GR Press moving

[mpchicago]

It looks like even the GR Press copyediting etc. won't be done in GR (at least not at this new downtown location):

"Employees who will handle layout, design and editing of print editions of The Press and seven affiliated newspapers will eventually move from the Michigan Street building to a separate office. That location has not been determined yet, Gaydou said"

Does any one know what the employee count was at the Press Building at its peak? When I read the above quote I thought - those are lost jobs too! Maybe outsourced out of state or overseas? Is that possible?

[LA Dave]

The WARN notice for the Press indicates a total of 15 reporters and three copy editors, plus a number of "editorial clerks" are being laid off. Also, three photographers and a videographer. the total number of laid off employees is 146. In Kalamazoo, the casualties include the editor and publisher, plus a number of others. Supposedly about 550 Booth Newspapers employees are being terminated, though some employees may get their jobs back through M-Live. But probably not most.

In terms of the number of folks who used to be employed at the Press building, I don't have an exact number. But I can tell you it was in the hundreds. There was a full half floor of reporters, editors (two or three copy editors at the City desk, about seven or eight editors at the news desk (which covered national and international news), a reporting staff of probably around 30 to 40, a features staff (remember West Michigan magazine?) a photography staff of about 5 or 6 excellent photogs, a sports staff, including editors, that probably numbered about 15. These are just my memories from the 1970s. Before that time, when the paper was linotyped, there was a huge linotypist/press room staff. I don't even know about the business side (they were always separate) but probably a few hundred there, including classified clerks, circulation people, display ad folks, etc.

Times change, and Michigan is ground zero for the death of the daily newspaper. By next February, I think that daily papers will be only published in Lansing and Battle Creek among the larger Michigan cities.

[GRDadof3]

The WARN notice for the Press indicates a total of 15 reporters and three copy editors, plus a number of "editorial clerks" are being laid off. Also, three photographers and a videographer. the total number of laid off employees is 146. In Kalamazoo, the casualties include the editor and publisher, plus a number of others. Supposedly about 550 Booth Newspapers employees are being terminated, though some employees may get their jobs back through M-Live. But probably not most.

In terms of the number of folks who used to be employed at the Press building, I don't have an exact number. But I can tell you it was in the hundreds. There was a full half floor of reporters, editors (two or three copy editors at the City desk, about seven or eight editors at the news desk (which covered national and international news), a reporting staff of probably around 30 to 40, a features staff (remember West Michigan magazine?) a photography staff of about 5 or 6 excellent photogs, a sports staff, including editors, that probably numbered about 15. These are just my memories from the 1970s. Before that time, when the paper was linotyped, there was a huge linotypist/press room staff. I don't even know about the business side (they were always separate) but probably a few hundred there, including classified clerks, circulation people, display ad folks, etc.

Times change, and Michigan is ground zero for the death of the daily newspaper. By next February, I think that daily papers will be only published in Lansing and Battle Creek among the larger Michigan cities.

Jim Stephanak at the Kzoo Gazette is gone?

[LA Dave]

Jim Stephanak at the Kzoo Gazette is gone?

No idea, Dad. I know that much of that staff is being laid off, so it is possible.

[wingbert]

Dynamite the Press building and build a parking structure similar to the one at Ottawa & Louis with street level bar/restaurant/retail (ie: Leo's) facing Michigan and Monroe. Renovate Olds Manor like the Pantlind and connect the parking structure via skywalk to the newly renovated hotel to provide the requisite parking that has long been the claimed holdup to fixing Olds Manor. Structure the skywalk as a gateway to the North Monroe neighborhood and go from there.

[RegalTDP]

Dynamite the Press building and build a parking structure similar to the one at Ottawa & Louis with street level bar/restaurant/retail (ie: Leo's) facing Michigan and Monroe. Renovate Olds Manor like the Pantlind and connect the parking structure via skywalk to the newly renovated hotel to provide the requisite parking that has long been the claimed holdup to fixing Olds Manor. Structure the skywalk as a gateway to the North Monroe neighborhood and go from there.

That site has more to offer than parking. I'd rather the Post Office move, and we dynamite that. Then the parking ramp can squeeze in behind Olds Manor, and then we blow the Press building to smithereens and do whatever we want with it. Plus we could still have a skywalk to whatever goes there.

[wingbert]

That site has more to offer than parking. I'd rather the Post Office move, and we dynamite that. Then the parking ramp can squeeze in behind Olds Manor, and then we blow the Press building to smithereens and do whatever we want with it. Plus we could still have a skywalk to whatever goes there.

Good point and I agree except that the Post Office is basically bankrupt and can't afford to move. Unless someone builds a new facility for them and pays the moving expenses, I worry they are not going anywhere for some time.

That's why if there is a faster way to spur redevelopment of that end of the Monroe corrider I am all for it because right now between the Press bunker, Olds Manor, and the Post Office that area is a fugly and unflattering section of our fair city in a high profile area.

[RegalTDP]

Good point and I agree except that the Post Office is basically bankrupt and can't afford to move. Unless someone builds a new facility for them and pays the moving expenses, I worry they are not going anywhere for some time.

Oh yeah. True. Well, anyway, bring on the dynamite! The only thing uglier than the Press building is the vacant former Press building.

[LA Dave]

I, for one, don't hate the Post Office building as much as some on this site do. Yes, it hogs a chunk of the riverfront, but when it was built, it was the first "new" building downtown since the opening of Herps in 1949. It is really the first "Vandenberg Center" building, and IMHO, much better looking than either the federal building or the Press building.

The Press will definitely try to sell/rent this building, as it is completely superfluous to its needs. Sort of like the Press is increasingly superfluous to its own city.

[joeDowntown]

Really? Other than the slightly retro facade facing Michigan St. it's a big hulking brick building with minimal (tiny) windows that turns it's back on both the river AND Monroe. I personally think it is the *worst* building in downtown GR. And that is saying a lot as I think both the Press and Federal building are horrible structures.

The post office is a fortress (definitely built in a different time, when people had different thoughts on the importance of the river).

Joe

I, for one, don't hate the Post Office building as much as some on this site do. Yes, it hogs a chunk of the riverfront, but when it was built, it was the first "new" building downtown since the opening of Herps in 1949. It is really the first "Vandenberg Center" building, and IMHO, much better looking than either the federal building or the Press building.

The Press will definitely try to sell/rent this building, as it is completely superfluous to its needs. Sort of like the Press is increasingly superfluous to its own city.

[andrew.w]

Really? Other than the slightly retro facade facing Michigan St. it's a big hulking brick building with minimal (tiny) windows that turns it's back on both the river AND Monroe. I personally think it is the *worst* building in downtown GR. And that is saying a lot as I think both the Press and Federal building are horrible structures.

The post office is a fortress (definitely built in a different time, when people had different thoughts on the importance of the river).

Joe

Actually, I was just thinking: if the exterior walls of the post office are non-structural, it could easily be reclad if and when the post office ever moves out. So ugly as it is, if the money is not there to build a new tower, the existing building could actually be made pretty decent with a new glassier facade and a little infill building in the current front parking lot. Of course, I don't have any good ideas on how to reuse such a massive, deep building right now...maybe if it had some atria cut into it.

I'm pretty sure the same could not be done with the Press building.

[Allison Slater]

The only uses I can see for such a large building is convention center (not needed), industrial (already) or Meijer (slim chance.) The last two likely would not solve the issues we dislike about the building.

As for the press building, it doesn't actually look bad, it just lacks street activity.

[RegalTDP]

If the Post Office stays up, the likelihood of anything good happening to Olds Manor is low. The block apparently isn't big enough for both. Between the two, I choose Olds Manor.

[LA Dave]

Really? Other than the slightly retro facade facing Michigan St. it's a big hulking brick building with minimal (tiny) windows that turns it's back on both the river AND Monroe. I personally think it is the *worst* building in downtown GR. And that is saying a lot as I think both the Press and Federal building are horrible structures.

The post office is a fortress (definitely built in a different time, when people had different thoughts on the importance of the river).

Joe

Well, it was said by someone smarter than I that good taste is only in the mouth.

The Michigan Avenue front on the post office is not "retro" -- it is classic 1962. Like it or not, there is a Madmen integrity to that front that I would not like to lose. As for the Press and federal buildings, well, the architects should have known better. There is absolutely no excuse for the latter, which was finished in 1972 but looks like 1965.

[trongrr]

The only uses I can see for such a large building is convention center (not needed),

I'd agree that we don't need much more convention floor space to attract more events - however DeVos Place needs many more mid size 'break out' rooms on-site. I attend conferences/conventions all over the place as part of my job, and while DeVos is a nice place for mid-size floor-based exhibits, it's not that great of a place for any type of conference where there are multiple break out sessions occurring.

For the three that I attend at DeVos - besides the sessions on the ground floor, we end up having to walk to the Amway Grand for the majority of sessions - because DeVos has a dearth of meeting rooms that hold 80-100 (like the Monroe level meeting room). Walking to the GP is not a big deal - but when you have one session at DVP and the next at the GP and the next as DVP, you put on the miles.... and most of us lazy conventioneers don't like that

[LA Dave]

Chris Knape is reportedly leaving the GR Press. A blog, freefromeditors, written by a former Flint Journal reporter, says that "Chris K," the business editor of the Press, is leaving to take a PR job.

[Allison Slater]

I wonder if he'll continue his blog independantly.

[LA Dave]

I wonder if he'll continue his blog independantly.

He is reportedly going into PR; probably not. Also, the blog is an M-Live product, isn't it? Unlikely that they would allow a former employee to continue blogging on it.

[Veloise]

Went and looked at his recent entries; it would appear that he left some time ago, given the monthly submissions.

[walker]

Although he never exactly says it in the article, John Sinkevics announces his departure from the Press in his column today. His replies to well-wishers in the comments section makes it clearer:

http://www.mlive.com...t.html#comments

[LA Dave]

Although he never exactly says it in the article, John Sinkevics announces his departure from the Press in his column today. His replies to well-wishers in the comments section makes it clearer:

http://www.mlive.com...t.html#comments

There will probably be a string of these "final columns." The new MLive operation wants cheap, young reporters, not experienced journalists.

[Raildudes dad]

There will probably be a string of these "final columns." The new MLive operation wants cheap, young reporters, not experienced journalists.

It looks to me like they are going to free lancers that only get paid if they use their article. I'm looking at the paper I am receiving at home. It has articles that I read 1-2 days before on MLive. I told my wife I think we are going to switch to Sunday only. Why get a paper during the week that will have news 2-3 days old. I wouldn't be suprised if I don't eventually dump the Sunday paper.

[amylynne]

It looks to me like they are going to free lancers that only get paid if they use their article. I'm looking at the paper I am receiving at home. It has articles that I read 1-2 days before on MLive. I told my wife I think we are going to switch to Sunday only. Why get a paper during the week that will have news 2-3 days old. I wouldn't be suprised if I don't eventually dump the Sunday paper.

This is also our plan, changing to Sunday only and seeing how that goes. The whole situation bums me out.

[LA Dave]

It looks to me like they are going to free lancers that only get paid if they use their article. I'm looking at the paper I am receiving at home. It has articles that I read 1-2 days before on MLive. I told my wife I think we are going to switch to Sunday only. Why get a paper during the week that will have news 2-3 days old. I wouldn't be suprised if I don't eventually dump the Sunday paper.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of long-time readers will make the same choice. The Ann Arbor experiment has not been terribly successful, though apparently the Flint paper is now being delivered four or five days a week.

It baffles me that a paper that was a money machine for decades could fall so far, so fast.

[wingbert]

The Press's clear right-wing bias over the years left many readers cold but the lack of another option also left them with little choice for a mixture of local and national news. The advent of the internet and smart phones suddenly provided these readers with easy access to alternatives they didn't have before and the decline of the GR Press was on. Increasingly busy lifestyles that make it more difficult to find the time to sit down and read an entire newspaper every day and the desire of readers to get their news in smaller "bites" only exacerbated the problem.