Projects by The Poynter Institute, a school for journalism and democracy.
Created by poynter on Mar 16, 2010
Last updated: 03/18/10 at 12:46 PM
The Daily Press will pink-slip most of its copy editors and designers as their functions move to the Chicago Tribune. "I think this eventually could add $1 million to the bottom line," says publisher Digby Solomon.
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Film reviewer Todd McCarthy and theater critic David Rooney were cut as a cost-saving measure, says Variety president Neil Stiles. || "On the Media": Variety pulls a negative review after an advertiser complains.
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As many as 400 jobs could be cut. "Many of those remaining in the pared-down news division will be expected to both produce and shoot their own stories, acting as 'one-man bands,' a model increasingly being adopted in television news," writes Matea Gold. || Memo to ABC News staff. || More from Brian Stelter.
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The most disturbing news for many, reports Felix Gillette, was that Larry Doyle would no longer be working for CBS News. He joined the network some 40 years ago, and eventually became CBS's top war producer. "This is a guy whom Ed Murrow would have been glad to have as his producer," says Dan Rather.
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Sources tell Matea Gold that about a dozen of the approximately 150 staffers could lose their jobs. CBS budget tightening is expected to affect every news program, including "60 Minutes."
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"We must reduce expenses," says publisher.
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Chris Rovzar reports those getting pink slips include Eric Konigsberg, Culture; Sara Rimer, National; Christine Hauser, Metro; Josh Barbanel, Real Estate; Mitch Blumenthal, Continuous News; Kate Galbraith, Business; Allen Salkin, Styles; and Monica Evanchik, Web.
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Staffers are saying goodbye to Ralph Blumenthal, Nicole Collins, Paul Nielsen, Tina Kelley and Jenny 8. Lee. "In some ways, of course, it breaks your heart," writes Metro editor Joe Sexton. "But I also believe, for all of them, the decision in many ways must make real sense."
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Michael Calderone hears it's about 40%. A release says:
* "The company is aggressively working to achieve efficiencies of scale that must include significant staff reduction of its 370 personnel."
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The McClatchy-owned paper also announced the shortening of the full-time workweek for departments directly involved in newspaper production operations. The Herald cut 19% of its staff in March.
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In the latest round of dismissals, the Newseum eliminated 29 full-time positions, or 13% of the workforce. It's now reduced its staff by 23% overall.
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Erik Wemple reports several WashingtonPost.com editorial staffers as well as some non-editorial workers are among those who've gotten the ax as the website merges with the main Post newsroom.
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It does that by laying off 90 newsroom employees -- about 2% of the workforce. || Gawker's been getting information from AP tipsters.
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businessweek
Chris Roush reports BusinessWeek senior writer Stephen Baker, Technology & You columnist Steve Wildstrom, personal finance editor Lauren Young and engagement editor Shirley Brady are among those leaving. (Stephanie Clifford: About 100 of BW's 400 employees cut.) Media columnist Jon Fine tweets: "I will not be returning to BusinessWeek and my column once Bloomberg owns the mag." || Live-blogging the BW layoffs.
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AP spokesman Paul Colford wouldn't give numbers to an AP reporter, but the union representing AP employees said 38 Guild-covered journalists had been fired as of Tuesday night. The Guild didn't have a count for how many managers and workers outside the U.S. lost their jobs. || UPDATE: The union now says 57 of its members were fired.
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"Market conditions mean that we are going to have to do our work with fewer people," Newsweek editor Jon Meacham tells his staff. "I have no spin to offer. I will say this, though: our new magazine and website have been well received by readers." || LAObserved.com: LAT entertainment section is hiring -- right after letting staff go.
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About 40 people will be laid off from Fortune, reports Keith J. Kelly. Sports Illustrated axed about 20 people this week.
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The magazine publisher has told the New York State Department of Labor that it's planned 280 layoffs in the state between Nov. 2 and Jan. 31.
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That's 6% of its workforce. Keith J. Kelly reports the cuts will be staggered over two weeks and wrap up right before Thanksgiving so the publisher can take a charge against earnings in the fourth quarter.
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Publisher George Arwady tells staffers: "We sincerely hope that we meet our staffing goals through this voluntary buyout offer. If we do not, we will need to resort to other ways of reducing our employee costs, which could include involuntary layoffs." The paper cut its newsroom staff by about 40% last year.
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John Koblin hears that staffers received only two weeks severance for every year worked. Conde Nast employees who were laid off on Monday received three months severance.
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The numbers will only increase in the weeks to come, reports John Koblin. Most Conde Nast magazines are shedding their budgets by about a quarter for 2010, and more people will lose jobs. || Conde Nast CEO says: Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride "are all of the businesses we will close."
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It's also cutting retirees' health care coverage.
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Execs at some Conde Nast titles have been told to cut their budgets next year by about 25%, but The New Yorker has long been Si Newhouse's pet favorite, reports John Koblin. "The magazine has been meticulously cutting from its budget throughout the past year, and its belt-tightening has been met with approval from [the] Conde Nast chairman," he writes.
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Some employees at Gannett's Westchester County paper got a thin white envelope telling them they still had a job and others received a much thicker manila envelope explaining their departure and severance. A staffer tells David Carr: "We'd clap when someone came down [from the third floor] and gave a thumbs up, but it became obvious that many of the people being called up later would not be sticking around."
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"The move calls into question whether eliminating coverage of business news in the worst recession in two decades is a good idea," writes Chris Roush. The Westchester County, NY paper once had 14 people in its business news department. || Daily Cartoonist: Journal News decides to keep editorial cartoonist Matt Davies. || More from Gannettoid.com.
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The Post-Dispatch says it's cutting 14 full-time and four part-time jobs, while the Coloradoan laid off nine employees on Thursday. The Gannett paper reports it now has about half the work force it had at the beginning of 2007.
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Editorial page editor was laid off on Wednesday.
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"As of August 28th, the position of editorial cartoonist at The Journal News is defunct," Matt Davies tells his Facebook friends. "Tonight, I cry into my beer. It's been an amazing 17 years, but tomorrow - onto much bigger, and far better things." || Related memo: "You will need to reapply for one of the newly defined jobs."
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The Journal News is restructuring its news and advertising departments, says publisher Michael Fisch, and employees have to apply for a new position. A staffer tells Romenesko: "Our old job titles are history. We have until Friday to apply online for new jobs. Then next week, recruiters from Gannett will interview candidates. The final decision will be with local managers. Those people who are not picked for a new job will be out the door by Aug. 28." || Read the memo.
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Union-Tribune editorial page editor Bob Kittle and opinion page editor Bernie Jones have been laid off, reports Rob Davis. He writes: "Kittle has been one of the newspaper's most prominent voices and its public face: A conservative and staunch supporter of San Diego business community." || Twitter post: "Kittle is an icon. Thought for sure he'd be the last to go."
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The Times Union has laid off 18 employees, including 11 from the newsroom. Among those let go are reader representative Monica Bartoszek, business editor Marlene Kennedy, sports editor Bill Callen, and outdoors columnist Alan Wechsler. || Albany Newspaper Guild protests the layoffs.
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Gannett will go through another round of layoffs soon, with an announcement possible in the next few days, reports Richard Perez-Pena. Gannett Blog hears that 4,500 jobs will be eliminated, but a company source says the number will be much smaller.
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The biggest cuts in the past six months occurred at Bloomberg, where 100 reporters and editors in the company's TV and radio operations lost their jobs in February, reports Chris Roush.
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Minnesota Monthly editor Andrew Putz, 35, replaces James Burnett as editor. "Andy Putz is one of the best young editors in America and he can make Boston magazine a must-read that gets the town talking and gets certain movers and shakers shaking," says Larry Platt, editorial director of Boston mag's parent company.
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Twenty two non-union employees of Blethen Maine Newspapers were told Monday that they'll lose their jobs when sale of the company is completed. Among those departing are Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram publisher Robert Bickler; Press Herald-Sunday Telegram editor Jeannine Guttman; Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel publisher John Christie; and Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel executive editor Eric Conrad.
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One staffer at The Hollywood Reporter says that owner Nielsen "is looking extremely hard at all of their publications, and they are determining that digital is the way to go. They are re-evaluating what staff is really needed to do what's done on a daily basis."
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About 50 people will be affected as a result of the cost-cutting, while other positions were already vacant, says publisher Tim Kennedy. (Read his memo.) A newsroom reorganization memo sent out earlier in the week warned of the layoffs.
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"This is one of several efforts to minimize the need for layoffs," says Poynter president Karen Dunlap. Employees who retire early will receive a severance payment based on their current salary and years of service. Also, Poynter will continue their health benefits at a shared cost until the employee becomes Medicare eligible or is covered by another employer's insurance.
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A Baltimore media blog reports those laid off include deputy managing editor Paul Moore, editorial page editor Ann LoLordo, op-ed editor Larry Williams, medical/science editor Patricia Fanning, copy desk chief John McIntyre, and several others. (McIntyre has a farewell on his blog.) A source tells DCRTV.com: "Rumor has it the Guild employees will get layoff notices this week."
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The Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild says 40 newsroom employees, or 20% of the staff, received layoff notices this week. The move comes just after Tribune fired 18 senior editors and newsroom managers at the Baltimore paper.
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Baltimore Sun bosses "are clearly trying to move to be an information producer, not a newspaper publisher," says Angie Kuhl, Guild unit chair at the Sun. "It is a flattening of the newsroom." Another union leader says of Tuesday's editor layoffs: "We had no idea this was going to happen yesterday, it was shocking."
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The day after the Sun-Times reported that the Tribune might lay off 90 newsroom staffers, Tribune editor Gerould Kern told his employees that there was "a lot of inaccurate information circulating now about the nature of the reorganization and its implications for staff reductions." The Sun-Times was off; pink slips were handed out today to "only" 53 journalists.
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"There wasn't enough business to justify having a full-time office in San Francisco," says a Rolling Stone spokesman. An ad sale rep and two Men's Journal employees are packing up. The last SF editorial bureau was closed in the early 1980s.
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Daily Southtown managing editor Dennis Robaugh feels relieved to lose his job. "It's been difficult working under these circumstances at a company that had all this hanging over it," he says.
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The approximately 235 Chronicle drivers are scheduled to vote Sunday on the agreement, which would clear the way for cutting 30 to 35% of the driver positions -- a loss of 70 to 83 jobs.
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The Pilot on Thursday announced the third wave of job cuts at the paper in the past six months -- even as publisher Maurice Jones noted that March was the Pilot's most robust month in at least a year, with every unit recording a profit.
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"With the job eliminations, we are making a number of alterations to the way we cover the city and produce the newspaper and Web site," editor Jeff Cohen tells his staff. "We'll combine many beats, reduce our daily photos and graphics assignments and we will make adjustments to the way we produce chron.com."
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That's 78 positions. (The newsroom loses 27.) The paper will require remaining workers to take a week off without pay between May 1 and Oct. 31.
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About 175 Miami Herald employees will lose their jobs, and 30 vacant positions will be eliminated. Remaining full-time employees earning between $25,000 and $50,000 a year will have their pay reduced 5%. Those making more will see a 10% cut. || Cuts at other McClatchy papers: KC Star, Sacramento Bee, and Modesto Bee.
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