Chron’s Halloween gift to employees: pink slips : Lone Star Times

Chron’s Halloween gift to employees: pink slips

by Matt Bramanti · 10/25/2007 11:43 am

Houston’s Leading Information Source is booting 5 percent of its workforce. Perry at Brains and Eggs has the memo:

We need to operate differently, and at less cost, as we continue to build our line-up of products to capture more audience and ad revenue market share.

That coupled with a downturn in our financial performance over the past five years, plus an ‘08 budget projection with another drop in revenue, sets the stage for a reorganization and, unfortunately, a position-elimination program.

A staff reduction in the five percent range, through layoffs and the elimination of open positions, is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, October 29 and 30, 2007.

In other news, editor Jeff Cohen shot an 83 the other day.

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Comments

19 Responses to “Chron’s Halloween gift to employees: pink slips”

T-Hawkk on October 25th, 2007 at 11:53 am

Great news. Maybe they will regroup and come back even more liberal now. They just think their customers are stupid and try to force more of what we don’t want on us… haha! So long, sucka’s!
SeeVee on October 25th, 2007 at 12:29 pm

Exactly. I can read their mind now, “These people dont like us cuz we are not liberal enough! Quick, more front page stories about the plight of the undocumented Americans.”
Robert 1 on October 25th, 2007 at 12:31 pm

Here are my “Top Ten” ballon captions for editor Jeff Cohen:

1) The 5% we let go were not liberal enough by our high standards.

2) I know I could have taken a pay cut and saved your jobs, but why should I.

3) If it’s any consoliation to you 5%, I let to let my mother go, too.

4) Look, we’re not called the “Crummyicle” for nothing.

5) Oh, the remainng 95% will have to take a pay cut so that I can get my performance bonus.

6) For you 5%, we have special street corners designated for you to sell newspapers.

7) Okay, now let’s get out there and some more of those “overpriced” ad space.

Now, you 5%, can go out and find you a real job.

9) “Trick or Treat”–consider this a “trick”, “Your’re fired!!!”.

10) “Trick or Treat”–consider this a “treat”, your’re getting a head start on the holiday season.

As usual I hope you all enjoy these.
little mike on October 25th, 2007 at 12:41 pm

Sorry for the folks who are losing their jobs.

It’s not their fault The Chronicle sux.

p.s. Judging from some of the articles lately, I assumed they had already laid off all the proofreaders.
David Benzion on October 25th, 2007 at 12:43 pm

I can tell you this– in my meetings with actual Chronicle reporters and staffers, they have universally been bright, wonderful, seemingly fair-minded people.

I have not yet met any members of management.
LivelyDJ on October 25th, 2007 at 12:46 pm

Here are two points

1) Report the issues and quit opinionating.

2) There are 38 local newspapers printed in Houston by Houston Community Newspapers. They are free and a better read.
dowjones25k on October 25th, 2007 at 12:57 pm

if the chron would change their ways i would buy it again - but they chose the left instead of fair and balanced. i really want both sides just not the left chron folks.
tedtam on October 25th, 2007 at 1:31 pm

Another reason why wrapping yourself in Chronicle pages would make a great Halloween costume.
american woman on October 25th, 2007 at 2:15 pm

Let me know when the last issue hits the stands…… I’ll keep one as a future antique.
wfish on October 25th, 2007 at 2:49 pm

It used to be a fairly decient newspaper….when it had some competition. But then,the Hearst organization moved in. They re-staffed management with New York Times minded liberals on the editorial board without realizing that they can’t force their views an the readers/subscribers they expect to pay for the agenda they are trying to push.
It just won’t fly in the free thinking, open minded circulation area they are slowly (3% to 5% a year) losing.They are so hard headed that they lay off more people (just before the holidays) in an effort to keep their profits up instead of admitting where the real problem lies. It’s only a matter of time….RIP, dear old Chronicle. Oh, yeah, adding insult to injury,their comic pages aren’t even worth reading any more.
Maltboy! on October 25th, 2007 at 3:42 pm

They could save a bundle if they fired their entire editorial staff and just started reprinting excerpts from the Daily Kos. Ten bucks says nobody would notice.
acroamatic on October 25th, 2007 at 4:24 pm

“Line of products”–what do they think they are manufacturing there?

Oh, that’s right–the news….

Loss of revenue is often the direct result of an inferior product. Try the truth.
SC on October 25th, 2007 at 4:29 pm

#12 They manufacture bird cage liners.
Fasternu 426 on October 25th, 2007 at 5:11 pm

They should write their own stories and not rely so much on UPI / Reuters / etc….

Also, reporting and editorializing are not the same.

Would they be considered under any type of Fairness Doctrine?
TEX06 on October 25th, 2007 at 6:48 pm

I stopped my subscription of the Chronicle 2 years ago after buying it for 33 years.

Too much pervert sucking up

Too much pandering to baby killers [abortionists]

Too much God mocking

Too much traitor dog stuff

Too much anti-white rhetoric

Too much ignornant stupidity in print
w_r_ranch on October 26th, 2007 at 7:01 am

ALL OF THE ABOVE
KRAUT on October 26th, 2007 at 11:42 am

What a way to run a business! They opt to lose money and go bankrupt just so they can write their radical Leftwing garbage. Ditto for the TV networks.
pumpkin on October 26th, 2007 at 6:33 pm

Someone bring back the Post…
pumpkin on October 26th, 2007 at 6:35 pm

Years ago my husband started taking the paper to work so he doesn’t get ‘those’ irate calls from me… “CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS!”…