For example: Nearly all the auto ads on this site are foreign. Are the local big three dealers taking this local market for granted? I think so. I agree though Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are great at adding home grown American audio/visuals to their commercials.

Marketing, dont even get me started! G.M. stinks in that department. I remember when I saw the honda Odyssey commercial, hearts song barracuda was pumping, they had the wizard & unicorn motiff going on .....then bam! honda, son of a gun! they took a classic american theme, and pow! made it there own, G.M. really needs new marketing execs! I have some really good ideas, maybe I can transfer to headquarters!

Chad: Great post and I couldn't agree more. The media is exceptionally biased against the big three and even more so against GM. However, perception is everything and that is something only GM can change through good marketing, which it doesn't yet have.

The reports I read of retooling the plant to include suppliers inside the plant to lower shipping costs is a great idea, considering we do have the space, and we would be the first US plant to do so (GM has some outside the US set up this way). But I would still only give this a small chance unless the economy turns around and GM needs more vehicles.
I think the Gazette reporting on GM has been fair, maybe a few stories on the effects to suppliers would have been appropriate. But to complain that they should not report on it is like saying I heard enough stories about rain and flooding. That is the news and is what is happening.

janesvillean - this a repost you may need to read:
latest J.D. Power quality tracking: GM ties Ford ,Honda, Toyota as producing the greatest number of award recognized vehicles. GM had fewer recalls in 2007 than HONDA, TOYOTA, HYUNDAI and Ford. Our local plant averaged 52 PPH (problems per hundred), tied for 5th place out of 26 GM North America plants. Arlington was 57 PPH and Silao (Mexico) was 54, yet who gets the axe??? Just goes to show, being the best is not always a security blanket.
But for all those who complain about GM's quality being inferior how do you explain all these accolades ?? Toyota has good quality, and a good PR group, but as you can see, GM is right there with them and getting better. In fact, with the 2008 J.D. Power awards for quality the Chevrolet Silverado LD was ranked highest, above the Toyota Tundra. Sometimes I feel the media is to favorable to the likes of Toyota even when independent critics like JD Power give GM, Ford & Chrysler top ratings on vehicles.

So a newspaper can't be factual and still offer stories that are inspiring? Zoom you comment as if I'm asking the Gazette to make something up. I'm simply pointing out that there are (factual) stories out there that could offer some glimpse into the future. It would be similar to this story http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2008/jun...... that the Gazette posted, which resulted in various suggestions from the community in addition to the ones made in the article. The three industries I mentioned (technology, health care, green technology) are the future and it would be factual for the Gazette to report on them as the potential for Janesville going forward.

As for GM staying in Janesville, it would be nice, however, I will point out that if they do stay open many of the new jobs would be at the new fourteen dollar an hour wage range with much lower benefits. In addition, Lear would renegotiate its current contract (the recent contract has clause for such a thing) so its workers would make similar wages. I would assume other suppliers would follow suite based on their particular size and scale and wages would progress downward depending on how directly they are involved. This is not to say that fourteen dollars an hour is a bad wage, but it still changes the economics of Janesville’s workforce. As a result, I still think it is important that Janesville moves forward as though GM and its suppliers will no longer be the core highest paying jobs in the area.

Janesville offers a good workforce, location, and has already done all GM as asked. I don’t feel Wisconsin should have to offer any additional assistance to GM, considering the state already has budget problems. If the long history of good quality products produced at the GM Janesville plant isn’t enough to convince GM to continue producing products in Janesville then, in my opinion, they can close the doors. This is coming from someone who is being directly affected by this recent announcement. So going forward, we should hope for GM to remain, but continue to pursue a new vision for the city.

DDoright makes a valid point, yes, as of now the future looks dim at G.M , but as I mentioned before, its a business, and the recent "sucker" punch has many people running else where, the trick is a delicate balance, if all is given up, there will be no veteran work force left to start a new product, but with the departure of so many, it serves G.M well by creating more openings locally for second tier pay level workers, with that, and a little butt kissing by the state, local, and county, and local 95, we could put a very lucrative package on the table. so prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.

One question that has not been asked in this rush to tear down the plant and it's suppliers, what if GM doesn't close? You do realize that all GM said is they were ceasing production of SUV's. That is not the same as closing a plant. I suspect GM is waiting to see just how much the UAW/State/City will give up before making any concrete decisions on a new product. GM sucker punched and everyone flinched.

I turn a blind eye from Fox news every day, because they aren't journalists. It is exactly that style of "reporting" that has polarized the country. I would imagine that being objective can be difficult at times for a true journalist, but they have a vital role to play in our society. As soon as a newspaper has the appearance of an agenda (which I believe the Gazette does not), facts become suspect. I don't want the Gazette to be inspiring; I want it to be factual. I can get my inspiration from the Editorials, or even a few posts here on the net.

Zoom: The newspaper takes the cities namesake. It is purchased by Janesville residents, which results in profits for the Gazette. The stories from the Gazette are occasionally picked up on various news organizations. I’m assuming much of the Gazette staff lives in Rock County. Therefore, I think the Gazette has a stake in our current situation. To think that somehow news organizations now only report the hard news with absolutely no agenda is turning a blind eye to Fox and most definitely the New York Times (among others). That is not to say the Gazette should have an agenda, but the success of our city should be an important part of the paper’s coverage. I’m not asking the Gazette to rebuild our city. Rather, I’m suggesting they report on the potential and make light of the good qualities our city has in addition to the hard news stories they have to cover. This would be no different than the story they posted in reference to uses for the GM building. Just some occasional side stories that might spark some ideas or make people think in a positive light during tough times. Stories that bring attention to ideas outside of the box that may also prove news worthy. That is what I would expect a local paper would do in special circumstances like we are facing; otherwise why not just buy the USA Today every day? Overall I’m happy with the coverage and what I mentioned previously was simply the feedback and ideas the editor was welcoming.

Most (if not all) of the Toyota Tundras are built in Indiana. And while I have every respect for GM workers and the overall productivity and quality of the Janesville plant, there's simply no question that the Tundra is in many ways a better vehicle that has been widely praised as a best in class. And Toyota has long had the best first-year reliability in the industry, and what's more, has _tenth_-year reliability that is just out of the reach of any of the American manufacturers. That's not the fault of GM workers; it's the hand they were dealt. GM long depended on the oceans to protect its brands. Those days are just over.

just a figure of speach mom, but hey, its not a bad idea! A personal touch would go a long ways in showing how serious we are about having a future here.

ctr1: is there actually a petition to get GM to give Janesville a new product? If so, I will sign it.

As a G.M. employee who is now living in Indiana, I can well remember the last time the Plant was closing. The economy was in the tank. G.M. was losing money. They had too much capacity. Sound familiar. All I am saying is that the plant may very well close, but if the economy turns around and G.M. need a quality work force for a new product, they could do a lot worse than Janesville. Don't give up hope. Make sure you get out and vote. Get the republicans out of office. If the economy turns around, Janesville would have a good shot at a new product. DO NOT GIVE UP. Good Luck Janesville.

thanks for the positive 28! Many people have given their lives to protect our freedoms that are far to often taken for granted, included in those privileges is the right to buy whatever You want where ever you want, but please take the time to consider the long term consequances, the trickle down affect may one day bite You in the rear, all things in our economy are connected. It does cause Me great pain when I see our aging americans, driving down the road in a KIA, or HONDA, or HYUNDAI, these are the people We grew up down the street from, waved to when You roller skated by, and looked to for guidance, they, above all, should recall the sacrifices they and others made for those freedoms. When I see them drive by, with an american flag in their windows, it makes Me want to cry, why? Is it incentives that draw them? Or price? Trust Me, in the long run its a mistake. But continue to cherish Your freedoms, and Your good fortunes, they may be short lived.

A Toyota Tundra? That's why people in the USA have been out of jobs. Go buy your Toyota and we will see how many recalls and problems you have. Thank you to all the GM employees who have build us great quality vehicles.

As A General motors employee I find that the negative comments just tend to bounce off most people, I dont take them to heart. I do believe the gazette is doing a good job with recent G.M. related articles, I do however admit that I have not been impressed by articles of the past, ones with negative conotations. that said, the gazette is a newspaper, a business, with the job of selling papers for profit, making decisions no different then the ones that G.M has to make, so I take things with a grain of salt. I read some creative ideas for the G.M. property, and also some very bad ones, as a veteran of some 22 years there, I can tell you that no one should even think of touching that property, its much worse then many of you have mentioned....whats My point? if the building is going to be there, why wouldnt We continue to petition G.M for another product? Before anyone gets started I will tell You that I tend to be an optimist, I have to be, but at the same time I'm a realist, I do think its a long shot trying for a new product line, but as formentioned, its a business, things can be done to make this a happen, and I hope it does, but the fact is that things do not look good at the moment, but alot can happen between now and then. Till then, I will get up, go to work, and continue to do My best to build a quality product, after all, if We give up, We will just make an easy decision for the corporation. And If I have to finish My time at another facility, so be it. In the mean time...be positive people, amazing things can happen with the right attitude!

Excellent post Unidentified. I wish there were more like it... Very positive.

I didn't know where to post this, but I would like to share. I just read an interesting article about the new electric Chevy Volt set to be made in 2010... pretty interesting.

http://gm-volt.com/

The new battery technology currently being developed would need a place to be manufactured/distributed once electric vehicles become the norm. With the sq footage, rail road, and easy truck delivery... the plant location has potential. (just my thoughts)

In the past I have posted about the Tesla Roadster, but here are some links for more affordable alternatives...

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01/30/...

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/12/18/...

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/02/07/...

a do it yourself electric conversion company

http://www.electroauto.com/index.html

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/12/24/...

I would love to see a poll and article about going green. I can't think of a single person who wants to pay up to $6 a gallon (this summer?)

I would like to see a large group of people gather together, and tell GM to GET OUT OF JANESVILLE NOW. I've never worked at GM, never applied. Never wanted to. I don't want them to wait until 2010. I want them gone now, and never come back. I wish I never bought GM stock, or looked at the price today, either. I'll never see that money again. I wish I would have bought a Toyota Tundra a couple months ago, not that crappy S10 I have now. Rats, the stock just hit a new intra-day low: $15.76/share... I hate the color red!

Unidentified does have some good points, but I think overall the Gazette's coverage has been exemplary considering the suddenness of this news. We have two years of discussions that will be taking place before any closure (and some years afterward as recovery takes place), and I fully expect the Gazette's good work in this area to continue.
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To expand on some of those good points, though, I would look to your comments section. Many people are cynical and bitter about the future Janesville job market (e.g. somebody today who said that the Janesville Mall may be as big a building and aggregate employer as GM, but without anything approaching the same wages). We're not just talking about reusing the property, we're talking about how the human resources of Janesville will be put to use. Are line workers in other cities now stuck in service jobs, or have they started their own small businesses, or have they left the city? These seem to be typical of the questions that may not yet have been answered.

Unidentified,
I agree with most of what you wrote, but I don't think a newspapers purpose is to be the promoter of the city. If the news they report happens to provide a benefit to Janesville, that's fine, but outside the occasional editorial, it's not the job of the newspaper to improve our economy or change the way people should think towards the future. That responsibility lies with our elected government, and the rest of us.

As an outsider, I have appreciated the stories concerning GM. I worked for JATCO for about 18 months in the 70s and found Janesville to be one of the friendliest places that I've ever lived. You have a lot to be proud of. More than once over the past 30+ years I've regretted leaving and hope to come back to visit soon. Hang in there, you have way too many good people not to survive this downturn.

I just wanted to commend the 'unidentified' poster for something solid, well written and who is able to critique something with out having such a critical tone as has been present in the last 2-3 months. Thank you. It's such a pleasure to read something by someone who isn't whining about something and takes their time to write something that doesn't make me cringe and feel embarrassed about the population of Janesville.

I think overall the Gazette is doing a good job trying to cover the GM story while not forgetting other newsworthy material. It is a monumental task to cover this type of story and reaching some type of balance. However, there have been a few things I thought could be handled differently. I felt the Kenosha and Beloit examples of recovery were less than inspiring for most the people I’ve talked with especially since both examples are essentially still recovering. As a result, I would suggest using other communities outside Wisconsin as examples if they shed a better light on the future of our town. These communities don’t have to include auto manufactures. I’ve heard stories over the years of military based communities rising from the ashes after military base closures. In addition, I think the paper could do a better job of covering the little businesses and companies that will be affected by GM. I felt Woodman’s and BCCU were not good examples. I read one women’s story about her husband working for the railroad company that supplies GM being affected. He now has to commute to Chicago to keep his job. In my opinion, it takes a great deal of digging to create a story that captures people’s minds. The initial GM story was easy. However, since this story isn’t going away until GM officially does, it would behoove Gazettes staff to dig a bit deeper to keep this interesting. Moreover, there have been many other Rocky County employers who have reduced staff or closed. This isn’t just a GM issue anymore. Therefore, I would send staff to other communities that have successfully made it through similar tough economic times and interview city leaders to see how they dealt with matters. I would also suggest more stories that highlight Janesville’s excellent work force and location. These stories get picked up on Google searches and news feeds. There is nothing better than a bit of free advertising. Biofuel may not be the answer, but there is no doubt that green is here to stay. Maybe the Gazette could look at other successful green oriented companies that could be duplicated in our area that could put Janesville at the forefront of the next generation of alternative energy or energy reduction. Technology, healthcare, and green technology are the three biggest growth areas for employment. We have the health care portion covered; now we need to work on at least one of the other two. The Gazette is in a position to help get people’s thoughts geared towards the future. It only takes a few of the right people reading the right articles and the future could be now.