Saturday, November 8, 2008

Media Not Immune to Downsizing

Journalists take a lot of heat for the way they report stories – and sometimes that heat is deserved. Most will tell you they make an effort to tell the story without bias. This week in Central Washington, 17 reporters, editors, photographers, and other staff at twolocal ABC affiliates “became the story” as management announced plans to drop one newscast entirely, outsource another to a sister market 200 miles away, and truncate the 11:00 news to just five minutes. In an economy where jobs are lost every day, the storytellers have unfortunately become the story – not due to any fault of their own. http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2008/11/07/kapp-tv-to-cut-6-p-m-broadcast-lay-off-news-positions

The layoff, according to management, is the result of their expensive transition to digital. Like this medium-sized station in Central Washington, multi-national corporations and organizations all have their own “transition to digital.” The health of the economy is uncertain, consumers are tightening their belts, and there’s less money to go around. The only thing that seems to be “in excess” these days are fingers pointing at someone else.

Today, more than at any time in the past 20 years, it’s critical for people to have access to the latest tools to help them discover new opportunities and create their own job security. Reliable online staff resources can jump-start your job search. We offer more than 50 of them, sorted by industry, executive resources, general resources and work-at-home opportunities, in the 2009 edition of Creating Job Security. Some of my personal favorites include: http://www.etsy.com/, http://www.guru.com/, http://www.tentiltwo.com/, and http://www.6figurejobs.com/. Do you have favorites you’ve found helpful to share with those who have recently received bad news about their jobs – maybe even from the newspaper, TV or radio station where they once worked? We want to hear from you.

Creating Job Security, The 2009 All-In-One Workbook, featuring the Green Light Scoring Model for creating your ideal job right now, can now be preordered through The Graduate Group. It is available December 1. E-mail graduategroup@hotmail.com
Telephone: 860-233-2330. Visit them online: http://www.graduategroup.com/

1 comment:

Creating_Job_Security said...

BREAKING NEWS:

Time Inc. Calling for Buyouts
Some of Time Inc.’s biggest magazines have put out the call for at least 83 volunteers to take buyouts, according to memos and staffers at the company
Nov 10, 2008

-By Lucia Moses


With a handful of higher-ups having already exited, Time Inc. is moving to the rank-and-file as it, like other publishers, seeks to reduce its workforce in the face of dropping ad revenue.

Some of Time Inc.’s biggest magazines have put out the call for at least 83 volunteers to take buyouts, according to memos and staffers at the company. The news comes as part of the company’s previously announced restructuring and plan to cut its headcount by about 600, or roughly 6 percent of the Time Inc.’s worldwide workforce of 10,200.

Sports Illustrated said it is looking for about 40 Guild and non-Guild volunteers from the editorial side. People is seeking 23 volunteers and Time magazine, about 20. Fortune and Money are also looking for volunteers from guild members, but did not specify a number.

Volunteers are asked to come forth by Dec. 1 to avoid involuntary layoffs.

Other, non-Guild cuts are expected to be made throughout the company’s 24 U.S. titles today.

“No one’s immune,” said one staffer, who called the mood “extremely grim.”

The reorg of Oct. 28 has already led to the departures of the publishers of Time and Golf magazines and This Old House; Money editor Eric Schurenberg; and longtimers Tom Angelillo and Ned Desmond.