“The Publishers keeps hiring the Editors to fire people, the Editors agree, then won’t do it. They should make me Editor, I’d have no problems firing their entire staff.”
The problem is that it is a death spiral. When you cut unique content, then you cut the reasons to buy the paper. Therefore, circulation declines, revenue declines accordingly, and yet another rounds of cuts is then needed.
There are some alternatives. First, you can fire veteran expensive staff (like any are making great money?) and hire a bunch of promising noobs straight out of college. Some are bound to be good.
Second, the tact that CNN seems to have taken, is to conclude that your traditional base isn’t meeting your needs, and you diversify the content. CNN seemingly has dropped much of its biased coverage lately, even putting Glenn Beck it is prime spot. Accordingly, their ratings have started to rise.
Well the CNN approach, if true, would be fine. The J-school staff might help them, but they are more slanted than the veterans.
Do you watch HBO's "The Wire?" It's primarily a show about police and criminals, but this season is also focusing on the media, particularly the Baltimore Sun newspaper (owned, like the LA Times, by the Tribune company). The newspaper plotline is demonstrating the trend you describe.