Times will reduce staff, freeze pay (Old media death watch - ST Pete Times - FL)

ST Pete Times ^ | 05/28/2008 | Times Staff Writer

[devane617]

ST. PETERSBURG – The St. Petersburg Times will offer an enhanced retirement option to reduce its payroll and, depending on response, could resort to layoffs later this year. The newspaper also is imposing a one-year wage freeze for remaining employees. In a letter to staff, Times editor and chairman Paul Tash said the measures were a response to a “difficult economic climate” that has been especially hard on advertising, the largest source of newspaper revenue. Over the last two years, the Times’ fulltime staff has dropped from more than 1,500 to fewer than 1,300, mostly by attrition.

“We are navigating a period of historic change and challenge,” Tash said. “Getting through this stretch will not be easy, and it will take everyone’s best efforts, but I remain fully confident about our prospects."

[devane617]

The will ride their bias into the ground and wonder why it happened.

[bill1952]

The St Pete times is to the left of Pravda.

I used to wrap my fish in it, but I never could get that smell out of the fish.

[Nonstatist]

They could save a lot of money by just closing their doors altogether.

[CRBDeuce]

No it’s to the left of Tampa ;)

[OBXWanderer]

I was thinking this was the old Florida liberal rag that gave a way the paper if the sun didn't shine, but that was the old Evening Independent

[bill1952]

LOL! Thank God, I had just put my coffee down! Thanks - bill

[Brilliant]

Yep... It’s St. Petersburg Russia.

[Disturbin]

Aren’t most of them on trust funds anyway?

[EagleandLiberty]

The St. Pete Times: “Florida’s Best(?) Newspaper!” The Times is ok, but the Tampa Trib is ok, too. Both are better then the ‘Hardly Current’ (aka Hartford Courant)

[Thombo2]

Good news-thanx for the post.I quit buying the StPeteTimes a few yrs back.Ditto for the Tampa Trib.Numbnuts from both papers still call re subscribing.Last sales call i explained to the sales person why i no longer read the Times:extreme leftwing bias,non-stop conservative bashing,relentless negative coverage of the war in Iraq,nauseating tearjerking pro-illegal alien articles....

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Ping.

[NucSubs]

Is it there bias? Aren’t all papers doing badly, even more balanced and conservative ones?