Feb 20, 2009

Buyouts and layoffs at Daily News*

As expected, the Daily News began another round of downsizing yesterday, when management formally accepted buyouts offers for copy editors who chose to leave the paper rather than make the forced 40-mile drive to West Covina to join the universal copy desk.

LA Observed has three of their farewell notes.

Up to eight newsroom staffers are expected to receive pink slips today. As reported yesterday, Editor Carolina Garcia said the paper can't cut fast enough to match falling revenues. She said she'll be forced to use whatever outside copy she can to fill her "wafer thin" newspaper.

*Updated 11:56 a.m.: Four copy editors have taken the buyout so far. They are copy desk chief Ed Richeson, who is retiring; news copy editor Carol Bidwell; news copy editor Alan McCabe, who was a rescue from the Santa Barbara and simply can't commute to West Covina, and features copy editor Melinda Kough.

Denise Swibold, who had been on loan to the city desk, will return to the copy desk.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now, now, Ms. Garcia...I can tell by that kind of talk you're not being a team player.

Anonymous said...

Note to the lang genius in charge, your dn editor is right, you can't cut revenue fast enough. It will really plummet the balance of this year and it won't be coming back...ever. Guess your journalism quality willl have to suffer.

Anonymous said...

I would pay to watch many of the spineless management team get their layoff notices. Maybe their TV critic can review it.

Anonymous said...

It's exit. The company is headed toward some form of exit, bankruptcy or something partial along those lines, and newsroom concerns about fairness and talent are heartfelt and understandable, and shared, but the situation is dramatically changed for the company, the industry and society. We're already in the post-newspaper era, and questions of talent, guild defense of staff, and other questions, are not relevant to the disposition of assets certain to come.