Deep personnel cuts came Monday to The News & Observer, along with news that the Raleigh newspaper will consolidate coverage with The Charlotte Observer.
The paper has cut 70 jobs—about 8 percent of the workforce. Among those were 16 full-time and part-time newsroom employees whose last day will be June 27.
Sweeping editorial changes are also on the horizon. The paper will cease publishing a version of the newspaper geared toward readers in the western part of the Triangle. The Business section will be folded into the City & State section.
And coverage of sports, politics and features will be produced jointly by the Charlotte and Raleigh papers, both of which are owned by the Sacramento-based McClatchy Company.
In a story published in the business section Tuesday, Executive Editor John Drescher conceded that it's not just employees who'll feel the pain—readers will notice profound changes in local coverage.
"Clearly, when you look at these changes and some other changes we've made, print readers are going to get less," Drescher was quoted as saying. New online content, he said, would offer readers more to make up for that loss.
Apparently the sports editor will be based in Charlotte, which has sports fans in Raleigh unhappy. Another unhappy Raleigh customer here.
I have the latest tally of McClatchy layoffs broken down by newspaper here.
