Ashvegas reader: Citizen-Times has toxic business climate

In the comments section of this post, an anonymous commenter calling themselves a concerned reader cheers on former Asheville Citizen-Times Executive Editor Susan Ihne and her multi-million dollar lawsuit against Gannett Co. (Gannett owns the Citizen-Times.) The comments are rolling in.

Meantime, a look at the Thursday edition of the Citizen-Times shows that the newspaper decided not to do a story about the serious allegations of a former top employee. There's not a single word in today's newspaper about the lawsuit.

That shouldn't come as a big surprise. The Citizen-Times ran a brief on six lay-offs earlier this year, and it ran a short story on its Mountains front about the closing of its printing facility and the plan to lay off 60 more employees. I have yet to see the Citizen-Times run a single story about the Gannett-wide lay off of about 2,500 employees across the U.S., a major newspaper industry story. Likewise, I haven't seen the Citizen-Times report on another drastic move by Gannett newspapers in Detroit to stop home delivery of the newspaper on all but three days a week.

Furthermore, neither Publisher Randy Hammer nor Editor Phil Fernandez have deemed it necessary to explain to the community and their newspaper readers what's going on.

How's that for communication from a communications company? How's that for credibility from a business in which credibility is the coin of the realm? How's that for fairness and integrity from a newspaper that demands such values from other community leaders and institutions?

OK, I'll get off the soapbox. Here's the comment:

Good for Susan! It's about time someone stood up to Gannett. OC meetings were an excuse to dress down anyone that dared disagreed with Hammer.

I wonder what the community leaders think of Hammer's lack of communication on the layoffs, and the lawsuit. If this kind of implosion was happening at an area business would the CTimes investigate? How long can the trio survive? Hammer, Stenseth and Smith have created one of the most toxic business climates I have ever witnessed. They should call in the EPA to clean up the muck. Hundreds of good people and, I mean good talented people have left the Citizen-Times. Many like Jason went to work for other media companies. Isn't it odd that Mountain Express hasn't laid off employees. wnc magazine, WNC Women, VERVE, Home+Garden, Rapid River and New LIfe Journal all seem to be maintaining page count and advertising base when the CTimes keeps getting thinner and thinner. There isn't leadership at the CTimes. It resembles a dictatorship. Off with their heads! I pray p that there will be justice and Susan gets every penny.

Comments

[Blub]

A concerned reader just summed up the inside climate perfectly. The controller and AD just say things he wants to hear, and no surprise they are still "on the team." If Hammer wasn't dressing someone down, he had/has this annoying habit of just getting up and walking out on someone in mid-sentence. I feel pretty certain that Phil is his puppet-boy. PF never disagreed or challenged "The Man" and that's why Susan was treated so poorly.

[anon]

So i just called the CIT-TIMES newsroom and asked why they weren't even covering this since it is a big deal, and immediately she said "You'll need to talk to Randy about that." Apparently its not a newsroom decision anymore to decide what is news and what isn't when it involved Randy.

Then I was transferred to his secretary. I told her that it needs to be covered that it can just be ignored, it is newsworthy and people deserve to know about it.

[a concerned reader]

Susan Ihne's attorneys will not find it difficult to support her claims. You could throw a rock in any direction of the CTimes and find a former employee that will tell the same story that Susan is telling. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it isn't a dog. Hammer should tell his side of the story.

If another business in western North Carolina laid off close to 1/3 of their employees in the past nine months it would be newsworthy.

[Lena]

I wonder if Susan will take that money and start her own local paper .... I could totally see her doing that.

[Lena's friend]

Wait until there is a class action law suit towards Gannett for unpaid overtime. It will start in Asheville and spread across the country. Can't wait for that one.

[ACT employee for the moment.]

Unpaid overtime?
Im seriously looking at my previous pay stubs.

[Lena]

I want to know who my friend is ...

[andyrehan]

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