“There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [source]

Earlier this year, MediaNews Group, our parent company, acquired four new papers, most notably the San Jose Mercury News and the Contra Costa Times. At the time, the owner of the company denied there were plans for layoffs, but the Merc and the CoCo Times have each been hit.

The speculation and rumor that had run rampant here only intensified after the news broke. What would happen to the ANG newsrooms? No one knew. Or, if they did, they were feigning ignorance.

How ironic, then, that the most complete, up-to-date information available to those of us “in the trenches” about what’s happening with the company is coming from a competitor.

From the Nov. 3 East Bay Express:

Oakland Tribune to Abandon Downtown

The Oakland Tribune plans to vacate the storied Tribune Tower in downtown Oakland in the coming months. [...] MediaNews plans to move all business and most advertising staff from its East Bay and South Bay papers to a building it will lease at Bishop Ranch Business Park in San Ramon. According to one well-placed source, Tribune editorial staff, including all reporters, photographers, and editors may be moved to an office building along Interstate 880 across from the Oakland Coliseum.

And today, Nov. 9: Layoffs at East Bay Newspapers

MediaNews announced a plan to lay off eight newsroom employees on Monday at its ANG Newspapers chain, which includes the Oakland Tribune, Daily Review of Hayward, Argus of Fremont and Tri-Valley Herald. The company says it will lay off two photographers, a staff writer, a business writer, a graphics designer, two part-time copy editors, and a high school sports writer.

I should be pretty safe — I think there’s a shortage of web development folks in the newly-combined company — but I’m probably going to be among those whose jobs are moving to Bishop Ranch, effectively doubling my commute time and costs.

Lovely.

Check it out:
www.ibabuzz.com/ether/

I figured I’d mention it here given my [not unjustified] bitching about it last week.

Just found out that despite assurances for the past few weeks that my promotion from mid-January would be announced (finally!) two weeks ago today with the title I’d been pushing for (Development Manager), TPTB at work are apparently no closer to an announcement today, two weeks later, than they were then. Further, the title of Development Manager is now, apparently, being removed from consideration because “it would put [me] above” the other two non-managerial team members.

This despite the fact that I’m the one everyone comes to for answers when my boss is out.

This despite the fact that the one or two new people we’re about to hire will be reporting to me.

This despite the fact that this question had been resolved weeks and weeks ago.

But what do I know? Clearly, not how to pick a winning situation.

I’m angry, hurt, and betrayed. At every turn, it seems, the company finds new ways to fuck me. And I’m getting shitty pay while I’m here, doing the stuff that needs to be done and being a fount of strength and stability amidst the dysfunctional chaos, getting my ass up at o’dark early five to seven days a week to do content updates.

Why exactly am I still here?

If anybody has any job leads, feel free to send ‘em my way.

The day job has tasked me with finding some decently robust blog software. Blogger’s still a possibility, but I was looking into running something as nice as WordPress for them.

The problem is, our corporate servermeisters don’t/can’t/won’t support the PHP/MySQL setup that I’d need for WP — not for “60 to 90 days,” anyway. Nice folks, truly, but that was not the most helpful of answers, given that the peeps here are wanting to launch sometime in the next week or so (and especially given that I was given the same answer when I started here six months ago).

They do support ASP+Microsoft SQL, so I was wondering if anyone had any good knowledge of or experience with a blog package that runs on that platform.

Let me know, and then I’ll see where I go from there.

Arkham Asylum’s a possibility at this point. I’m just sayin’.

My promotion hasn’t been announced to anyone yet.

One of the issues has to do with a peer negotiating his raise, but another has to do with what my new job title will be. Since I’m relatively new to the commercial Internet development world, I’d like your help.

The two titles that are in play are Development Manager and Senior Web Producer.

(For comparison: I was hired as — and, as far as most others know, still am — a “Web Producer II.”)

Development Manager was my inclination, but the head of the department (my boss’ boss) suggested that Senior Web Producer would be a better choice (as in better for me).

Personally, I think the DM (no D&D puns intended or invited) title carries with it a bit more prestige or cachet than SWP.

Would those of you with tech hiring experience, whether on the West Coast or East, weigh in and let me know which title would look more impressive/distinguished on a future resume?

I think this new gig is gonna work out quite nicely.

Thank you to all those who’ve given me their support in person, via blog, via email, and via my blog’s comments!

The downsides are that it’s an entry-level job, so it’s not going to involve getting to the full-on design and programming stuff that I’m used to (and enjoy), and that it features correspondingly entry-level pay.

The upsides, however, are plentiful: There’s room for growth (a higher position more suited to my experience should be opening up in January or February); there are medical and dental benefits; they have a 401(k) plan and subsidize a portion of their employees’ public transportation costs; and, most importantly, the people that I’m going to be working with strike me as a really great group of folks.

I’m really, really looking forward to this!

Getting my portfolio moved and updated is the next order of business.

Feel free to forward to any who might be interested in hiring li’l ol’ me.