'Black Wednesday' in Tampa

[Moderator1]

From The Pipeline:

10 writers gone today, unsure of the Sports hit.   11 more in newsroom over the next week.  Mainly editors.  When all done, newsroom will be about 200.   A loss of 20 percent.

Online first or, as one person elsehwhere said, "work for the Web and put paper out in spare time."

An Atlanta-type newsroo model that eliminates all departments (including sports) and puts writers into generic "areas" (such as deadline news). No one seems sure exactly how it will be set up but it works basically like this: those "areas" include writers, editors, online & TV people. Idea is to converge all stories across 3 platforms (print, tv, online) if applicable.

A flat line of management oversees all the areas and makes decisions on what gets covered, what gets resources, and where it all goes.

Also, space cutbacks, section combinations and more.  Zones cut way back, bureaus being closed, etc.


Me again - Ugh.  Don't see one thing there that makes me say, "well, at least there's that."

[playthrough]

http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/

[2muchcoffeeman]

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/01/tribune-wfla-trim-news-staffing/

The Tampa Tribune said Tuesday that it will lay off 11 newsroom staffers this week with another 10 news jobs to be eliminated by early fall.

The newsroom will lose a total of 50 employees under the cost-cutting effort, with 29 either accepting a voluntary buyout offer or resigning for other reasons. The Tribune newsroom will have about 200 employees after the staff reductions.

The moves are part of a previously-announced streamlining by the Florida Communications Group, which operates the newspaper, WFLA, Channel 8 and TBO.com, among other media properties. FCG is part of Media General of Richmond, Va., which has been hard hit like other media companies by a soft advertising climate and a weak economy.

WFLA said it will have eliminated 10 news positions by the end of the year.

Tribune publisher and president Denise Palmer said newspapers' traditional advertising base is being upended by the economic malaise and the impact of the Internet.

"You never want to have good people go away," Palmer said. "But I also know you have to work within the revenue you bring in."

[2muchcoffeeman]

http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/

Will the former newspaper photogs who are kept be expected to use minicams for WFLA as well?

[budcrew08]

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/01/tribune-wfla-trim-news-staffing/

The Tampa Tribune said Tuesday that it will lay off 11 newsroom staffers this week with another 10 news jobs to be eliminated by early fall.

The newsroom will lose a total of 50 employees under the cost-cutting effort, with 29 either accepting a voluntary buyout offer or resigning for other reasons. The Tribune newsroom will have about 200 employees after the staff reductions.

The moves are part of a previously-announced streamlining by the Florida Communications Group, which operates the newspaper, WFLA, Channel 8 and TBO.com, among other media properties. FCG is part of Media General of Richmond, Va., which has been hard hit like other media companies by a soft advertising climate and a weak economy.

WFLA said it will have eliminated 10 news positions by the end of the year.

Tribune publisher and president Denise Palmer said newspapers' traditional advertising base is being upended by the economic malaise and the impact of the Internet.

"You never want to have good people go away," Palmer said. "But I also know you have to work within the revenue you bring in."

"I never knew this Interwebs thingy would be so... so... so impactful!"   [/newspaper corps]
Just sickening. When the hell is this going to end? Will it ever end? So many questions, so few answers.

[mediaguy]

Wow. All the photographers have to re-apply for their jobs, and Tribune and WFLA will share photographers. As if it's the same job. Outstanding.

[Joe Williams]

Wow, just in time for the holiday weekend...

Congrats, former journalists! You have been granted your independence!

[Moderator1]

Some HR person is probably saying, seriously, "Well, the good news is you can enjoy a REALLY long weekend."
Make it as positive as possible was the topic of one lecture in a leadership seminar I attended.
Lord.
Just fucking say it.  Don't spin it.

[Written Off]

I keep telling myself: Either newspapers have to start hiring people again (or at least not buying people out) or they have to fold altogether. These cuts can't continue at this rate. To be a newspaper, and not the AP, they have to generate original content.

I mean, right?

Can someone please back me on this so I can start sleeping at night again?

[novelist_wannabe]

I keep having this thought that small newspapers with little to no web presence and which basically own news monopolies in their towns will survive. Kind of like -- and I mean no disrespect to those of you who work for them -- cockroaches. Large papers that cover local stories of national interest are the ones which appear to be in the most peril, at least from where I sit.

[budcrew08]

I keep having this thought that small newspapers with little to no web presence and which basically own news monopolies in their towns will survive. Kind of like -- and I mean no disrespect to those of you who work for them -- cockroaches. Large papers that cover local stories of national interest are the ones which appear to be in the most peril, at least from where I sit.

I asked that in my small papers vs. big metros thread... The little papers seem to be cut down to the bare bones they can be already... and they can't go farther than that because readers would complain...
The bigger papers, like a Tampa, for example, have 200 people in their newsroom... My shop only has 10. Big difference, obviously.

[nmmetsfan]

Actually, smaller papers in towns that, let's be honest, are a bit behind on the times, actually tend to do pretty well.

There's something to be said about the simple life.

[Riddick]

I keep having this thought that small newspapers with little to no web presence and which basically own news monopolies in their towns will survive. Kind of like -- and I mean no disrespect to those of you who work for them -- cockroaches. Large papers that cover local stories of national interest are the ones which appear to be in the most peril, at least from where I sit.

I asked that in my small papers vs. big metros thread... The little papers seem to be cut down to the bare bones they can be already... and they can't go farther than that because readers would complain...
The bigger papers, like a Tampa, for example, have 200 people in their newsroom... My shop only has 10. Big difference, obviously.

And here's the other thing. The small shops are down to bare bones in order to balance the equation for their chain.

[captzulu]

Actually, smaller papers in towns that, let's be honest, are a bit behind on the times, actually tend to do pretty well.

There's something to be said about the simple life.

Yeah, but as soon as they discover that pesky internet, they'll be fucked too...

Yup. That's why newspapers are slumping in the U.S. and Europe but booming in places like India, where more and more people are becoming better educated but the technology isn't as widespread yet among the population as it is in developed countries.

[Moderator1]

Update from The Pipeline:

FSU writer Scott Carter was among the cuts. A staggering loss. Incomprehensible.

[Lyman_Bostock]

Update from The Pipeline:

FSU writer Scott Carter was among the cuts. A staggering loss. Incomprehensible.

"Staggering"? "Incomprehensible"?

I'm not making light of a serious situation, moddy, but that's a little heavy on the hyperbole.

I don't know Scott, never read his work, but if he's as good as you say, he'll land on his feet. Remember, the graveyards are full of irreplaceable people.

[Written Off]

Didn't Tampa lose its Florida beat writer, too? Is the Trib going strictly with AP college coverage?

[Moderator1]

That came from The Pipeline.  Not my words.  But I agree with them.
Like with the SE in Raleigh, it is clear these cuts are not based on quality - they're being made willy-nilly.  What you've done means nothing.
That is staggering.  That is incomprehensible.

Mizzou, he wasn't making light of Scott's situation. He was questioning a word choice.   He has a right to do that.
We have a right to disagree.

[Lyman_Bostock]

That came from The Pipeline.  Not my words.  But I agree with them.
Like with the SE in Raleigh, it is clear these cuts are not based on quality - they're being made willy-nilly.  What you've done means nothing.
That is staggering.  That is incomprehensible.

Mizzou, he wasn't making light of Scott's situation. He was questioning a word choice.   He has a right to do that.
We have a right to disagree.

Thanks, moddy. In fact, I used the term "I'm not making light of a serious situation." Nobody wants to see anybody lose their job, especially these days.

I don't know if these decisions are being made based on seniority, salary or what.

[Lee Jackson Beauregard]

I know some people there that will be having a stiff drink tonight.

[SixToe]

"You never want to have good people go away," Palmer said. "But I also know you have to work within the revenue you bring in."

Maybe your sales people could bring in some more revenue? Drum up new business? Beat the bushes to find niche or different advertisers? Hit the Mons Venus for a special ad every Thursday in Life?

Instead, cut the people producing the things readers and subscribers want to see: News. Features. Columns.

It will only get worse, though. All this is just the tip of the iceberg.

[playthrough]

Carter is a great guy, our paths crossed a few times. He did a lot of stuff at the Trib over the years and all of it well.

This sounds like another horseshit trend in personnel, cutting down on college beats if those colleges aren't in the hometown. Last year the Indianapolis Star demoted its Purdue beat guy to preps, opting to take (presumably free) Purdue copy from its sister paper in West Lafayette. The IU guy stayed on.

[Mahoney]

The loss of Carter is very bad news for the Tribune. They put him up there to make the beat relevant again after the last guy never broke anything. Now, their college coverage will be a complete joke except for McMurphy.

[VJ]

It's alright, I hear college football isn't that big in Florida.

[VJ]

No that was my poor attempt at sarcasm.