More cuts at DMN

There's no U desk ever created that could handle a Friday night preps football shift.

 

Especially a Texas Friday night prep football shift.

 

"There's no way they can do that because . . . " used to keep my hopes up that the carnage had to find a bottom point somewhere.

But when quality doesn't matter, there is no bottom.

 

The final toll at the DMN breaks down like this, with 38 staffers gone:

Copy Editor I -- 3
Copy Editor II --5
Copy Editor III -- 5
Deputy Assistant Editor -- 5
Assistant News Editor -- 1
Office manager -- 1
Senior Editor -- 1
Design Editor -- 1
Photo Tech -- 1
Presentation Editor-- 1
Content Coordinator -- 2
Layout Editor -- 1

Bureau Chief -- 1

Special Writer -- 1
Reporter I -- 4
Reporter III -- 1
Reporter III-Business -- 1
Critic -- 1
Photographer III -- 2

Anecdotally, we hear of 6 editors in Sports and at least one writer. FYI, the Roman numerals after job titles indicate pay scale, with I being entry level and III the high end.

http://dmncuts.blogspot.com/

 

Anyone know how many assignment editors and/or copy editors are left in sports? Or size of overall staff, for that matter?

 

The number of cuts there is definitely more than the size of our entire podunk newsroom. And almost double the size of our newsroom. Wow.

 

I've said this before, but a business deciding that quality control is too expensive and cutting personnel accordingly is simply insane from any long-term perspective on the survival of that business.

 

Which only provides further emphasis that long-term survival is not really one of the priorities at this point.

 

It's all about short-term numbers so the suits keep their jobs and get their bonuses.

 

Sad as this statement is, I'm finding it reflects the new way of thinking.

Ten, 15 years ago, even the small papers I worked at made noise about trying new things to attract younger readers. Hell, AP put out a 'readers under 35' budget each day.

Then it was how can we draw people to our web site. Managers spent tons of their time pondering and experimenting on this (results may vary).

Today? Stories about aging veterans and senior centers are pushed onto A1 at my shop because "that's who our readers are." And stories are posted on the web site solely to spur pissing matches between anonymous commenters.

That's some bad carnage in Dallas. I hope everyone let go can land on their feet somehow.

 

I noticed the paper has around 40 sports clerks -- with none of them laid off.

 

40 sports clerks? That can't be ... Maybe a total pool of 40 people, some of whom might be called in on friday nights to answer the phone?