05-06: Sun News (Myrtle Beach) Announces layoffs, buyouts

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/breaking_news/story/440832.html

Posted on Tue, May. 06, 2008
The Sun News announces cuts
staff reports

The Sun News, faced with pressure from the slumping economy, laid off a half dozen workers and offered voluntary buyouts to others Tuesday.

In announcing the changes to employees, Publisher Pamela J. Browning also said that one of the company's satellite offices will be closed, enabling the company to streamline the magazine, marketing and advertising divisions. The laid-off workers are in the marketing and advertising divisions.

The one-time voluntary buyouts are being offered to a limited number of workers. Browning said there is not a target number of buyouts, and they will not become involuntary if none are accepted.

Like other newspapers dealing with the economy and the shifting product to online, The Sun News is searching for ways to cut costs and operate more efficiently. Similar strategies have been announced during the past week at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., and The Charlotte Observer. McClatchy Co. owns both of those newspapers as well as The Sun News.

``Both of these programs are in response to the need to operate our newspaper more competitively and efficiently, and to respond to changing business models,'' Browning said in a memo to The Sun News' 255 employees Tuesday.

 

Sounds like former columnist Terry Massey left a hair too early. Surely he would have been offered buyout.
And the comments on the site are pretty funny (although completely void of value). The vocal ones in the area don't seem too upset about it.

 

Didn't know Terry had left the Sun Times ... where is he now?

 

Sun News, and I heard that he was looking for a PR job.

 

RE: Sun News ... DUH -- I knew that ...