L.A. Times wields ax
Paper to cut 85 newsroom jobs
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The Chicago Tribune also announced on Wednesday that it will eliminate jobs there, but publisher David D. Hiller said in a memo, "The number of current employees whose jobs will be eliminated will likely be fewer than 100."
Times editor Dean Baquet wrote in a memo to staff that some of the cuts will come through attrition and a voluntary separation program, which employees have until Nov. 25 to apply for, while the balance will be through layoffs.
The 85 jobs represent about 8% of the total editorial staff.
In a separate memo, Times publisher Jeffrey M. Johnson said cuts in other departments at the Times would be announced internally over the next three weeks. "Given the current business climate, we feel these reductions are absolutely essential to succeed in 2006 and beyond," he wrote.
The L.A. Times and Tribune are only the latest newspapers to cut staff in the face of declining industrywide circulation and a rough ad market. In September, the New York Times announced it was reducing its newsroom headcount by 45 in a companywide effort to eliminate 500 jobs. As part of the cost-cutting, the Boston Globe, owned by the New York Times Co., was also hit with 35 job cuts. That followed a May announcement by the New York Times Co. to cut 200 positions (Daily Variety, Sept. 21).
That same day, Knight Ridder said it was cutting a total of 100 jobs at its two Philadelphia papers, the Inquirer and the Daily News. The San Jose Mercury-News, also owned by Knight Ridder, cut newsroom staff by 16% earlier this month.
In his staff memo, Baquet wrote, "this is our second straight year of staff reductions, and this is a painful announcement to make. It is one I've worked hard to avoid."
He cited "rising newsprint costs and concerns over a continuing decline in revenue" as spurring budget cuts at Tribune-owned papers. Last week, the Baltimore Sun announced 75 job cuts with 12 to 15 expected in its newsroom.
Baquet took over as Times editor in July. His predecessor John Carroll stepped down and cited looming budget cuts at the paper as a factor in his decision (Daily Variety, July 21).
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
