PHOENIX, AZ (October 8, 2008) – The East Valley Tribune's announcement this week that it's making major cutbacks, including going to four days a week publishing and eliminating Tempe and Scottsdale from its coverage and distribution area, also includes cutting 142 jobs, or roughly 40 percent of its staff.
The staff learned the bad news on Monday during a meeting with the publisher at the Mesa Arts Center. Reports say that 46 of the jobs being cut will come from the newsroom.
The layoff package is said to be two week's pay for each year of employment at the newspaper.
The Tribune's last edition in its current format will be January 4, 2009, and the first papers published under the new plan will debut on January 7, the paper reported.
Many of the paper's most prominent bylines are going to be gone, and the newspaper's executive editor will be leaving the paper in January as well. Jim Ripley has been at the Tribune for 16 years and in the newspaper business for almost four decades.
The Phoenix News Times reports that photography editor Brad Armstrong and photographers Ralph Freso, Julio Jimenez, and Paul O'Neil, all four who are members of the National Press Photographers Association, are included in the cuts.
Despite three rounds of layoffs the newspaper has not been able to trim costs fast enough to match falling revenues, publisher Julie Moreno said. The newspaper is owned by Freedom Communications.
