The Dallas Morning News said today that it is cutting about 17 perecent of the editorial staff, in preparation for a major restructuring. The paper currently counts 500 employees in editorial, including interactive.
This phase of offering voluntary buyout packages to all employees, is the “nice” time when the most loyal, productive staff, those about 45 and older, are offered “buyouts” of about 2 weeks per year of service. However, if not enough people take the ”package,” Morning News editor-centric managers will resort to laying off staffers to reach the 17 percent mark.
“Our goal is to really synchronize our staff size with the economic realities of the time,” Mong noted, “and to continue to be the leading news and information source” in the area.
A “significant reorganization” of the newsroom will be announced in November, he added.
The Dallas Morning News is a little late to the idea, following the lead of many other metro papers across the country, which have been struggling for circulation and advertising revenue, even though they virtually all have enjoyed monopolies for decades.
Bear Stearns analyst Alexia Quadrani wrote she expects many newspapers to swing the axe because of weak advertising revenue forecasted for the remainder of the year. The research firm estimates that from the beginning of the year through June, the industry shed about 950 jobs, double for the same period a year ago. Where can the staff go? The owners bought their only competitor, the Dallas Times Herald for millions to shut it down and put in a parking lot.
So the family-controlled Belo corporation killed off the Times Mirror competition. Decades later, even a monopoly in a major Sunbelt city can’t make a profit.
12 responses so far ↓
ldspatriot // August 12, 2006 at 8:33 pm |
There is constant bickering from conservatives about the “liberal media” and its bias towards Bush and the conservative agenda in general. In your opinion, is there a liberal bias. If so, why? If not, why not? And which media outlets are the worse offenders in your opinion?
Greg Michael // August 14, 2006 at 10:11 am |
Idspatriot: It is no longer just an opinion that there is a liberal bias in the media. There have been several studies on the matter. You don’t read about them in your daily newspaper, of course. Google it for yourself. I remember reading that about 95 percent of the Washington area press corps admitted to voting for Gore.
Ann Coulter (high on the most-hated list of liberals) has written a couple of books on the matter and her statements about liberal bias are well documented, not just her opinion. Google her sometime. For instance, did you know that Gore is a drop out from Divinity school, while George W. Bush has an MBA from Harvard? Yet, who is called dumb by the media? I believe the bias comes from a combination of things, including the Newspaper Guild, (a semi-pro-socialist organization), the general lack of business and economics education among journalists, and a kind of “hipster” coolness to be liberal. The worst offenders change, today they include the New York Times, LA Times, Seattle PI, SF Chronicle, St. Petersberg Times, Village Voice, New Yorker, Mother Jones, CBS news, and all the “wannabes” on 30,000 circulation dailies throughout the heartland. I don’t include the Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, WSJ, Rocky Mountain News, Dallas Morning News or Philadelphia Inquirer among the liberal biased groups.
One major link is union membership in the newsrooms of most of the liberal newspapers. Socialist wannabes tend to gravitate to unions and unions to liberal, “victimized” employees. Yet, I know that many journalists are taken advantage of by management, creating the need for union representation. And the executives and owners love it when their editorial staff concentrates on Bush and Republicans, not their own sad situation.
ldspatriot // August 15, 2006 at 2:00 am |
Excellent! I agree the old time media outlets are liberally slanted. But your analysis has brought to light things I’ve not heart about, like the Newspaper Guild and the union factors. That makes perfect sense to me.
How influential do you think Soros et al (The Shadow Party) is now, and will that influence increase or decrease in the offing? http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/ShadowParty.asp
Greg Michael // August 15, 2006 at 10:53 am |
Idspatriot, thanks for the link to The Shadow Party. That is a question I have to work on. I know that Soros is an elite socialist from the ruins of Soviet dominated Eastern Europe. Thanks for the tip.
Greg Michael // August 25, 2006 at 5:14 pm |
Pass the crying towel (for former Dallas Times Herald employees, the champagne bottle). The News will be losing some of its most experienced and valuable hands, including White House correspondent Bob Hillman, deputy bureau chief and former White House correspondent Kathy Lewis, Robert Dodge (who’s been the lead reporter on the Wright Amendment), Michelle Mittelstadt (the bureau’s expert on national security issues), data analysis expert Allen Pusey and Pentagon reporter Richard Whittle. A lot of years, a lot of knowledge out the door. Meanwhile, looks like The News will be closing its Oklahoma bureau (Arnold Hamilton) and San Antonio bureau (David McLemore). Both bureau veterans appear to be taking buyouts. Lennox Samuels, a former assistant managing editor, apparently leaving the Mexico City bureau.
Notable critics on the list include Ed Bark (TV), David Dillon (architecture), Manny Mendoza (film and TV), Chris Vognar (entertainment) and editor Rick Holter. Will Books go away? Books editor Charles Ealy and critic Jerome Weeks appear to be takers. Lifestyles writers Bryan Wooley, Bill Marvel, Michael Precker and Beatriz Terrazas are listed, among several others. Also investigative reporter Doug Swanson. From the business section, columnist Scott Burns apparently will now have more time to spend in his antique motor home. Artist Randy Bishop is on the goodbye list. Metro is losing some veteran reporters, including Bill Lodge and Tim Wyatt, among others.
The first list is reported to have 75-77 names, including writers and editors — some superb editors — who have worked in the trenches and produced a great newspaper over the years. This is a sad, sad day in Dallas. But not quite as sad as about 18 years ago when the Morning News bought the Times Herald and shut it down. Kill the competition, rather than compete with a quality product. Hey, there could be some openings at the Plano and Mesquite papers!
Don’t pretend you didn’t see this coming. What will be the ideal editorial staff size in the coming years? I’m projecting under 200 for the editorial department of the Morning News.
Greg Michael // August 29, 2006 at 5:23 pm |
The “perfect storm” of continued decline with a $20 billion black hole.
E-consultancy reports that the latest study by Outsell analysts has determined that a “perfect storm” of falling circulations, waning print advertising and the increasing popularity of online news will plunge American newspapers into a $20 billion hole by 2010.
Circulation declines will accelerate over the next few years and by 2010 could fall as much as 20 percent Growing online revenues at regional newspaper sites will not compensate for this loss.
Analyst Ken Doctor said, “The estimated shortfall is even larger than newspaper executives have acknowledged. The business of news faces an unprecedented transformation as these trends likely accelerate over the next five years.”
Source: e-consultancy
Greg Michael // August 31, 2006 at 9:31 pm |
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