• Profile logout login

#cutbacks

Gawker

Share Cancel
   
Upload an image | Add an image URL
×

logging in
  • FAQ. Include # before tag:
  • #tips,
  • #stalker,
  • #opencaption,
  • #internalmemos,
  • etc.

New York, 9:23 PM
Sun Nov 22
11 posts in the last 24 hours

Team

Tip Your Editors:
tips@gawker.com
Tipline: 646-214-8138

Editor-in-Chief:
Gabriel Snyder | Email

West Coast Editor:
Richard Rushfield | Email

Contributing Editors:

Valleywag:
Ryan Tate | Email

Media:
Hamilton Nolan | Email

Politics:
Alex Pareene | Email

Investigations:
John Cook | Email

Entertainment:
Brian Moylan | Email

Nights:
Adrian Chen | Email
Azaria Jagger | Email
Ravi Somaiya | Email

Weekends:
Foster Kamer | Email

Video Editor:
Richard Blakeley | Email

SUBSCRIBE TO Gawker RSS

New: Breaking news and daily top stories via email
4260 Subscribers
Gawker
  • posts about #cutbacks more →

    Conde Nast's Last Month Being Rich

    Conde Nast: 25% Cuts, Layoffs Loom. Except at The New Yorker!

    At Conde Nast, Every Perk Must Go

    Congress Will Only Get Four Brand-New Jet Planes for Christmas

    Hachette: Outsourcing Departments, Cutting Freelance Pay

    Did Conde Nast Lay Off The Secretaries Receptionists?

    Stupid Media Cost-Cutting Tricks: Toilet Paper's a Luxury

    With Layoffs Looming, Is the "Google Magic" Gone?

    Ken Burns Documentaries No Longer Brought to You By General Motors

    Google Closes Two More Cafés
  • Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.
    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of doctorsnowy doctorsnowy
    09/28/09

    In reply to Conde Nast's Last Month Being Rich
    Conde doesn't barter or go below rate cards. It's a company policy...which is why comparisons to other companies makes no sense. Time Inc., Hearst, Rodale, and Meredith all have one rate on their cards and negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. Not so at Conde, not when I worked there and probably not ever, unless you know something I don't.
     Reply
    Nick Denton promoted this comment doctorsnowy was starred doctorsnowy was unstarred
    Image of TheBusinessGuy TheBusinessGuy
    09/28/09

    @doctorsnowy: Conde will not go off rate card--that's a religion there, and going off the rate card will hurt profits, not help them. Conde will cut headcount and frequency along with T&E.
     Reply
    TheBusinessGuy was starred TheBusinessGuy was unstarred
    Image of Phyllis Nefler Phyllis Nefler
    09/28/09

    @doctorsnowy: What are rate cards? Assuming that refers to like, ad page rates on the income side and not hotel/travel rates on the expense side, but just checking! THE MORE I WANT TO KNOW!
     Reply
    Phyllis Nefler was starred Phyllis Nefler was unstarred
    Image of Tattertotter Tattertotter
    09/28/09

    In reply to Conde Nast's Last Month Being Rich
    Can someone please Photoshop that picture, switching each other's hairstyle for comic effect? While we still care.
     Reply
    Tattertotter was starred Tattertotter was unstarred
    Image of Matt Cherette Matt Cherette
    09/28/09


    @Tattertotter: Better late than never?
     Reply
    Matt Cherette was starred Matt Cherette was unstarred
    Image of Matt Cherette Matt Cherette
    09/28/09


    @Tattertotter: My second attempt at posting the *full* image failed, unfortunately. You can see it by clicking on the following link, however:

    [i34.tinypic.com]
     Reply
    Edited by Matt Cherette at 09/28/09 6:38 PM Matt Cherette was starred Matt Cherette was unstarred
    Image of Tattertotter Tattertotter
    10/01/09

    @mattchew03: Thank you v. much--now I know what my BF and I are doing for Halloween!
     Reply
    Tattertotter was starred Tattertotter was unstarred
    Image of Cheap Shot Cheap Shot
    09/28/09

    In reply to Conde Nast's Last Month Being Rich
    I don't know about the "less freelancers" part. It seems that freelancers are being used even more now for when things get busy as opposed to paying people to be there all the time.
     Reply
    Cheap Shot was starred Cheap Shot was unstarred
    Image of triplethreat triplethreat
    09/28/09

    @Cheap Shot: No, because there are fewer pages and on those few pages, fewer actual stories and more packaged things that are done in-house. Also, freelancers are being paid less, and it is taking them forever to get paid, even more than usual.

    Even one of the weird secret perks to writing for a CNP publications is gone: You now have to chase down the dribs and drabs of cash you get from foreign reprints that they used to collect for you. Hours and hours spent sending faxes and emails to Poland and Greece, getting things notarized and filling out crazy tax forms.
     Reply
    triplethreat was starred triplethreat was unstarred
    Image of procrastination_state procrastination_state
    09/28/09

    @triplethreat: Yup. I had to send a ton of info to South Africa for a $40 royalty check from South Africa GQ. It's like CN has turned to Nigerian lottery spam to bridge the gap or something.
     Reply
    procrastination_state was starred procrastination_state was unstarred
    Image of Victor Ward Victor Ward
    09/28/09

    In reply to Conde Nast's Last Month Being Rich
    Maybe, just maybe, December 21st, 2012, is the exact date that Anna Wintour gives herself a home perm.

    Suddenly, it all makes sense.
     Reply
    Victor Ward was starred Victor Ward was unstarred
    Image of MrInBetween MrInBetween
    09/28/09

    In reply to Conde Nast's Last Month Being Rich
    Graydon's forehead is as big as The Ritz.
     Reply
    MrInBetween was starred MrInBetween was unstarred
    Image of RollsRoyceRevenge RollsRoyceRevenge
    09/28/09

    @MrInBetween: But now costs only half as much to stay in!
     Reply
    RollsRoyceRevenge was starred RollsRoyceRevenge was unstarred
    Image of Matt Cherette Matt Cherette
    09/28/09

    In reply to Conde Nast's Last Month Being Rich
    I have dreams sometimes of sliding down Graydon Carter's hair, as if it were some sort of smooth, glorious water slide.
     Reply
    Matt Cherette was starred Matt Cherette was unstarred
    Image of Nic Fit Nic Fit
    09/28/09

    In reply to Conde Nast's Last Month Being Rich
    Ha! Liberal Arts Man! You're powers are no match for my Technobusiness jujitsu!
     Reply
    Nic Fit was starred Nic Fit was unstarred
    Image of Unsolicited Advice Unsolicited Advice
    09/28/09

    In reply to Conde Nast's Last Month Being Rich
    The trouble with tearing down the profligate is the fact that you also tear down any chance you might have ever had to become one of them. Yeah, lottery tickets are a bad bet, but at least there were those three minutes of fantasy...
     Reply
    Unsolicited Advice was starred Unsolicited Advice was unstarred
    Image of FormerEnglishMajor FormerEnglishMajor
    09/28/09

    @Unsolicited Advice: At least the lottery is supported by millions of people, dreaming. Conde was supported by a couple o' Newhouses, self-aggrandizing.
     Reply
    FormerEnglishMajor was starred FormerEnglishMajor was unstarred
    Image of RollsRoyceRevenge RollsRoyceRevenge
    09/28/09

    In reply to Conde Nast's Last Month Being Rich
    But just look at how well adjusted Graydon and Anna look! It's as if they've learned a valuable lesson about how money can't buy you happiness! Or a haircut not 20 years out of date!
     Reply
    RollsRoyceRevenge was starred RollsRoyceRevenge was unstarred
    Image of If_I_Had_a_Poodle If_I_Had_a_Poodle
    09/28/09

    @RollsRoyceRevenge: or as if they have amassed such splendid shining piles of gold that even the threat of getting not quite as much more as they are used to is okay
     Reply
    Edited by If_I_Had_a_Poodle at 09/28/09 11:00 AM If_I_Had_a_Poodle was starred If_I_Had_a_Poodle was unstarred
    Image of Trai_Dep Trai_Dep
    09/23/09

    In reply to Conde Nast: 25% Cuts, Layoffs Loom. Except at The New Yorker!
    Highlights Magazine just won't be the same when they roll out the remade, Goofus & ...Goofus.
     Reply
    Trai_Dep was starred Trai_Dep was unstarred
    Image of Dominant Glee Club Dominant Glee Club
    09/23/09

    In reply to Conde Nast: 25% Cuts, Layoffs Loom. Except at The New Yorker!
    Didn't I say the New Yorker was immune?
     Reply
    Dominant Glee Club was starred Dominant Glee Club was unstarred
    Image of Zira Zira
    09/23/09

    In reply to Conde Nast: 25% Cuts, Layoffs Loom. Except at The New Yorker!
    One word of advice to long-term Conde Naste employees who get fired: threaten to sue (for age discrimination, etc.) if they don't double whatever they initially offer you as severance pay. Most big companies will immediately jack up their severance pay in response to this kind of a threat (but will make you sign a waiver of liability)
     Reply
    Phyllis Nefler approved this comment Zira was starred Zira was unstarred
    Image of FormerEnglishMajor FormerEnglishMajor
    09/23/09

    @Oryx Hearts Crake: Hey - and best of luck getting that reference you'll need for your next job! You must be a career counselor!
     Reply
    FormerEnglishMajor was starred FormerEnglishMajor was unstarred
    Image of Zira Zira
    09/23/09

    @FormerEnglishMajor:

    But at a large business like Conde Naste the people who will be providing recommendations are a completely different group of people who dole out the severance pay....and the people who recommend you probably hate the higher ups as much as you do.

    I know several people who doubled their severance pay by threatening to hire a lawyer. It really works.
     Reply
    Zira was starred Zira was unstarred
    Image of mediaqueen mediaqueen
    09/23/09

    @Oryx Hearts Crake: I have been through more than one down sizing. Suing is not recommended when one is let go as part of a group. And most big companies will ignore this type of threat because they have in-house corporate counsel to fight any attempt at a lawsuit. Most employees, however, do not have a lawyer already in their employ.
     Reply
    Cynical Media Bitch promoted this comment mediaqueen was starred mediaqueen was unstarred
    Image of Seeräuber Jenny Seeräuber Jenny
    09/23/09

    @Oryx Hearts Crake:

    Could be dicey; I wouldn't assume a complete separation of Church and State. But I do know someone who was let go at a large media company for whom that apparently worked.
     Reply
    Seeräuber Jenny was starred Seeräuber Jenny was unstarred
    Image of Seeräuber Jenny Seeräuber Jenny
    09/23/09

    @Seeräuber Jenny:

    Incidentally, being age-discrimination-suit eligible is why many over 40 people are terrified they're not going to get hired again.

    Law, can't live with it, can't always enforce it.
     Reply
    Seeräuber Jenny was starred Seeräuber Jenny was unstarred
    Image of Cynical Media Bitch Cynical Media Bitch
    09/23/09

    @mediaqueen: Employer before last gave me a choice: take what they offered, or sue them and see whatever was awarded eaten up by attorney's fees.
     Reply
    Cynical Media Bitch was starred Cynical Media Bitch was unstarred
    Image of TheBusinessGuy TheBusinessGuy
    09/23/09

    @Oryx Hearts Crake: Trust me, Conde can ride out just about any suit you might throw at them unless you are talking about forming a class action suit, and layoffs there are so broad-based that an age discrimination suit just won't work. Also, if you do sue and you need a reference, your boss is going to be very careful about saying anything good about you if he or she knows there is a lawsuit going on. Remember, too, that it seems like Conde is letting departmental managers determine how cuts are made, so if your boss likes you well enough (but not enough to keep you) you could wind up with more severance, outplacement, and paid up COBRA. You could at least try asking for that stuff.
     Reply
    Edited by TheBusinessGuy at 09/23/09 5:16 PM TheBusinessGuy was starred TheBusinessGuy was unstarred
    Image of ZahirPublius ZahirPublius
    09/23/09

    In reply to Conde Nast: 25% Cuts, Layoffs Loom. Except at The New Yorker!
    Another way to read this is that Conde Nast is putting 25% cuts on the worst of its magazines (Details, Glamour, Courmet and Teen Vogue). Traveler has enough stories in its lineup to run for a year without hiring a single freelancer. Saving the New Yorker shows that they are interested in keeping magazines with good content alive (how sensible!). So the news for the these five may be different for WIRED, GQ, and Vanity Fair who still run well researched pieces and for Vogue which is, well, Vogue.
     Reply
    Phyllis Nefler approved this comment ZahirPublius was starred ZahirPublius was unstarred
    Image of Cheap Shot Cheap Shot
    09/23/09

    In reply to Conde Nast: 25% Cuts, Layoffs Loom. Except at The New Yorker!
    "except the New Yorker, which is escaping unscathed" What a surprise there.
     Reply
    Edited by Cheap Shot at 09/23/09 10:25 AM Cheap Shot was starred Cheap Shot was unstarred
    Image of Boswell Boswell
    09/23/09

    In reply to Conde Nast: 25% Cuts, Layoffs Loom. Except at The New Yorker!
    They paid for political cover, not original ideas. Assuming that CN management has a collective brain, they knew they had to cut back -- and probably had some strong opinions about where and how to do that. Bringing in McK just gives them a political out, which (although lame in the extreme) is what spineless executives deploy in lean times. What an utter clusterfuck this is.
     Reply
    Phyllis Nefler approved this comment Boswell was starred Boswell was unstarred
    Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

Login

Enter your username and password.

Please enter a username.
Please enter your password.
logging in
Login via Facebook | Sign Up | Forgot Password?

Reset Password

Please enter your email address to have your password reset.

Please enter your email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
requesting password reset

Register

Registering will give you a user profile and the ability to add other users as friends. To become a commenter, however, you need to audition.

Want to know more? Consult the Comment FAQ and legal terms.

Please enter a username.
Please enter a password.
Please confirm your password.
Passwords are not identical.
Please enter a valid email address.
registration sent, waiting for reply

Submit Your Comment

You don't need to login to comment. Just enter your email address below.

See how your address will be displayed in the Comment FAQ.

Please enter a valid email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
logging in

Login with your Facebook or Gawker account.

Sign up here.



  • Archives
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Legal
  • Help
  • Report a Bug
  • FAQ
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.