BREAKING: Online director out and classified department gutted as Citizen-Times continues to cut employees

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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News is beginning to trickle out of the Citizen-Times offices at 14 O. Henry Avenue on where the company is making its personnel cuts as part of a Gannett Co.-mandated 10 percent reduction in force. As Gannett Blog notes, Gannett’s lay-offs, being announced today, are affecting thousands of employees across the country and rank as the newspaper industry’s biggest lay-offs ever.

Sources are reporting that three people in the Citizen-Times’ advertising services department were notified that their jobs were cut today. The trend in that department has been for Gannett to contract those services out to India. The folks in advertising services put together the ads you see in the newspaper and work closely with advertising sales staff.

I’m also hearing that Doug Mayer and John Yenne have been laid off. Yenne worked as head of the newspaper’s online department. I think his title was digital information director, or something to that effect. Yenne was a top newspaper manager, and he’s the husband of Susan Ihne, the newspaper’s former editor, who left the newspaper earlier this year. Mayer reported to Yenne in the online department, and his key job duties were shooting and editing video, and working with the newspaper’s Web site.

I’m surprised at the cuts of Mayer and Yenne. These two job cuts have struck at the heart of what many in the newspaper believe to be the future: the Web. Yenne was a smart and creative manager of the Web site and its offerings, while Mayer was a key figure in moving the newspaper forward into the age of video.

Gannett Blog reports the following lay-offs:

Layoffs so far in Asheville, the Online director, a classified manager, 4 classified sales, a graphic designer, a production designer, 1 page layout, plus rumor of an entire satellite office for which we produce a small daily. not sure what will happen to that.

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

11 Comments

  1. MB December 3, 2008

    As a former employee who had the sense to run shortly after Gannett came in, I am so not surprised they would do this right before the holidays.
    As far as online goes, how much work did those guys actually do hands-on? I honestly have no idea.

    Reply
  2. From across the road December 3, 2008

    Quote:

    I understand that she was informed of her layoff by the Ad Director and her subordinate.

    Unquote:

    Subordinate, LOL. Typical Ad Director nonsense. From what I remember the current Ad Director allegedly used to be in the same position.

    Patricia, our hearts are with you. Stay positive and never look back.

    Reply
  3. SQ December 3, 2008

    I feel so sad for these people. As Lena says, some really good people lost their jobs and some really inept people got to keep their jobs. (For now!)

    Someone said that Susan Ihne left the paper this summer. While that is true, she was in fact let go. Does John Yenne’s layoff come as a surprise? Hatchet Hammer has been trying to think of a good way to get rid of him, since he fired Susan. Both were long time Gannett employees and were considered at the top of their game.

    Another bad call by HH is Patricia Martin. What a class act she is! She has worked in classified advertising for close to twenty years. She gets laid off and is replaced by a manager that has worked in classifieds for all of six months. I understand that she was informed of her layoff by the Ad Director and her subordinate. There’s compassion from Hatcher Hammer. Good Friends indeed!

    Let’s take a head count shall we – laying off sixty people at the press plant, another 16 yesterday, 4 directors six weeks ago, and if I remember correctly there were five or six people laid off 10 weeks ago. That’s close to 90 employees in less than three months. At one time the CTimes employed close to 300 people.

    Oh – and if wasn’t enough, the headline in yesterday’s paper was great. "It’s official recession is here! " Bet the laid off employees are aware. Today’s unemployment story was pretty entertaining as well. Hatchet Hammer is a chicken. Won’t even send out the names of the people he axed. Maybe a better name is Ebenezer Hammer.

    And then there were four!

    Reply
  4. From across the road December 3, 2008

    As usual advertising is making promises without following through with actions.
    They did this in 07 and in 08 and I wonder what is in store for 09. I presume if they can’t meet their numbers they will just cherry pick more employees for termination.

    Time for new leadership.

    Reply
  5. anon December 2, 2008

    From: Hammer, Randy
    Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 1:53 PM
    To: Asheville-Colleagues
    Subject: Staff reductions

    Everyone who was affected by the reduction in staff has been notified.

    We had 16 layoffs, including four people who volunteered.

    It is a very sad day and we are losing good friends and co-workers who have
    contributed a great deal to this company.

    Beginning tomorrow and continuing through the rest of this week, managers will
    hold a series of staff meetings to discuss the impact on their departments.

    Reply
  6. Deborah December 2, 2008

    What the???
    Can’t believe they got rid of Doug.
    And their online guru.
    Online is the best thing the AC-T has going for it right now.
    What in the heck is going on over there?
    Are they truly merging with Greenville?

    Ash — maybe there’s a bigger media story here. The broadcast market is already consolidated — so why not print?
    Geez Louise —- scary.
    No more local paper.
    No more jobs — except trying to get the daily paper out of Greenville to Boone — or has that plan been abandoned?

    As went textiles — now local media?
    Everything is moving to the Internet.

    Reply
  7. From across the road December 2, 2008

    I all can think about is their families and what I would do if I was in their shoes.

    Everyone needs to think positive thoughts for these friends.

    Reply
  8. Ash December 2, 2008

    sorry for the site slowness, guys. i’ll check into it.
    in terms of the lay-offs today, it would be good to know how many people took buyouts. guess only Mr. Hammer can tell us.

    Lena, yes, yes, yes.

    Reply
  9. From across the road December 2, 2008

    Hey, could today have been mostly the people that wanted buyouts, and tomorrow the ax might possibly fall again?

    Also, your site is running slow my friend.

    Reply
  10. Lena December 2, 2008

    I’m on the verge of tears. So many of these people who’ve been laid off this year were not just former colleagues but friends, really awesome people who don’t deserve to lose their jobs. It’s just not fair and there’s nothing anyone can do 🙁

    Reply
  11. Andrew Harvel December 2, 2008

    There goes my aspirations for C.T. employment. Bummer..

    Reply

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