I was walking the streets of Ashvegas this very day and a flutter of activity caught my eye outside the offices of one of Asheville’s most well-respected law firms, McGuire, Wood & Bissette.
There was Asheville Citizen-Times Publisher Randy Hammer and Steve Brandt, the publisher of the Greenville News. Brandt is also vice president of the East Group of Gannett Co., the publicly traded company that owns both newspapers.
And as I kept walking, I spotted former Citizen-Times Executive Editor Susan Ihne talking with two dapper gentlemen toting boxes of files. Lawyers, I assumed. What caught my eye was that they’re twins.
Ihne in December filed a $15 million wrongful termination lawsuit against Gannett and Hammer, claiming that Hammer bullied and harassed her. Hammer has denied the allegations. The lawsuit has been working its way through the legal system since.
Can someone say “deposition”?
You can read the background, as well as Ihne’s lawsuit, by clicking here.
12 Comments
Word is he also left some loose ends in Huntington.
deserving:
Dating one of the marketing girls?
The Blonde or the Brunette? No matter what, that is a lose, lose situation.
Hammer and Joe Damore have alot in common! The employees of the Asheville times and Mission need to get together and form a union! At the very least the note comparisons would be stunning! Hmmmm, is a pattern of abuse within our small community beginning to be brought out into the light???? Dig people DIG!
Hammer is the editor, for all intents and purposes. All the duties of a former Asheville publisher have been moved to Greenville. Asking Hammer to replace the editor is like asking him to replace himself. He didn’t fall on his sword when he lost a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in Florida, and it’s a sure bet he won’t give up control now. He’s really got nothing else now that they’ve stripped him of all publisher functions.
In defense of Fernandez, the only way you survive under Hammer is to be totally submissive. Cops say don’t fight back against a mugger and you’ll survive. The situation is a lot like that and everybody knows it.
Ihne was horrible, but Phil Fernandez, the so-called editor, is as much, if not more, to blame for the state of the paper as Hammer. The fact that the community has no idea he’s "in charge" of the newsroom is appalling and shows that he’s hiding in the office all day. Hammer should have cut him loose and gotten a real leader. Fernandez is a joke.
Can’t wait to hear what happens. Hammer’s track record is less than stellar. Current circulation numbers are at an historic low, rumor mill is that he is "dating" of the marketing gurus so she is safe during anymore impending layoffs, (no pun intended) the mishandling of Leslie’s Boyd’s conflict of interest, story corrections are beening printed at least once a week, and, revenue continues to decline.
He couldn’t throw a rock off the top of the building without hitting a former disgruntled employee. A newspaper publisher is supposed to lead by example. They are supposed to be a pillar in the community and show no bias.
Hatchet Hammer needs to go back to Journalism 101.
Maybe the headline is: "Colorful dapper deposes white culture of SOB"…and everyone familiar with Gannett knows exactly what I’m talking about.
Susan Ihne was definitely not a gifted editor or manager while at the Citizen-Times and the paper’s news content really declined during her tenure. That said, I do hope she prevails in her lawsuit against Gannett. If she helps bring down the evil Randy Hammer a lot of people will be very pleased.
Randy Hammer, MC Hammer, Claw Hammer, whatever, I hope Susan holds her ground. Otherwise other people might suffer because of it. You go Susan.
I can say it. Deposition! As in "assume the deposition position."
Great spotting. Where O Where is Gannett Blog when we need it???