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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Indianapolis' biggest paper, lays off many
Jim Karczewski, Photographer, Assistant
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Jim Karczewski, Photographer, Assistant
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Hammond | IN | USA | Posted: 1:45 PM on 08.13.14 |
->> And correction. That should be Indiana's largest paper. 2nd largest is the Times in Northwest Indiana, which even they seem to be having issues as they are severely cutting stringer rates as of Aug 15 which stringers are in a uprise over.
Football/Basketball remain $115. All other sports, $60.
News went from $60 + $10 per printed photo (5 max) to flat $60.
Guess how many people are going to take sports jobs unless they are football or basketball. They have a new Executive Editor that is rattling the cage for an unknown reason because the paper has been long supporting other papers the company owns. |
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Nic Coury, Photographer
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Monterey | CA | | Posted: 3:15 PM on 08.13.14 |
->> Well crap. I love the Indy Star.
I was just in Indy for MotoGP and was chatting with Curt about racing and with one of their photogs Bob Scheer who's an SS.com member.
This is a major bummer as their paper is one of the best larger metros in my opinion. |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 6:14 PM on 08.13.14 |
| ->> Can't wait to see the photo coverage of the Colts and Pacers games the sports writers will be making with their cellphones? |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 6:26 PM on 08.13.14 |
| ->> But seriously ... our positive thoughts are with all of the staff of the Indy Star ... and other publications recently hit by cutbacks in staff. |
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Ting Shen, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Chicago | IL | U.S. | Posted: 6:57 PM on 08.13.14 |
| ->> Is it really that hard for papers to get it together with their business plans? We've been in the digital era for like, how many years already? Instead of constantly cutting photo staffs and corners (which are more and more important in this age of websites) while running with the same old business model, why are there so few willing to completely re-examine what really attracts readership and money. This whole thing revenue based on advertisement is going away fast with all the other platforms take away market share. If the whole industry don't help each other get it together, we're just going to completely disappear and replaced by sites like Buzzfeed... and thats sad. |
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Jeff Stanton, Photographer
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Atlanta | Ga | USA | Posted: 11:17 AM on 08.18.14 |
| ->> I learned last night that chief photographer Mike Fender's position was eliminated in this cutback. Mike has been at the Star at least 25 years to the best of my knowledge. A real good guy and a great photographer. I wish him and the others well. |
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Richard Uhlhorn, Photographer
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Chelan Falls | WA | USA | Posted: 1:10 PM on 08.18.14 |
| ->> One hopes their severance deals will give them time to get settled. |
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Jeff Haynes, Photographer
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Chicago | IL | USA | Posted: 5:23 PM on 08.18.14 |
| ->> I can’t believe anyone working for a Gannett Newspaper didn’t see this coming? With USAToday Sports covering all the major sporting events now, why would there be a need for duplication of coverage? Someone is not going to go to the games in these major cities. It is either going to be the (very expensive) staff photographer at the local paper or the (very cheap) USAToday freelance sport photographer, and it doesn’t take an accounting degree to figure out who is losing their job. It is hard to believe it has taken this long. You would have to think many more local papers are going to be looking in the same direction very soon, not just the Gannett Papers, but all local papers. With the amount of high quality images AP, Getty and USAToday produce from each game, it will not take long for others to wonder why are our photographers out duplicating what the wires produce. And I know and I have heard for years, “the wires don’t cover the “local” side of the story”, but that might be one photograph in the paper on Sunday or from a game on any certain night. Plus the wires have changed at how they cover stories. Papers are going to stop sending photographers to events at 70-60 thousand seat stadiums and 20 thousand seat arenas, standing right next to wire photographers. They will only be covering real local stories at small colleges and high school sports, non sport human interest stories, and on an occasion send someone to cover a story about a pro athlete. It is already happening most papers don’t travel to away games anymore or only send one person. It is a numbers game and the expensive photographer is always going to lose that game. It is a real shame because so many more talented photographers are going to lose their jobs. And until someone realizes how to make money at the papers again nothing is going to change but smaller and smaller staffs. And that is the real shame. |
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Jeff Stanton, Photographer
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Atlanta | Ga | USA | Posted: 5:41 PM on 08.18.14 |
->> Everyone, I need to make a retraction after apparently receiving some inaccurate information.
Mike Fender is still in the employee of the Indianapolis Star, according to a source close to him. Whether they eliminated his position and he's just a regular staff shooter now, I don't know. But my source said he shot with Mike at the Colts preseason game Sunday and Mike still has a job at the Star.
Very sorry for any problem this may have caused. |
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Mark Loundy, Photo Editor, Photographer
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San Jose | CA | USA | Posted: 7:38 PM on 08.18.14 |
| ->> Jeff, That's really good news. |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer, Photo Editor
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PLANET | EARTH | | Posted: 7:51 PM on 08.18.14 |
| ->> I have heard this will happen at every Gannett paper in the chain. I was told this (the Indy situation) was going to happen last week and the source said all other papers would follow. It will be the old "bait and switch" routine. You'll have to reapply for the "new" jobs.....and their won't be as many positions and of course, there will be a massive pay cut for the "new" job. Funny thing how, yet again, those upper management positions where the REAL salary money is spent are considered invaluable. Although 99.9% of them have not a single value as to providing the actual content to a publication. My thoughts are with my pals in Indy. A great newspaper. |
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Bob Nichols, Photographer
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Tipton | IN | USA | Posted: 8:50 PM on 08.18.14 |
->> The day I read this thread (August 13)I e-mailed one of the Star photographers. Here was their reply:
"Nobody has been canned yet. We find out in a couple weeks."
I agree with Jeff Haynes' assessment. Very bad times ahead for staff positions. |
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