Incredibly, deep new cutbacks at L.A. Times (MSM death spiral)

la observed ^ | 10/6/08 | Kevin Roderick

[Drango]

Kevin Roderick • Bio • Email

This is a breaking situation this afternoon. Editors met over the weekend to get the word and to refine their lists. Newsroom staffers are being told today individually and in department meetings that as many as 75 editorial positions are being cut through voluntary departures and layoffs. Some staffers were approached last week about volunteering, "enticed" with the threat that this will be the absolute final time that editorial employees will receive two weeks severance pay for each year of service when they leave. When new publisher Eddy Hartenstein took over in August, right after the last round of deep cuts, he was asked repeatedly about the prospect of new layoffs, and according to a first-hand report I passed along then:

The question of more layoffs was posed in half a dozen different ways and he said he hadn't been given a target number for the staff, that Sam Zell told him to run the place, etc., etc. He did say (as did Mark Willes and Sam Zell) that we can't cut our way to prosperity.

I've emailed Hartenstein and Times spokeswoman Nancy Sullivan some questions about what has changed since August and the extent of this round of cutbacks. My sources say the newsroom staffing level is headed to about 650, but I don't know if that includes the decimation of the Washington bureau expected by many there after the November election. Associate Editor for features Leo Wolinsky is holding a meeting with his staff shortly amid strong rumors that he is leaving. Stay tuned.

[Drango]

ha ha

[semantic]

We’re in a race against Time (pun intended). We literally need to destroy the MSM before they destroy us. If we can somehow survive 2008, they will be an impotent force for all further elections.

[Enterprise]

Monday afternoon good news.

[T Lady]

ROTFLMBO! YES! The MSM Death Rattle!

[Doctor Raoul]

Raoul's First Law of Journalism
BIAS = LAYOFFS

[pray4liberty]

Their stock must have tanked, too.

[ConservativeMind]

How can one newspaper have “75 editorial positions” to cut?

Dang, how many people do you need to spew liberal cr@p on a page or two, when you buy columns from outside your organization?

[Interesting Times]

My sources say the newsroom staffing level is headed to about 650, but I don't know if that includes the decimation of the Washington bureau expected by many there after the November election.

Well, no wonder they're lying at such a frenzied rate. So many falsehoods; so little time...

[Vasilli22]

Muwahahahaha....

[Enterprise]

They said I might be impotent soon, so I want to LOOK impotent!

[Boiling Pots]

Why didn’t they just get in line for some bailout money?

[muawiyah]

With this very serious World Wide Great Depression on the horizon, this society simply can no longer afford the luxury of the printed press.

Everything has got to be put on line.

[CatOwner]

It’s not like they need journalism staff to write their newspapers. They just need to take the talking points from the Democrats and they’re good to go.

[Melian]

Twenty years ago, I loved reading the Times every morning. I learned so much about our community. As the years went on, it was more and more infuriating to read it and search for bits of reality among the bias and snobbishness. I finally gave up. The Times can’t die fast enough for me.

[Secret Agent Man]

I am sure they will find plenty of work in Barack O’Bidens Ministry of Truth.

[SaxxonWoods]

Hey LA Times! The problem is that you need to take the gloves off! Quit pussyfooting around! Stop trying to be so fair and balanced! Idiots!
/

[nufsed]

I hope they won't be cutting the weekly tear jerker about the trials and tribulations of those poor people who are here illegally and can't seem to smuggle in the rest of the family and Christmas is coming, and their son can't get into Cal and must settle for UCLA at state resident prices, and they have to rent out the spare bedroom to make ends meet, and their grandmother has TB, and their car broke down on the 101, after the drive-by shooter wounded Tito and the mayor made a speech at the site, and the neighbor was held 5 days in detention before the immigration lawyer got him out on bail and cousin Raphael was shot in the drug war in TJ because he didn't have enough money to may the coyote and they have no health insurance so they have to wait in the emergency room...........

I'll miss those stories.

[ConservativeMind]

Consternation ping.

[nufsed]

may = pay

[Reeses]

If Obama wins he will bail out the MSM, $50 billion of your money with his strings attached to it.