Friday, January 20, 2012

Montgomery | Newsroom layoffs reported today; cuts would eliminate 9% of an already small staff

[Updated at 7:36 p.m. ET with new information from source.] In an e-mail, a reader says the three two layoffs and one resignation at Alabama's Montgomery Advertiser included a photographer, a news reporter and an administrative assistant.

"It appears to be over,'' the reader said two hours ago, "but it's hard to tell. Usually we'll have a quick little staff meeting after layoffs, but that has not happened yet."

For context, the newsroom staff list shows only 34 people, including just four photographer/videographers. And these totals appear to be before today's layoffs. Bottom line: these cuts would eliminate nearly 9% of the newsroom jobs.

The Advertiser is the state capital's daily. Its Monday-Saturday circulation is 31,495. Sunday is 43,087.

Earlier: In Detroit, abrupt furloughs -- and cuts elsewhere.

17 comments:

  1. There is no evidence nor confirmation of furloughs in Detroit. More rumor-mongering.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The newsroom list published online doesn't include the copy desk staff about to lose their jobs to the hubs. People tend to forget about their copy desk -- unless they're looking for someone to blame.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The three central NJ newsrooms in this same circulation range each have 1 editor, 3 or 4 reporters, 2 or 3 sports writers, 1 or 2 photographers and they all share a single entertainment writer. That's it! No columnists. No sports editor. No business. No education. No courts. No features. No artists. No digital. No designers. No copy desk.

    That's life after the Asbury design studio went online.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 7:23 thanks for sharing. We're going to the Des Moines hub in spring and they have told us very little, including exactly who will lose their jobs. I wish more would post here as to what the hub moves leave in their wake, because in true Gannett fashion we are left in the dark, even after asking questions. It's the elephant in the room.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I work for the partnership in Detroit and there definitely are furloughs that need to be completed by the end of the 3rd period. I haven't heard if the Freep or News newsrooms are affected or not.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Quick note about that Montgomery newsroom staff list: This includes one reporter who gave notice this week, as well as a sports reporter who must be employed by Gannett, because he isn't in Montgomery. And as the previous poster noted, it also doesn't include the six copy editors and one graphic artist who are in jeopardy of layoffs this spring.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Also, the reporter laid off today was from a bureau, where there is now two reporters left.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Again, no furloughs in Detroit. As someone else said, furloughs have been mentioned, but that means little. For those to happen, there has to be advance warning. That hasn't happened.

    And that should have been enough to keep people here from running with that rumor. Please keep the unfounded rumors off the board unless there is actual confirmation.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've just received another e-mail from a reader -- this one, someone who's been a long-time and very reliable source in the Detroit operations.

    This reader told me that DMP President Joyce Jenereaux sent a memo late yesterday afternoon, advising managers about the need for a furlough to be taken by the end of period 3. In other words: by March 31.

    The problem, of course: It's already Jan. 20, so those furloughs must be squeezed into a much more narrow window.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Not enough advance warning to be true. Hence, not true. Hence, gossip.

    ReplyDelete
  11. DMP President Joyce Jenereaux says in a memo I've just obtained that the furlough need had grown "imperative." That would explain the lack of advance notice.

    ReplyDelete
  12. 2 news reporters in Montgomery have given notice. One is going to Virginia and the other will cover the Capitol for the Decatur paper.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 11:42 and all your previous posts on this thread, do you think if you keep saying it's not true that it makes it so? How's that memo make you feel?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Seriously, 1:27, is there going to be anyone left in Montgomery? Or is one of the news reporters the resignation at the top of the post?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Supposedly, the two news reporters who gave notice in Montgomery are going to be replaced. Supposedly. Or maybe they'll just hire more ad people, since that strategy has worked so well.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The Advertiser now has 3 shooters. They let go of their only photo editor. The photo editor came into work Friday morning and was told to lay off one of her staffers. She called the previous photo editor, who was laid off this past year, to ask for advice on how to let someone go, as this would be her first time doing so. The previous photo editor then hung up and texted a reporter in the newsroom to ask what was going on. The reporter made a comment aloud that tipped off the powers that be. The manager who is over the photo department (not to be confused with the photo editor) then consulted with the human resources department. This same manager then called in the photo editor and informed her that she could be fired or could resign. She was accused of taking company business outside of the company. The photo editor chose to resign.

    ReplyDelete
  17. There were two layoffs at The Oshkosh Northwestern May 8, 2012. Both in the newsroom. Apparently more to come

    ReplyDelete

Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.