The (Davidson County, N.C.) Dispatch cuts 14 jobs; none in sports/newsroom

Dispatch to be printed in S.C.; Three full-time, 11 part-time employees will lose their jobs
http://www.the-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20070803&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=708030332&SectionCat=FRONTPAGE&Template=printart

Layoffs, common in county these days, affect us, too
http://www.the-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20070804&Category=COLUMNS&ArtNo=708040329&SectionCat=news04&Template=printart

 

The loss of a handful of mostly part-time jobs sucks (though I thought part-time jobs were more desirable because of the lack of bennies). But the <i>oh shit</i> issue is having to print so far away. Lexington isn't exactly in Spartansburg's market area. That's going to be a hell of a haul, and probably a nice kick in the deadline groin.

 

Well, actually...

"Production schedules will also change. Much of the work in the news department will shift from mornings to the afternoon and evening, so that pages can be sent electronically to Spartanburg for printing at 3 a.m. After the two-hour drive from Spartanburg, papers are expected to hit the streets in Davidson County at mid-morning instead of noon, as now.

"A longtime holdout in an industry in which nearly all afternoon newspapers have become morning newspapers, The Dispatch will become a mix of both. The Salisbury Post operates on a similar basis."

I love this shit though:

"Cowan said he regretted the elimination of jobs for 14 people. "They are for the most part long-time, dedicated employees of The Dispatch," he said. "They're also our friends. The Dispatch is small, and we're like a family, so that does make it harder."

Sure you do. Makes you feel real awful. How's this, fuckstick: If it makes you feel that bad, DON'T DO IT.

And then this:

"Cowan said the pressroom workers are covered by The New York Times Co. severance plan. He created a local compensation package for the mailroom and composing room workers, in part to encourage them to stay with the paper until production shifts to Spartanburg."

So, we're firing you, but we'd really appreciate it if you'd hold off on getting new jobs until we don't need you anymore. I mean, it'd be real inconvenient for us, y'see...

 

Meanwhile, from what I heard through the grapevine, there were a half-dozen or so newsroom layoffs in Spartanburg at the end of last week, too. Including some department managers.