Final Days? A Newsroom Diary
by Ian Lind, Star-Bulletin reporter
Final Days? A Newsroom Diaryby Ian Lind, Star-Bulletin reporter
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**Thanks for visiting. This online diary began as a personal attempt to simply be a witness to the death of a century-old newspaper when the Star-Bulletin's owners, Rupert Phillips and his Liberty Newspapers Limited Partnership, announced their intention to close the paper after the Oct. 30, 1999 edition. In exchange for closing down the Star-Bulletin and terminating the JOA with Gannett's Honolulu Advertiser 12 years early, Phillips would receive a cash payment of $26 million from Gannett, which would be left with a monopoly in this market. The diary has grown incrementally as the death watch turned into a struggle for survival, and then a groundbreaking newspaper antitrust lawsuit pitting a group backed by The Newspaper Guild against Gannett, and, finally, the "forced" sale of the paper under court supervision and prospects of survival. It's been quite a wild ride. Please browse and get a sense of what it's been like. For more information, visit the first few entries back in September 1999. Or jump right to today's entry. And, of course, feedback is always appreciated. |
I promised George Steele, who's on vacation for several weeks, a cat picture, so here goes.Shredding the competition. It was Sunday morning, and Harry & Lizzie, our latest round of rescued kittens, somehow captured the mood of the week. That's Lizzie, on the right, trying to claim credit once all the work was done. Thanks, ladies!
Every time I get started on another two week stretch of diary entries, it seems like a very long road ahead, but then time passes and suddenly it's time to do it all again.
Two messages went out to newsroom staff following last week's steam cleaning incident, when Gannett hired a work crew to close off the front of the building and "coincidentally" disrupt a press conference held by Save Our Star-Bulletin, the community group formed to oppose plans to close the paper.
"In order to get the bathroom cleaned, we will hold a press conference there at noon today," the first message read.Several minutes later came this folo: "Maybe we can hold a press conference near (Rick) Daysog's desk so we can get that cleaned up too." Daysog, besides being a fine reporter, is the Star-Bulletin's undisputed champion of hoarded paper.
Not much else to say today. Still no word on the negotiations between Black and Gannett, with the parties due back in court on Monday morning. I think we're all trying to stay cool, but the constant deadline pressure remains just below the daily radar.
Meanwhile, the Star-Bulletin's staff negotiating team is preparing for work on short notice. Suggestions were solicited from all staff at the end of last week, and they're preparing to meet with Black as soon as he's prepared to proceed.
George sent a brief message in response to yesterday's entry:Dear Harry and Lizzie,YOU GO, GIRLS!!!!
Magistrate Kurren had the attorneys in court yesterday for a status conference to review progress in negotiations for sale of the Star-Bulletin. Word of the meeting spread quietly through our staff. We hadn't heard anything more by late afternoon. No announcement of either a breakthrough or a further delay. David Black is reportedly heading this way soon, though, encouraging speculation that the sale is on track. Perhaps sleuth Daysog will have gotten something overnight for today's Star-Bulletin.
It's an awkward time. We're increasingly anxious to get out from under Gannett's boot, and no one wants to do anything to jinx a deal. At the same time, we're having to begin thinking through possible bargaining points, and were areas of "give and take" are likely to be. It's hard not to speculate, and there are some grim scenarios that you can invent in the absence of real information. But we've gotten this far, and from all we've heard to date, Black's intentions are positive. But, for now, it's still hurry up and wait.
We were alerted yesterday morning that an Advertiser photographer's car was broken into while parked in the main parking lot adjacent to the news building around 9 p.m. the night before. This is a fenced lot next to the employee entrance to the building, with a guard post right outside that entrance, and a security camera. Of course, as was the case during a spate of car thefts from the back lot, the camera was fixed in one direction instead of sweeping the lot, as it is designed to do, so there was no video of the break-in.
I overslept this morning and missed the normal early a.m. entry. When the cats started romping at 2:30, I staggered out of bed and closed the bedroom door, not a straightforward thing due to one of the "over the top of the door" thingies with clothes hanging on it. But I managed to drag that off, dump it somewhere else, and closed the door. It was magic. I didn't hear a thing for another three hours, a very unusual occurrence in our overly felined household. It also rained all night, which meant that 8 of 9 cats were inside. A literal zoo.
It rained through our walk, and it's still raining at 7:20. But it's not cold, folks, and that's the difference with the approach of winter in Hawaii.
I spent the day on Thursday angry and depressed after learning that one of the best pieces of writing I've read in the Star-Bulletin in a while had been pulled by top editors earlier in the week. I don't know the full circumstances or their reasoning, or who was ultimately responsible for the decision, but the move leaves the unfortunate impression that we knuckled under and dropped a piece of hot writing that took on a politically influential target.That was a great bit of writing, I thought to myself after reading Pat Bigold's column in Tuesday's Star-Bulletin sports section. I missed it on Tuesday, but noticed it the next day as I was cleaning up my desk. The column is a blistering critique of Hawaii's prep football dynasty at St. Louis High School, which has dominated the local football scene for years and ranks as one of the country's top football programs in terms of wins.
But Pat challenged the school's coaches for running up an 84-0 score against an obviously far weaker team. Here's his lead:
BRAVO, St. Louis School football coaching staff. I admire many of the athletes you produce.I enjoy seeing them succeed at the college and NFL levels.
But I abhor the way you continue to stomp on the dignity of youngsters who play for much weaker programs.
Tackling one of the underlying problems of sports programs, Pat decried the school's perpetuation of "the bullying tradition."
Passionate, focused, critical, with a fine staccato beat, and taking on one of the town's sacred cows. Wow, I said to myself, great column! Just like our slogan says, we do make waves!
Another staffer's evaluation: "It was right on the money! A short, hard right to the nose from about this far," he said, indicating a distance of about 6 inches.
But after appearing in the first edition, and following the morning's meeting of editors, it was pulled before the next edition, which is the paper delivered to most homes on the island.
Ironically, on the same day that Bigold's column was disappearing from the pages of the Star-Bulletin, his probing reporting on the local boxing scene was being praised by Bernard Fernandez in the Philadelphia Daily News.
In a subsequent email, Fernandez said:
He (Bigold) could have simply run with the press release handed out by the promoter, as so many in my line of work unfortunately do. Instead, he dug deeper than the promoter would have liked, resulting in a spotlight focused on areas that I'm sure a lot of people would have preferred it not be focused on.Pat's a good reporter, and a good writer, and he's taken on sports issues that others have ignored for years. Unsportmanlike conduct, misdeeds of athletes, routine violation of state sunshine laws, and others.
His column this week was worth its weight in gold and didn't deserve the shabby treatment it received.
As I left for work yesterday morning, I was steaming over this episode, and commented to Meda: "Well, I can't get in trouble for just telling the truth, can I?" It took one heartbeat, another heartbeat, and we both succumbed to a burst of spontaneous laughter.
Bravo, Pat Bigold.
It is looking like that deal could be announced at Monday's hearing in federal court here in Honolulu.As we approached previous deadlines, the pre-hearing status conference resulted in a terse announcement that the deadline was being extended. That has happened more times than I can recount.
But this week, the status conference was held as usual, and no public announcement followed. That makes it appear that Monday's deadline will hold, and we'll either hear that a deal has been reached or, possibly, that Gannett has thrown up too many roadblocks and negotiations have fallen apart.
Black Monday, either way.
I think we now expect good news, but we also still harbor personal fears that of being engulfed by the bad news.
The announcement that Columbia Inn will close in early January left a sense of scorched earth on this side of Kapiolani Boulevard.
We also said good-bye to Jaymes Song yesterday as he prepared to depart the newsroom after a 3-year stint for a new job with Associated Press.
It's become a ritual for everyone who happens to be around to gather at the city desk for some polite banter, expressions of appreciation, a handshake and a cake to be shared by all.
Jaymes received one of the "Thank You for your Support" signs from last week's picketing outside the building, this one signed by all the staff. A real collectors' item.
Jaymes jokes with Cynthia Oi as staffers gather.
A story by William Cole in today's Sunday Advertiser reviews the newsprint availability issue, reportedly the last remaining potential deal breaker between Gannett and Black Press. The unanswered question is whether or not they've reached an agreement, or will have one prior to tomorrow's court appearance. I'm betting that it's been resolved, simply because there wouldn't be such a significant silence if the war were still on.A letter in Saturday's Star-Bulletin from Damien High School counselor, Brother Patrick D. McCormack, praised Pat Bigold's controversial column:
Kudos to Pat Bigold for his superb writing skills and astute perception so well illustrated in his Tuesday column, "St. Louis football team: No mercy" (Star-Bulletin, First Edition). He not only captured the overall picture but deftly described the feelings of young teens particularly sensitive to peer acceptance.Without taking anything away from the skills of the St. Louis team, as obviously neither does Bigold, I'd simply like to state that I am extremely proud of our Damien men, both on and off the field.
Never mind that they are both outnumbered and outsized. They always give their best and never give up. When the game is over, they can hold their heads high as can, indeed, their loyal fans.
No editorial comment accompanies the letter to indicate that an internal editorial decision led to the original column being pulled from the paper.
On reader noted: It's hilarious that the webmasters provided what looks like a link to Bigold's column in that Damien letter online. When you click it, of course, you don't find the column, because it was spiked from both the print and online editions.
An anonymous Gannett tipster sent this report:
HNA sales held a staff meeting Friday (on the busiest day of the week, at the busiest time) to announce a complete restructuring of the division. Mark Adkins rolled out the restructuring plan that created new divisions and subdivisions of the department that handles display and classified advertising sales.The meeting left workers grumbling about how disconnected Adkins is with the daily worker and conjecture that it would only mean more (Gannett) managers, probably flown in from the mainland... more chiefs to run the same number of Indians.
On a positive note, I decided to track down some of Kona's world famous coffee earlier this week and somewhat randomly ordered from Cornwell Estate (http://www.cornwellcoffee.com/). A pound of their premium 100% Kona arrived by mail on the 2nd day following my online order, and it is wonderful coffee. Shipping costs are included in the price. I'm not getting anything for this plug. It just struck me that I waited too long before seeking out a source. There are a number of growers who are now selling direct via the Internet. Support Hawaii's economy and check them out.
Here we are, just hours from the hearing in Honolulu's U.S. District Court, and the game of disinformation and disruption continues.
"Bulletin sale hits 'major snag'", Gannett's Honolulu Advertiser pronounces this morning, based on Hawaii Newspaper Agency head Mike Fisch's claim that Black has at the last minute "refused" to accept the union contract. Fisch, who has not been involved in the negotiations, proclaims this a very serious issue and implies the deal could hinge on this issue.
But Black has never said he would reject the Guild and a contract, only that he would seek changes in the existing contract, just as Gannett is currently seeking changes in ongoing negotiations with the Guild and its other unions. We've known that for some time, and fully expected any buyer to seek similar changes. That's why we've elected a bargaining committee, which has been working with Guild staffer Wayne Cahill to prepare for negotiations. But based on some broad parameters previously disclosed by Black, we're optimistic that an agreement is within reach.
But Gannett's Advertiser makes this non issue the main part of their story, burying down in paragraph 17 the news that the newsprint issue, the real deal breaker, was resolved on Friday when Gannett used its purchasing clout to get a commitment from a paper supplier of an adequate amount for the Star-Bulletin.
Star-Bulletin reporter Rick Daysog writes that the Advertiser mischaracterizes Black's position, and Cahill confirms that the Guild is prepared to negotiate the new contract:
While Black may want some changes in the union contract, he isn't out to "bust our chops," Cahill said."Gannett calling another employer an anti-union is like the pot calling the kettle black," Cahill added.
Daysog does report that Black intends to hire a majority, but not all, of the Star-Bulletin's current employees, something that has not been directly stated before. At the same time, Black says he does not expect pay cuts or layoffs, leaving unanswered questions about how he would avoid layoffs but not hire all staff. Perhaps retirement incentives or similar moves will be used to pare the staff. Also unanswered: How will we add a Sunday edition without at least maintaining our current staff? Workload issues obviously remain to be resolved.
Overall, though, with the newsprint issue out of the way, it looks more likely than at any time in the last year that it will be a David Black Monday, and we'll be celebrating by noon, despite Gannett's spin.
I'll aim for a rare, midday update with a brief report on outcome of the hearing.
Sunrise, Kaaawa, Hawaii. Monday, Nov. 6.5:30 PM: Still no deal as of 45-minutes ago. Black met with Gannett negotiators throughout the day. The hearing was initially pushed back from 11 AM to 2 PM, then put on hold indefinitely. Black emerged about 4:30 and answered questions for a few minutes. He indicated that several issues remain unresolved, but a deal is still within reach. The newsprint issue is not totally resolved, because the mill can't yet guarantee delivery. Transition issues remain to be worked out, and some question of who pays any severance is still outstanding, although it isn't clear from our perspective what severance payments would have to be made. Reporters were ushered out when the federal building closed, but the talks were expected to continue through the evening. Indications are that the judge is pressing for a decision, one way or the other, before the night is over. For now, though, more waiting.
November 7, 2000 - Election Tuesday
No deal yet, but it now appears virtually certain that the Star-Bulletin will be purchased by Black Press, of Victoria, British Columbia, and begin publishing independently on March 15, 2001 after a transition period of several months.I wimped out after the federal building closed yesterday afternoon and didn't stay for the evening shift, but according to accounts in both papers this morning, Gannett attorneys left mid-evening without commenting, and Black told reporters the deal could be wrapped up "within 48 hours."
The Star-Bulletin updated Rick Daysog's story just before 10 p.m. on Monday, and Gannett's Advertiser has a story in today's edition. Both report just the newsprint and severance issues remaining to resolve. The newsprint issue rests on some backup mechanism pending confirmation that the mill can guarantee the paper it has committed to delivering. The severance issue is a question of how to manage the accrued liability represented by severance payments guaranteed in the Guild contract. Black says he shouldn't be liable for 40 years of severance due to some staffers if the paper folds just a few years after he takes over, a contingency he doesn't expect but has to plan for.
Black told reporters negotiations will continue by phone today or tomorrow.
A contingent of reporters spent Monday outside Judge Kurren's courtroom, waiting for the announcement that never came. Star-Bulletin staffers came and went throughout the day, hoping for news, with most waiting hungrily in the newsroom for some word of the papers' fate. Any news of the negotiations was eagerly devoured when it reached our newsroom.
Most of the plaintiff's in the Save Our Star-Bulletin antitrust lawsuit were also present for much of the day, hoping to be there for a historic decision. S-B publisher John Flanagan was there for the scheduled 11 a.m. hearing, and waited until we were told the session had been rescheduled for 2 p.m., only to be deferred again. Attorney Jim Bickerton, representing SOS, and Deputy Attorney General Rodney Kimura, were also around throughout the day in case they were needed to approve a final deal, which would also resolve both pending lawsuits.
Several reporters commented that the could not imagine living through the uncertainty that we have had for the past year. It's hard to imagine, at this point, that we actually have survived.
There were multiple levels of uncertainty and anxiety in the newsroom yesterday, as reporters worried about election results and also wondered when or whether the negotiations with Gannett would yield a final deal.
It appears that the deal should be finalized this week, perhaps as early as today. But while a deal may be close, the undeclared and one-sided circulation war continues.
Customers walking into 7-11 stores here yesterday were greeted with these special cardboard election day newspaper displays which were stocked exclusively with Advertisers.
I'm told circulation staffers were explicitly instructed, "No Bulletins."
And this was the scene at about 1 PM, at a bus stop across the street from the convention center. The Advertiser sales rack faces the street and the bus stop, and was full of papers.
The Star-Bulletin rack, facing away from the street and the bus stop, was empty, despite the fact that our paper would deliver much fresher news at that time of day. Whether it had been stocked an hour earlier is unknown.
With circulation for both papers managed by Gannett, it would be hard to convince anyone in our newsroom that the Star-Bulletin is getting fair and evenhanded treatment.
As for the mood at the Star-Bulletin: This is a new T-shirt that went on sale yesterday afternoon in the newsroom. Hot off of the production line, it features the "Yes, We Are Open" front page along with the message, "We're Still Here!"
The S-B's ESOP committee huddled at noon in a hastily arranged conference call with our investment banker, Josh Wolf-Powers of Keilin & Co. We still don't know whether the ESOP will be part of this deal, or even whether there have been any discussions with David Black concerning that possibility.
Black has reportedly asked for a meeting with the staff as soon as a deal with Gannett is in hand.
Breaking news: SOLD!
It all comes together today.
The judge has set a 4 p.m. deadline, and David Black has scheduled an 11:30 a.m. press conference to announce either that the deal is done or that it's off. And staff have been invited to a gathering at the end of the day, with the caveat that it may be either a celebration or a wake. I'm betting celebration, but it's terribly difficult to jettison the final reserve of paranoia after the ups and downs of the past 14 months.
[10 AM. Word ripples through an already nervous newsroom that the 11:30 press conference has been abruptly cancelled. No word yet on what this might mean. Another round on the seemingly endless roller coaster. But minutes later, another message from upstairs in our executive offices indicates that it is still on as scheduled. The "real" situation isn't clear yet.]
Other signs, though, appear positive. Members of our bargaining committee have been alerted to plan for a Monday meeting, and there are rumblings that some editors may know more than they're telling.
The nation's post-election uncertainties have triggered more empathy for our situation. A diary reader from Detroit noted yesterday morning: "Now, an entire nation, even most of the world, joins you in your uncertainty, albeit over something other than the Star Bulletin."
S-B staffer Mark Coleman continued the thought: " It occurred to me that now the world is getting a little taste of what we at the Star-Bulletin have been going through for the past year. Imagine what it would be like if it took Florida more than a year to conduct its ballot recount! It's not the same, of course, but it's similar."
Meanwhile, Gannett keeps up the harassment, this time by moving up the deadline for our Saturday "Football Final", a special edition sold at local football games. For years, as long as anyone can remember, it has been printed after our last edition of the day, and contains, among other things, the scores of games played that day on the mainland. But after the papers were late on a recent Saturday due to a press breakdown, Gannett's decreed that the run will begin right after our first edition and must be on the trucks by 1 p.m., effectively eliminating many mainland scores and reducing the attractiveness of the product.
Just another skirmish in what could quickly become a newspaper war in a two-newspaper city.
Can anyone help on the journalism trivia front: Is the Star-Bulletin the first American newspaper to be printed under court order? Since the injunction was issued last October, it has been the only thing preventing Gannett and Liberty from pulling the plug. Are there parallels in publishing history or are is our legal situation truly unique?
It was the day we've waited for but couldn't believe would really arrive.The celebration began shortly after David Black's announcement that an agreement has been reached under which the Star-Bulletin will begin publishing as an independent daily newspaper, and the JOA with Gannett will be terminated, on March 15, 2001. Both the Star-Bulletin, and Gannett's Honolulu Advertiser, have extensive coverage of the deal, which I won't repeat here.
Some matters remain to be resolved, including coming to terms on a new contract covering newsroom employees, but despite lingering anxieties, there are no signs that this will be an arduous process. We're all hoping for a relatively quick agreement so that we can stay focused on all the things that will have to be done over the next four months.
Meanwhile, the party adjourned to Murphy's, where prior chapters of this saga also unfolded.
And now, I'm out of time, so this is getting posted. I sure hope all the links work.
More of the "Done Deal" celebration...
Thursday's partying was a bit more subdued than earlier S-B gatherings at Murphy's. It could have been because it was a weeknight with a full workday to follow, or perhaps it reflected the sudden absence of that hidden edge of desperation that has colored our lives until now. I felt a mix of mental exhaustion and relief that combined in a pleasant glow.But now we wait to see sort of contract proposal our Mr. Black is going to put on the table when negotiations begin on Monday. Some worry because of rumors that some of his Canadian weeklies survive with small budgets, old equipment and aggressive workloads.
My own sense is that our situation is different. He is taking a substantial risk with the Star-Bulletin, but the potential reward is also substantial. And, in this case, the only way for the investment to pay off is if he maintains the atmosphere that has made the S-B an award winning newspaper. This isn't a small town with a single paper that can be stripped down and still make money. This is a major metropolitan market with a strong corporate competitor, and it will take resources, as well as our hard work, to stay afloat. The result: He needs us as much as we need him if this whole plan is going to succeed, and we all know of our mutual dependence.
But at least we'll have answers shortly.
Conversations yesterday turned to the pros and cons of possible newsroom locations, at least during those moments when the election wasn't preempting other topics. It was sort of a street by street mental inventory of what's available. The upshot: finding suitable space isn't going to be real easy.
There were also numerous comments on the Advertiser's coverage of the sale agreement, with its emphasis on "but" and "difficult" and similar caveats. But it was a publicity coup for Black, that's for certain.
I had a local, middle-aged man in aloha shirt and slippers stop me at a bus stop and ask about the Star-Bulletin and Black. He finally revealed that he had been a Star-Bulletin "carrier of the week" many years before and has carefully followed our tribulations, and wanted to express his support. Everyone seems to have a story of this kind recently.
My friend Marnie, who has contributed to this diary several times before, sent this along yesterday:
"I love David Black! What a cool number!Congratulations.
Here's a token -- not my first choice, but couldn't find a good shot of the King Kamehameha statue... "
It's interesting to see the different types of sunrise. On some mornings, including most of the past week, virtually no color emerges until just minutes before the sun crosses the horizon, and then the degree of color depends on whether there are enough clouds to generate reflections.On other mornings, like today, a deep red-orange paints the sky 30-40 minutes before sunrise, then slowly fades. By the time the sun is actually up, virtually all the color has drained away, leaving shades of gray and white.
There are days when pre-dawn colors appear 45 degrees off from where the sun will eventually emerge, and the two zones of color compete, with the "false" colors eventually dwindling.
Then there are the rebound mornings, when early colors fade, but sunrise brings a whole new burst of brilliantly colored clouds.
There are also simple differences in duration. Some days the colors are bright and vibrant, but disappear within minutes, while other days they seem to last forever.
All this has nothing to do with the fate of the Star-Bulletin, but it's Sunday, and so vulnerable to rambling.
The Sunday Advertiser has a good background piece today on David Black, based on interviews with current and former employees, competitors, and others.
And for those waiting for a kitten update, here it comes. It was seven weeks ago today that we were found by these two kittens, along with two siblings, who charged into a quiet back road in Kaaawa at the sound of our voices. They're about five pounds each already, and dangerously active.
Harry and Lizzie struck these two poses for the camera late yesterday.
Overheard at Thursday's post-deal party--Publisher John Flanagan's wife, Mary, cracked up several others S-B spouses when she quipped: "Looks like we won't forming the Sole Providers' Club after all."Oceanic Cable was "down" at 5 a.m., and is still down 4 hours later, so my Roadrunner internet access isn't. I'll probably just wait to post this page until later this morning.
We're over the biggest hurdle, but still a long way from the finish line.There's a least one staffer who is very unhappy about the deal and the Star-Bulletin's survival because it means he won't be eligible for thousands of dollars in severance pay. Others believe the contingency items will ultimately prove to be deal breakers, and have adopted an "it ain't going to happen" posture, resisting work on the transition effort until the long term is assured.
One possibility being floated is a "decentralized" newsroom, with many reporters working from home or other locations while linked via computers to the newsroom. This would reduce the size and cost associated with the move to a new location. We need to quickly get staff reactions to the idea of a decentralized newsroom, both good and bad, since both viewpoints have valid arguments. People have to come up with possible solutions for minor and major problems with the idea so a plan can quickly emerge. Feedback from folks who have worked in this kind of news environment would be appreciated.
The bargaining committee meets with Black for the first time today, and hopefully will come away with his contract proposals for the rest of us to react to.
I'm off to the San Francisco area for a week, leaving the cats in the care of a "cat sitter". I hope to add diary updates while on the road, assuming no technological meltdowns.
I'm finishing this entry from the 7th floor of the Westin St. Francis Hotel in downtown San Francisco. I wish I could say that I was enjoying the view of Union Square, but instead the view is of an alley and the windows of the next building just a few yards away. I hoped to post this earlier, but it took me a while to get this free Internet access account properly configured. Now, hopefully, all is well.I began writing this in the air on United flight 60 Monday afternoon en route to San Francisco. Monday was uneventful, except for the intense dose of medicine for low blood pressure that we got courtesy of Gannett.
It was shortly after noon when we hit the news stand nearest the United departure gate. It was a sobering sight: eight (count them, eight) highly visible vertical display racks filled with Advertisers, at that point many hours old.
No fresh Star-Bulletin's were in sight until I dug around on the shelf below and found a small stack of about six or eight Bulletins dumped among various day-old papers from the mainland.
Of course, by the time I took this photo, "someone" was forced to rearrange the papers just a bit to reclaim at least some of that visible wall space for the Star-Bulletin.
These things don't happen by accident. Whoever was responsible for laying out the newspapers deliberately made it appear that the only paper in town is Gannett's Advertiser. Tracking back from "who benefits" to those responsible shouldn't be difficult.
This could be dismissed as simply hardball competition except for the terms of the pesky JOA, which requires the Hawaii Newspaper Agency to conduct its business to the benefit of both papers. This display, promoting one paper exclusively, is just another piece in the broad pattern of conduct by Gannett in apparent violation of its obligations under the JOA. Only its special relationship with Rupert Phillips' Liberty Newspapers Limited Partnership, the Star-Bulletin's nominal owner, has shielded HNA/Gannett from repeated challenges.
But all that will change soon, won't it?
HNA sales staff were told in a recent meeting that they can be summarily dismissed for revealing company "secrets" to outsiders, apparently reflecting some Gannett paranoia about our pending break to independence. I doubt the strategy of management by threat gets very good results in a local audience like that, and can't help but drive HNA morale lower than it already is. That's part of the Gannett heavy handedness that is going to give us an advantage in the competition to come.
Staffers from Gannett's Honolulu Advertiser met at noon Monday with Guild rep Wayne Cahill to discuss how the Star-Bulletin's independent contract negotiations with Black might impact their ongoing talks with Gannett. Advertiser staffers are concerned that any concessions on our side will lead Gannett to make similar demands on them.
One S-B reporter, after talking to a friend across the hall, said the mindset over there seems to be that Black is crazy and that he eventually will fail, but not before our lingering death gives Gannett the ammunition to gut the Tizer's contract.
The first meeting between our negotiating committee and Black or his reps was scheduled for last night. I'm going to be treading very lightly on matters relating to these negotiations, since I really don't want to way anything that could be perceived as undermining our position in the talks.
If it's not one thing, it's another. The evening we arrived here in San Francisco, the free Internet access company I was planning to use while traveling, 1stUp (which offers FreeLane access for Excite, AltaVista, and others), announced that it is shutting down. Yesterday I was able to log on and upload the day's entry, but couldn't access any Internet sites, and I've got no idea what to expect today. It's possible that I won't be able to post any further updates until I find another point of access.I understand that things have been a bit crazy back home. Advertiser Editor Jim Gatti announced his retirement. I haven't been able to read the stories about it, but I'm told that he's heading back to Michigan.
Our Guild negotiating committee has been working long hours already, and reaching an accord with Black could take us right up to the November 30th deadline which has been set for clearing up all contingencies.
Newspaper competition here in San Francisco is fierce. On a typical street corner there are sales racks for the Chronicle, the new Examiner, the San Jose Mercury News, and the Oakland Tribune, along with the Los Angeles Times and New York Times. What an array of choices!
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