Newsroom Cuts, Workers' Hours Reduced, In Pacific Northwest

 

TACOMA, WA (September 9, 2008) – Publishers of The News Tribune in Tacoma, WA, and The Olympian in Olympia, WA, yesterday announced more job cuts in their newsrooms as well as a reduction in the number of hours their remaining employees will work.

Voluntary buy-out deals were offered to 189 of The News Tribune's 350 full-time workers on Monday, and work-week reductions will be imposed on all hourly workers at the newspaper, which is majority owned by the McClatchy Co.

In the newsroom at The Olympian, 38 buy-out offers were made to the 45 full- and part-time print and online employees, and hourly employees will now work a 37.5 hour workweek. The reduction in newsroom jobs is the second cutback since June. The Olympian is also owned by McClatchy Co.

At both papers the publishers blamed the continued decline in advertising revenue and a worsening economy.

"Unfortunately, despite our progress, the economy continues to worsen and we must reduce expenses further," Olympian publisher John Winn Miller wrote in an eMail to employees. At Miller's paper there are also one-year pay freezes.

In Tacoma, publisher David Zeeck told the Associated Press, "The first order of business is any expense reduction that doesn't involve people.

Companywide McClatchy job reductions in June had already cut 1,400 jobs across the newspaper chain, including 17 at The Olympian and 82 at The News Tribune.

A story in The Olympian today reports that newsroom morale was already low at the time of the announcement of more job cuts because their leader of 10 years, executive editor Vickie Kilgore, is retiring Friday.

The Olympian is making these cutbacks while it's still profitable, the publisher told employees in his note, but told employees there is "a point at which a business must head off future losses when it sees costs rising and revenue falling."

McClatchy Co., based in Sacramento, CA, is America's third largest newspaper chain. It announced in July that its consolidated revenue fell 16.4 percent that month and advertising revenue was down 19.3 percent when compared to the previous year. Their companywide cuts are intended to save McClatchy $100 million a year at 30 newspapers, they say.

 

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