Semi-confirmed: Media General to consolidate copy desks

[reformedhack]

The head-shaking moves continue. From today's Tampa Bay Business Journal:

No typo: Media General to consolidate copy editors
At a newspaper, stories may begin with a reporter, but live and die by its copy desk.
As the place where story editing and newspaper design rules, copy desks are essential to maintaining accuracy and readability. At the Tampa Tribune, however, having a local copy desk might be a relic of the past.
The Tribune’s parent, Media General Inc. (NYSE: MEG), has made no secret of its desire to consolidate the copy desks of its three major newspapers, the Tribune, the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina, and its home-base newspaper in Virginia, the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Where it would be consolidated was the unanswered question, although it came down to either Winston-Salem or Richmond, several sources familiar with the situation said. Tampa had been eliminated from the list because of its hurricane-friendly location.
With Tampa out of the running, there could very well be more layoffs at the Tribune in coming weeks. John Schueler, president of Media General’s Florida Publishing Group that manages the Tribune, did not return a call Wednesday morning seeking comment.

 

[Moderator1]

I keep hearing Winston-Salem because it is cheaper.

The middle tier of papers is undergoing (or has undergone) the same thing.

 

[Giggity]

Can't even begin to describe how awful desk consolidation is. The survivors will envy the dead.

 

[reformedhack]

A little more info from a well-placed source:

Regional consolidation apparently is an option that's still on the table. The Alabama and Florida papers would be combined into an editing unit, as would the North Carolina and Virginia papers. Tampa, Winston-Salem and Richmond are the likely hubs in that scenario, according to my mole, but another MG source tells me his job has just been moved to Lynchburg, Va., as of February, so read into that what you will.

That said, the MG suits have a major woody for the idea of consolidating the metro papers, so Winston-Salem appears to be the winner vs. Tampa (too "hurricane-friendly," according to the TBBJ story, even though Tampa hasn't had a direct hit since the 1920s) or Richmond (union salaries).

More news, rumors and anecdotes as they develop.

 

[Big Circus]

A little more info from a well-placed source:

Regional consolidation apparently is an option that's still on the table. The Alabama and Florida papers would be combined into an editing unit, as would the North Carolina and Virginia papers. Tampa, Winston-Salem and Richmond are the likely hubs in that scenario, according to my mole, but another MG source tells me his job has just been moved to Lynchburg, Va., as of February, so read into that what you will.

It's Lynchburg for the Virginia papers.

 

[bdangelo]

Man, if I have to go to Lynchburg, I'd prefer it be the one in Tennessee. Some good drinkin' over there (I know it's a dry county, but ya gotta love the Jack Daniel's ... and besides, there's George Dickel in Tullahoma).

Sinkholes are more likely in the Tampa area these days than hurricanes.

 

[Moderator1]

Circus - that's for C-ville, Lynchburg and Pot. News, right? RTD still part of the Tampa-WS-Richmond triangle?

 

[Big Circus]

Circus - that's for C-ville, Lynchburg and Pot. News, right? RTD still part of the Tampa-WS-Richmond triangle?

I'm assuming so. I've got no info on the big boys. Should have clarified.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Winston-Salem? That's better than Hickory, which I thought was bandied about at one point.

Won't be Richmond ... MG doesn't want any more union salaries. Probably disgusted enough that RTD takes away from the executive's fat bonuses. Wonder if they're still mailing proxies to employees to determine how the fat cats were going to cut their shares of the pie ...

 

[John Taylor]

Two big "C" words: From "convergence" to "consolidation" in less than a decade.

 

[Cosmo]

Circus - that's for C-ville, Lynchburg and Pot. News, right?

Yes. Plus Waynesboro and from what I hear, Bristol, which is mind-blowing considering Bristol just built a new press. What's better is that Cville and Potomac will still print in Richmond, even though they'll be produced in Lynchburg.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Bristol, Waynesboro, Potomac News and Culpeper are all going to be designed in Lynchburg. I was told by a managing editor at one of those papers that it's going to start happening in Feb., but that date might be pushed back.

As far as I know, Charlottesville will still be printed in Richmond and the Culpeper press will stay open to print that paper, a bunch of weeklies and several contract jobs.

 

[Hustle]

The survivors will envy the dead.

As one of the soon-to-be deceased, that is my general hope. (Not that I'm wishing bad things for those that make the move, mind you.)

We were told, in separate private meetings with our EE, that as of late February, our jobs will be moved. No firm date yet, but late February for certain.

 

[Moderator1]

So it is done for the mid-levels and still in the talking stage for the Big Three?
Or is that done, too?

 

[Hustle]

My guess is that you're correct; or at least in the latter stages of it. But that's just a guess.

 

[Tarheel316]

What about Danville?

 

[Mystery Meat II]

What about Danville?

They've been designed at Lynchburg for a few months, close to a year, correct?

 

[Tarheel316]

Oh that's right. I still shake my head in amazement about how MG gutted a good newspaper. No, check that. I'm not surprised.

 

[1HPGrad]

As it relates to the Trib...does this include sports? Sharing national news, wire copy we all use makes sense on some levels. Many chains share pages. Orlando gets its baseball page from S-S. Just pushes a button, and there it is. Done.
Will Trib guys have the option of relocating? Seems unfair, unrealistic to expect a W-S desker to contribute anything of value to a Rays game package landing on deadline. Or is this just another sign the Trib no longer competes with St. Pete? Shep has to be loving this.

 

[DrewWilson]

As it relates to the Trib...does this include sports? Sharing national news, wire copy we all use makes sense on some levels. Many chains share pages. Orlando gets its baseball page from S-S. Just pushes a button, and there it is. Done.
Will Trib guys have the option of relocating? Seems unfair, unrealistic to expect a W-S desker to contribute anything of value to a Rays game package landing on deadline. Or is this just another sign the Trib no longer competes with St. Pete? Shep has to be loving this.

If it goes down anything like it did for MG's paper in Danville, I believe people were given the opportunity to relocate, but most had to basically re-apply for their jobs because some positions were reorganized or consolidated. But that could be a different story with some papers because of proximity. Danville is only an hour from Lynchburg, where the desk operations were moved.

As for having people with no ties to your area putting out your paper from afar, don't expect much TLC. If the people doing the work have little association or familiarity with the product they are putting out, they'll more than likely not put as much thought into it and it will show with lazy, generic headlines or questionable story placement. Some of that will also be the end result of shared pages. It's not so much a knock on those putting the product together as it is just human nature. If people have a tie to something, they're more likely to care more about it.