Palm Beach Post Cuts

Didn't do much for Times-Mirror folks, either, sadly.

 

Damn. I wasn't expecting this at all. Great paper. I know some people there.

 

I understand, but Tribune was like a runaway cash train until that. Stock splits in 1997 and 1999, 21 percent year-end stock contribution.

Boom goes the dynamite!

 

21%???

Damn. Those were the days.

 

It's always depressing to see cuts. But I would not expect the staff cuts in West Palm Beach to be crippling in any way.

You have to remember that the Post is now EXTREMELY well-staffed for a mid-major.

And the Post was still growing the payroll as recently as 18 months ago.

 

Right

That was then, this is now.

 

The other big, fucking shoe drops... almost immediately:

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2008/03/palm_beach_post_publisher_giuf.php

 

One of my favorite sections and I've often marveled at how well that paper competes with much bigger sections with less money and an insane amount of turnover since the Post may be the most frequently raided section for talent...

So what we're saying here is that this industry is fucked?

 

Well, I guess like the publisher wrote in his letter, he did just turn 62 and might be retiring to retire, but it would be a heck of a coincidence coming the day after cuts are announced. I wouldn't expect these cuts to be crippling either as there is definitely some extra weight being carried around there, especially with such a huge writing staff, but I also can't imagine this being the last round of cuts b/c the economy down there is not improving much anytime soon.

 

I'd rather see a link to a publisher retiring rather than seeing a link to a story about 50 staffers getting cut...

Unfortunately, the former is probably just a prelude to the latter...

 

The publisher's retirement has long been expected.

He didn't retire to avoid making cuts.

He got the ball rolling and then announced his long-planned retirement. He was trying to keep from making the new publisher look like the bad guy.

No need to panic. The Post does a great job, but my friends there tell me it has one of the biggest staffs imaginable for a mid-size paper. It also has more news hole than the Herald or Sun-Sentinel.

 

No need to panic if you don't mind re-applying for your news writing job, with staffers told that half of them will write for print with the other half relegated to obits and Web updates.

Some of the young talent on the news side, I have heard, are exploring other possibilities.