http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/402470_onlinepi06.html
Hearst makes offers to staff online-only P-I By DAN RICHMAN P-I REPORTER Staffers chosen to participate in an online-only version of the Seattle P-I were notified of their selection Wednesday and Thursday. The selections indicate The Hearst Corp.'s plan for such a Web site is advancing.Two reporters said they received "provisional offers" from P-I New Media head Michelle Nicolosi or Hearst executive Ken Riddick. They said they were told they will be given formal offers if the Web site gets the go-ahead from Hearst's senior management. The reporters wouldn't give details, saying they had been asked during their interviews not to comment. Nicolosi also declined to comment. Riddick, who has been at the P-I over the past two days, didn't return a call seeking comment. One metro reporter, Hector Castro, said Riddick didn't ask him not to speak. The general assignment reporter, at the P-I for nine years, said he turned down Riddick's offer. He said the offer increased his health insurance cost, cut his salary by an unspecified amount, offered to match his 401(k) contributions, required him to forgo his P-I severance pay, reduced his vacation accrual to zero and required him to give up overtime. According to Castro, Riddick said Hearst plans to start the site the day after the paper quits publishing, which Hearst has said will occur on a date not yet specified if no buyer has emerged by March 10. "I got the definite impression Hearst does plan to go forward with the site, assuming the paper stops publishing," Castro said. He said he turned down the offer because he finds working online "too tech-oriented." Most P-I staffers in the office Thursday afternoon said "no" when asked whether they had been asked to become part of Hearst's online-only P-I. However, declining to comment on whether they had been selected were 18 current employees: senior online producer Brian Chin, columnist Joel Connelly, online producer Jake Ellison, online producer Shannon Fears, assistant metro editor Chris Grygiel, online reporter Monica Guzman, assigning editor Candace Heckman, business reporter Andrea James, managing editor David McCumber, metro reporter Casey McNerthney, Nicolosi, senior online producer Sarah Rupp, interactivity editor Don Smith, assistant metro editor Scott Sunde, business reporter Joseph Tartakoff, Web developer Mike Thompson, photographer Joshua Trujillo and online producer Veronica Villarreal. McCumber said his "no comment" shouldn't be taken as an indication he will be involved with an online-only P-I. "I just think the process should be given a chance to unfold as smoothly as possible, without stories appearing prematurely," he said. One staffer, speaking on background, said the Web site plans to employ about 20 people. The list of staffers declining to comment includes nearly all the P-I's online producers. It includes no copy editors, editorial writers, designers or sports or features writers. Most of them are younger than 40. The interviews are further indication that Hearst, which owns the P-I, is leaning toward starting an online-only version of the P-I. It said Jan. 9 that it might create such a site -- the same day it said it was putting the P-I up for sale and would quit printing it if no buyer emerged within 60 days. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "World News Now Discussion List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/wnndl?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
