Comments on: another ‘out of town newspaper’ in tampa http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/ A very loose interpretation of the news and happenings in and around Tampa Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:40:43 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: djean http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/comment-page-1/#comment-282272 djean Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:27:53 +0000 http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/#comment-282272 I am not renewing my subscription. Does it occur to any of the the companies who outsource to the Philippines and India that not only will those people overseas not be buying their products, but that the people who lost their jobs won't be buying either? It makes no sense! I am not renewing my subscription. Does it occur to any of the the companies who outsource to the Philippines and India that not only will those people overseas not be buying their products, but that the people who lost their jobs won’t be buying either?
It makes no sense!

]]> By: Lelah http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/comment-page-1/#comment-226336 Lelah Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:05:57 +0000 http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/#comment-226336 Wow the TRIB really sucks big one.. Wow the TRIB really sucks big one..

]]> By: evenk http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/comment-page-1/#comment-222045 evenk Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:10:17 +0000 http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/#comment-222045 I had a Tribune-Philippines experience. My local paper where I work (Trib owned) took over billing for subscriptions but allowed the delivery vendor to keep billing too. So I sent the money the same place I always sent it and got a haughty letter from corporate billing indicating my subscription would be cancelled if I didn't pay the bill. A call to the number on the bill got me to the Philippines where a young woman insisted that I "Send in the money, right now." Just write a check and send it. I explained that I paid electronically through my bank and she explained that was my problem. Send a check, she repeated. I lost patience and thumbed through the internal phone list finally reaching a young man who checked the record and discovered that I was about four months ahead on my payments. This, folks, is only circulation. Imagine if the "going forward" folk are making those kind of boneheaded mistakes in advertising! I had a Tribune-Philippines experience. My local paper where I work (Trib owned) took over billing for subscriptions but allowed the delivery vendor to keep billing too. So I sent the money the same place I always sent it and got a haughty letter from corporate billing indicating my subscription would be cancelled if I didn’t pay the bill.

A call to the number on the bill got me to the Philippines where a young woman insisted that I “Send in the money, right now.” Just write a check and send it. I explained that I paid electronically through my bank and she explained that was my problem. Send a check, she repeated.

I lost patience and thumbed through the internal phone list finally reaching a young man who checked the record and discovered that I was about four months ahead on my payments.

This, folks, is only circulation. Imagine if the “going forward” folk are making those kind of boneheaded mistakes in advertising!

]]> By: John http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/comment-page-1/#comment-221368 John Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:48:11 +0000 http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/#comment-221368 Well, from how the "HOW DO WE DO IT!" ads on the back of the sports section that I used to see years ago, it's looked as if the Ads were outsourced years ago :p (grammatically speaking) Well, from how the “HOW DO WE DO IT!” ads on the back of the sports section that I used to see years ago, it’s looked as if the Ads were outsourced years ago :p (grammatically speaking)

]]> By: gar http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/comment-page-1/#comment-220970 gar Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:47:48 +0000 http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/#comment-220970 As someone who worked in ad production at the Trib, this just surreal. Does any miss the days of "I Get It Daily"? As someone who worked in ad production at the Trib, this just surreal. Does any miss the days of “I Get It Daily”?

]]> By: John http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/comment-page-1/#comment-220841 John Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:26:07 +0000 http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/#comment-220841 Wendy: You say "Yet" with the Times. The Times is owned by a non profit (The Poynter Institute) and while I think they've been making too many moves specifically to drive down costs lately, they aren't a target of consolidation. As for the Tampa Tribune / WFLA and Mother Corporate -- with Mother Corporate bleeding red ink everywhere, they would be smarter to sell the Media Center and the Trib/WFLA than continue their negative-PR-cost-cutting campaign. Wendy:

You say “Yet” with the Times. The Times is owned by a non profit (The Poynter Institute) and while I think they’ve been making too many moves specifically to drive down costs lately, they aren’t a target of consolidation.

As for the Tampa Tribune / WFLA and Mother Corporate — with Mother Corporate bleeding red ink everywhere, they would be smarter to sell the Media Center and the Trib/WFLA than continue their negative-PR-cost-cutting campaign.

]]> By: wendy http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/comment-page-1/#comment-220827 wendy Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:41:52 +0000 http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/#comment-220827 Gotta love this media consolidation! Media General is first and foremost concerned with the bottom line and shareholder profits. Nothing wrong with that of course. Lots of local news folks laid off or bought off. Nothing wrong with that in the world of business. Support the St Pete Times and their news folks. They are local and not under the thumb of shareholders...yet. Gotta love this media consolidation! Media General is first and foremost concerned with the bottom line and shareholder profits. Nothing wrong with that of course. Lots of local news folks laid off or bought off. Nothing wrong with that in the world of business. Support the St Pete Times and their news folks. They are local and not under the thumb of shareholders…yet.

]]> By: GKR http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/comment-page-1/#comment-220808 GKR Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:08:55 +0000 http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/#comment-220808 No wonder they are out of touch. No wonder they are out of touch.

]]> By: Mariella http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/comment-page-1/#comment-220796 Mariella Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:21:52 +0000 http://sticksoffire.com/2008/06/27/another-out-of-town-newspaper-in-tampa/#comment-220796 I recently had a very frustrating experience trying to deal with the Tribune’s customer service department in the Philippines. The system is set up to handle the bulk of the issues, but it chokes on something out of the ordinary. After finding out that the Philippine office couldn't handle my issue, it was ridiculously difficult to reach someone in Tampa. Many Tampa phone numbers — all the easy-to-find ones — forward you straight to the Philippines. I spoke with several different people, who each gave me a different Tampa-sounding phone number, which I hopefully dialed, only to find myself — again and again — talking to yet another person in the Philippines who simply was not in a position to help me. I finally did cajole someone into giving me a phone number that actually rang on a desk here in Tampa, and that local person was able to resolve my issue. But I did not come away feeling like I was dealing with my hometown newspaper. I recently had a very frustrating experience trying to deal with the Tribune’s customer service department in the Philippines. The system is set up to handle the bulk of the issues, but it chokes on something out of the ordinary. After finding out that the Philippine office couldn’t handle my issue, it was ridiculously difficult to reach someone in Tampa. Many Tampa phone numbers — all the easy-to-find ones — forward you straight to the Philippines. I spoke with several different people, who each gave me a different Tampa-sounding phone number, which I hopefully dialed, only to find myself — again and again — talking to yet another person in the Philippines who simply was not in a position to help me. I finally did cajole someone into giving me a phone number that actually rang on a desk here in Tampa, and that local person was able to resolve my issue. But I did not come away feeling like I was dealing with my hometown newspaper.

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