We have confirmed that our editors are looking at cutting the newsroom budget by 15 percent. We’re not sure how exactly that will play itself out, but at least we know what is being discussed outside our presence.The guild is negotiating a new contract with MediaNews Group, which owns the Daily News.
During the course of Friday’s negotiations, it became clear that Media News Group is looking to cut back our wages. There seems to be discord within the ranks of corporate management as to how to impose wage cuts. At the Daily News, it seems management is looking at implementing tiered wage cuts based on individual salaries and not a uniform percentage taken off everyone’s salary. But we have not seen anything in writing.
Apr 11, 2009
Union: Daily News considering pay cuts
The union representing newsroom staffers at the Los Angeles Daily News told its members Friday that management wants to cut 15 percent from the newsroom budget and might resort to pay cuts to get there. From the email:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
22 comments:
What a surprise. They will consider anything other than how to improve revenue. This should provide more of union vs non union comments that seem to lead us to the union has no power and the newspapers basically say up yours.
What would we do without the union?
These folks really need to do a sickout or strike.
how sad. the folks are already grossly underpaid for their market. there was a study that some people in small towns where the cost of living is less make the same as Daily Newsers. They can barely afford to live in los angeles on this and now more cuts?? how sad. is it only rank and file or the corporates.
the rumor is they are one step awawy from filing bankruptcy so they must implement these cuts.
he got a forebearance instead of defaulting. one step away folks.
It doesn't matter. They have no way out of this hole. They owe a BILLION dollars, on revenues that are substantially lower than that.
They've destroyed their ability to generate revenue. They've already sold off every tangible asset they've got.
The only solution at this point is to get a lot of money, really fast - do it without investing a single penny into operations or incurring further debt.
Does anyone think that's a possibility? I have some magic beans to sell you if you do.
This ship is going down, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it any more.
It's really a damn shame that a fly-by-night entrepreneur is going to destroy at least five or six formerly very good newspapers in the Los Angeles area.
Long Beach was a hell of a paper.
Torrance was a hell of a paper.
The Inland papers were all very good in their markets, and even the Daily News was decent in what it covered.
All gone.
Very soon.
Thanks, Dean.
very very sad. destroyed. sad they have to go down on a bad note too.
it seems all about cuts rather than improving revenue. sinking ship.
the daily news moved into a new building and now they are getting rid of the first floor and packing people in like sardines. just like they did at the PT. sadly we're afraid it won't solve their woes. they have to come up with better ideas than revenue through cuts.
None of this had to happen.
With the exception of the Daily News, most if not all of the LANG papers were profitable ventures. The Daily News only stopped being profitable after they decided to take on the Times and ignore their traditional market.
Thanks to that money grubbing halfassed clown from Texas, and entire industry in CA is on the verge of collapse.
The punchline is that he made himself millions doing it. We're the only ones that are going to bleed over his decisions.
to the 3:52 poster.
You are spot on. Their newspapers were profitable and some still are. But instead of running those well, and making cuts on the losers, they continue to paint everyone with the same brush.
How long can this frankenstein last?
Hope the people running LANG have stomach cramps. They are a joke.
This will mean the end of these papers, should this happen at all of them.
Any reporter, editor, etc. worth a damn will walk away. I know I will.
I can't help to feel bad about the trade - our trade. Thanks Dean.
the ship is sinking. get off while you still can.
doesn't anyone see the writing on the wall? it saddens me.
Look, when the economy turns around, the LANG papers will be well positioned to move with the improving economy. The decks are cleared, costs trimmed, and sails ready for unfurling to catch the wind of a freshening economy later this year or early next. The tough decisions made over the years - forcing out talented people, selling the presses and wall fixtures, harpooning profitable community institutions - will be proven wise, in hindsight. Also, this Web stuff is just a fad, and people will return to their newspaper reading habits, especially afternoon papers. There's nothing like a good read by the radio after a day's work at the defense plant while the missus makes dinner. Spot, go fetch my slippers! Good boy!
Better order up some green sheets.
Now, if it weren't so sad, I would still be laughing...very very funny.
I would only add the top flight management talent they have brought in to help catch the wind.
The only silver lining to this might be that after they run us all into the ground, newspaper valuations will be so low that they won't be looked at as lucrative opportunities for would-be investors and corporate conglomerates. Maybe real journalists and people that care about news can afford to buy a paper or start one.
Get these morons out of the industry, asap please!
When I read this item, I thought back to what Gary wrote some days back:
*******
I asked Ron Kaye, former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News, what he thought might be next for the LANG papers - which have already suffered the worst of the cutbacks and have little left to give. His answer took me aback. Kaye's convinced Singleton will leave California - and soon. He surmises MediaNews will do deals with Belo, Hearst and the Los Angeles Times to unload its properties and then diminish to the East.
"Every way I look at it, he'll be out of SoCal by the end of June," Kaye said. "I can't see any other story line, for what it's worth."
************************
I'm not sure what to think of this other than, if only it were so ...
Optimist,
They have no chance of paying the debt. The papers started failing before the economy. The economy is not the issue, the issue is progress, Craigslist, monster, cars.com and a hundred others they are making LOTS of money in advertising that once went to newspapers.
Sorry they are not just a fad. Celine Dion is not about to start singing at the end of this Titanic sinking, this one is for real.
anon 7:39, FINALLY someone said it right. it really doesn't have much to do with the economy. they were bleeding and losing buckets before. he has no business purchasing the merc news and rest of BANG for 1 billion either. so talent is gone and all else. they should close up shop now and go out at the top of their game like the rocky mountain. not decimate it.
Most newspapers took the money and ran for years. Even those with advertising talent and ability did. Now, the world has changed and newspapers can't compete on paper and charge for it like they did in prior years. They can't make money online, at least most of them can't and print is going fast on the way to gone for good. What can newspapers do? Charge for delivery? I don't think so. The beast is in a death spiral and it is to bad on several fronts. However, they only can blame the person in the mirror.
Grab a deck chair, folks! This baby is sinking fast -- like it hasn't been since the bad businessman from out of state took over. That's what's wrong with newspapers: They used to be run by newspapermen with a true mission to tell the truth, tell it first, and make a little money. Now the bean-counters are in charge and journalism means less than nothing. If Singleton had set out to destroy the DN and others, and maybe he did -- who knows? -- he couldn't have done a better job. Too bad there's not some sort of cooperative where all the unwanted but great writers can get together with a hands-off money man -- are you listening, Dick Riordan, Eli Broad? -- and put out one hell of a paper. It'd be like that fabled rock and roll band in heaven -- only here, and real.
Post a Comment