Raleigh News and Observer offers buyouts to 204 of 900 employees

[Sam Mills 51]

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.

I meant nothing in a negative conotation, Viv. Thanks for the clarification.

Here's to hoping the cuts, if the company must, are minimal.

----

Last I saw, the N&O's circulation was at 170,000. That was about a year ago, though. I've already been dead wrong once ... anyone got a more recent head count?

 

[captzulu]

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.

I meant nothing in a negative conotation, Viv. Thanks for the clarification.

Here's to hoping the cuts, if the company must, are minimal.

----

Last I saw, the N&O's circulation was at 170,000. That was about a year ago, though. I've already been dead wrong once ... anyone got a more recent head count?

This is as of 9/30/07, via the ABC site:
M (M-F) 164,300
SAT M 171,905
SUN 211,288

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

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.

And while not all the McClatchy papers have had buyouts yet, I'm pretty sure just about all of them underwent extended hiring freezes. Some lasted only a few weeks. Others went on for months.
For now, I'd guess the smaller McClatchy papers are safer than the bigger ones, but that's not rocket science. I'm pretty sure Myrtle Beach (55k circ) had Knight-Ridder's highest profit (by percentage) for like five of six of the past 7 years.

 

[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.

I meant nothing in a negative conotation, Viv. Thanks for the clarification.

Here's to hoping the cuts, if the company must, are minimal.

----

Last I saw, the N&O's circulation was at 170,000. That was about a year ago, though. I've already been dead wrong once ... anyone got a more recent head count?

No worries. I just wanted to correct it. By the way, Sam Mills was one of the nicest gentlemen I ever met.

 

[ondeadline]

<a href="http://weblogs.jomc.unc.edu/talkingbiznews/?p=4896">According to this report, 30 people took the buyout.</a>

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Anyone in sports? Only a couple of names were mentioned in the blog.

 

[ondeadline]

That blog is a business-news blog, so it only mentioned business writers. But, yeah, I'm curious about who else took one.

 

[fremont]

The newspaper scene in NC is deplorable. I moved to the Raleigh area a couple years ago thinking I'd find work and...well...

 

[PeteyPirate]

The newspaper scene in NC is deplorable. I moved to the Raleigh area a couple years ago thinking I'd find work and...well...

Maybe you should move somewhere where the newspaper scene is thriving.

 

[fremont]

The newspaper scene in NC is deplorable. I moved to the Raleigh area a couple years ago thinking I'd find work and...well...

Maybe you should move somewhere where the newspaper scene is thriving.

Well, I'm in Houston now and it's better here than it is there. It still sucks, but I'm making more money than I was in NC. They actually have some smaller papers that aren't run by the same people with the same guy pretending to cover sports everywhere. I didn't even bother to get into how that was being accomplished.

Touche, though.

 

[Joe Williams]

The newspaper scene in NC is deplorable. I moved to the Raleigh area a couple years ago thinking I'd find work and...well...

Maybe you should move somewhere where the newspaper scene is thriving.

Nicely done.

 

[wannabeu]

The newspaper scene in NC is deplorable. I moved to the Raleigh area a couple years ago thinking I'd find work and...well...

Maybe you should move somewhere where the newspaper scene is thriving.

Nicely done.

Where is the newspaper scene thriving? Not many places can say that they are thriving.

 

[fremont]

Okay, maybe what I meant to say was that I was underwhelmed by how underserved NC's capital and second-largest city and surrounding area are in terms of print coverage. I'll shut the **** up now.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Okay, maybe what I meant to say was that I was underwhelmed by how underserved NC's capital and second-largest city and surrounding area are in terms of print coverage. I'll shut the **** up now.

There are worse places than the Triangle in North Carolina when it comes to coverage. I'm not saying that to necessarily defend the area ... let's just say I'm finding out for myself these days.

 

[fremont]

I've heard there are a lot of jobs at small papers in the eastern part of the state, anyway.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

I've heard there are a lot of jobs at small papers in the eastern part of the state, anyway.

Many of which sane people wouldn't touch.