Connect with us
BNM Summit Sessions

Media Business

Hundreds of Gannett Journalists Walkout During Shareholder Meeting

The union criticized the company CEO’s substantial compensation, which amounted to $7.7 million in 2021 and $3.4 million in 2022.

Maddy Troy

Published

on

A significant number of journalists employed by Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the United States, staged a walkout on Monday, alleging that the company’s CEO has severely weakened its local newsrooms.

According to The New York Times, this walkout marked the largest labor action in Gannett’s century-long history. Employees from approximately two dozen newsrooms, including The Palm Beach Post, The Arizona Republic, and The Austin American-Statesman, participated in the demonstrations. Some newsrooms were expected to continue their protests on Tuesday.

The collective action was strategically timed to coincide with Gannett’s annual shareholder meeting on Monday morning. The NewsGuild, representing over 1,000 journalists from Gannett, sent a letter to Gannett shareholders in May, urging a vote of no confidence against CEO and chairman Mike Reed.

In the letter, NewsGuild criticized Gannett’s 2019 merger with GateHouse Media, stating that it had burdened the company with debt, jeopardizing its future. The letter also targeted Mr. Reed, previously the CEO of GateHouse Media, who assumed leadership of Gannett following the merger.

The union criticized his substantial compensation, which amounted to $7.7 million in 2021 and $3.4 million in 2022, deeming it excessive for a company that was cutting jobs and allegedly paying “depressed wages” to remaining journalists. Since the merger with GateHouse, Gannett’s share price has plummeted by approximately 70 percent.

Peter D. Kramer, a reporter for the USA Today Network, expressed his concerns, stating, “Gannett has created news deserts everywhere you look. That’s Mike Reed’s Gannett.” Kramer, based in Westchester County, revealed that some Gannett reporters had to seek second jobs or exit the profession due to inadequate salaries.

In response, Lark-Marie Anton, a Gannett spokeswoman issued a statement in response,“During a very challenging time for our industry and economy, Gannett strives to provide competitive wages, benefits and meaningful opportunities for all our valued employees,” Ms. Anton said. “Our leadership is focused on investing in local newsrooms and monetizing our content as we continue to negotiate fairly and in good faith with the NewsGuild.”

Anton said there would be no disruption to Gannett’s news coverage during the work stoppage this week.

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Media Business

Tom Tradup Named Contributing Editor of All Israel News

Barrett News Media

Published

on

A photo of Tom Tradup and the All Israel News logo
(Photo: Salem Media Group)

Salem Radio Network Vice President Tom Tradup has been hired as Contributing Editor of All Israel News, the publication has announced.

In his new role, Tradup will coach the outlet’s writers and editors, and will also provide a weekly column about Israel, the Arab world, and U.S. policy in the Middle East.

“I could not be more thrilled that Tom Tradup has agreed to help All Israel News publish more great content and dramatically expand our traffic, reach, and influence,” founder Joel C. Rosenberg said.

Tradup will continue in his full-time role at Salem Radio Network, in addition to his new role with All Israel News.

“I’m honored to work with Joel Rosenberg and his awesome team. Given that they only launched on September 1, 2020, I’m astonished by just how much they’ve accomplished. They’re breaking stories that are getting picked up by much larger American and Israeli news outlets. They’re getting exclusive interviews with the most powerful leaders in Israel and the Arab world,” said Tradup.

“Also, they’re providing the best daily online coverage of what’s happening with Christians in Israel and the broader Middle East. TBN loves their work and has created a prime-time TV show with Joel as anchor and executive producer. And Joel is being interviewed by Fox News, Newsmax, the Jerusalem Post, and so many other major media outlets because of his expertise and unique perspective on the region.

“Clearly, the Lord is doing something very special here, and at this pivotal moment in history, I’m really looking forward to helping Joel and his colleagues build on this successful foundation and create exciting new content that educates Evangelical Christians about what’s happening in Israel and the region from a distinctly Biblical worldview.”

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

Media Business

NAB CEO Curtis Legeyt Applauds Court Decision to Complete Quadrennial Review

“This ruling is an important step to compel a review that the record makes clear is necessary to allow local broadcasters to more fairly compete and deliver our trusted, locally-focused programming in a transformed media marketplace.”

Barrett News Media

Published

on

A photo of Curtis LeGeyt
(Photo: Jay Mallin NAB)

A U.S. Court of Appeals has handed down a decision providing the FCC 90 days to complete the 2018 quadrennial review. The NAB has shared their pleasure with the decision.

NAB applauds the Court for recognizing the vital importance of the FCC completing its long overdue 2018 quadrennial review. Today, broadcasters’ service to communities across the country is imperiled by the Commission’s failure to modernize its decades-old media ownership rules,” NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said. “This ruling is an important step to compel a review that the record makes clear is necessary to allow local broadcasters to more fairly compete and deliver our trusted, locally-focused programming in a transformed media marketplace.”

Earlier this year, the NAB threatened to sue the FCC if it did not respond to a request to postpone the 2022 review until the 2018 review was completed. FCC Jessica Rosenworcel subsequently shared that changes to the commission’s ownership rules were still a work in progress, despite the legal challenges facing the quadrennial review.

However, the broadcaster group has shared its intention of working together with the FCC to find a resolution.

“NAB looks forward to actively engaging with the FCC to forge a path forward and reinforce the essential service provided by free, local broadcast stations in communities across the country.”

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

Media Business

X Will Be Turning a Profit in 2024 Says CEO Linda Yaccarino

“90% of the top 100 advertisers have returned to the platform in the last 12 weeks alone.”

Barrett News Media

Published

on

A photo of Linda Yaccarino
(Photo: Vox Media)

The profitability of X, formerly Twitter, has been a hot topic since the social media platform was purchased by billionaire Elon Musk. His hand-picked CEO, Linda Yaccarino, says the company will be in the black in 2024.

While appearing at the Code Conference, Yaccarino said that since she has taken on the role of CEO, she know sees a path to profitability for the company.

“Now that I have immersed myself in the business, and we have a good set of eyes on what is predictable, what’s coming is that it looks like in early ’24, we will be turning a profit,” Yaccarino said.

During the interview, which has been labeled by observers as “odd” and “uncomfortable, Yaccarino claimed, “90% of the top 100 advertisers have returned to the platform in the last 12 weeks alone.”

In its first 13 years of operation, the social media company has yet to turn a profit. However, the insinuation of profitability by Yaccarino isn’t the first time she’s claimed the company was close to being in the black. In an interview with CNBC in August, she said the platform was “pretty close to breakeven”.

Yaccarino added that she views X as “a new company”, saying it’s a “new day”. She continued by noting that her belief is X is “building a foundation on expression and freedom of speech”, whereas Twitter was “operating on different sets of rules…different philosophies and ideologies that were creeping down the road of censorship”.

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Advertisement

BNM Writers

Copyright © 2023 Barrett Media.

Barrett News Media