Buyouts in Dayton

Saw the thread on buyouts in Milwaukee and have to throw another one up there.

A friend at the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News tells me there is another buyout plan going around the Cox-owned papers in Southwest Ohio. Cox, as has been noted on this site before, is selling off a number of papers and cutting back everywhere (even the AJC). Dayton had been hit before, and apparently is being hit again.

The DDN already lost its longtime Bengals beat writer -- who had turned in his retirement notice, but (surprisingly, since I know the people in charge) was allowed to take them back to be a part of the buyout program.

Am told a number of sports department veterans -- including a couple of bigger names -- are considering the buyouts. Sad, because the DDN used to have a kick-a$$ sports section, one that covered everything from preps to pros completely and innovatively.

The sports section already has been stripped of a number of people. If it loses these stalwarts, it would be bare bones.

Am avoiding names until the decisions are announced, but another sad day in the biz ...

 

Any word on whether or not this affects the Springfield News Sun?

 

Have to wonder if Hal McCoy decides it's not worth it anymore and leaves for MLB.com or something. The DDN would make a huge mistake if it lost Hal.

 

IMO, in its heyday Dayton put out better sections than Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo and Akron (not hard to beat The Blade, but anyway). Their Varsity section is (was?) something else, and no comments are needed on their Reds and Bengals coverage. That paper has gone downhill the past three years, starting with their horrid redesign and continuing up to and through this news. Ugh.

 

None finer than Archdeacon...

 

Word. But I don't see him leaving. He could go to features if need be to write his stuff.