us using more video and social media." Wade said.
Moving more news to the web is a trend driven by the readers themselves, Wade said, though some are sure to be upset by the news.
"Some will likely try to turn this into a negative. That cannot be farther from the truth. We opened a new newspaper in Andover earlier this year utilizing this format. We wanted to try it and test it. The Andover American has been warmly received in that community, and I believe that model works in Wellington." said Wade.
3 comments:
So this is a good thing, how? Here in Pittsburg they reduced us to six days which meant that we had to wait until the Tuesday after the tornado before we received any local newspaper accounts of the Joplin tornado and then we had to wait until the next Tuesday for any newspaper coverage of the Memorial Service. With so few reporters working for The Morning Sun I was surprised that they even put the tornado on the front page. Last time I paid my bill I noticed the price went up. This morning on The Early Show they did a piece about how ignorant young women have become because they get their "news" on the internet. One of the questions asked was, "What city recently had a devastating tornado?" The six girls who were asked on camera all incorrectly named states and only one wrote the correct state, Missouri. She laughed and indicated that at least she was close. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. Yes, having a weekly paper will be so much better for Wellington. I'm sure.
"not a matter of lost revenue..."
Give me a break, who are you kidding? I was a manager with them for years and they are losing their shirts BIG TIME. It will be a miracle if they're still in business a few years from now.
"not a matter of lost revenue..." He might as well say, "You all are a bunch of dumb@$$'$ and I'm just gonna lie right to your face!" Shame on you Gatehouse.
I used to work for this company. They hire class "A" jerks to be their hatchet men and women. This company is on life support. It is dead. They owe $1 billion dollars due in 2014. The company has been delisted on the NY Stock Exchange, and yet the top officers took $1.4 million dollars in bonuses last year. I might add that the financial performance of the company could have been doubled, had these hefty bonuses not been paid out. The officers of the deck know that it's only a matter of time till the water washes over the deck. They will take their bonuses and retire in Martha's Vineyard, while everyone else suffers. You can read the details of their employement contracts online. The TellPeoria/PeoriaPunit is another good source of info. Even if the debt is negotiated to ten cents on the dollar, it is doubtful the company will survive. Based on last year's performance, they just won't be able to cut the mustard. Check the financials out for yourself. Google GHSE.pk (the pk stands for pink sheet). The company is only worth about $10 million give or take, and the annual profit last year was only about $1.5 million. Payments on $1 billion in debt just aren't there. The regional managers are going to cut, cut, cut, and spin, spin, spin, to keep the life support moniters beeping as long as possible. Don't expect any kindness, compassion, mercy, goodness, or Christian charity. It ain't happening here. It's not about what's best for the papers, employees, or communities. I think the big wheels are trying to keep it alive another two or three years so they can bag some more bonus money. I bet the regional managers are knocking down close to $150K, and that they are pulling a $50-$75K bonus each year for making cuts. That's why they so gladly wield the axe.
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