Newspaper Roundup: Gannett; WSJ; NYT; McClatchy; AH Belo; Express Newspapers
This story was written by David Kaplan.
-- Gannett: Barely a month after saying it was laying off 600 staffers and eliminating 1,000 positions, Gannett (NYSE: GCI) is not done chopping. It will cut another 100 management level jobs, as it looks to fold circulation, finance and other operations into four regional groups. As in the last round of cuts, Gannett flagship USA Today is immune to the reductions. (AP)
-- WSJ: In advance of a major overhaul of WSJ.com, the paper's Heard on The Street column will be updated up to eight times a day on Dow Jones (NYSE: NWS) Newswires and the paper's website. Staffers in the U.S., Europe and Asia will write for the column. DJ Newswires reporters who contribute to its column The Skeptic, which covers corporate strategy, trends and markets throughout the day, will also be part of the Heard team.(Marketwatch)
-- NYT: As it continues refining its coverage with new sub-sections for business and tech, NYT wants to bring more focus and collaboration to its media coverage. The NYT's newly formed media desk will comprise reporters from the business and culture desks into a "mini-department." Business editor Larry Ingrassia and culture editor Sam Sifton will oversee the unified desk's coverage. (NY Observer)
-- McClatchy: A trio of Washington State McClatchy (NYSE: MNI) pubs are being asked to accept buyouts and face additional layoffs: The Olympian is shifting to a 37.5-hour workweek for hourly staffers and is offering buyouts to 38 of the newsroom's 45 full- and part-time employees; 17 posts were cut in June. The Tacoma News Tribune is asking 189 out of its 350 full-timers to take buyouts, as more layoffson top of the 82 let go in Juneremains a possibility. And 60 of its 200 workers at the Tri-City Herald have been offered buyouts as well; it lost nine staffers in June. (Sacramento Business Journal)
-- AH Belo: Although hundreds accepted its recent buyout offer, the Dallas publisher finds it still has to lay off staffers. So far, three papers are affected by the cuts: the Dallas Morning News, where 270 accepted buyouts and is letting go of 50 additional employees; Rhode Island's Providence Journal and The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, CA. The combined company-wide reductions are expected to yield $29 million in savings on a yearly basis, the company said. (Projo.com via Romensko)
-- Express Newspapers: The Daily Express and Sunday Express are preparing to lay off more than 80 journalists by the end of the year in an effort to cut costs. Most of the reductions are coming from the sub-editor desk. (More details on our ContentNext sister site, PC:UK)
By David Kaplan