Posted on 9/16/2008, 7:40:47 PM by abb
Publisher George Arwady of The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., has told employees that the paper will close on Jan. 5, 2009, if 200 buyouts and several union concessions are not met, or if the paper cannot be sold.
The e-mail, obtained by E&P, sent to workers today is posted below. It comes about a month and a half after the paper announced it would need 200 employees to take buyouts -- and the drivers and mailers unions to renegotiate contracts -- or the newspaper could be sold. In recent weeks, Arwady has indicated to staffers in other e-mails that the number of newsroom buyout takers has fallen short.
Editor Jim Willse and Arwady have not commented on how many staffers have applied for the buyouts first offered July 31. Calls to them were not returned today. Buyout applications are due Oct. 1.
Several staffers have said the overall 200-person buyout number may have been met, but the unofficial call for about 100 newsroom staffers is not being reached.
"At this time I have no update to give you on our buyouts thus far, except to tell you that the newsroom has a long way to go to reach the goal that Jim announced," Arwady wrote to a reporter in an e-mail earlier this month. * *
To: All Star-Ledger Employees From: George Arwady Date: September 16, 2008 Re: Update
As I have previously told you, there are three conditions that must be met in order for The Star-Ledger to remain in business under its current ownership. Although we are making progress toward meeting two of our three conditions (the Mailers have a ratification vote scheduled for September 22), we still are far from an agreement with the Drivers’ union.
Accordingly, since it is doubtful that the Drivers will ratify an agreement by October 8, 2008, we will be sending formal notices to all employees this week, as required by both federal and New Jersey law, advising you that the Company will be sold, or, failing that, that it will close operations on January 5, 2009.
It is most unfortunate that we have to send out this notice, but the Drivers have left us with no choice.
George Arwady, Publisher
ping
That’s it, take charge, be a leader and show the way for so many other bad biased newspapers to go out of business.
Good-bye Star Ledger of Newark, now all you folks who’ve been spreading lies can go get real jobs.
Good. It’s worthless.
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2008/09/extimes_reporters_sue_zel.php
Ex-Times reporters sue Zell
http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2008/09/16/ma-outlook-zucker-rattner-karmazin-weigh-in
M&A Outlook: Zucker, Rattner, Karmazin Weigh In
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/finance/news/e3i6f1a24d20528a5477a10be8adb2aaf96
Conferences are casualties of bank woes
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ib70723e1fa99329830341dee0b0fb342
Ben Silverman: I’m staying at NBC
Fixed
This is a wonderful start! I hope it can't find the “buyouts”.
By the way, why can't they just lay off people? What's with the buyouts?
“If a newspaper shuts down in the New Jersey Forest.....will anyone hear it? Or care?”
Positively Darwinian!
Well, it depends on the paper. I write for a small/medium paper, and we are doing fine.
But, many bigger ones are really struggling.
Regardless, I don’t think anybody smart would stay with the business if it starts to trickle down to smaller papers.
Many will go into public relations...the money is much better anyway.
Before closing their doors, you would think they might try just reporting the news, without the bias, to see if they might get better circulation numbers if they didn’t PO half of their readers on a daily basis.
But, no. They will take their bias to the grave with them. They would rather close up shop than just report the news.
Hammer & sickle from corporate offices will be auctioned off separately.
I guess all that’s left to write is this liberal rag’s obituary.
Businesses that go out of their way to enrage half of their potential customers just don’t stay in business, especially when these customers now have alternatives. It’s just that simple.
OHH great good news this Tuesday afternoon
Why “threaten”?
Just go ahead and turn off the presses already!!!
Unfortunately, many won’t learn that.
http://gawker.com/5050733/la-times-employees-sue-their-boss
LA Times Employees Sue Their Boss
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=31018&seenIt=1
LA Times staffers sue Zell
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117992279.html?categoryId=18&cs=1
L.A. Times staffers sue Zell, Tribune
http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2008/09/16/la-times-refugees-sue-for-control-of-paper
‘L.A. Times’ Refugees Sue for Control of Paper
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/zell.pdf
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