*Update: Here's a posting on sportsjournalist.com that appears to explain what happened at the Register. Boiled down, nine laid off from the newsroom:
The ax dropped at The Orange County Register again on Thursday as nine associates in the newsroom were laid off. Another six from elsewhere in the building are expected to be let go in the near future.
Sports was hammered, losing three -- two writers and one copy editor -- Curtis Zupke (Ducks, golf), Chris Tobolski (preps) and Alan Petersen (copy desk).
The other six were a photog, news copy editor, advertorial writer, two Web editors and another desk editor who already announced his upcoming retirement.
Layoffs were solely OCR, not Freedom-wide. Apparently there is a rumor that the OCR newsroom was the second largest in the state, behind only the L.A. Times and ahead of bigger papers in San Diego and the Bay Area. So corporate slashed based on that.There's nothing said about a non-compete agreement.
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12 comments:
Newspapers are flat out dumb. To ask an employee you are letting go not to earn their living in their chosen profession is absurd. I guarantee you that it is not enforceable. Who isn't a competition? Can't work in radio, tv, newspapers, magazines, internet, etc. I don't have to wonder how the industry got into the trouble it is in...the answer is clear.
Agreed, non compete clauses are stupid unless there is compensation commensurate with the clause. If they lay me off and don't want me to work for the competition for a period of time, then they pay me not to work. That would be the only fair way to do it.
Probably another Lean Dean bright idea!
And the thing is, usually companies enforcing these non-competitive clauses have some specialized product that is unique to the company, such as software, that would threaten the company's business if that info was shared with competitors. But the biggest threat to newspapers is their own out-of-date business model. Every newspaper has blogs, video, tweets...There isn't one unique product happening among any of them.
Fabulous timing laying off your NHL writer in the middle of the team's playoff push. Just means they're going to consolidate with someone else...
If OCR is second largest staff in state, then it had to be done. Memo to third largest: heads up. Yo, 4th ... Where 5th hiding at?
Non-compete clauses are generally illegal in California: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2008/08/california-supreme-court-strikes-down-noncompete-clauses.ars
We can get Ducks coverage from AP. Hey why not get all sports from AP and lay off all the sports guys. Now that's consolidation
Who runs AP ? Oh oops Deano
I can only imagine the atmosphere right now at the OCR. It's just the same that was had at the press-telegram for 3 years now.
I wonder how soon or how many layoffs are on the way?
Does anyone in the industry believe layoffs at newspapers will cease? If so, you need to reduce your medication. As others have said, the business model is dead. Newspapers are not capable of finding a new one to bridge the gap. There is not a way for newspapers to compete in print unless some publisher with cajones throws away the print model and goes to a tablet type publication...period...no print. It might fail, but, so is what you are doing now. I read a couple of days ago why newspapers didn't invent a Groupon type of service. They are two years to late to the party, and like all of their new wiz bang ideas, it will fail. You can keep milking the dead cow, make a buck, but, we know how it ends.
kind of sad most folks don't even know their names?
pretty much says it all for this industry
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