Question about staffing

I'd like to describe a situation to you all and get your opinions on what kind of staffing, in terms of paginators and copy editors, you'd expect.

Let's imagine a 16-page Sunday section for a paper with a Sunday circulation of 275,000.

How many people would you expect to be in the office, and how would that number be broken down in terms of responsibilities?

Thanks for your input.

 

I've laid out a 14-page Sunday section with just myself and an agate guy, so it can be done.

With that said, I'd expect at least three layout, three desk and an agate guy.

 

Depending on how early your deadlines are, and how much late copy you have coming in (and on how many different pages), it'd be nice to have one of those rimmers handling a late page on layout, too. Especially in a 16-page section.

That said, I've laid out a 12-page Sunday section more than a few times by my lonesome.

 

24 pages last Tuesday. That was a hoot, I tell you what.

 

While we're hypothesizing, let's also assume there are three editions with quite a few changes in each. Say, for instance, the first edition is due around 9:30, the second at 11:30 and the last at 12:15.

 

You're all a bunch of lucky bastards. Twelve, Moddy? Goddamn.

 

What we should expect, or what we expect based on experience and the realistic stateof the business?

The first: Two designers, four rimmers, a slot, an agate kid.

The second: three rimmers (one doing agate), a slot, one designer.

 

That's why I consider myself fortunate. I'm going from six total full-timers (just two deskers, including myself), and no part-timers, to 16 full-timers (including six deskers) and a handful of part-timers. I won't know what to do with myself if I only have to design three or four pages each night.

 

I do well at multi-tasking. ;D

 

Enjoy it while you can, that's what you'll do.

It won't last. You always end up doing more than they like to make you think you're going to do.