Valleywag staff pink slipped
p2pnet news view | Advertising:- Gawker Media, publisher of Valleywag, online presenter of “gossip and news about Silicon Valley personalities,” says three staff members (”They have all been doing excellent work, breaking stories and needling Silicon Valley”) have been told their services will no longer be required.
We know the Bush recession is causing problems for people not only in America but around the world — except for the people who caused it, of course.
But it gets worse.
Gawker is having to unGawk two associate editors and one reporter because, “our ultimate boss, Nick Denton, has decided he can’t afford them,” says a memo.
Not only but also, the company is,”suspending bonus payments at the start of next year”.
And it’s all down to advertising. Or the lack of it.
“One reason we’re eliminating these positions is to reinforce the teams on the sites with the most commercial appeal — Gizmodo, Kotaku, Lifehacker and Gawker — and the properties such as Jezebel, io9, Deadspin and Jalopnik which are poised to join them,” says the post, adding:
“The news about the job and bonus cuts will be demoralizing. The golden age of the blog is over, people will say. Gawker Media is behaving like those big media companies that we mock so easily. I could come up with some bullshit line about how much worse it would have been to wait until we were forced to control costs; or how much more unpleasant life will be at the many internet ventures and newspapers that won’t make it through the downturn. I could give you my optimistic spin about the glorious future that awaits us on the far side of this downturn.
“But there is no escaping the fact that we’re losing some excellent colleagues and the environment next year will be bleak.”
Yes indeed. I sympathise.
p2pnet is experiencing similar problems. We’re planning on reducing our luxurious office space 1 1/2 hours north of Victoria on Vancouver Island from six feet to three. And we’re going to fire the dog and cat.
Desperate measures, Yes, but necessary.
And we’re going to send Emma, our daughter, out into the workforce to help supplement the p2pnet income.
She is, after all, 12 and has been a serious drain on our finances for far too long.
So do stay tuned. 
JN
Silicon Valley personalities – Valleywag cuts 60% of staff, october , 2008
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October 5th, 2008 at 1:22 am
You’re going to fire the dog and the kitty?! For shame! They are members of your family, you know.
Although I quite understand what you say about your daughter, kids are expensive these days.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Poor Kitty says ‘I can’t haz cheezburger!’