Posted on 02/11/2008 10:55:10 AM PST by abb
The Star Tribune this morning announced the layoff of 58 employees, about 3 percent of the newspaper’s workforce, and an indefinite wage freeze for all its nonunion employees, about 600 in total.
Publisher Chris Harte cited continuing revenue declines, the efficiencies of new technology and outsourcing in a morning memo to employees.
Three-fourths of the eliminated jobs are in the circulation department, which got the news at 9 a.m. meetings. The exiting employees will receive the same severance given to about 140 employees who took voluntary buyouts last May, which is two weeks’ pay for every year’s employment and six months of health coverage.
At that time, the company hoped those cuts would be enough to stabilize finances, Harte wrote in the memo. “Since then, the national and state economies have further weakened, and our key classified markets — real estate, automotive and employment — have fared even worse than the overall economy,” he wrote.
In a previous communication to employees, Harte said total revenue declined almost $75 million over the past two years. The circulation cuts come as the outsourcing of home delivery to independent agents was completed, newspaper spokesman Ben Taylor said in an interview.
There are also reductions in single-copy delivery, as truck drivers assume duties previously performed by other staff, Taylor said.
snip
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
ping
Ya think that maybe they’ll start to figure out that people are sick and tired of their huge left bias?
Nah.
“Revenue Declines” is a fancy way of saying that their newspaper sales are down, and that they aren’t selling as much advertising as the past.
Like any business, the newspapers will have to adapt to survive the changes in communications and the news business. A similar story was out here recently, but in that case, the paper was raising the price on the news stand, to try to offset their revenue declines. Newspapers are in a downward spiral.
not to worry, they all get jobs in political blogs for democrats in MN.
Not all of them. Suburban papers are doing fine, some even growing.
Bush Recession hits hard.
Illegal aliens and MSM Mediots are hit the hardest.
Every time a traitor loses it’s job...... another angel get’s it’s wings.
New Tribune owner Zell said what every journalist needs to hear, f-bomb and all 2/7/08
Posted by Steve Boriss in Zell.
trackbackReaders of my blog know I believe that the Old Media culture is a toxin that is likely to prevent many news outlets from surviving. Overhyped and false claims of objectivity, truth-delivery, and verification have created a rift with the public. This prevents them from forming trusted personal bonds with their audiences, key to success in New Media.
While earlier this week I saluted new Tribune owner Sam Zell for reminding his papers that they are businesses that must please their customers, the transcript and video below reveal that he, in fact, stared Old Media culture in the face and courageously (and vulgarly) confronted it.
Old Media Journalist (OMJ): I hear you guys talking a lot about revenue and the bottom line and all that, but I’m a journalist. I kind of want to know what your viewpoints are on journalism and the role it plays in the community, because we’re not the Pennysaver, we’re a newspaper.
Zell: My attitude on journalism is very simple. I want to make enough money so I can afford you. It’s really that simple, OK? You need to, in effect, help me by being a journalist that focuses on what our readers want, and therefore generates more revenue. We understand unequivocally that the heart and soul of this business is the editorial side of the business. That’s our content. But if we don’t have the revenue, it doesn’t really matter.
OMJ: But what readers want are puppy dogs, and, I mean, we also need to inform the community, not just —
Zell: I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I can’t, you know, you’re giving me the classic, what I would call, journalistic arrogance — deciding that puppies don’t count. I don’t know anything about puppies. What I’m interested in is, how can we generate additional interest in our product and additional revenue, so we can make our product better and better. And hopefully we get to the point where our revenue is so significant that we can do puppies and Iraq. OK? [OMJ turns her back, shakes her head] F*** you.
Never have more important, succinct, and eloquent words been spoken to Old Media journalists. Hopefully, for their own good, he now has their attention.
RedStar Tribune death watch Minnesota ping.
Check out what the newsies had to say about the guy who signs their paychecks. How stupid is this crap?
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-pubcol02100808feb10,0,674909.column
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-arellano10feb10,0,5181104.story
Wow. Nearly 200 in less than a year.
No wonder those working within media circles feel a recession.
I wonder why he finished with the "F___ you" though. He presented a very reasoned argument that just put that arrogant journalist in her place. I wonder if she gave him the finger or something (the camera was only on him).
Where I come from, that is translated as:
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