Well, maybe just one more termination...
It can't be entirely a coincidence that, a few days after Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Ken Whyte assured the Maclean's staff that there would be no more terminations, Deputy Art Director Gary Hall was shown the door. Staffers who remain at the magazine will doubtlessly draw their own conclusions about the value of any future assurances that their Publisher makes.
It also can't be entirely a coincidence that Hall's termination happened immediately after the fat 100th anniversay issue was published. Hall had held the fort on all of the day-to-day art direction of the magazine since newbie Art Director Christine Dewairy arrived and closeted herself to work out a total redesign, presumably to be unveiled in time for the black tie 100th anniversary dinner on November 15. Having got the big 'un out the door, Hall became expendable. He probably also carried the taint of having been brought to the magazine by the ex-AD Donna Braggins.
It also can't be entirely a coincidence that Hall's termination happened immediately after the fat 100th anniversay issue was published. Hall had held the fort on all of the day-to-day art direction of the magazine since newbie Art Director Christine Dewairy arrived and closeted herself to work out a total redesign, presumably to be unveiled in time for the black tie 100th anniversary dinner on November 15. Having got the big 'un out the door, Hall became expendable. He probably also carried the taint of having been brought to the magazine by the ex-AD Donna Braggins.
posted by D. B. Scott at
11:42 pm
15 Comments:
That's brutal.
that's business
Apparently that's the way business is now done at Maclean's. Sack em. Lie. Sack em again.
That's just great.
c'mon. we can't provide cushy, guaranteed jobs for people. it's an editor's prerogative to clean house especially if he's trying to make over something that wasn't working. he shouldn't be saddled with people he believes are ineffective. don't we agree that having people in place for decades only encourages mediocrity -- they get tired, lose their edge . . . as for lying, well, that's bad, but if whyte wants a different team, he's entitled, no?
Sure he's entitled. So why not just clean house, get a team in place, then put away the axe?
Everbody gets it that cushy, guaranteed jobs for life are not on.
Great leaders command loyalty, as opposed to demanding loyalty. Trust is central to the equation.
C'mon. Perogative is one thing, duplicity is the issue.
I suppose purges such as these are necessary every once in a while to remind starry-eyed journalists that their employer is not their friend.
It certainly shows that Ken Whyte learned his lessons well from thuggish mentor Conrad Black. Except that where Conrad used to play with toy soldiers, Whyte plays with the lives of real people.
Moving out incompetent staff or those with bad attitudes is one thing. Moving out boatloads of people simply because you would rather work with your friends is deplorable.
I find such wholesale lack of concern for people's reputations, families and careers totally irresponsible. Just because Mommy and Daddy give us permission to whack our little sister doesn't make it the right thing to do.
But hey, if you were given a shiny new pop gun and told you could do whatever you want with it, you too would probably see how much damage you could do. The question is, how can Rogers management ever again claim that they have created a civil, positive place to work when they let one hired gun, pretty much unproven, come in and blow out anyone he wants? It's shoddy business as well as deplorable politics.
Whoooaa! Let's set a couple of things straight here:
-whyte said there would be no more layoffs "in Guild positions." Gary was part of management. Whyte said this several times as a way to calm writers and low-level editors. It was always understood that further management changes were expected.
-Gary had NOTHING to do with the publication of the anniversary issue. It was entirely handled by DeWairy and lower-level designers.
-Gary is a good guy. But after being passed over for the Art Director job, he totally checked out. He refused to provide any guidance or mentoring to his underlings, and punched the clock precisely at 6:00 every night regardless of what was happening with the cover, which remained his responsibility. That's his prerogative...but it should have come as no surprise to anyone, including Gary, that he was shown the door. The production staff was practically ready to kill the guy, and most of them were whispering that he was trying to get fired so that he could get a severance package.
Nobody lied to anybody, and the only people upset about this are a few malcontents, and people outside of the magazine.
"they let one hired gun, pretty much unproven, come in and blow out anyone he wants"
AND
implying Whyte has an unproven track record is ridiculous. You may not like him, but it can't be denied he's an extremely good editor.
Here, for the record, is what the Ken Whyte memo said concerning layoffs:
Meanwhile, we have informed union representatives that the recent round of layoffs is over. Barring extenuating circumstances, there will be no more layoffs in guild positions at least until the expiration of the current guild agreement at the end of 2006 (and we have no plans for changes beyond that date). As I mentioned earlier, all of the vacated positions will be filled over the next several months. We've had an encouraging response to the recent job postings, and more will go up shortly. I will take some time at the start of Tuesday's story meeting (let's begin at 10:30) to update you on the progress of the magazine, the redesign and other matters.
It should also be noted that the original posting did not say Gary Hall put out the anniversary issue, but that he held the fort on all the day-to-day art directions until the anniversary issue was put out.
I hate to blow the string of anonymous comments, but has anyone read the product? Just for novelty's sake? Or is this just a blog about labour issues?
Perhaps it's a tiny bit defensive to say so, but this is only one post and a string of comments pertaining to it.
i don't get it. do you want us to stop commenting?
No, the purpose of the blog is to elicit such comments. I was merely responding to Paul Wells's shot about it being a blog about labour issues. I was pointing out that this blog has had daily items since last spring and this was but one of those items which has generated a lot of comment. Which is welcome. So, no, keep on commenting.
Thought you would like to know about our senior designer.
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I am sorry to inform you all that this is Brian Morgan’s last week here at the walrus.
Although it pains me to do so, I am pleased to announce that he has taken the Deputy Art Director position at Maclean’s. He will be working with our colleagues Christine Dewairy (art director) and Jeff Harris (photo editor).
The art department is sad to see him go, but lets face it... Maclean's needs help.
I can assure you all that Brian will introduce a level of sophistication that he has graciously bestowed upon the walrus throughout the past year.
Brian you will be greatly missed.
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Antonio E. De Luca
Creative Director THE WALRUS
101 – 19 Duncan Street
Toronto ON M5H 3H1 Canada
http://walrusmagazine.com
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