Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Miami Herald lays off 16, leaves another 18 positions vacant (updated)

Bob Norman posts an email sent by David Landsberg Wednesday announcing 16 Miami Herald employees have been pink-slipped.

To all Herald employees:


Today we are announcing reductions affecting 34 positions, part of our ongoing effort to weather the economic uncertainty that continues to affect our market.


The reduction plan includes open positions and attrition and will result in the separation of 16 FTEs (full-time equivalents), which is less than two percent of our workforce. Divisions affected are Advertising, operations, HCP/Aboard, Interactive and both Miami Herald and El Nuevo newsrooms. The affected employees will be notified immediately and will be entitled to transition packages.


Norman adds that Landsberg's email noted "unprecedented revenue declines we have been experiencing since early 2008 have not abated." Unknown how many of these positions involve the Herald's Spanish-language sister paper, El Nuevo.

Update: From comments:

"I see McClatchy is already hard at work getting those 3Q profits artificially propped up..."

Hat tip: Romenesko

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25 comments:

Anonymous said...

What happened to all those August raises?

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:48 Absolutely. I want my raise!!!

Anonymous said...

Was that beast Rosenberg among them?

Anonymous said...

Did they ever sell their parking lot?

Anonymous said...

They were all canceled last year.

Stop peddling your idiocy as everyone knows there will not be any raises anytime soon.

Anonymous said...

Who's John Landsberg? I know of a David Landsberg.

Anonymous said...

But McClatchy is in great shape! Don't tell me they lied, right?

Oh no, the next thing you'll tell me is that there's no Santa Calus and that Obama is not the Messiah.

Anonymous said...

So I take it that layoffs from this point on will not be publicly acknowledged? We must depend on Landsburg and McClatchy Watch for relevant news about the industry?

This isn't right. We're profitable! They already said that loss of revenues didn't really matter so why are they still laying us off?

Anonymous said...

Each paper contributes to the whole. Thus 1 paper might be who made up all of the profit (theoretically).

Since no one knows who helped and who hurt, why not just let each paper further trim the fat where desired.

Guess this will bode well for better Q3 results.

Anonymous said...

I see McClatchy is already hard at work getting those 3Q profits artificially propped up. They're beyond despicable.

Anonymous said...

Condolences to those unfortunates who are being axed. On the other hand, congratulations for being rid of McClatchy and its modern sweat shops.

Kevin Gregory said...

11:00 -- thanks, error fixed.

Anonymous said...

Is corporate outsourcing the payroll dept?

Anonymous said...

Re 12:15, they would outsource themselves if they could come up with a plan to do it and keep their salaries etc.

Anonymous said...

Come one, who needs a job anyway?

Obama is President! Hope and Change is here.

Anonymous said...

Each paper has its own financial commitments to deliver to corporate. A paper like The Miami Herald that is experiencing greater revenue softness than others must take extra steps to meet its goals. McClatchy is not like KR where better-performing papers had to pay to prop up underperforming ones.

Anonymous said...

MNI is down a bit today:

http://www.google.com/finance?q=McClatchy

Anonymous said...

12:19,
That's the best laugh I've had all week. Sad, but true.

Anonymous said...

The Cuban Communist Party must not be paying their bills. Better send the lady with the crew cut down there and ruff little Raoul up for a cut.

Anonymous said...

They are outsourcing the advertising system. So, what will happen to the IT department in Sacramento?

Also, the salary freeze expires in September 2009. Will they extend this, or will the employees get raises now that the company is "profitable?"

Anonymous said...

Yes, corporate payroll is being outsourced.

As for the advertising system, it's one of the systems the company is looking to centralize in the next year or so, and these consolidations will bring job loss with them. Just like other times when technology has advanced (?) and required fewer people.

Luckily I.T. people are more marketable than some of the newspaper specific positions where people have been laid off.

Anonymous said...

You people are all wrong. We are just trimming the deadwood so we can be positioned for a strong rebound. Change is in the air. Happy times will be back soon. Just you wait.

Anonymous said...

"So, what will happen to the IT department in Sacramento?"

Corp IT or Bee IT or both?

Anonymous said...

I only know that at my paper they think they will lose some of the adv and circ system programmers.

Who knows? Maybe corporate IT will have a central system admin function with the new systems?

Anonymous said...

The McClatchy Goal, profits without papers or people.