TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! The Star disavows new media as it sends Kansas City jobs in digital advertising to India!!!
This was reported yesterday but not with the awesome details that TKC garnered from local tipsters (STAND UP!!!) Here's the news gathered right here in Kansas City by your favorite local Latino:
I'll start it off by noting that there are a few Kansas City Star reporters who don't like TKC (shock) but I don't really care because I question their credibility given that a good portion of their paper is now put out from India, a place that's also home to a great many tech support people who also don't seem to like me either.
The Pitch picked this item from the The Star yesterday:
The Star's current overlord, McClatchy, is firing nine employees in Kansas City and sending the jobs to India. The Star broke the news today about the layoffs in a brief on the second page of the business section. The article says that Star President and Publisher Mark Zieman sent a memo to employees indicating that nine people who do advertising production work would lose their jobs. The work will be sent to Infosys Technologies in Bangalore, India.Inside sources (TKC TIPSTERS STAND UP!!!) say that the carnage is even worse:
THE KANSAS CITY STAR FIRED THEIR ENTIRE DIGITAL ADVERTISING TEAM AND SENT THE JOBS TO INDIA!!!
What does this mean? It's pretty obvious, allow me to elaborate:
THE STAR'S OUTSOURCING OF THE NEW MEDIA AD TEAM TO INDIA MEANS THAT LOCAL BUSINESSES WHO PLACE THEIR ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE STAR WILL NOW BE SENDING WORK TO INDIA AS WELL!!!
So, how will a Kansas City advertisers really capture the attention, hearts and minds of the local market? I'm sure the good people in the Punjab region (Karnataka, actually) will be able to provide all of the answers. Right?
Actually, a little bit of Indian influence will be nice considering the fireworks, moaning, sweating and pain I underwent the last time I tried spicy curry chicken. Seriously, I'm all for diversity but shipping the new media jobs to India wasn't exactly what I was thinking and shows the truly old school nature of this town's paper of record. The old media, dead tree people at the top are obviously protecting their jobs and are SLOW to realize the contribution of new media content producers.
Anyhoo, it's a typical corporate move that The Star was caught underplaying and what it really means for the paper of record is that they aren't the slightest bit loyal to this region, City or the people in it . . . Even worse, I've always realized that any kind of work that could be reduced to a digital file is in danger of being outsourced and in the case of The Star that even applies production of content that would benefit from a bit of local influence.
Sending KC Star jobs to India also reduces the earnings tax payments to Kansas City. And reduces sales tax receipts ect. But the Star got its TIF from the City, so what does it care. It got a street closed too. Now, Let the rest of us make up for their saving a few dollars by going to India. The great benefit of free trade and corporate controlled media.
ReplyDeleteI know someone who lost their job. In all honesty they drank and partied all the time and cruised in and out like it was a country club.
ReplyDeleteSome sympathy, not a ton.
They may like to have fun BUT my best friend that has worked there for 8 years and has given her all while being their biggest supporter.
ReplyDeleteThey were told their last day would be in July BUT before she goes, she has to train her replacement that is going to be flown in. To top it all off - you won't give a letter of recommendation to find another job!
This is so wrong and unpatriotic! Can't wait until your job is outsourced at 15 cents and hour to someone in India.
7:38 makes a good point. People don't care about outsourcing till it happens to them.
ReplyDeleteI have already canceled my subscription.
ReplyDelete3 years ago.
I get all of my news online.
Annie, I hope your friend leaves early and doesn't help the Star replace herself.
ReplyDeleteMy last day paying for the Kansas City Star will be when my current subscription ends. Good riddance to these people...
ReplyDeleteToo bad they can't pack the Gruesome Twosome off to India for three years. It would be cheaper for Kansas City toput them up in a hotel and leave them there.
People have the right to go out and have fun, as long as they are still doing their job. Being a "partier" does not karmically warrant having your job outsourced so some big shot at McClatchy can buy a new Mercedes. Or perhaps he would rather buy a Tata?
ReplyDeleteWhat bullshit from The Star. Somebody needs to cancel their subsidies like I canceled my subscription.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that, did you know they are getting a tax break to send jobs to India?
we've spread the word to NYC!
ReplyDeletehttp://gawker.com/390833/print-world-just-got-flatter
.... ""did you know they are getting a tax break to send jobs to India? ""
ReplyDeleteWell these multi-billion $ corporations control our Laws more than we know it. If we knew how much it would make us sick for days.
Im just waiting for the time people wake up and realise they are living on credit, on mortgages, in debt, debt, debt ..... Hey wait a second.. isn't THAT how slaves were created in the old days? When they were forced to ultimatly work for free?
Same games, New names.
Irony is a mexican bitching about people with darker skin taking jobs away.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of anyone's race or what country you are from, enabling this type of business practice is dividing the citizens of the U.S. into 2 groups of people, the super poor, and the super rich (i.e. upper management & CEO status) - maybe we should outsource a few CEO's positions and see what happens!
ReplyDeleteThat's my favorite thing about offshoring, train your replacement.
ReplyDeleteIf these Star employees really want to stand up for something, they would refuse. But of course, they won't because they won't get their severance package if they do.
If any of you are reading this... do it. Walk out. Make McClathcy pay for this injustice. Walk out! It would put them weeks behind in delays. The replacements would have to be flown to another paper, trained there, that paper's employees would see they were the next to go and so on.
Come on, everyone knows how liberal the Star is, where is the support? Aren't you aren't you unionized... walk out!
I will fully support you in my blog, I am sure Tony would here, etc.
The blogosphere would be behind you, we have all seen a great many people lose their jobs to India where they are done far cheaper and far less effectively.
Stand up and walk out!
Why not rally the advertisers? If I were to advertise in The Star, I wouldn't want someone in India designing my ad. If the advertisers banded together and refused to advertise in The Star there would be no Star. They need advertising to survive. I used to work there in the advertising department and I feel awful for all of them. I knew JK was just doing whatever it took to move on up the ladder. Sleezy.
ReplyDeleteJames is right. Walk out! Or at
ReplyDeletethe very least, don't do such a great job at training your replacement.
I hate to say that - but do something! They are going to have
enough probems as it is integrating these people into that
job - so give them some more problems for assisting in running this country down, as they stuff
their GREEDY pockets!
Seriously, have faith in yourselves that you can move on -
I did it myself once upon a time.
You can too.
How dare a hometown newspaper do
such a thing!
Ready to crusade? I am, for you
and everyone else that this is happening to - it's ruining this country!
Stand up! like James says!
Believe it or not, there ARE other
jobs out there for you, just keep
going!
Outrageous! Did you know that Hallmark has people from India
ReplyDeletedesign product for "Christmas"!
THAT'S interesting, isn't it?
They need A TON of constant training to do their jobs because of many cultural differences.
Not to say that these people aren't nice people, because they are. But, get real, corporate America! What comes around, goes
around! And it will!
gannett which is the largest chain of papers is also doing the same thing,outsourcing to india.I lost my job last week after 10 years.
ReplyDeleteI think that "anonymous" 5/16 7:21
ReplyDeletea.m. needs a bit of an attitude adjustment.
There is no doubt that there are
lazy people around, and maybe you
know of one included in this, but
what about the other many 1,000's
of people that this very thing is
happening to -
You seem to be missing the point
dear - this is about getting rid of
American Employees for the sole purpose of outsourcing our jobs!
I think you should hold your personal feelings about ONE sole individual to yourself, or take it
somewhere other than a support forum like this one!
This is not about firing people because of their incompetency or lack of skills.
My husband is an extremely competent, devoted, hard-working
bust-your-butt for the company kind of guy whose job could be outsourced at any time -
So, reach into your sole, and realize that this is ruining this
country and you should be supportive - if you can't be - then shut the heck up!
What comes around, goes around!
We computer programmers tried to tell you, but all the journalists wouldn't listen to us because they thought their own jobs were still safe, so who cares about us...
ReplyDeleteMaybe now they will start listening.
Maybe.
When Kerry was demagoging outsourcing, The Star cheered him on, rather than explain a global economy to its readers. Now the shoe is on the other foot, and when jobs can be saved at a paper where costs are rising and readership dwindling, those readers left are too ignorant to understand the realities of outsourcing and the Star has to hide its action on page 2. Those who do understand outsourcing no longer read their lies, those who don't are outraged, and Kerry is on the Cote d'Azur, riding his windsurfer.
ReplyDeleteI have forwarded a copy of this informatiopn to my union and to Kevin O'Neill at the Labor Beacon. Perhaps he can get the Star's attention or at least give them some publicity in his labor publication.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI know someone who lost their job. In all honesty they drank and partied all the time and cruised in and out like it was a country club.
Some sympathy, not a ton.
So you'll judge us all on the merits of this person? I can assure you, I've worked incredibly hard and missed out on the country club bits. And as someone else mentioned, you seem to be missing the point.
Regarding walking out and losing our severance. Many of us are in no position financially to do that. I'd guess we'd all walk if we were. Managers are training the people from Infosys, so we have no control over any of that. So unless someone wants to compensate us for our severance we're really stuck.
Its all sad, but this is the new America. The corporations run everything, from the government on down. Congratulations to us.