news-record.com

NEWS

News & Record cuts 25 jobs

Article
Comments (12)

Thursday, April 16, 2009

(Updated 5:21 pm)

Staff Reports

GREENSBORO — The News & Record is cutting 25 jobs in its latest step to reduce costs resulting from the recession and its impact on advertising revenue.

The job cuts were across departments, including six in the newsroom. Employees will receive severance packages determined by their length of service.

The effects of the recession on key advertisers — including the auto, employment, real estate and retail segments — has lowered newspaper revenues across the country. Many newspapers have shed jobs; some have closed or gone completely online.

The News & Record has had previous job reductions, an early retirement program, buyouts and unpaid furlough days to lower payroll costs. The company has also tightened its operating expenses, including using less newsprint.

"Unfortunately the effects of this economic recession are more severe than we had anticipated, and all of these efforts have not been enough to bring our operating expenses in balance with our revenues," publisher Robin Saul stated in an e-mail Thursday afternoon to employees.

Saul stated that the job cuts and other expense reductions are designed to ensure the "long-term financial stability and health of the News & Record."

Further expense reductions, including changes to the newspaper, will be implemented during the next few weeks, Saul stated. More details will be shared with employees beginning next week.

"It is our hope and intention that these unsettling employment changes will be the last necessary to regain the financial balance for 2009," Saul stated. "I would ask for your continued support and committed work efforts to allow us to maintain our strong market position as Guilford County's leading source for local news, advertising and information."

Advertisement | Advertise with Us

Comments

View Comments

This article has been closed to new comments. Comments are generally closed after 14 days. However, comments may be closed earlier at the discretion of the News & Record.

Inappropriate content? Please report abuse.

histrion

April 16, 2009 - 4:17 pm EDT

The newspaper's employees -- especially the folks that actually create original content every day -- are its only real assets besides its brand (which is losing value every day the more watered down the product becomes). Let them go and you have -no- chance of pulling this business out of its dive.

I understand the need to align expenses with revenue, but at some point you've actually got to come up with a plan to start _competing_ and _growing_ revenue rather than just "controlling the descent". It's trite but true: newspapers have too many managers and too few leaders. We need folks with the guts to say, "This is my vision, and I'm going to stick with it and make the necessary investments, no matter how painful they may be, to give it a real chance to succeed. Because I've thought about it at length -- really thought it out to the nth degree -- and truly believe it can be successful."

Most newspapers are run by packs of squirrels. Big, doe-eyed, spastic squirrels with short attention spans and little stomach for risk. They keep going after the same shrivelled, diseased acorns time and again. It's long past time to find a new oak.

histrion

April 16, 2009 - 4:45 pm EDT

And I should have said: My heart goes out to those who've lost their jobs in this latest round. May it prove to be a blessing in disguise.

MyTwoCents

April 22, 2009 - 1:03 pm EDT

The N&R is only doing what virtually every other company is being forced to do. As was stated, the advertising revenue (which I would have to guess is the LARGEST revenue producer for the paper) just isn't there - so there's no way to justify the cost of employment for the unfortunate workers let go.

rooster8786

April 16, 2009 - 5:21 pm EDT

At the beginning of the 20th century there was a whole industry of carriage and buggy whip makers. Then came cars and they were gone. In the 21st century there is this thing called the internet and for ALL printed material companies, you HAVE to change your business model to compete or follow in the footsteps of the carriage and buggy whip makers. Start printing/reporting the news, WITHOUT the liberal bias and "do gooder" leanings with which you currently print, and make it more accuratley reflect the community standards within which you "report" and maybe your readership will stop it's nosedive. When/if that happens your advertisers will come back when they see the value in your "product". And I hope that Ahearn lady is the first out the door with her "reporting"

jmills

April 16, 2009 - 6:52 pm EDT

There's a key difference in the conversion from carriages to cars and newspapers to the Internet. When the car industry was born, it created thousands and thousands of good-paying jobs. Running a so-called Internet news site -- and at this point in time even the big ones are niche publications at best -- requires far less thought and effort and many fewer employees.

wstutts

April 16, 2009 - 5:45 pm EDT

It is sad to see this paper go, but we' re in a different time now. The internet and twenty-four hours news channel s have taken over.

I have looked forward each morning to my coffee and morning paper for sixty years. I want to thank the News and Record for continuing their publication, but we all know the end is probably near.

Dogwood

April 16, 2009 - 6:11 pm EDT

I honestly do not know what to do without a printed on paper community newspaper. Maybe I will survive but I feel mournful for those "not connected" that can afford a newspaper but not electronics. Death of the print is not equal to quicky internet only affordable to the rich.

Doug Johnson

April 16, 2009 - 5:59 pm EDT

I hate to hear his. Hope they find employment soon.
A ex newspaper writer today, hit the nail on the head, newspapers have become dishonest.
I love my papers, however have gotten where I do not believe a word they print.
This paper , which I buy 3-4 times a week, just refuses to tell you about the shams in Raleigh.
I wish the NR would be fair and balanced, looks like they look at Fox and get a clue.
Fox 4-15 rating were out of this world.
The capital hill reporter in this paper, spends most of his time ranting and raving about Burr, yet he ignores the fact Hagan voted to spend 1.8 million dollars of our money to figure out why pig crap sinks.
Are put a .62 tax on smokes to give illegals kids free health care.Then they want to blame the internet BS.
Are that Basnight used you tax dollars to build a bed and breakfast.
The news is out there, weather he print it are not.

kikablue

April 17, 2009 - 7:59 am EDT

Well Doug Johnson, after reading your comment I can understand why you are an ex newspaper writer. With all the words you misspelled, and the bias in your comment it's no wonder.

MyTwoCents

April 22, 2009 - 1:07 pm EDT

Uhhhhhh - care to re-read what Doug Johnson wrote you overly critical hack?

notoriousBLOG

April 16, 2009 - 9:01 pm EDT

This paper has repeatedly ignored the wishes and needs of the community for decades. It insists on catering to the aspects of the community that do not support it financially. I too hate to see the paper dying but it has been coming for a long time, and the owners chose to ignore the signs, while catering to those who choose to continually tear the community apart.

RCRD

April 16, 2009 - 9:09 pm EDT

Once newspapers learn to put articles and info in the printed paper that you can't read on the internet or see on CNN or ESPN, then you will survive. But it will take people to do that and eliminating people is not the way to go. How about cutting the salaries of the CEOs sitting on their thrones back at the home office doing nothing that really affects the reader (other that cutting jobs that count for something).