Tribune to Layoff 1/2 of Staff, Publish 4 Days a Week

Sources confirm that the Black Monday meeting at the Tribune was quite black indeed.  In the future, the paper will only be published four days a week and half the staff will be let go immediately.

Update:  The Tribune has posted a story about the changes. 

Facing an unprecedented plunge in the newspaper industry, The Tribune announced Monday that it will withdraw from the Scottsdale and Tempe markets beginning in the first week in January and will move to free distribution in other cities it will continue to serve in the East Valley.

Also the newspaper said it will move to four-day-a-week printed editions in Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek — the markets that it will continue to serve — but will provide coverage of news in those communities seven days a week in its online edition.

All distribution of the free printed edition will be through driveway delivery and newspaper racks. The printed edition will probably appear on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays — the days that typically have the largest readership, said Publisher Julie Moreno.

The print edition will have two sections ‑ one for local news and a second for sports, entertainment and late-breaking news. Both sections will be the same long-tabloid format.

To adjust to the downsizing, the paper will cut 142 jobs, about 40 percent of its staff.

Moreno said the newspaper has suffered declining revenue in the past year and has not been able to cut costs fast enough so far to offset that decline despite three rounds of layoffs.

Comments

[Exurban Jon]

Here's the Tribune's story on the cutbacks:
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/127527

[DGN]

I take no joy in this (I know Greg doesn't, either). We are literally watching the painful death throes of an industry.

Think about it: We've had printed newspapers since the 1500s or so. Five centuries! And it's wilting before our very eyes.

I'm sad for the people who are being let go. It's never a good time, but right now really stinks for so many reasons.

But what can anyone do? Most people under 25 rarely read newspapers and probably won't get into the habit. I get my news off the internet (yes, AzCentral and the Tribune, among many others) and can skim through the printed paper in a few minutes since many of those stories were online hours before.

This is just a big 'ol dose of reality.

I can tell ya one place that ought to be scared: university journalism schools. What parent in his or her right mind would send a kid to j-school these days?

[Exurban Jon]

DGN,

It is very sad. I received my degree in Journalism, but I saw the writing on the wall even in the early '90s.

Leaving ASU, I got work in Marketing as a graphic artist. And my J-school grad wife insulated herself through editing and PR work.

How they didn't see this coming is beyond me.

[Another ex-Tribber]

Very, very sad. They are canning all the good reporters and keeping the fluff-producers. By the way, Greg, I believe you are wrong about the staff cuts taking effect immediately. My understanding is that the layoffs don't take effect until Jan. 6. To get your severance (two weeks salary for every year you've worked there) you have to stay working there until then. What a clever way to extort people into staying on board the Tribtannic.

[Informant]

The layoffs have literally happened today. They did it American Idol style. Managers called two meetings. People in the 2 p.m. meeting got laid off. The people in the 2:30 p.m. meeting got to keep their jobs.

Among those cut are Patti Epler, the paper's main editor. Only 45 people left in the newsroom.

[Scoop Brady]

I sure hope somebody figures out who is going to pay for the journalism. Arizona has been better for having the Tribune -- and newspapers in general -- on duty, regardless of the MSM's flaws. I hate to think of AZ government officials operating without someone paid to keep an eye on them and a means of getting that information out.

[jamcool]

Could we see one of the Anschutz-run Examiner newspapers pop up in this market?

[Scoop Brady]

One Republic story said Jim Ripley was among those cut: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/06/20081006tribune-cuts1006-ON.html.

The latest doesn't mention Ripley: http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2008/10/06/20081006biz-Tribune1007-ON.html.

[Former Tribber]

Jim Ripley is one of the cuts. All the people laid off today are being asked to stay through December. If they do they can get 2 weeks severance for every year of employment.

Ripley announced to those laid off that he was "one of them," and would get the exact same severance package.

[Name]

Ripley is retiring, he is not in the same boat as these talented reporters who were treated just horribly by the Tribune today, and who are expected to work for that paper until January. Yes, this is only partly due to bad management -- well, mostly due to bad management, but also partly due to a bad economy. But they could have done it a little less like cattle-herding in a slaughter house. I am ashamed of the Tribune, but not surprised. I am truly shocked at the reporters and staff who were laid off. There are still great people left, but some high quality and irreplacable talent has been lost, and that is a hit to our community.

[Happy]

I totally feel for the Trib folks.

[DGN]

I'll re-affirm my sadness for the Trib employees and for the lack of serious competition for the Republic. But does anyone think the Republic can sustain its model for many more years? The Trib is the weak sister, of course, but its near-demise is a harbinger of things to come for most daily newspapers. Ironically, the one area in which papers are doing o.k. is the rural weekly niche.

[Dan]

What a shame for those who work at the Tribune. The paper wasn't perfect, but it was agood source of local news, particularly if you live in Scottsdale. And their investigative reporting on such topics as the corruption of the Maricopa County Community College District has been excellent. Who now is going to watch people like that, or for that matter, who is going to watch the mismanaged Scottsdale School District?

Judging from her comments, publisher Julie Moreno doesn't fully grasp what is happening to her business. She talks of "turn(ing) the boat" as though the iceberg has not yet been hit. The Tribune is taking on water, and I wouldn't give this 4 day a week free delivery more than a year or two before it folds up unnoticed.

[Watcher]

Don't think the Republic is in the same situation as the Trib. The Republic is weighed down by non-newspaper products. They'll strip it down eventually out of necessity, probably swallowing up the Citizen in the process. Gannett owns KPNX, too, and broadcast is still very profitable. As a Gannett group, I'm sure the Phoenix crew is doing much more than breaking even. They're just not meeting revenue goals set without foresight of the coming financial maelstrom.

[ExUrbanKevin]

I'm more than a bit saddened by this, as I thought the Trib was/is going the right route in today's market by going hyper-local. I can get breaking state and national news from almost anywhere on the 'net. What I can't get almost anywhere is stories about the town where I live, and I think the Trib still has a real opportunity to shine in that regards.

[Mark]

You can start the death watch for the Tribune. They are going to go to the four days a week-free model for about a year and then it will likely be gone. The concept of a large regional metro paper vs. say a metro paper a la the Republic made sense maybe 10 years ago, but not now when even the metro paper is hurting. Unlike the Tucson Citizen which is somewhat protected by a joint operating agreement with the Daily Star, the Tribune doesn't have that. They will try and ride it out, but it's days are probably numbered.

[bella]

One of the places the Trib failed (and continues to) is not to do what they do BEST, focus on the communities, local businesses and their customers. They were SO worried about what their competitor was doing they lost sight of what was important. They thought by changing paper size and focusing on their website was the answer. It wasn't. They NEEDED to focus on content, quality and accuracy. Perfect the product.

They have a knee-jerk reaction to almost every aspect of their business. Reactive, not PRO-ACTIVE. You can only put a band-aid on a gaping wound before it falls off and you bleed to death. Not the nicest comparison I admit, but after experiencing it first hand for years, I find it very sad they couldn't figure out their market & audience.

It's too bad it's too late. They could of had their niche in the market and maybe survived this.

This is so sad to me because there are/were some fantastic, smart, knowledgeable people there (staff, not management) and they have worked so hard and were loyal employees. That means nothing these days, and on Monday, the Trib proved that.

[Name]

Bella, you make a good point that is confusing a lot of people. The staff at the Tribune breaks amazing news and does a phenominal job for extremely low pay because they care. The management on the other hand, no comment.