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SEARCH RESULTS FOR "LAYOFFS" Next big thing? TV-newspaper staff mergers Newspaper and TV newsroom mergers could become the next big thing as profit-pressed publishers and broadcasters seek to cut costs and strengthen their digital presence. Albany Times Union ordered to reinstate 11 axed employees The Times Union in Albany, N.Y., violated federal labor law in 2009 when it laid off 11 employees without negotiating criteria with their union, an administrative law judge has ruled -- and the newspaper has been ordered to reinstate the workers with benefits as well as back pay. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newsroom staffers stage symbolic walkout In what was described as a symbolic action on Aug. 9, 38 editors and reporters walked out of the downtown Pittsburgh Post-Gazette building, ABC television station WTAE. Home delivery cuts working for Detroit newspapers Detroit's two daily newspapers knew they were shoving some readers overboard in an effort to stay afloat when they decided to limit home delivery to just three days a week. Newspaper Guild cuts budget, payments by locals The Newspaper Guild is cutting next year's budget by $415,000, or 13.9%, and for the first time in its history reducing the dues payments union locals make to the national organization -- moves reflecting the layoffs and wage reductions suffered by members. San Diego Union-Tribune newsroom seeks reinvention The San Diego Union-Tribune laid off more than 30 staffers on Thursday in what Editor Jeff Light called in an editor's note an effort to build "a lean, creative, multi-platform team that can lead the industry." Honolulu Advertiser reports it sold for $125 million The Honolulu Advertiser will cost David Black half of what seller Gannett Co. paid for the newspaper in 1992, according to a report on the paper's website on June 6, the same day it published its last edition. The deal also includes that Website, as well as the Advertiser's nondailies and its $82 million production plant, completed a few years ago in Kapolei. Star-Advertiser to have 450 workers Loss of 430 jobs from newspaper merger among largest mass layoffs in Isles Nearly half the daily newspaper jobs on O'ahu will disappear Sunday with the closure of The Honolulu Advertiser and launch of the new Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Guild files grievance over severance in Honolulu The half-dozen unions that represent The Honolulu Advertiser and The Honolulu Star-Bulletin employees have filed a grievance in response to the possibility of having to wait months to receive severance pay after almost 400 lose their jobs as a result of the dailies' upcoming merger. Combined Hawaiian newspaper to employ up to 500 workers Oahu Publications Inc., which is consolidating the state's two largest daily newspapers into the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, expects to employ between 450 and 500 workers once the papers are combined next month. JPMorgan now top Gannett owner with 10.2 pct stake JPMorgan Chase & Co. is boosting its bet that better days are ahead for the slumping newspaper industry. It reported Tuesday that it now owns a 10.2 percent stake in USA Today publisher Gannett Co., making it the company's largest shareholder. Dear Employee: You're fired. Now please ignore this letter The new owners of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News have sent employees a letter warning of possible layoffs, but also saying they "will continue as the employer of all employees." Oklahoman lays off 57 as advertising 'struggles' Citing a "struggling advertising environment," The Oklahoman eliminated the jobs of 57 employees Wednesday. Ruling paves way for consolidation of Honolulu's 2 daily newspapers Honolulu's two daily newspapers, which have competed for more than a century, will soon begin consolidating into the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Reversal of fortune? Star Tribune boosts employee comp For the past couple of years, I've chronicled a barrage of Star Tribune cuts -- jobs obliterated, wages cut, pensions frozen. So when management unilaterally decides to increase compensation, it's news. Guild ratifies 5-year-plus contract with St. Louis Post-Dispatch St. Louis Newspaper Guild members voted by a better than two-to-one margin this weekend to approve a new contract with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that cuts pay by 6% in the first two and a half years of the five and a half-year agreement. 3 show interest in Star-Bulletin, so far The owner of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin has received inquiries from three potential suitors for the state's No. 2 newspaper. Owner David Black officially put the 117-year-old Star-Bulletin, its Web site and its Kane'ohe printing facility up for sale on Monday to make way for his purchase of The Honolulu Advertiser. Gannett CEO gets big raise after engineering mass layoffs Gannett paid Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow $4.7 million last year, a sharp increase over the $3.1 million he took home in 2008, the company just disclosed in a regulatory filing. Hundreds laid off at Honolulu Advertiser Layoff notices have gone out to 600 employees of The Honolulu Advertiser. The notices say the workers will lose their jobs when owner Gannett Co. sells the newspaper and related assets to Oahu Publications Inc., owner of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Hawaii car dealer interested in buying Star-Bulletin Local car dealer Mike McKenna said he's interested in buying the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Honolulu Unions rally employees Workers from six unions at the two-hour meeting heard their leaders exhort them to press hard for a contract by the time the deal is consummated, and to take a strong stand to preserve their jobs. It's not first time Gannett gave up fight For some, the impending sale of The Honolulu Advertiser to the owner of its smaller, money-losing rival, The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, has striking similarities to a deal that involved The Advertiser's owner nearly 20 years ago in Little Rock, Ark. Gannett selling Honolulu Advertiser to rival Star-Bulletin The parent company of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on Thursday announced it was purchasing longtime rival The Honolulu Advertiser, the largest newspaper in Hawaii. Oahu Publications Inc. said it will acquire the Advertiser, its Web site, non-daily publications and an interest in Hawaii.com from Gannett Co. The Advertiser, one of Gannett's larger newspapers with a daily circulation of 130,000, was founded in 1856 and purchased by Gannett in 1993. NYT Co. employment plunged 18% in 2009 On a wave of layoffs and other job cuts, employment across the New York Times Co. fell 18% last year from the year before, to 7,665 workers, the company just disclosed in its annual 10-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Pioneer Press union makes concessions; no layoffs Members of the Newspaper Guild at the St. Paul Pioneer Press voted Friday to go down to a 37.5-hour work week and take an unpaid week of furlough in exchange for a no-layoff agreement. Pioneer Press the only MediaNews paper losing money When Pioneer Press holding company Affiliated Media announced a pre-packaged bankruptcy Friday, the press release noted that of its 54 dailies and more than 100 non-dailies, "all but one of our newspapers is profitable." Turns out the unprofitable one is the Pioneer Press. Innovation is required if newspapers are going to revamp copy editing I think Craig Silverman of Regret the Error fame had it right when he called for significant innovation to address quality control. Silverman has developed a franchise around amusing us with corrections, but his weekly column forces anyone who cares about factual accuracy to pay close attention. Memphis Commercial Appeal to lay off nine At a meeting Tuesday afternoon, The Commercial Appeal informed representatives of the Memphis Newspaper Guild that job cuts announced last week would affect nine specific employees in four departments: one in accounting, one in information technology, one in advertising, two in customer service and four in editorial. McClatchy's Charlotte Observer is cutting 25 additional jobs Faced with shaky advertising revenues and lingering economic uncertainty, the Charlotte Observer will eliminate 25 full-time jobs, the latest in a string of cuts, the company announced this morning. Chapter 11 bankruptcy pact lets Singleton cut debt Affiliated Media Inc., the holding company for MediaNews Group, and its lenders have agreed on a plan to restructure $930 million in debt, the Denver-based company announced Friday. The agreement swaps debt for equity, retains the current management team and excludes all of the company's media properties. Guild to seek voice in MediaNews debt plan National coalition retains legal counsel A national coalition of Guild units representing MediaNews workers in California, Minnesota, Colorado and Michigan gathered Saturday in San Francisco issued a statement about the MediaNews Group's announced debt reorganization and planned bankruptcy filing. The Guild said legal counsel is working to ensure employees are represented in the process, adding that the union intends a constructive approach. Tentative deal: Pioneer Press workers trade pay cuts for layoff ban With the major proviso that workers have not approved anything yet, the Pioneer Press Newspaper Guild announced a tentative agreement trading pay and hours cuts for a no-layoff pledge through January 2011. McClatchy papers announce more job reductions We continue to operate in a time of great challenge at The News & Observer, at The McClatchy Company and within the newspaper industry. While we have already implemented a number of cost-control and reorganization measures, revenues continue to show losses, and we must reduce our expenses until we are again showing growth. At this time last year, I made a few wishes for corrections and accuracy-related developments in 2009. For the most part, I'd say my wishes went unfulfilled, and one of them is more pressing than ever. L.A. Times to close Orange County printing operations The Los Angeles Times is closing its printing operations in Orange County to cut costs and will begin publishing a new section devoted to late-breaking news, the paper announced Thursday. New York Times begins round of newsroom layoffs The New York Times has laid off at least 18 newsroom employees in the latest round of cutbacks driven by the newspaper's financial woes. Sacramento’s last daily newspaper seeks more concessions from union The McClatchy Co. is making money, thanks to deep cutbacks and layoffs and a marginally improved economy. NY Times prepares to cut two dozen positions New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller and Chairman/Publisher Arthur "Pinch" Sulzberger are both gearing up to play the Grinch who stole Christmas and lay off a couple dozen staffers. That didn't keep them from stopping by the paper's front-page conference room Tuesday night, where the latest round of downsized journalists had gathered for a final goodbye. Detroit News and Detroit Free Press plan furlough week to avoid layoffs The newsrooms at The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press have agreed to one-week unpaid furloughs in exchange for no-layoff guarantees through the spring. New York Times still undecided on pay wall model For those who wonder why The New York Times Co. has not yet made a decision on paid online content, Martin Nisenholtz had an answer Tuesday. The company's senior vice president for digital operations responded that the stakes are extremely high for NYT.com, and that "we need to be very certain when we pull the trigger." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel lays off dozens, spares newsroom The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel laid off 39 employees Monday, most in circulation, advertising and other business departments, according to a memo to staffers by Publisher Betsy Brenner. More layoffs, restructuring at Westchester The Journal News in Westchester, N.Y., revealed the paper will close its printing plant, leading to the elimination of 166 full- and part-time employees in production and packaging. Gannett lays off staffers at USA Today, USA Weekend Gannett Co. is cutting 26 newsroom jobs at its flagship USA Today newspaper and 11 positions at USA Weekend magazine. Furloughs go ahead for Detroit Free Press newsroom Detroit Free Press newsroom employees will take a five-day furlough in exchange for no job cuts through March. Detroit Newspaper Guild members voted in favor of the plan Sunday. Hearst plans to use $1 billion war chest for acquisitions Hearst Corp., which has been fairly quiet on the M&A front recently, may have decided that now is the time to dive in. Seven months later: What's happened to Seattle P-I Journalists In March, Hearst closed the 146-year-old Post-Intelligencer newspaper and dumped 140 of us onto the street in the depths of the recession. Times' executive editor Bill Keller critiques his paper "The idea that you can do 'more with less' is, in my view, one of the four great lies," Despite efforts thus far, the largest newspaper in northern California still has experienced a nearly 26 percent weekday circulation decline between April and September from the same period one year ago -- the largest downward spiral in the nation. DAILY INTEL Times publisher compares print media to the Titanic So, we asked New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. at last night's benefit for The News Literacy Project, what advice did he have for young people who want to go into journalism these days, you know, given the job market? A.H. Belo's Press-Enterprise lays off more than 40 The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif., has laid off "between 40 and 45 employees," including 16 in the newsroom, the newspaper reported Monday night on its Web site.
Times says it will cut 100 newsroom jobs The New York Times plans to eliminate 100 newsroom jobs -- about 8 percent of the total -- by year's end, offering buyouts to union and non-union employees, and resorting to layoffs if it cannot get enough people to leave voluntarily, the paper announced on Monday. Star-Ledger Is back for more buyouts The Star-Ledger, the Newhouse-owned newspaper where 150 newsroom staffers took buyouts last year, is about to sustain even deeper cuts. Platinum CEO believes newspapers can be rebuilt Mike Donnelly remembers the man only by his moniker: The Godfather. That was how Platinum Equity referred to the executive it put in charge of Donnelly's upstate New York software firm, Aptis Inc., in the fall of 2000. Within days of his arrival, 45 people were laid off, nearly half the company's workforce. Of layoffs, bankruptcy and bonuses Let's say that a group of corporate executives uses scads of debt to take over a struggling company, sells off some profitable assets, lays off thousands of employees while achieving miserable results. And then, less than a year after saddling the company with $8 billion in debt, they opt for bankruptcy. Chronicle vows to 'smash' 'naive' new media organizations We will 'smash whomever is naive enough to poke their noses in our market' In a memo sent to the SF Chronicle's Metro staff on Friday, Metro Section Editor Audrey Cooper took a sharply defensive stance against what she, perhaps, views as the threat of local financier Warren Hellman's much ballyhooed plans to launch a locally focused, online news organization. Gannett Co. Q3 earnings to exceed expectations due to layoffs, falling newsprint prices Gannett Co., the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., said Tuesday it expects third-quarter earnings to far outpace expectations, as layoffs and falling newsprint costs help offset weak advertising sales. Philly Guild: Management's proposals would gut our contract "Philadelphia Newspapers' very first proposal was that the Guild give the company the right to outsource every bargaining unit job," says a memo to union members. "So much for Keeping it Local." Tribune Co. CFO defends millions in bonuses for top managers Still mired in Chapter 11 protection, the Tribune Co. said Friday it needs authority to dole out up to $70 million in bonuses as motivation for top managers working in a difficult environment for the media industry. In San Francisco, plans to start news Web site Like their counterparts in markets like Chicago, San Diego, Seattle and the Twin Cities, the founders of the Bay Area news project say they want to fill some of the vacuum left by the drastic downsizing of the region's newspapers. What sets their venture apart is a $5 million initial grant from F. Warren Hellman, and the expertise and labor to be supplied by KQED-FM, which has a 28-person news staff, and the 120 students of the University of California, Berkeley's graduate school of journalism. The predictable onslaught of anti-union articles about the crisis at the Chicago Sun-Times has already started. My favorite is the one that contends the paper deserves to die because ungrateful Guild members rejected sweeping concessions demanded by a potential buyer. Why aren't they happy just to have a job? Journos losing jobs at three times rate of average workers Since the financial meltdown began a year ago, journalism jobs have gone away at almost three times the rate jobs have disappeared in the general economy, according to a report by Unity: Journalists of Color. VELVET COFFIN NEWS Santa Rosa Guild soundly rejects 3% pay cut Militant North Bay members nix concessions By a margin of 81 percent to 19 percent, the Guild membership at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat overwhelmingly rejected a proposed 3 percent pay cut Friday. Members said they were willing to sacrifice for the sake of the New York Times-owned newspaper, but were "skeptical, confused or angered by the company's current demands." Sun-Times bidder: Guild vote imperils sales deal In its first formal reaction Wednesday to the overwhelming rejection of its contract concession demands by unionized newsroom employees at the Chicago Sun-Times, the investor group offering $25 million for its parent chain said it would not be able to go through with the deal without "drastic changes," including elimination of seniority and work rules. Bakersfield paper may shutter community sites The Bakersfield Californian has been something of a pioneer in spinning out community web sites from its main newspaper site. But now, as practically every newspaper is rushing to build up their social-media offerings, The Californian is thinking of shuttering local community events and classifieds sites. More Chronicle layoffs coming through Carl T. Hall, the local representative for the Media Workers Guild, told SF Weekly this morning that he has been informed by San Francisco Chronicle management that another round of layoffs is in the works. St. Louis Post-Dispatch trims advertising, newsroom staffs The newspaper, the largest of the 50 dailies owned by Davenport, Iowa-based Lee Enterprises, announced the cuts on Friday. Why newsroom layoffs continue despite business improvements You have probably read that a number of newspaper companies returned to profitability in the second quarter of this year, and the economy at large may have hit bottom and started back up. Since July 1, newspaper shares have more than doubled from lows on Wall Street. So why does the pace of layoffs and buyouts continue unabated? Eugene Register-Guard cuts staff by nearly 6% Two months after eliminating 35 full-time equivalent positions, The Register-Guard in Eugene, Ore., swung the axe again Monday, cutting the equivalent of 16 full-time positions, or 5.9% of the staff. Behind a billionaire's interest in the Globe Tom Gores is a Beverly Hills billionaire. At age 45, he is one of the world's richest men, a buyout artist who has produced a Lindsay Lohan slasher film and bought and sold dozens of distressed companies. Now, The Boston Globe is on his wish list.
What's a big city without a newspaper? Philadelphia is the city of Ben Franklin, a printer by trade who published The Pennsylvania Gazette as well as Poor Richard's Almanac. It is where the Founding Fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Word of the Declaration went out to the people on July 6, 1776, when it was published in the pages of The Pennsylvania Evening Post. Two NYT Co. papers in California to reduce pay by 10% Two California newspapers owned by The New York Times Co. are cutting salaries. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat and the Petaluma Argus Courier are looking to reduce payroll by 10%. Thirty-four staffers, including longtime vets, take Journal Sentinel buyout The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel confirmed Thursday that 29 full-time and 5 part-time employees have accepted buyouts earlier this week as part of the paper's ongoing effort to cut costs. SURVIVAL OF THE RICHEST Even as the ship sinks, newspaper execs pocket the silver While Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase have become poster children for management greed run wild, their executive compensation practices are only the most extreme examples of a widening class divide. What's endemic to the financial industry is nearly as ubiquitous to the newspaper publishing business, in kind if not in scale. And that avarice is nowhere more evident than in bankruptcy court. McClatchy's N&O Publishing Co. to cut 10 jobs The News & Observer Publishing Co. will eliminate another 10 positions as the media company continues to struggle with slumping ad sales. As it cuts jobs, Gannett also cuts severance pay Last December, when the Gannett newspaper chain laid off thousands of workers, Jenny Poon was not one of them. Now she wishes she had been. Ms. Poon, an art director at The Arizona Republic, lost her job this month in the latest wave of layoffs, as the Gannett Company, like other corporations, shed jobs to keep up with falling revenue. But rather than pay severance, as it did in previous rounds, Gannett is paying what is called supplemental unemployment benefits, which allows the company to shift part of the cost onto the states. Media General reports 2Q profit Newspaper publisher and TV station owner Media General Inc. said Wednesday that cost cutting helped deliver a profitable second quarter despite tumbling ad revenue. Boston Globe workers agree to cuts Employees at The Boston Globe voted Monday to accept a package of deep concessions on wages, benefits and job security six weeks after they rejected a similar package, capping a period of labor strife that included a threat by The New York Times Company to close the venerable newspaper. McClatchy earnings preview: Could bankruptcy be next? Newspaper publisher McClatchy Co. is scheduled to report its second-quarter results before the stock market opens Tuesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period. Byline strike at Pioneer Press Writers and photographers for the St. Paul Pioneer Press will withhold their bylines from today's paper, as part of an ongoing dispute regarding recent layoffs. Surprise: Gannett swings to second-quarter profit -- but newspaper ad revenue falls 27% Gannett Co. beat expectations by reporting a second-quarter profit Wednesday of $70.5 million, or 30 cents a share, from a second-quarter 2008 loss of $2.29 billion, or $10.03 a share, that included a huge impairment charge. Freep exempt from latest round of Gannett layoffs The Detroit Free Press is exempt from the mass layoffs taking place today at McLean, Va.-based corporate parent Gannett Co. Inc. Des Moines Register lays off 36, 6% of staff The Des Moines Register confirmed late Thursday that it had laid off 36 employees, or 6% of its total workforce. Adios, Gannett Blog; where are the rest of the watchblogs? You have to admit, Gannett Blog kind of jumped the shark. When Jim Hopkins got started with it, Gannett Blog was a useful compendium of news, gossip, tips and analysis about the country's largest newspaper publishing company, and occasionally he would uncover something nobody else had noticed. Albany Times Union lays off 15, including some editors The Times Union of Albany, N.Y., will layoff 15 full-time and three part-time employees, including its business editor, sports editor and reader representative, the paper announced Wednesday. When the Boston Newspaper Guild reached a tentative agreement with management late last month, reporter Brian Mooney--a very vocal critic of the New York Times Co.--said he planned to vote "No," but that he "might stop screaming about it." Cincinnati Enquirer share of Gannett layoffs: 100 Of the 1,400 layoffs Gannett Co. is ordering at its U.S. Community Publishing Division, the Cincinnati Enquirer and its related digital and print products will absorb about 100, Publisher Margaret Buchanan said in a memo Thursday. Indy Star Guild overwhelmingly rejects contract offer The Indianapolis News Guild overwhelmingly rejected a two-year contract offer from The Indianapolis Star that would have included a 12% pay cut, no pay increases for at least two years, and the elimination of arbitration on individual layoffs. Another big round of layoffs is imminent at Gannett The Gannett Company, owner of the nation's largest newspaper chain, will go through another round of layoffs soon, with an announcement possible in the next few days, executives said Tuesday. St. Paul Pioneer Press lays off in newsroom, ad sales The St. Paul Pioneer Press laid off nine newsroom employees and two more in advertising sales and production today, according to a report by the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. Gannett Co. to execute another round of layoffs Gannett executives told told The New York Times' Richard Perez-Pena that the McLean, Va.-based company is getting ready to issue another round of layoffs. Indianapolis Guild votes on contract with 12% pay cut The Indianapolis News Guild is voting today on a two-year contract offer from The Indianapolis Star that includes a 12% pay cut, no pay increases for at least two years, and the elimination of arbitration on individual layoffs. Freedom Communications, under new CEO, cuts pay 5% for all staffers Barely two weeks after being named interim CEO of Freedom Communications, Burl Osborne announced that company-wide salaries will be cut by 5%. More than 250 business journalism jobs lost More than 250 business journalists lost their jobs due to media closings, layoffs or newsroom buyouts in the first six months of 2009, according to an analysis of the industry. Economic turmoil and the Globe's future The tentative deal between the New York Times Co. and the Boston Newspaper Guild over wage and benefit cuts at the Boston Globe (here, here and here) comes in the midst of unprecedented economic turmoil. Tentative deal at Boston Globe Guild members to vote July 20 The Boston Globe's largest union reached a tentative deal with the New York Times Co. shortly after 3 a.m. this morning, agreeing to a substantial pay cut, unpaid furloughs, and modifications to the lifetime job guarantee provisions that protect almost 200 employees in the Boston Newspaper Guild, according to sources familiar with the deal. Can grassroots journalism do the job? My doubts are growing about whether we can rely on volunteers to produce credible journalism for a sustainable period of time. Star Tribune files plan to exit bankruptcy in fall The Star Tribune plans to exit bankruptcy in the fall, about 10 months after a sharp decline in advertising and circulation revenue forced it to default on heavy debt payments. PD unions take furloughs, pay cuts to keep 7-day newspaper delivery About 500 union employees of The Plain Dealer have agreed to take pay cuts and furloughs as the paper strives to keep the business viable while advertising revenue sags. Gannett CEO's medical leave raises concerns about company Concerns about the future of the nation's largest newspaper publisher, Gannett Inc. have intensified this week after the company said Chief Executive Craig Dubow will go on extended medical. Albany Times Union Guild rejects new contract A week after Newspaper Guild members at The Boston Globe rejected a new cost-cutting agreement, newsroom workers at The Times Union in Albany, N.Y. have voted down a proposal that would have allowed more outsourcing and diminished seniority for layoffs. |
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