Layoffs at AL.com?

[Moderator1]

Pipeline says today isn't going to be a good one there but not much detail yet. Anyone know anything?

 

[DeskMonkey1]

Insiders: new ‘bloodbath’ ongoing at Press-Register - Lagniappe

 

[spadjo martin]

In Huntsville, I'm told the cuts included a longtime sports/news side columnist along with one photog. Five total.

 

[steveu]

Anyone hear about Birmingham?

EDIT: Found the answer to my own question. Per Wade Kwon in Birmingham:

ADVANCE CRISIS: Tipster: 12 laid off at Ala. Media Group, incl. 4 #Bham newsroom vets with combined 90 years experience.

Alabama Media Group laying off workers in Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile - Birmingham Business Journal

 

[dixiehack]

Drew Champlin, who had recently been promoted to Bama beat, tweeted this week that he was back to doing UAB, but would also be handling Tide and Tigers recruiting. And this was just a couple of weeks after hiring a new Blazers writer.

 

[LanceyHoward]

Does Ala. Media Group operate Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile as a combined operation or separately? For example, does sports have a combined or individual desks? Does the preceding question assume a degree of clarity within the organization structure than actually exists?

 

[Steak Snabler]

It's all one company, though there are individual hubs that operate semi-independently on the news side (though less so with every round of layoffs). Sports is run as one statewide entity.

 

[dixiehack]

Desk work is centralized in Bham.

 

[spadjo martin]

Of course, that desk work is now for a three-day-a-week publication.

 

[SEeditor]

Sorry to hear this news. I worked with Jeff Dute years ago back east.

 

[HejiraHenry]

Columnist and good guy Mark McCarter confirms on Facebook that he's among those getting the axe. Just criminal.

 

[Neutral Corner]

Drew Champlin, who had recently been promoted to Bama beat, tweeted this week that he was back to doing UAB, but would also be handling Tide and Tigers recruiting. And this was just a couple of weeks after hiring a new Blazers writer.

The new writer is Gary Estwick, who came over from NOLA. He's moving to high school sports primarily. I don't *think* he got the axe. I don't know of a list being released so far.

 

[HejiraHenry]

My former Decatur colleague Paul Huggins says 22 were fired statewide. That's more than I'd seen reported initially.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Word around the campfire is that NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune has a similar round of cuts coming, but they are waiting until after the 10th anniversary of Katrina (Aug. 29) to do so.

 

[BDC99]

Word around the campfire is that NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune has a similar round of cuts coming, but they are waiting until after the 10th anniversary of Katrina (Aug. 29) to do so.

Yeah, gotta get the important stuff done first! Sigh.

 

[spadjo martin]

I think the news just got worse at AL.com. There's a facebook post saying the entire sports call center was laid off tonight.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I think the news just got worse at AL.com. There's a facebook post saying the entire sports call center was laid off tonight.

As in all the people who handle high school football calls two weeks before high school football starts???

 

[dixiehack]

As in all the people who handle high school football calls two weeks before high school football starts???

Two days.

 

[steveu]

I think the news just got worse at AL.com. There's a facebook post saying the entire sports call center was laid off tonight.

What the... what are they going to do? Handle all the calls from one combined AL.com/NOLA.com site?

This has got me a little worried up in Michigan.

 

[wicked]

It's amazing how quickly the Newhouse papers have gone from the pinnacle of the industry, where everyone wanted to work, straight into the ****ter.