Norwich, Conn.
Owner: GateHouse Media Inc.
Effective: March 2009
Printing was outsourced, and an unknown number of employees were laid off. The paper’s custom publications staff also was laid off. Do you know more? Leave a comment or send me an email: newspaperlayoffs@gmail.com. Emailed tips are anonymous.
Source: The Day
St. Augustine, Fla.
Owner: Morris Communications Inc.
Effective: Aug. 1, 2009
Printing was outsourced to the Florida Times-Union. At the time, Publisher Derek May said jobs would be lost, but did not say how many. “This will create a few jobs, and there are a few people the Times-Union is going to need,” May said in a story on the Record’s website. “There will be a net job reduction, but because of various factors I can’t say exactly how many. Decisions to eliminate jobs are extremely difficult to make.” Do you know more? Leave a comment or send me an email: newspaperlayoffs@gmail.com. Emailed tips are anonymous.
Sources: St. Augustine Record; Topeka Capital-Journal
New Orleans
Owner: Advance Publications
Effective: October 2011
Buyouts are being offered; a target number has not been released. Employees have until October to apply for the buyout, and are being offered two weeks of pay for every year worked. In 2009, 28 employees accepted buyout offers.
Source: Gambit via Paper Cuts tip; Paper Cuts tips
New Castle, Ind.
Owner: Paxton Media Group
Effective: 2009
Accounting and billing was outsourced to The Paducah Sun. Do you know more? Leave a comment or send me an email: newspaperlayoffs@gmail.com. Emailed tips are anonymous.
Source: Paper Cuts tip
Lynwood, Wash.
Owner: Washington Post Co.
Effective: 2009
Two reporters were laid off in March; a reporter and an ad rep were laid off in December. In 2008, the group of weeklies had 10 full-time editorial employees.
Source: Paper Cuts tip
Junction City, Ore.; Veneta, Ore.
Owner: Polin Media Inc.
Effective: Dec. 22, 2009
The two weekly papers closed. “I just don’t have the money to continue,” Publisher Andrew Polin told the Register Guard. “I’m hoping it will be resurrected by someone.” The papers had eight employees. “My staff worked hard, and the community was great. I just ran out of money.”
Source: Register Guard via Oregon Media Cenral
Woodstock, N.Y.
Owner: Johnson Newspaper Corp.
Effective: May 29, 2009
The paper closed. Publisher Roger Coleman cited poor circulation: “The ad volume had remained pretty consistent, but the readership continued to be a challenge.”
Source: Times Herald Record via Watershed Post
Santa Maria, Calif.
Owner: Lee Enterprises
Effective: January 2010
Five employees were laid off. Eight employees were laid off in 2009, which had not yet been reported on Paper Cuts or added to the 2009 total.
Source: Lee Watch
Royal Oak, Mich.
Owner: Mark and Gary Stern
Effective: Nov. 27, 2009
After publishing 3 editions in November 2009, the newspaper closed but its publishers said it would return after Jan. 1, 2010. On Jan. 9, co-publisher Mark Stern said the paper would not resume publication, blaming “circulation issues.”
Can you help with the details? Leave a comment or e-mail me at newspaperlayoffs@gmail.com.
Sources: The Detroit Blog; Editor & Publisher
Now that the 2010 layoff map is live (and has already racked up more than 300 layoffs), let’s take a look back at 2009.
The year started off with a lot of layoff announcements — so many that I was sure the 2009 total would easily top the 2008 layoff total (which now stands at 15,984). The year didn’t suffer from the same fourth-quarter onslaught that 2008 saw, however, and the 2009 total now stands at 14,861.
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