When the time comes and people want to post farewells, I will welcome them

I am told there is a time where those who asked for the buyout can change their minds. After that, HR will notify those who will get the buyout.

When that happens, as I did the last time, I will welcome any posts from those who are leaving and want to use this as a place to say anything. People who want to say goodbye to friends who are leaving and who have made that public can also post here. I will NOT allow anyone who is not leaving to identify those who are. It is up to those who are going to make that decision.

I will hope to get a count of the kinds of positions that will be vacated, the way I was able to do last time. Reporter, photographer, editor, senior editor, that kind of list.

I am told that some people are already posting to Facebook and other social media that they have asked for the buyout. If they also want to put something here they are welcome. Social media was not such a big thing the last time we did this. 

People can post comments here where I will moderate them before they are seen or email me.

And we're back

 Not layoffs. That could come next. Did not wish ever to bring Spartacus back but here we are. I have been sent the announcement memo so I will post it. When departures happen and someone wants to post here, I will be checking the Spartacus gmail account. Comments welcome too.

Colleagues,

Today the News is offering a buyout to 167 newsroom employees whose age and years of service total at least 60 years. All editorial areas, including Al Dia, NeighborsGo, FD, Briefing and GuideLive.com, are included.

This is a voluntary program.  Eligible employees may ask to participate beginning on July 20, 2015.  We anticipate granting about 30 requests on a first-come, first-served basis.  Those who take part in the program will leave the company around September 11, 2015.  Details of the offer will be presented today in a letter to eligible employees.

Longtime employees will remember that the Company has offered these programs in the past, realizing cost savings on each occasion.

It is essential that we save money this time as well.  But part of the reason for this voluntary program is to prepare us for a change in direction.

In the weeks and months after this buyout, we will add positions back to the newsroom, with a focus on hiring outstanding digital journalists.  Adding new digital skills will make us more competitive in a fast-changing journalism marketplace now and in the future.

This is an important time for our Company.  We know the audience for newspapers is shrinking and the digital audience is growing, especially on mobile.  Other media organizations are launching new technologies and telling stories in new ways in an effort to take some of that digital audience away from us.

Journalistically, we fear no competitor because we know Dallas and North Texas better than anyone. The Dallas Morning News is one of the best and proudest news organizations in the United States.  But our great tradition alone won’t sustain us. We have to move quickly to bring in the skills and the thinking that will make us indispensable to the emerging audience.

This kind of change is not easy, particularly when it means the departures of good journalists and good colleagues. But it is necessary, and that is why we are making this announcement.

I’ll set aside time to talk with you in the newsroom tomorrow morning and afternoon. In the meantime, please reach out to me, Keith or your department head if you have questions.

Wilson, Mike
to TDMN-Newsroom

Spartacus over and out

Pageviews are down to a trickle. Jobs that people are sending in are found on obvious job boards like journalismjobs.com so nobody need to look for them here. Thank you all for your help and attention. I'm sorry it was necessary.

One last reminder about Saturday SPJ event

SPJ-Fort Worth is hosting a Life After Layoff workshop from 9:30-1 this Saturday, Oct. 1, in downtown Dallas. We'll have experts on hand to give you financial advice, job-search tips and ways you can use your skills for many other opportunities. Please register here: http://spjlifeafterlayoffs.eventbrite.com. All are welcome.

Jobs continue to trickle in

Here is one:

The Department of Communication in the College of Arts & Letters at The University of Tampa is seeking candidates for a full-time tenure track position in Broadcast/Convergence Media to teach courses in the Communication and Journalism major(s) at the Assistant Professor level beginning Fall 2012.

The ideal candidate will combine experience in professional studio television, including multi-camera and multi-platform work, with scholarship and production skills in broadcast journalism or entertainment television. Candidates are encouraged to discuss how
their scholarship and production experience relates to media studies courses within an interdisciplinary program rooted in the liberal arts.

Qualifications: Candidates with a Ph.D., experience in studio television production and a strong commitment to liberal arts teaching are invited to apply.  Degree candidates may be considered provided they have degree in hand by August 15, 2012.

For those of us who remain unRIFed

A blogfriend has just sent me the link to a poem that describes the way some of us are feeling. Called "The Yarn of the Nancy Bell," by Sir William Schwenck Gilbert. He is the Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan. One verse reads:

"Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold,
And the mate of the Nancy brig,
And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite,
And the crew of the captain's gig!"

The poem involves cheerful cannibalism. Gallows humor is still humor. Read the whole thing here.

Here are some jobs

I've moved this post up to the top because the list of jobs in the comments continues to grow. New ones today. 

From a DMN alumna: 

Emily Ramshaw Hartstein wrote:

Feel free to post:

My mom, Mary Leonard, is the AME at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
They're hiring a state capitol reporter in Harrisburg, a breaking
news/local news editor and a sports reporter, and they have permission
to hire veterans (at veteran salaries) for all three of those jobs.
Email her at mleonard@post-gazette.com, or me at eramshaw@gmail.com.

So heartbroken for you guys.

Some others:

The Record (Bergen County, NJ) has the following openings in the newsroom.

Editorial Writer (Woodland Park) The Record’s Opinion Department has an opening for a full-time editorial writer. The candidate should have an ability to write clear, tight editorials with a definite point of view. Our editorial focus is North Jersey, and we comment most frequently about regional issues. Ideally, we are looking to add a moderate/conservative voice to our page. The candidate must be able to work in a collegial atmosphere, write quickly and pitch in where needed in the department. An editorial writer occasionally is asked to edit and proofread columns, letters to the editor and Sunday Opinion pieces. He or she also will participate in editorial boards with a variety of newsmakers, including candidates for public office.  Candidates should have at least three to five years newspaper experience, or equivalent. If interested, send a cover letter, resume and your five best writing samples to Alfred Doblin, Assistant Managing Editor/editorial page. 

Days/Hours: Varied work schedule

Contact:  Alfred Doblin, Dublin@northjersey.com

Reporter - (Woodland Park) - The Features Department, serving The Record and the Herald News, has an opening for a full-time, entry-level reporter. This reporter will produce engaging stories that explore a variety of topics, but generally concentrate on how North Jersey residents live, shop and entertain themselves. In general, the reporters must initiate, research, report, interview and write news features on their beat and generate trend stories. The skills and experience required for this position include: Ability to write stories, especially feature stories where tone and language are key components. The ability to write critically and in an engaging manner is essential.  Ability to identify stories that have the greatest potential to engage readers in North Jersey.  Ability to work with the Features’ department senior management in formulating strategies to capture readers and the ability to carry that strategy out.  The successful candidate must have at least two years of daily newspaper reporting experience, or equivalent. Hours may vary and may include working occasional weekends as part of a schedule rotation. 

Days/Hours: Varied work schedule

Contact:   Send a cover letter, resume, and your five best clips to Douglas Clancy, Clancy@northjersey.com

More jobs in the comments.

SPJ Fort Worth hosting a seminar to help the recently axed and anybody else

In my email this afternoon:

Life after the Layoff

Join the SPJ Fort Worth professional chapter for a special downtown  Dallas seminar from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1. Experts will offer advice on finances, job-search strategies, retooling job skills, and other practical considerations. The seminar, free of charge, will be held at the Universities Center at Dallas, 1901 Main St.

 A parking garage is adjacent at Main and Harwood streets, across from the old Municipal Building (once known as the cop shop). Also, parking meters are located around the building. The website for the center is: http://www.ucddowntown.org/.    For more info or to reserve your spot, email Tracy Everbach at teverbach@yahoo.com or call 214-995-8464.

We're here to help.

Good people.  They've done this after several of the rounds of cuts at the DMN. You can register at
 http://spjlifeafterlayoffs.eventbrite.com/

Anybody need to say anything else here?

Looks like this round is pretty much done. I'll continue to check for comments and emails but not with the same frequency. If the bosses are right, we have about 16 months until the next round unless there is a miraculous turnaround in the economy and the fate of the daily newspaper. Hope springs eternal.

Spartacus out.

{Well, maybe not quite yet. Comment here says two more were axed today. Departments? Some additional positions suggested in the jobs thread this morning, also. I will stay attentive as long as there is traffic}

Support group for the RIFed

In the morning's email:

To TDMN's 2011 alumni:

After the 2009 layoff, a group of survivors formed a support group of sorts. We met monthly to talk about freelancing work, unemployment issues, health care options, etc. But mainly we gave each other encouragement and the willing ear of someone who really knows how you feel.

Our yahoo group is still open. We use the mailing list primarily to share job leads. And thanks to the diligence of Mary Gladstone, some still meet in person every other month. 

Most of you are likely still in shock and will be for some time. But when you're ready to ask questions about unemployment, freelancing, job leads, health insurance and more, please consider this group as a willing and sympathetic resource. Most of us have walked in your shoes; we want to help.

Please email me if you'd like an invitation to the yahoo group, information about the next possible meeting or just the contact information for someone who's been where you are. All former TDMN employees are welcome.

Best of luck to you all,

Beth Langton

TDMN Class of 2009

bethlangton (at) yahoo.com