It is a sad day for journalism when a once-proud newspaper is now in the throes of a death spiral.
That now seems to be the situation with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland.
On Wednesday the newspaper cut about a third of its newsroom staff, months after announcing it was reducing home delivery of the newspaper, according to a report by the Associated Press.
About 50 reporters, photographers, page designers and other Newspaper Guild-covered employees received layoff notices, according to the Guild. In fact, the individuals were let go via phone (LINK) in what was referred to as a “cold and bureaucratic” procedure.
The newspaper did not release a list of those who lost their jobs.
“In order to realign our workforce for future growth, we have found it necessary to make additional reductions,” Publisher Terry Egger said in a news release.
According to Crain’s Cleveland Business (LINK), employees were notified last night to wait by the phone until 10 a.m. today. If they didn’t get a call from the office telling them they were being laid off, they were to report to work at 11 a.m. Among those who got the unfortunate call was business editor Randy Roguski.
The Plain Dealer is owned by New York-based Advance Publications, which has begun to transform its newspaper operations using a strategy called “digital first,” hoping readers will migrate to its websites, which include Cleveland.com.
Similar layoffs are taking place at the Sun newspapers, which, like The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com, is owned by Advance Publications. Those workers are expected to move from current Sun headquarters in Valley View to Cleveland.com office in Cleveland’s Flats.
Next week, The Plain Dealer will end seven-day home delivery. Beginning Monday, Aug. 5, Plain Dealer readers will need to get what are expected to be thin newspapers three days a week at news boxes, convenience stores and other retailers. The newspaper will be home-delivered only on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
“It’s a sad day for northeast Ohio,” said John Mangels, a reporter who volunteered to be laid off. “The community deserves better than this.”
SAD SITUATION AT PD
It’s sad to hear that The Plain Dealer isn’t doing nearly as well as the Indians, but the news is anything but shocking in this day and age. Residents of the Cleveland area deserve much more than a thin paper three days a week, a “fat” paper once a week and an e-paper the rest of the week. And shame on the ownership for the manner in which they showed loyal, hard-working employees the door!