When I was in San Francisco for ONA, a kind reader offered a blunt critique of my reporting: “You know, every time The New York Times sneezes, it isn’t news.” He’s right, and yet, here’s another post in which the Gray Lady clears her nose: Bill Keller, the Times’ executive editor who’s becoming a regular around here, delivered a newsroom address on Thursday that touched on layoffs, efficiency, and charging for NYTimes.com. Keep reading »
In the high-stakes poker game to at least erase the Boston Globe’s reported $85 million annual operating loss and get to breakeven, it looks like management has won the first few hands. Following deals with several other unions, the Globe and the Newspaper Guild reached a settlement in the wee hours this morning. All of the deals need to be ratified, but assuming that happens, what’s next?
The employee concessions so far will only bring the deficit down to $65 million, which leaves a long way to go. Presumably, the restructured union contracts will provide management the flexibility it needs to pursue strategies that not only close the gap, but reshape the business into a news enterprise ready for a new age.
Here are some thoughts on what else might be coming down the pike for the Globe of tomorrow to survive and be profitable:
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Newspaper bosses and media companies can be short-sighted. Dull of wit. Evil, even. This should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention.
Myself, I’ve taken an active role in meetings where the topic — stated or unstated — was “We need to save a pantsload of money, and if that means we create less expensive ways to cover the news, then so be it.” Yes, I have been a suit, running the online division of The Baltimore Sun until August of last year.
And yet, to the chagrin of some of my employers at the time, I do believe that unions have a proud history in this country and have continued to be necessary and to contribute value to their members into this century, if only to negotiate slightly better severance packages when jobs are eliminated.
But if the newspapers of America are going to crawl out of the bomb-crater they currently find themselves in, unions like The Newspaper Guild are going to have to lose some of the Norma Rae routine and come to the table as true negotiators, with real ideas. The time for the same old posturing is over.
I’m thinking about this announcement from the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild at The Washington Post, which takes issue with the creation of a new “community reporter” position, starting at $34,000, which is close to the mean ($37,010, 2006 Census data) salary for people in metropolitan areas. Keep reading »
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