Say It Ain't So: Layoffs at the Shiny Sheet?

By Bob Norman Fri., May 22 2009 at 5:24 PM

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The Palm Beach Daily News, better-known as the Shiny Sheet, was supposed to be insulated from the economic downturn, ensconced as it is in the Palm Beach decadence and luxury described so artfully in Laurence Leamer's latest book.

But word is coming that 11 people were laid off today at the tiny newspaper, including the top editor and one her top lieutenants. I am going to refrain from adding any names until I get confirmation, but this is coming from a reliable source.

I wrote a ditty recently on corruption allegations regarding Shiny Sheet gossip columnist Shannon Donnelly, you may recall (which originated from Leamer's book research). Don't like to see this happen, though, and will update as information comes in.

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Great blog post, been waiting for that :P
I am curious what Sammy has to say with that!!! Robert http://heal-insurance.info
Anyone who thinks that they're somehow "above" the Shiny Sheet - please, continue to think that. More power to you. Now, show some of that class you purport to have and keep it to yourself. As has been said several times by now, these firings at The Shiny Sheet are a sign of things to come for the rest of the Palm Beach Post Company. Don't be surprised to get blind-sided by another turn of firings in the newsroom at The Post the same way that the daily News got struck out of the blue with their layoffs. And those rumors going around about management getting thinned out this time when people lose their jobs? There's some truth to that.
Enough with the bile! Good paper or bad, people lost their jobs at The Shiny Sheet. We need to support them, and need to develop new projects that use the best of our journalistic skills. I miss my job. I miss the regular paycheck. And I miss the benefits. But I recognize that it's time to move on. The only thing bitterness brings is more bitterness.
Hmmmmm. Might that be ROOT TRAIL? PS- she's since moved into a dee-luxe apartment in the sky- with garage. Much safer place to park the Mercedes.
Hmmmmm. Might that be ROOT TRAIL? PS- she's since moved into a dee-luxe apartment in the sky- with garage. Much safer place to park the Mercedes.
Dear Not Surprised, Wake up. Didn't you ever overhear one of our esteemed coworkers constantly whispering her home address into the phone- usually around Christmas time? I don't think it was because she was throwing a party- at least not one that we would have been invited to. Gifts may have been turned away at the door of the Palm Beach Daily News, but never at an address on an adjacent little street.
While I'm not surprised the layoffs have occurred, I am at the same time very saddened for those who lost their jobs. I so enjoyed the friendships (in advertising and editorial) I created, and still maintain, with my then colleagues. PBDN is not meant to be a hard-hitting news type of paper so quit bitching about it's content. It's like reading People magazine for those who live on the island. AND IT IS NOT ONLY SOLD ON PB! Had I not left on my own accord a while ago, I would have undoubtedly lost my job. And as a former employee, I know for a fact that reporters and acct. execs DID NOT accept gifts during the holidays, etc. Gifts were turned away at the door. Now get a life.
Once and for all, the Shiny Sheet - however you want to describe it - isn't a pillar of journalistic excellence. Get over it. It is what it is. What you see, is what you get. But it has an audience and it still makes money. And no one outside of the island even sees it anyway. By the time all is said and done, it's harmless. Somebody mentioned a good point earlier and it's worth repeating. Rather than bitching at each other about whether of not The Shiny Sheet is the Palm Beach equivalent of The Washington Post, pay very close attention to the events of last week. If PBNI is starting to go to it's niche properties to get rid of "overhead," then what type of shape financially do you think PBNI is in right now? Think they're in decent-enough shape financially and that they're just waiting for the housing bust to end? (That's the official line these days.) No. PBNI is dangerously close to taking even more drastic measures to stay out of the red. Don't pay any attention to what's coming from the supposed leaders at any of the PBNI franchises. Look around at the things that are happening in your own workplace and then ask yourself whether or not those and other things taking place all over PBNI make sense for a company that's as relatively sound as the various brass would have us believe. The situation at PBNI is getting worse. Much worse. Quit bitching about the reputation of The PB Daily News and pay attention to the big picture. Awful crap like what just happened at the Shiny Sheet is going to happen across PBNI several more time this year. Plan accordingly.
Dear Mean, How can you possibly use the word "dignified" in the same context as the Shiny Sheet, when it claimed to be of such high ethical standards while all the while harboring, even defending, the epitome of "pay for play"? Anyone who has lost their jobs due to the economic downturn needs our sympathy and support. But that doesn't negate the fact that there are certain individuals, still very much employed, who directly contributed to the undermining of the Palm Beach Daily News in far more significant ways than those recently laid off. Budget? Bah! Who knows how to spell the word s-c-a-p-e-g-o-a-t?
"Journalistic snobbery." I like it. Pretty much tells the whole story, so to speak. All of you folks ripping the "Shiny Sheet," what have you ever done that makes you the voice of authority? List your resume, accomplishments, etc. etc. The days when "reporters" had the respect of the community are over.
Thank you journalista and CS -- Exactly. The pathetic leadership -- not the victims of pathetic leadership are the problem -- duh. but so are people who are willing to trash each other -- and thus themselves -- instead. solidarity may not have kept this from happening, but it certainly would have made it more dignified. And for the information of anyone who thinks I am sympathizing with the employees of one publication over the other -- again -- I have worked at both. And this is simply more bad news. that's all it is.
Perhaps the most interesting thing to note in the message the Post publisher sent out to the company regarding the layoffs at the Palm Beach Daily News (Shiny Sheet) is that one of the reasons he cited for the layoffs was a jewelry heist on Worth Avenue. Now, either finances are so very bad at PBNI that a robbery at an unrelated business would force layoffs, or; They need to get more creative thinkers involved in writing these public memos. Hell, forget about the jewelry robbery and come up with something like there are rumors that Godzilla will attack the port. Absolutely pathetic leadership.
still pissed: If you're true to your word and not here anymore, this won't matter but: First of all, reading your original post, when I was talking about "mean spirited," I wasn't even really talking about you, although wishing for the whole business to go away -- meaning a lot more jobs lost -- kind of could be read that way. I'm not saying you're not right to be pissed at Cox and PBNI. You are, although even at their worst, there were some things that have been out of management control, in this company and elsewhere. When I talk about "mean-spirited," I'm not talking about being angry at them. I'm talking about all the nasty shit being said about current and former newsroom colleagues, about people who lost jobs and who still have them -- about all the backstabbing. On this particular thread, I'm talking about all the people who are ripping a publication that serves a purpose and generates income in a troubled business, whether you like the people who do the job and the readers they serve or not.
(After reading your entries)To: Let them eat cake, voice of reason and just wondering: I'm done here....you people are major assholes. Good thing your opinion means nothing.
To CS: Mean spirited = someone who had the company blowing smoke up their ass while knowing they were gonna get rid of them causing them to wonder how they are gonna find work and take care of their families...But I guess you cannot relate. Like I said to "mean mean mean"....walk a mile in my shoes. Getting tired of all you employed people knocking us who were put out on Dixie Hwy. I think you are snobs and I think you suck!
What a bunch of crap. On both sides. A couple of anonymous blow hards who obviously work at the Post call-out your mediocre "newsletter" for being, ironically enough, mediocre. You then have the nerve to feign incredulity at such "meanness" and then turn right around and call them child abusers and cannibals. Yup, the best and brightest always end up working for PBNI. Let's try this: How about everybody keeps focused on the unchangeable fact that Palm Beach Newspapers Inc. is in deep, deep economic trouble right now. That company is going to be lucky to remain intact for the rest of the year. For God's sake, stop bickering with each other over who's shitty little publication is the shittiest. When they're both closed, it won't matter.
I guess those bashing the Shiny Sheet have an exaggerated sense of self. Good luck with that in the soup lines.
For goodness sake. I hope the folks on a bashing jag of the Shiny Sheet don't have children. God only knows how you would abuse them. What nasty cats you all are. Apparently your food stamps ran out and you have an appetite for human flesh. I hope this blog never gets the names. Norman is nothing more than tabloid crap. Absolute unadulterated crap!! Get off of Donnelly. If tyou have the chops to prove it then prove it. Otherwise, shut the hell up. Leamer is known loser anyway.
Wake up, people. Please stop trashing each other long enough to pay attention to what's happened here. If finances at the PBNI company have finally gotten so bad that The Shiny Sheet is firing people, then what do u think that means for the rest of the PBNI? And when I say "the rest of the PBNI" I'm talking about the Palm Beach Post. This is a giant canary in a financially strapped coal mine. it's not longer a question of "if" more firings are going to happen at The Post, it's just a matter of how many and how soon. My sympathies to the Daily News staff who won't be coming back to work. This is an awful development.
It's terrible that people are losing their jobs, of course. But let's not become delusional about the role and history of "The Shiny Sheet." It's one small step above marginally executed PR. Yes, it has a relatively loyal audience and brings in ad revenue. That doesn't mean that the "news" inside is important or even well-done.
I'm just wondering why the people who are so pissed off at the turn of events are here on an internet web site moaning about it? Isn't the over-use of the internet what got you in your troubled state in the first place? How ironic.
Still Pissed, Jesus will help. Embrace the Lord, put aside your anger. One way or another,you will answer to Him. I am praying for you.
Being an outsider, I can say I am blessed not to work with people whose whose bile has been spewed here. Lord knows what you'd do with a guillotine. You are a bunch of socialists who think your so-called profession entitles you to guaranteed employment and benefits for life. So desperate are these people that they push each other to the chopping block in hopes of saving themselves. Viva la France,you are all getting your just desserts.
I wish some of you commentators could have been a fly on the wall during those endless ethics meetings. The Palm Beach Daily News management prided themselves on being THE newspaper of record for America's most affluent community. Not a bulletin, not an advertorial product, not a yearbook for the hoity toities, but a bonafide, legitimate newspaper. We were proud of what we produced. But there was an obvious double standard- one for us lackeys and one for the queen bee and her court.
You know, it's funny: In my 32 years in the business one way or another, 20 in print, I don't remember running into many of the kind of mean-spirited people I see posting on Pulp comments. I don't know if things have changed, I was lucky, or what. Shiny Sheet fills a role that matters in Palm Beach and provides jobs, Nobody in our business should be dancing on the graves of it or anybody involved in it.
Look, everyone knows that "The Shiny Sheet" isn't out top change the world. That's not a slam and it's not a secret. "The Palm Beach daily News" is a feel-good community update bulletin. It's not a daily newspaper of record and it's never pretended to be one. At least it has 1.) a focus and 2.) readers. All of the major dailies in South Florida are struggling with both of those issues right now. So let's stop bashing each other for getting fired. Fact is that anyone around here who works for McCaltchy, Cox or Tribune is in the same sinking boat. And the execs at those companies don't see any difference in The Shiny Sheet and The Miami Herald. All print publications are liabilities these days. We're all going to be on one of these lists eventually. Have enough class to stop kicking each other when you're down. It's very ugly.
Dear Mean, While no one in their right mind would delight in anyone losing their jobs, especially in this economy when finding a new job is tougher than ever, your defense of the Palm Beach Daily News is disturbing. You have obviously been drinking the Kool-Aid, a concoction laced with the vitriol of corruption and personal vendettas waged by certain staffers not only on readership but also on fellow coworkers. Hopefully this shakeup will do more than trim costs. With fewer people on staff to put out the same number of issues, perhaps individuals who have spent so much of their energy pathologicly enriching themselves and setting fires to distract from their own misdeeds will actually have to do a little WORK! Judgment Day approaches!
Anyone know who was fired?
Gee, Says it all, what a great reason to trash a paper and the people who worked for it -- its name. How about "the home page of paradise?" How about nobody at any of the local papers is really in a position to look down on any of the papers. The Shiny Sheet has, or had a clear focus which is more than you can say for the Post Sentinel Herald. And nobody at any of those papers deserves what is happening to their careers now -- except the top management at the Tribune Co., the non-working hangers-on at the post (the management on its way out and their pals), and Knight Ridder Management for starting the herald's descent down the toilet. To call names and bring in journalistic snobbery at this stage is just pathetic.
THIS IS TOO MUCH. THE SHINY SHEET PUBLISHED THE NEWS THAT PALM BEACH WANTS. IT IS A TRULY SAD DIE IN THE HISTORY OF SOUTH FLORIDA JOURNALISM.
The shiny Sheet? This then is no longer a recession but a true depression.
My foul comments are for Cox Enterprises not the people who had a hand in producing the shiny sheet...which includes myself. I am very bitter about being tossed out of my position along with many others. I wish Cox Ent. nothing but grief and hope hey lose their ass. You ....not being unemployed with major health problems can't relate to my situation. Losing my job along with my health insurance is most likely going to end up literally killing me. So don't knock me. Walk a mile in my shoes.
What a stupid back-and-forth on this subject. The publication certainly isn't worth this type of arguing. And to all of the people who think that posters are being "mean" to the Daily News: I'm not sure how seriously I should take the comments of anyone who defends the journalistic integrity and professional credibility of a publication that openly and proudly refers to itself as "The Shiny Sheet." 'Nuff said.
I find it disturbing and disgusting that people have no compassion for others who have lost their livelihood. These are real people with real families. It's Gutless to hide behind the internet and remain anonymous while spewing vitriolic insults about the Shiny Sheet and its employees - something these posters obviously know nothing about. No paper or staff is perfect. There are bad and lazy employees at every newspaper, just like there are bad and lazy employees in every profession. There are some really good people - journalists and advertising people alike - who work at the Shiny Sheet. My heart goes out to all those who have lost their jobs and those who are left behind. Those of you throwing out the foul language and thinking you're so all knowing, you'd better take a hard look in the mirror. Someone who has no courage other than to hide behind a computer screen and lob insults at people who are in need of kindness and compassion has some type of deep-seeded problem of his/her own.
Obviously they didn't "evaluate" mining the stash of a certain cash cow who has been squeezing Palm Beach for far too long. Guess there's no one left to pay her off post-Madoff. Wonder if any of the poor folks who lost their jobs will talk now?
This represents a 25 percent staff cut. I would wager that administration and advertising is shifing to The Post. 'Daily News' eliminates 11 positions Click-2-Listen Friday, May 22, 2009 The Palm Beach Daily News today announced it is eliminating 11 full-time positions in its administration, advertising and editorial departments to align operations with current economic conditions. "The decision to eliminate these positions came only after implementing other cost reductions and evaluating all options," said Joyce Reingold, publisher. "We will miss these colleagues, and thank them for their many contributions." The Palm Beach Daily News continues to employ 32 full-time news and advertising professionals from its offices at 265 Royal Poinciana Way. The paper is owned by Cox Enterprises, one of the nation's leading media companies and providers of automotive services.
Who is on the list?
Face facts, you are amazingly ignorant on the role the Shiny Sheet has played for decades, and on its rank and place within the journalistic sun.
As opposed to the hardworking folks at the post who turn out a story a month. They had a small staff and a narrow paramater. If you need to feel superior to someone, that's your problem not theirs
Anyone who had to "work hard" to produce the Shiny Sheet clearly didn't have the talent or intelligence to make it any place else. The Daily News has always been a joke. It's only sold on the island and the only people who buy it are the people whose pictures are printed in it when they attend society functions. If you have to "work hard" to produce that type of a publication, then, simply put, you should feel lucky that you were allowed to hold down a "journalism" job as long as you did. It's embarrassing for the Palm Beach Post to belong to the same company as The Palm Beach Daily News.
The mean comments with the nasty language highlights the lack of solidarity that was all to common in newsrooms and have played some small part in the apocalypse. The Shiny Sheet helped support the Post for years, and in the last year supplied copy with less resources and for less remuneration than those and the Post, and most reporters there (esp. Donnelly) have always worked hard, whether you like what they produce or not (and if you don't, here's a great idea, don't read it). I have worked for both publications and frankly see little difference. As for the "corruption" allegations -- Norman, you shouldn't have printed office gossip a career hack writer put in his badly written book. A quick background check would have shown Leamer has eaked a living writing dubious gossip from distant sources.
Yes, people lost their jobs. But this is not a publication that needs to exist. The Palm Beach Daily News (which is a complete misnomer, by the way) is a the costliest-to-produce neighborhood association newsletter in the country. In the grand scheme of things, I'd prefer to see the PBDN stop printing all together if it means that 10 or 12 positions could be saved in the newsroom of the Post. Sorry that people lost their jobs, but those positions shouldn't have been on the payroll in the first place.
people lost their jobs,,,,,nuf said
Yeah- they canned Pat Thomas. Too bad they left the real rotten apples still in the barrel. That disgusting gossip columnist and her sidekick publisher get to keep on raking in the dough-re-mi under the table like they've been doing for years. No wonder the paper is losing money. Where there's no trust, there's no future. And because of these two bitches, nobody trusts the Shiny Sheet anymore.
I never have understood the purpose of publishing that thing. Run a couple of pages of society party pics from Mar a Lago inside of the regular PB Post once a week and absorb all of the ad revenue that content like that used to generate for the Daily News.
It's always quiet when the goldfish die.
Why doesn't everyone stop buying that fuckin rag anyways? Would love to see Palm Beach Post burn down but that would be too easy for them. This slow death is fun to watch.