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U-T Axes 34 to 40
And it is certainly an insult to any higher-paid U-T employee who for some reason takes one of the lowly jobs instead of severance. ====== The U-T has to allow one or two of the older reporters to downgrade to the new lower paying jobs, but not all of them. The paper will hire a few of the existing older reporters in order to provide a defense in the event the paper is hit with a federal class action age discrimination lawsuit by the fired reporters who are over age 40. If I were a reporter at the U-T facing a layoff, I would file a class action age discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) without delay. Yes, the U-T can fire older workers because they are paid too much, but the U-T faces legal risks if it doesn't offer the older workers the lower paying jobs first before it hires youngsters off the street. The help wanted ad the U-T placed for entry level reporters is laden with age-biased statements that appear to be intended to discourage older workers from applying, in violation of federal law.— June 19, 2010 11:48 p.m.
U-T Axes 34 to 40
How many thousand such columns did he write in his lifetime? The poor old guy deserves to retire. ========= Stiff is 82 years old.— June 19, 2010 11:09 p.m.
U-T Axes 34 to 40
Ruben confirmed his layoff to the columnist linked below, but says he will continue to write for CNN.com Ruben's column apparently is carried by 111 other media outlets. It's not clear whether his column will still appear in the U-T even though he is no longer employed by the U-T. http://mije.org/richardprince/columnist-ruben-nav…— June 19, 2010 1:46 p.m.
U-T Axes 34 to 40
Response to post #34: Stiff used to work for David Copley, not for the company. (That's when Helen was alive.) I thought he was out earlier. =========== Burl was one of the first to get stiffed after Platinum bought the paper.— June 19, 2010 12:16 a.m.
U-T Axes 34 to 40
The company announced that Tom Blair is returning as a columnist, as reported. The company said it will have a seven-person watchdog team and a restaurant critic.(Don Bauder) =========== If Blair's coming back is Bell leaving? Both write the same style of column and I can't see both of them writing for the paper.— June 17, 2010 8:31 p.m.
U-T Axes 34 to 40
Every industry values individual businesses like the U-T based on an earnings multiple, for example, annual earnings times 10. If the U-T axes 30 reporters who each earn $60,000 per year and replaces them with 30 reporters each earning $30,000 per year, the U-T will save $900,000 annually. If investors value the U-T using a ratio of 10 times earnings, $900,000 in annual savings will increase the resale value of the U-T by $9 million. This is the game Platinum is playing, firing older reporters and replacing them with younger reporters who earn less in order to increase the value of the company. These younger reporters will never earn more than $40,000 per year at the U-T and will never establish themselves in the middle class or own houses: they are little more than serfs. I'm not convinced this latest round of layoffs was caused by financial losses at the paper. It was likely driven by greed.— June 17, 2010 8:25 p.m.
San Diego Gay and Lesbian News, against Gay and Lesbian Times
The DA would be in just as much hot water (if not MORE) as the one actually publishing the info......and even if the info IS true they are still liable for invasion of privacy and possibly intentional interferance with economic expectancy. ============== They DA can't use the information against Portantino if they prosecute him. The DA would have to issue a subpoena to the bank to obtain the records. The only legal exposure I see for the DA is if investigators asked one of Portantino's employees to covertly copy or steal the records from his office for use in the investigation. This would clearly be illegal.— June 16, 2010 10:46 p.m.
Here Are More OC Register Alums in U-T Management
Ad revenue through extortion. Interesting strategy. ======= I was just kidding.— June 11, 2010 4:22 p.m.
Here Are More OC Register Alums in U-T Management
The U-T suffers from a lack of advertising revenue, not from a shortage of managers. Light's attempt to load the U-T payroll with sycophants and cronies will do nothing to increase ad sales. If I were Light, I would send salesmen to large car dealerships and demand the dealers sign agreements to purchase $3 million a year in advertising. If the dealers didn't sign, I would send undercover reporters into the dealerships to have their cars repaired and then publish a barrage of stories claiming the dealers ripped them off for bogus repairs. I would also contact hotel owners and tell them if they did not agree to place ads in the paper, the paper would publish articles about the bed bug infestations at their establishments.— June 11, 2010 2:45 p.m.
U-T Editor Brings in Former O.C. Register Pals
Pathetic, perhaps, but they're hardly competition. Dotinga's weekly gig is covering radio news for the NC Times. ====== Randy and Don have been covering the same stories. It is clear from Randy's comments that he believes he is competing with Don. http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/this_just_in/artic…— June 10, 2010 8:35 p.m.