Raleigh News and Observer offers buyouts to 204 of 900 employees

[ondeadline]

<a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1052899.html">I wonder how many will accept it? The story says that only a small percentage are expected to take it.</a>

 

[Mizzougrad96]

More good news to start the week...

 

[PeteyPirate]

Eligibility for the package was not determined by seniority, Quarles said. Instead, the company looked for positions that could be eliminated using technology, efficiencies or consolidation of jobs.

Since they're already sharing stories with the Charlotte Observer on colleges/Panthers, I would think it's a good bet that many of those positions are in sports.

 

[Appgrad05]

Eligibility for the package was not determined by seniority, Quarles said. Instead, the company looked for positions that could be eliminated using technology, efficiencies or consolidation of jobs.

Since they're already sharing stories with the Charlotte Observer on colleges/Panthers, I would think it's a good bet that many of those positions are in sports.

They haven't shared any college stories, unless you count Charlotte handling the regular-season games at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. And the N&O lately has acted like the Panthers don't exist.

There are positions to trim in sports, if you compare what they do compared to other sections in the area. But I imagine it's probably similar across the board.

 

[PeteyPirate]

Eligibility for the package was not determined by seniority, Quarles said. Instead, the company looked for positions that could be eliminated using technology, efficiencies or consolidation of jobs.

Since they're already sharing stories with the Charlotte Observer on colleges/Panthers, I would think it's a good bet that many of those positions are in sports.

They haven't shared any college stories, unless you count Charlotte handling the regular-season games at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. And the N&O lately has acted like the Panthers don't exist.

There are positions to trim in sports, if you compare what they do compared to other sections in the area. But I imagine it's probably similar across the board.

The N&O has used Charlotte game stories on ACC basketball games that the N&O's writer did not attend (in addition to the games in Charlotte). At least that's what an N&O writer told me.

 

[accguy]

The two papers have most definitely shared some college copy when only one of the two was at a game.

In addition, there was some coordination during the football season in which one paper's writer would write a gamer, the others would write a sidebar and both papers would run both.

 

[Jim_Mora]

I could be wrong but I think the N@O has used the Rock Hill paper (another mcclatchy paper) panthers beat guy for years for panthers games.

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

I could be wrong but I think the N@O has used the Rock Hill paper (another mcclatchy paper) panthers beat guy for years for panthers games.

I'm pretty sure that's right.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Yes, the N&O has been using Darin Gantt's copy from Rock Hill, but I had also seen some Panthers stories from Charlotte.

This doesn't come as much of a surprise - at all. But I am curious how many employees Quarles and the N&O are looking to push out the door.

 

[accguy]

After Viv Bernstein left the N&O in 2000 or so, the paper used Darrin Gantt pretty much exclusively. Since KR and Charlotte was purchased by McClatchy, it's been more of a mixed bag.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

After Viv Bernstein left the N&O in 2000 or so, the paper used Darrin Gantt pretty much exclusively. Since KR and Charlotte was purchased by McClatchy, it's been more of a mixed bag.

I'm not sure Viv had the luxury of leaving. I think she was SOL after the N&O closed its Charlotte bureau at the time. Luckily, I had seen Viv freelancing for other publications for assignments around the Triangle shortly following her ousting.

 

[luckyducky]

McClatchy had, for the most part, been unscathed in recent layoffs/buyouts. I wonder if this is the beginning for McC...

 

[Barsuk]

McClatchy had, for the most part, been unscathed in recent layoffs/buyouts. I wonder if this is the beginning for McC...

It's hardly the beginning. They've already offered buyouts in: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4lkaru">Kansas City</a>, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3sz8f8">Modesto</a>, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4v4mc7">Miami</a>, and <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4eevxh">Sacramento.</a>

I'm more than a little concerned the buyouts will soon turn to layoffs.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

The downturn has affected McClatchy as well. Part of it probably is the general trend. I suspect most of it was overpaying for some former Knight-Ridder papers.

 

[Barsuk]

McClatchy had, for the most part, been unscathed in recent layoffs/buyouts. I wonder if this is the beginning for McC...

It's hardly the beginning. They've already offered buyouts in: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4lkaru">Kansas City</a>, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3sz8f8">Modesto</a>, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4v4mc7">Miami</a>, and <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4eevxh">Sacramento.</a>

I'm more than a little concerned the buyouts will soon turn to layoffs.

There have been layoffs and paycuts at McClatchy.

Yeah, I know. Sorry if I implied otherwise. What I meant was, the buyouts are spreading across the company like wildfire, and I fear they will soon be replaced by a rash of layoffs. The layoffs have been pretty sporadic ... so far.

 

[Joe Williams]

Somebody said "Paycuts."

We don't hear much about that, so I'm wondering how prevalent paycuts are becoming in this business. Not that there is much to cut in many of our cases, but still... I believe the Toledo journalists took a cut in pay in their recent contract and, um, didn't the Daily Herald outside Chicago have a pay cut too.

But you don't hear about these as often as you hear about buyouts and layoffs. I might be willing to take a pay cut if it kept a staff safe from layoffs, especially since management probably wouldn't lay off the most deserving (to go). Man, this business is getting like a lifeboat situation, where you have to decide whether to all divvy up one ham sandwich and one bottle of water or to look away and hope like hell that a few of the others die, making your ration just a little bigger.

 

[Editude]

We had pay cuts and raise freezes at a previous stop. I don't see that being a 2008 replacement for voluntary (wink, wink) buyouts.

 

[vivbernstein]

After Viv Bernstein left the N&O in 2000 or so, the paper used Darin Gantt pretty much exclusively. Since KR and Charlotte was purchased by McClatchy, it's been more of a mixed bag.

I'm not sure Viv had the luxury of leaving. I think she was SOL after the N&O closed its Charlotte bureau at the time. Luckily, I had seen Viv freelancing for other publications for assignments around the Triangle shortly following her ousting.

To clarify, I was the Charlotte writer for the News & Observer. I was not "ousted." When my position was eliminated in a budget cut in 2001, I was offered the Duke beat. I declined and opted to go freelance instead. I have been writing primarily for the NY Times since 2002.

Best of luck to my friends in Raleigh. I hope the cuts aren't too deep.

 

[lone star scribe]

Word from inside the Triangle is that the N&O is looking for 3-5 newsroom employees to take the buyout. Those offered were at the editor and asst. editor level, so no rank-and-file reporters, copy editors, etc., in sports (or news, features or business, for that matter).

 

[OnTheRiver]

What's the circulation for Raleigh these days?