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While everyone jumps all over a company when there are cuts -- ascribing
them to people who don't care about their customers -- the fact is that a
business needs to make enough money to stay alive. Making a profit would
be good as well. This isn't a volunteer effort. If the company is doing
poorly then either they make changes or go out of business. Going bust is
also bad for us loyal customers.
You mention that some of the people who lost their jobs were making poor
management decisions. This implies two things: 1) the company was being
poorly run and thus was *not* doing well, which certainly necessitates
changes (which *always* means making very difficult decisions), and 2)
they're getting rid of the right people, which implies they're making the
right decisions.
It's either a company that needs fixing that is finally getting the
attention it needs, or it was doing fine and the new owners are just going
to ruin it (for no apparent reason after a large expenditure to acquire
it). The former makes sense but the latter doesn't. Sky and Telescope is
most definitely not a cash cow (as someone put it); it's a small-time niche
publication in the world of publishing. Wringing "every last dollar from
the company" wouldn't be worth the expense of buying it and the subsequent
effort.
The fact is that virtually every print publication in the country is having
problems these days. Most ascribe that to the Internet and many are trying
to adapt but most are still having a hard time of it. The New York Times
is one example among many. Sky and Telescope may be a big deal to us but
it's still a niche publication that's going to have a very hard time in an
environment where even venerable publications with world-wide reputations
among the general populace are having historic difficulties.
I don't have all the facts so I can't (well, won't) voice an opinion. And
I'm not a business person so I can't evaluate NewTrack's decisions. But
they may just be doing what's neccesary to keep Sky alive. I hope they
succeed. I've been a subscriber for 35+ years and I intend to continue as
long as they're in business. It's still a product that's well worth the
cost for me. And they need all the subscribers they can get these days.
Mike Simmons
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