Ron Kaye

We lost a great editor today.
Ron Kaye leaves the paper after 23 years.
He has been the backbone and personality of the Daily News for so long and he made the newsroom a fun, challenging and kooky place to work.
As a manager, he is respectful of his employees, yet pushes us to dig deeper, be more creative and do this job more passionately. That's been an inspiration, especially over the last year as the newsroom budget was cut and cut again.
But Ron really showed his true character in February during the layoffs. He met with every person let go. He apologized. He cried for the newsroom. We were told the truth and treated with dignity. And that is what every worker deserves from their boss.
I could go on and on.

Here's Ron's goodbye message:

Everyone:
All good things in life come to an end sooner or later, even my love affair
with the Daily News.
What will always be with me is my love and respect for all of you.
You've shown in the last two plus years just how talented and capable you
are working together -- so capable you've made me obsolete. Under the
circumstances, I'll always be grateful for that. Doug Hanes will be
announcing my successor on Monday and I hope you will give that person the same effort and support you've given me. You have made this into a real newspaper with a soul and passion and creativity and shown your commitment to discover how this newspaper, any newspaper, can survive in the digital age. I know it can be done and I wish you all the best in whatever you, wherever the road leads you.
Thanks for everything, these have been the happiest and most fulfilling
years of my life. Keep the faith, love always.

The state of newspapers

Public radio has a story on the sorry state of newspapers that includes an interview with Brent Hopkins, our own reporter turned cop.

What the publisher said

Publisher Doug Hanes and LANG CEO Ed Moss visited the newsroom Monday explain the state of the company and take questions on the layoffs and the health of the company. I wasn't there but colleagues said the message was that the company has made a lot less money this year and the layoffs were an attempt to "stop the bleeding."

They acknowledged that cost-cutting is not a growth strategy.

The big LANG effort to consolidate is a bust, at least for the Daily News, it appears. The company is breaking into three clusters: Inland division overseeing San Gabriel Valley to the Inland Empire, South Bay with the Breeze and the Press-Telegram, and the Daily News on its own.

Publisher pays a visit?

Good evening,

I'm told Daily News Publisher Douglas Hanes may come by the newsroom Monday to talk with staff about the state of our paper. I hope so. We've gone through a rotten week and taken a serious hit to the newsroom. People need some reassurance that the company has a strategy to weather these difficult economic times, beyond cutting staff. I think our publisher will find a creative, flexible, hard-working newsroom that is committed to ensuring the Daily News is a professional and profitable enterprise.

Our colleagues

Hi all,
We lost some awesome co-workers yesterday and it didn't seem right to let them leave without a virtual toast. Here's to colleagues who worked hard, made an impact and helped make the Daily News a rewarding and generally kooky, fun place to work. Your talent, humor and commitment will be missed. We wish you success in your next gig.

Robert Avege - sports clerk, started Sept. 2007 - "The sports department got to know Robert during the 2006 World Cup, when he walked over from accounting every day at lunchtime to watch games on the TV in that corner of the newsroom. Later he joined sports to help the editors -- immeasurably -- with the finances. Without Robert, who was born in Ghana and educated in London, the office discussions of Arsenal soccer will never be the same."

Semhar Debessai - features reporter, started Sept. 2006 - "There is Sem, who was always hungry both figuratively and in reality. Not a big fan of junk food, she was always looking an hour two earlier than lunchtime for something healthy that would give her a little burst. And she inspired me with her dedication to the craft. When she got the nod from the folks downstairs to join the in crowd online, she opted to stick around and kick it with us old school. That was impressive. Whatever it is that makes a person yearn to be a writer and a journalist, a real one, not a professional dilettante, that stuff in the marrow that makes you stick to it, Sem has it. And she's taking it out the door with her. I hope wherever she ends up she finds something to sink her teeth into."

Alex Dobuzinskis - reporter, started Jan. 2004 - "Alex is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Must be because he's Canadian. Alex was one of the hardest working reporters at the Daily News who was able to put out several stories in a day and he did it with a strong sense of passion and heart that it's going to be tough to work without him. He covered Glendale and the Northeast area of the San Fernando Valley, areas which are already under covered anyway. Readers in those areas will be poorer without this intrepid reporter.

Lisa Friedman - Washington D.C. reporter, started 2001 - "Lisa is a virtual force of nature, indefatigable in tracking down wily legislators and holding their feet to the fire. As a consummate driven journalist, she has worked long hours, weekends and nights pursuing lawmakers through the halls of the Capitol in search of the hottest stories. She has not only untangled political speak, but has found the life amid what could otherwise be dry and boring policy moves. She has approached all of this with nearly endless cheer and a spirit of teamwork. Her bright perspective, hard work and key connections in Washington will be sorely missed."

Karen (Duffy) Walker-Gindick - paginator/news design desk, started in 1981 - "So renowned is Karen that she has a copy desk phenomenon named after her. To "duffy", as in "I duffied that headline" means that you wrote the hed to fit perfectly the first time. A duffy is something that happens serendipitously due to the skill of the headline writer."

Heather Gripp - sports reporter, started Nov. 1997 - "Grippster! She loved baseball more than anything. If you gave Heather a choice between going to a baseball game, and a 10-day all-expenses paid trip to Europe, she'd choose the ballpark in a second. Her year was divided up into two parts, Baseball season and the offseason. Along the way, Heather became one of the more respected sportswriters covering the area. Coaches, players, parents all knew her. And when guys that she covered in high school made it to the big leagues, they always remembered Heather, and made time to talk to her, no matter what was going on with their new teams."

Minerva Hernandez - editorial assistant, Dec. 1990 - "Minerva was often the first person people would talk to when they called the newsroom and she always tried to help. Her patience was a marvel and she managed to be nice even to the crankiest, nastiest caller. And Minerva played a key role in breaking one of the paper's biggest news stories -- interviewing Corina Villaraigosa's mother by phone in Spanish about Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's affair with a Telemundo reporter."

Brent Hopkins - reporter, started Dec. 2000 - "I think we're all still in shock that Brent is leaving, and to be a LAPD cop, of all things. But I guess he does have a thing for suspenders and fedoras. This is a guy who started as an intern out of UCLA and got on as a full-time business reporter, leaping onto the front page in a Superman suit running up a store aisle with a shopping cart for a photo to accompany a story about "Retail Heroics." And then he started writing really damn well - a la Joseph Mitchell - and coming up with some of the most creative stuff I've seen here. A bright spot in a windowless office. I wish you the best luck in the new chapter of your life. I think you'll make a great cop, a true life action hero trading in the Super suit for a blue uniform. Now you'll really get to apply that "More Cowbell" method at the cop shop. Although it might look kinda funny. And you'd probably get written up in the consent decree."

Ben Jauron - editorial assistant, started Nov. 2002 - "Gruff, smart and surprisingly sweet. Ben would stomp around the newsroom, throwing out his snide, dead-on observations of life and politics. "

Matt Kredell - sports reporter, started Dec. 1998 - " One of the most versatile writers on our staff. He's excelled at every level, and on every beat he's covered. He started out as an agate clerk with us when he was 19. Matt hit his stride on the USC basketball beat in 2007 and the Kings hockey beat this season. Matt's work on the Kings blog is a success story, maintaining traffic that ranked behind only the USC and UCLA blogs .His writing is sharp, insightful and full of depth. The only good thing about Matt leaving is that someone else has a chance to win the fantasy football league next year."

Val Kuklenski - features reporter/copy editor, started Sep. 1999 - "Dogged in pursuit of factual accuracy, and to top it off, she has a quick wit and wicked sense of humor. Val is a sister. She was full of kind and smart words during those woozy moments in my pregnancy. And when my daughter was born, she doted on her like an aunt. She has been a kind of sherpa for me in motherhood and work. When I needed professional guidance, I could always look over to her corner for some off-the-cuff wisdom or a sympathetic ear. She is full of passion, and never shied from letting you know where she stood. When Bush won in 2004, Val was so depressed she called in sick that day. I rang her up at home to make sure she was ok. I don't remember her exact words but she talked then about giving up newspapering to do political work. Maybe now she will."

Matt McHale - sports columnist, started Aug. 1996 - "Matt was here on and off for 20 years, covering the sublime (Kirk Gibson and the 1988 Dodgers World Series championship team) and the ridiculous (some really bad Kings hockey teams) with the same good humor before becoming a deputy sports editor and sharing his story-telling gift with many a young writer. One of this papers' wisest voices. Matt's probably logged more time in press boxes across the country than the rest of our staff combined. A great, great baseball writer. If you ever want to really find out what was happening with the Dodgers during their glory years, Matt's your guy. The last couple of years, he's had some health issues to overcome, but he's never complained about it. The last few weeks, Matt's been writing again. Columns, features, and his first love, baseball. If you have a chance, go back and read some of his last articles, they are some of the finest stories in the paper. Everybody roots for him to regain his health and get back to writing great stuff."

Tom Mendoza - photographer, started July 1990 - "The photo crew lost Tom Mendoza today and we’re all sad to see him go. I’ve known Tom since 1986 from College of the Canyons where he was known as one of the “Photo Gods.” He was good, pretty damn good. I wanted to grow up and be just like him but better looking! Well the latter one worked out for me. But as a photographer, he is one talented shooter who never let that get into his head. He just has the eye and knows the shot to get no matter what it was. When it came down to sports however, forget about it! He knew the sport, the players and exactly who to look for and what to look for. It’s sad to see him go, but he’s got other plans for his talent that’s not in journalism anymore, but still graphic related and driven by all the cash flowing around the survivors in the real estate industry. We’ll all miss you, Tom, and don’t forget us when you’re hanging out with
the Trumps!"

Elizabeth Pyles - librarian and administrative assistant, started Sept. 1994 - "Liz is always seen with a smile. When you pass her in the hall or ask her for help, she is always gracious and kind. Her positive attitude in challenging times has been incredible and will carry her through to her next success."

Rick Quist - executive editor emeritus, started Sept. 1972 - "Rick came to work here when God was a boy. He's the go-to-guy for the history of the Daily News, as a well as the history of the San Fernando Valley. Rick is the soft-hearted-est guys around despite his somewhat gruff exterior. Just a big goofball. Nightside people know him for constantly putting the days news events to the tune of whatever tune was running around that evening. He was always plunking in a jasper - a Rick term for a little dab of a story with no significance to fill a hole - or demanding a jeremy (a headline that must fit) on a story. Everybody who knows him looks up to him. A good man with a long history of keeping this place going."

Fred Shuster - music critic, April 1989 - "He talks like Woody Allen but could do the physical comedy like Harold Lloyd. Fred is a classic. Take the time we were all sitting at our desks when he got up and ambled over to the Zebra Lounge and after arching an eyebrow back at us once or twice, suddenly charged the table, heaving his half-century of mass across the smooth oak surface. Then he came back, sat down and made a few calls. There aren't many people like that in most offices but every newsroom especially should have one - if only to keep the absurd at hand and the tragic at bay. Fred's wicked sense of humor made me seek him out when I wanted a good, hearty laugh -- not the fake, polite kind of laugh -- the real ones when you look at the person and think, wow, is he really this clever and funny. His departure will leave a huge void and the level of wit in the newsroom will take a devastating hit."

Mike Tetreault - editor of letters to the editor, started Aug. 1983 - "Mike wants the world to believe he's a curmudgeon. Sometimes he even tricks people into believing it, at least briefly. The problem is, he can never pull it off for long. His compassion and his humor always shine through. It's what made him one of the most liked folks in all the newsroom. He isn't much of a curmudgeon, but he'd been a great colleague."

Terri Thuente - photo editor, started Dec. 1989 - "Aside from being my Assistant Director of Photography, Terri was my little sister that carried a big stick. We both started at the Daily News on December 4, 1989. As a photographer Terri was a hard charging news photographer that could immediately soften for a sensitive feature story. Her editing skills eventually brought her in as a photo editor. Terri would scare the hell out of a new reporter. You must do this and you must do that---or else. Over time they discovered her soft side (unless they were a UCLA fan). The Daily News photo family has grown and then shrunk over the years. We have all come to appreciate the tremendous effort Terri made to mentor and celebrate the work of an amazing group of journalists. I will mostly miss a close friend as we shared the life and times of our families changing over the years. If you want to keep an eye on what she is doing in her life after the Daily News, go to tntphotoproductions.com. Go get-em Terri."

Edna Trunnell-Simpson - photo editorial assistant, started Feb. 1990 - "This woman with the spirit of an excited school kid just amazed me every day. With all of the challenges in her personal life Edna brought a cheerful can do approach to everything she did. She learned photography and has made it a passion in her life that will carry on long after her days at the Daily News are a distant memory. Edna just wanted to help in any way she could. She has been the unofficial Daily News family historian. I can't begin to count how many baby showers, farewell parties and other celebrations that she photographed for all departments. She is so loved and will be missed by so many of us that were touched by her kindness."

Billy Witz - sports reporter, started Aug. 1994 - "Since joining the Daily News from the Long Beach Press-Telegram, Billy has covered UCLA football and basketball, Galaxy soccer and pro football with a bright and analytical eye, never afraid to tick off a coach with well-considered criticism. A really good guy who says he's never wanted to write a book but clearly has one in him. My favorite Billy story: My first year I had to work the Sunday night shift in the office, answering calls, taking scores, typing up roundups. One time, Billy called in needing to dictate a story. He was at LAX, trying to track down Mike Riley, who was taking a flight into town in order to interview for the UCLA football coaching job. No one had been able to get this guy, or any information on the top candidates for the job. So Billy went to LAX, bought a ticket at the counter on his credit card to get through security and tracked Riley down, as he was coming off the plane. He called me in the office, dictated a perfect story off the top of his head, then tried to get the ticket refunded. That's dedication!

We are happy to learn that Darnell Felton - sports clerk, started March 1996 - and Mohammed Sanati - picture desk editor, started June 2004 - are expected to be back in the newsroom soon as freelancers.

Thanks to Sandra Barrera, Naush Boghossian, Carol Bidwell, Judi Erickson, Chris Weinkopf, Ramona Shelburne, Kevin Modesti, Mary Gautschy, Simone Schramm, Jason Kandel, John Lazar and Dean Musgrove for sending providing comments.

Coming back after a dark day

Hi Guys,

I want thank everybody in the newsroom for showing such class and compassion Friday. It was an awful day. But it was moving to see how everyone came together to support each other, from bringing in coffee and treats in the morning, to the hugs and encouraging words for colleagues who were packing up their stuff. Really, it's you guys and your commitment that has made the job worthwhile. And that's what is going to make it worth coming back to work on Monday.

I've also been heartened by the community response to the news of our layoffs. The comments on dailynews.com show that readers care about the product and they are not happy with the dwindling staff and coverage.

Over the last week, I couldn't help but feel like I was in mourning for the Daily News, and perhaps even journalism. I've already gone through four of the five stages of grief.

Denial: "They can't possibly cut 22 people from our already lean newsroom."

Anger: "Those out-of-touch suits don't know anything about journalism!"

Bargaining: "Maybe we can save some people by job-sharing, taking on new work, anything?"

Depression: "This is the worst day in the paper's history. The Daily News will never be the same."

Next comes acceptance. I'm not really sure I want to accept what's happening to the Daily News and our industry. But I've learned a few things from Mr. Brent Hopkins, including the power of optimism. With his constant, upbeat attitude Brent was able to push himself to do incredible work and inspire his colleagues to do the same.

We can still do great work at the Daily News. We still have the power to tell compelling stories, take amazing photos, design eye-catching pages and write the headlines that demand attention. It's a rough time, sure. But we'll survive.

And now it's time for my own goodbye

Hey gang,

Alright, I've already embarrassed myself saying my farewells, so I'll make this quick before I trip myself up. I took the buyout and, once I get seven years of crap off my desk, I'll be out of here. This is a horrible day for many people and I hate to leave on a note like this.

But I'm not going to take the sad memories-- they'll fade away in time. Instead, I'm going to remember all the great, wonderful, insane and beautiful characters who make this place come alive. I'll remember fights over stories, fires, long nights, lawsuits and scanner traffic-- and loving every minute of it. I'll remember Ron lighting his coat on fire to get rid of an errant thread-- and him telling me that he had to hold his nose and get my copy to the level of "barely publishable." Yeah, that's the guy I hold up as my journalistic mentor.

Both as a reporter and as a union guy, it's been an honor to serve alongside you. I will miss you all, but know that the paper and the union will both survive and thrive long after I'm gone. It will be different, it will be challenging, but I've meant every word I've spoken about the strength and character of this staff. You guys are the absolute best and you will keep the fires burning, for the readers, for the community and, most importantly, for each other.

It's hard to write these words -- probably the only time I've ever had trouble running off at the mouth here -- but every one of them is true. You guys are like my family and you always will be. No matter where we all end up, in and out of the business, I will always look back at the people here and the work they do as the best.

I'm going to end now and head off to my next adventure. Thanks to everyone who's made this such a great ride and best of luck to you all.

Respectfully,
Brent

afropic@gmail.com
(310) 562-4315

More buyout news and a company response

Hey folks,

This will probably be brief, because I'm running on empty here, but I wanted to bring everyone up to speed on the latest news regarding the layoffs and buyouts. Tomorrow will be the day that no one's looking forward to, but I've been impressed how well everyone's managed to stay focused. I could barely spell my name right in my byline, so your continued hard work is crazy.

In the morning and again in the afternoon, Kerry and I met with Jim Janiga from HR. In the morning, Ron joined us, in the afternoon, Vicki DiPaolo also represented the guild. Janiga seemed open and even contrite-- he apologized for not coming to us sooner and acknowledged that communication on the company's end had been poor. He blamed the sputtering economy for the company's woes and said it had to eliminate nearly $1 million from the budget to stem the money losses.

He said he'd ask the publisher to meet with the newsroom soon and more regularly and we stressed the need for open communication. If this company's going to get out of this horrible situation, it's going to need all the good ideas it can get its hands on. Hopefully, he'll come around soon and share the plan going forward and be receptive to new ideas.

Janiga said this would be the last cuts for the meantime and that the company would not freeze jobs going forward. If people quit following the layoffs, the laidoff employees will be the first offered their jobs back.

With that in mind, if you're thinking of leaving in the next month or so, but didn't want to volunteer on the super-tight timeframe today, come forward quickly-- you don't have to actually take the buyout or leave tomorrow, but let Ron or Melissa know so perhaps they can work something out. You could save someone's job, as I'm glad to see a few people have already done.

Alright folks, that's all I've got for this night-- more to come soon and thanks for everything. This is going to be a rough week, but you will get through this, no matter what.

-Brent

More kind words

Former ACE Phil Browne e-mailed this along. I always liked and respected him and was glad to hear his voice (in e-mail form).

------

While I have been somewhat derelict in staying connected with my old friends and colleagues at the Daily News, I have been watching the happenings at the DN, and in the industry, with venomous disgust.

And I second Andrea Cavanaugh's advice and sentiments.

When we all graduated from University we were driven by a deep sense of public duty, the challenge to understand and make sense of the world, and an unbreakable desire to create shared meaning to expand peoples' myopic world views. We did that through dedicating ourselves to the craft, chasing the story, making every effort to become quick subject matter experts and, most importantly, by becoming fiercely dedicated to the truth.

The problem is: Very few people actually care anymore which, at the end of the day, is the root cause of this decade's public execution of journalism.

I will spare you my continuing monologue on the "business," but I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to those who will fall victim to this disturbing trend tomorrow. I have worked and socialized with many of you, and you are the best of the best.

Lastly, I want to impart to all of you the importance of nurturing your writing, editing and reporting skills and expanding them beyond the confines of "traditional" newsgathering. While journalism will always be around, traditional practices have gone the way of the dinosaur. If you want to remain competitive and relevant, it's time to get creative and learn how to use your skills in other formats, distribution channels and industries.

There is a whole world waiting for you that will appreciate you beyond this ungrateful industry, and you'll make a lot more money doing it. Don't get down. Take action and keep control of your life.

Never forget the words of Hunter Thompson:

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

Lastly, many of you know where I am now, and I am consistently hiring as my department continues to expand. I have other leads as well. My door is always open to you. Contact me if you're interested.

With all respect and honor,

Phillip Browne
phillip.browne@gmail.com

A kind word from an old friend

Hey guys-

Andrea Cavanaugh was kind enough to post this. I'm tinkering with the comments style and may have messed some things up, so hopefully others will come through:


My heart goes out to all of you - I've been through layoffs in another industry, and as Brent says, it's terrible for those who go and also hard on those left behind.

But there's life outside the DN - all of you have amazing skills and resources that you can apply elsewhere, and you may even find that you get more satisfaction and make more money doing it. And you can always satisfy your appetite for muckraking through freelancing, volunteer work, etc.

It's a shame what's happening to the news biz, but it's a sign of the times. The dream died hard for me - I came to journalism late in life, but I wanted to be a reporter ever since I was a little girl eavesdropping on my parents and their friends. However, the DN is the paper that inspires diehard newshounds to pursue other careers.

Don't lose hope - you'll survive and even prosper. My best wishes go out to all of my former colleagues at the DN.

-Andrea

The bad news finally comes

Hey gang,

This is the hardest e-mail I've had to write yet and hope that this isn't the first you're hearing of the news today. It's not unexpected-- it's been floating like an evil cloud over us for weeks, but that doesn't make it any easier to acknowledge it. The cuts have finally come.

Here's the bottom line: Corporate will cut 22 jobs in Editorial by the end of the week, bringing us down to 100 people in the newsroom. They'll be spread between management and rank-and-file, but the numbers will vary depending on who volunteers by noon tomorrow. The company will offer its usual package of one week's pay for each year of service, minimum of two, maximum of six. Those who volunteer or get laid off will also get three months of COBRA healthcare and the company will not contest your unemployment. It will also offer letters of recommendation. There is no difference in package whether you volunteer or you're laid off, but volunteering will save someone else's job, so if anyone's already got a job lined up, please speak up and do so quickly.

Layoffs will be determined by job, length of service and performance-- I don't have any insight as to who's vulnerable and who isn't. I think the pain will be felt equally across the room. According to Ron, the original plan called for 10 more reporters to lose their jobs, but Dean Singleton personally rejected that plan and asked the cuts be less steep. That's some consolation, but not much.

Afterward, Kerry and I circulated the letter that several of you helped draft and got tremendous response. We'll deliver it to the publisher and HR first thing in the morning and will formally request that he meet with the newsroom to share the plan going forward. If he's going to slash our jobs, the least he can do is tell us his plan to get us out of this mess. I will keep you posted as soon as we get a response. We also hope to meet with HR in the afternoon for an explanation why the cuts were announced so suddenly and why people weren't given the courtesy of more time to prepare.

This is the worst day I've ever seen here at the paper and I'm sure Friday will be even worse. There is nothing I can say that will make it OK or even make it make sense. These are disastrous cuts that will seriously hamper our ability to produce the paper and Web content at the level our readers expect. It risks erasing all the great leaps forward we've made online and in print.

The next few months will be intensely painful, both for the people who lose their jobs and those who stay behind. As I've said to many of you, the real losers are the people who rely on this newspaper-- they won't be able to find the information they need anymore. Their events won't get covered. Their sense of community will get a little shakier. Once the dedicated journalists who've made this place what it is leave, their expertise will never be replaced. Maybe people won't notice it right away, but in a year, maybe two, maybe more, they'll realize there's a gaping hole left behind that can never be filled in.

This is particularly heartbreaking to me because you guys have given this place everything and asked for little in return. You've sacrificed yourselves for love of the craft and love of the community and the work you've done is amazing. The paper's thinner and our coverage isn't as expansive as it once was, but the stories, photos, layouts, headlines-- everything-- has been fantastic. I'm so proud to see the work you do on a daily basis and honored to be a part of it. I'm heartsick to see such a great operation so callously dismantled.

This is not the end of the Daily News and the people who stay behind will continue to put out as good a paper as they possibly can every day, but it will be very hard. Then again, it's never been easy and the crazy folks who make this place so vibrant and alive will never let this company's mismanagement snuff them out. You'll continue to give more than the beancounters deserve and keep coming back before because y'all are the most wonderful, talented, bad-ass journalists around. Somehow, the spirit will survive, as it always does.

I'll close with some words from Ron, who's been under tremendous stress trying to manage this in recent weeks. When he broke down in the middle of his speech, it was one of the rawest, most genuine moments of emotion I've seen in this newsroom in my career. While I'm sure he's wrecked his health over this and taken on a godawful amount of stress, I'm glad that if we had to hear this from someone, it came from a true leader with character.

"I'm not going to defend the past," he said. "I can only hope and pray that the future's better. You all are great and I'm sorry."

And then, as the stunned silence faded away, we all went back to work and put out the paper.

Thank you for everything,
Brent


PS- If any of you need anything, never hesitate to call me or Kerry. We're all going to have to help each other as much as possible, whether we stay or go, in the next few months.