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http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/1045055,tribweb070908.article

Tribune to cut 80 newsroom jobs

July 8, 2008

Sam Zell took his first bite out of the Chicago Tribune newsroom Tuesday, disclosing plans to lay off about 15 percent of its staff.

And the bite may be followed by more. Tribune employees said they have heard the reductions in the paper’s 570-person editorial department could total from 150 to 200.
» Click to enlarge image
Sam Zell (inset) disclosed plans to lay off about 15 percent of the newsroom staff at the Chicago Tribune.
(AP)

Employees said department heads told them 80 positions will be cut by the end of August. They said the total includes 20 positions that are unfilled.

The timing of the announcement is unusual because an internal Tribune review was not expected to produce recommendations on job cuts until mid-August. Staffers speculate more cuts will come as Tribune editors complete plans for eliminating sections and reducing the space devoted to news and features.

The paper is acting on a mandate from Zell and Randy Michaels, chief operating officer of Tribune Co., to slash expenses in response to declines in advertising and circulation revenue. The industrywide recession is hitting Zell especially hard because he swallowed $13 billion in debt last December when he took control of Tribune Co., converting it from stockholder to employee ownership.

A Tribune spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Sources said the laid-off workers will receive two weeks’ severance for each year of service. They said managers did not explain whether the layoffs will be decided based on salary levels, productivity, job category or other factors.

The cuts are in line with the job losses announced for other Tribune-owned newspapers. The Los Angeles Times, for example, is losing 17 percent of its news staff, or 150 people.

Others include the Hartford Courant, which has outlined news layoffs involving 25 percent of its staff, and the Baltimore Sun, which is eliminating about 7 percent of jobs across all departments.