One week after claiming that it is an "exciting time" to be in the news biz, Morning Call Publisher Tim Kennedy has himself become a victim of an apparent budget-cutting axe. Kennedy presided over the largest number of layoffs in Morning Call history, but recently insisted that the notion that newspapers are dead or dying, is a myth.
He's the only publisher at that paper who ever returned one of my calls.
Update: The Express Times has a copy of Kennedy's parting memo, which you can read here.
15 comments:
"Tim Kennedy has himself become a victim of an apparent budget-cutting axe. Kennedy presided over the largest number of layoffs in Morning Call history,"
Just like Robespierre and the Reign of Terror
It may not have been budgetary. Word is that top brass got wind of his comments and was none too pleased, especially about the financial disclosures.
Youtube'll do that to ya.
"Word is that top brass got wind of his comments and was none too pleased, especially about the financial disclosures."
That's an interesting theory. Kennedy did point to the "Help Wanted" revenue lost by the paper, but I don't think he said anything that would remotely jeapordize the newspaper.
His comments were ill-advised at best.
Advertisers have been in a world of hurt, and he basically -though I'm sure unintentionally - told them "We were raping you all these years because we were a monopoly (he actually used that word). Also, claiming that you've lost 13 million in revenues from just one source and then immediately disclosing that you've lost only half of your profitability tells everyone you may still be making egregious profits (and they were) while scaling back your product and raising costs to both readers and advertisers.
And then, the "making it up as we go along" thing. That is not going to instill much confidence in the advertising or readership communities. If I'm a competing ad rep, he just handed me Maxwell's silver hammer.
They may have been planning a consolidation anyway, this may have only accelerated it. Tribune thinks the morons in Baltimore know best because they are a larger market, but they are perenially one of the biggest losers in the chain. Overstaffed, arrogant fucktards.
In the end, the LV loses. Ryan is a corporate ass-kissing POS who likely threw his friend under the bus, and he won't give a shit about us. You think the paper is non-local puffery now, just wait and see now that he has no one in the way of making it a 100% piece of Tribune corporate trash they can wring some money out of.
Kennedy, on the other hand, was a decent guy with some family ties in PA, Berks I think, who assimilated and got involved locally. He wouldn't have laid off a single person if he wasn't forced to by the criminal Zell regime. But they picked on the little guy in the chain to cover the utter incompetence and mismanagement at the marquis properties.
So the net result is that the paper (and LV) loses a basically decent guy for someone from Baltimore.
Give that blogger a cigar!
Happy Easter!
Actually, this really makes me feel lousy because I'm the person who shot and uploaded the youtube video. It was not my intention to hurt him.
You report. We decide. His firing is his own fault.
Guns don't kill people, people kill people.
It was most likely gonna happen anyway. He is a smart guy with lot's of friends, especially in the business community. He's a Northwestern MBA. He'll land on his feet and without having to work for the fraudulent conveyors.
Kennedy's YouTube moment may not have helped him but it was not the death knell: He's known for months that his head was next on the block, which I suspect is why he was so "forthcoming" when tape was rolling. Might as well let all the advertisers and readers know they're being f#%*&d by the big boys from out of town.
Anxiously awaiting Betty Cauler's blog entry on this. BTW, don't cry for Tim Kennedy (ok, maybe just a tear or 2), I'm sure his "layoff" is accompanied by a severance package of some sort.
So, I'm assuming that everything goes through Baltimore, except a handful of local reporters and the actual presses and delivery people?
3:14 -
Bullshit.
One valley outsider is to be replaced with another. This is a corporate newspaper that seems intent on remaining ignorant of local interests, issues and concerns. Yet we are to buy it? I expect nothing new.
Scott Armstrong
I have deleted a copmment posted by our local hate blogger.
Bernie,
Don't feel badly about posting that utube video. Kennedy with an MBA knew what he was doing. As for advertising dollars, did you hear eBay is now offering FREE local classifieds? That's in addition to Craig's List and other venues. Somedays the Call's
want ads list 2 to 3 clerical jobs tops.
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