Seattle Times Reviews

Pros

The atmosphere at work is very positive and overall management does a great job keeping the boat from sinking while the economy continues to struggle.

Cons

Sales are hard to make with the economy still struggling and less and less companies are willing to advertise through print products.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to promote the online products of the company, as that is the future of sales. Also, be realistic about sales goals, as print is not an easy thing to sell.

Pros

The company is divided by the Newsroom managed by the Writers Guild Union and a hodgepodge of adrift employees organized under what was once called the New Media Department. The Newsroom is by far the best part of the company. It has somehow managed to stay professional, independent and excited despite the economic realities of the industry.

Cons

The New Media department was a short lived experiment. Its incompetence in management and the war Frank Blethen continues to wage with the Newsroom Unions has left the future of the Seattle Times in doubt. What is left is a group of nepotistic appointees by Frank Blethen and a few middle management directors struggling to remain relevant within the company.

Advice to Senior Management

As the company sells of the remaining assets to stay afloat it needs to double down on its online strategy. In the past the Newsroom has had to use strikes to correct the mismanagement of the Blethen family. They may need to do that again order to gain control of the online strategy and hire a *single* general manager to advance that strategy.

Pros

The people--met a lot of great friends and enjoyed working with most people
The work (when we had it)--lots of variety
The location--up and coming SLU

Cons

Terrible conditions. The company was always telling people how terrible they were doing. I worked there for almost 5 years and never heard a positive word. It was depressing. There is a union that a lot professional jobs fall within--it creates an odd dynamic--the union workers vs. the management. It's not comfortable at all. I'd never work anywhere that has a union again.

Advice to Senior Management

Figure out how to get rid of the union. It really creates a lot of animosity that is unnecessary. Plus the union does nothing except take money from people who need it! Figure out how to be positive in a depressing industry.

Pros

Strong brand reputation in the community. Journalism is better than most papers of similar size.

Cons

Mired in bureaucracy and seemingly unable to make strategic decisions related to new products and new revenue models, they rely instead upon cutting content and service levels to stay afloat. The Times management has failed to realize that death by a thousand cuts, is still death. Perhaps the next owners will be able to address the issues of incompetent management so we can all benefit by having a vibrant news organization in our town.

Advice to Senior Management

Sell

Pros

If you believe quality independent journalism is important to preserve in our community, you should feel great about working at the Seattle Times. This is a place that truly believes in its mission.

Cons

The financial difficulties of the newspaper industry have had a devastating toll on the company. The products have suffered as resources have dwindled and the company is trying to hang on as best it can until things improve. Since 2008, the company has been in the mode of major cutbacks; innovation has stalled to a snail's pace because the resources aren't there to support growth.

Pros

Flexibilty of scheduling was important to all employees so we worked togetherto ensure everyone had necessary time off. Each event was unique and interesting. We worked hard and were well compensated.

Cons

The industry is I a decline, as content can be accessed online for free. Sales were challenging to make. From time to time the schedule wasn't posted until Sunday afternoon.

Advice to Senior Management

Please post the schedule well in advance. A base salary would be optimal since sales were increasingly tougher to make. Keep better track of promotional inventory to ensure there are always desirable items available

Pros

Great work-life balance - especially if you are an affiliated employee (part of the Newspaper Guild). Managers can be very fair and even inspiring, depending on the unit you are in.
If you're upper-level management, pay and benefits are probably decent for the hours you put in.

The company stands behind its journalistic mission and does not compromise on that. It is very well-respected for its ethical journalism covering local news and the economy, and for that reason employees are proud to stand behind the brand.

Cons

Poor communication between departments. Circulation, online operations, advertising and marketing operate largely in silos. Perhaps a big part of it comes from not wanting to disturb "comfort zones" by doing things differently or gaining exposed to new ideas. Process improvement suggestions are slow (if not impossible) to assimilate.

Uncertain financial future for the newspaper industry and for the company overall means that few opportunities are created for associate or assistant-level employees to move up the ladder. This is also true for middle managers reaching director-level status.

As of right now, there's a significant lack of competent, "get-it-done" leaders who have the people skills needed to motivate their teams in some of the units. This is de-motivating to say the least, and has led to significant turnover. Having a top-down approach to every aspect of the business also contributes to employee dissatisfaction.

Digital news operations face an uncertain future... the landscape changes much faster than the company is able to keep up, largely because of deprioritization and "analysis paralysis."

Advice to Senior Management

Be as forthcoming and transparent as possible about what is going on in the company - you'll gain the respect of your teams when you do.

On innovation: Don't allow yourselves to be crippled by the thought of failure - a small investment can go a long way when it comes to digital business models, and you won't have far to fall if you do fail. Treat every experience as a learning opportunity. When in doubt, test and iterate...

Pros

One of the best places I have ever worked in terms of co-workers and overall company culture. Proud to come to work every day.

Cons

The biggest downside is job security due to the decline of the industry. Benefits are getting worse. Also, salary increases are almost non-existent due to financial pressure.

Advice to Senior Management

Adapt to changing market conditions quicker and look to new technologies to boost business stability. The Seattle Times is still a great brand and a company that I continue to respect.

Pros

Very good compensation and benefits.
Great reputation as in industry leader in providing news and info to Seattle and western WA
Good core groups of people who embrace the company's mission statement

Cons

Slow and even unwilling to accept change (processes, tools, etc) - "we've always done it this way"
Print and Online depts have an "Us vs. Them" mentality with both sides entrenched in their processes, standards, etc.
Company is chock full of employees with 15, 20, or more years of service who think tenure is more important than teamwork and create a horrible atmosphere and work environment.

Advice to Senior Management

Assess each person on his/her specific merits and ability to do their job and eliminate not only the non-contributors but especially the cancers who subvert the work and contribution of others; those who feel it's their mission to contradict, argue, undercut, pushback, and play the political game.

Given the many challenges and problems facing ST and that industry in general, everyone is either part of the problem or part of the solution - get rid of the former and empower the latter..

Find ways to reward employees who truly do good work and who foster camaraderie and teamwork, especially give the prolonged absence of raises and monetary rewards/recognition.

Pros

Strong marketing research support; very creative design team and promotions team. Lots of smart people that want to do a good job. The online products were great until they pulled some of the entertainment coverage

Cons

Difficulty innovating new products and approaches that extend beyond the core media of print products; shrinking resources that impact coverage, especially in entertainment

Advice to Senior Management

Don't be afraid to try new things and fail.