New Orleans Paper Said to Face Deep Cuts and May Cut Back Publication (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

The New York Times ^ | May 24, 2012 | David Carr

[abb]

The New Orleans Times-Picayune, which distinguished itself amid great adversity during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, is about to enact large staff cuts and may cut back its daily print publishing schedule, according to two employees with knowledge of the plans.

Newhouse Newspapers, which owns the Times-Picayune, will apparently be working off a blueprint the company used in Ann Arbor, Mich., where it reduced the frequency of the Ann Arbor News, emphasized the Web site as a primary distributor of news and in the process instituted wholesale layoffs to cut costs.

A request for comment late Wednesday night from the newspaper’s editor, Jim Amoss, was not returned.

The plans have been kept under wraps, but the newspaper will likely publish two or three times a week rather than daily, according to the employees. They insisted on anonymity because the plans were still being worked out before an official announcement.

Mr. Amoss, the longtime editor, will assist in the transition before leaving. Two managing editors, Peter Kovacs and Dan Shea, both of whom were reportedly excluded from all meetings in recent weeks about the developments, will be leaving as well.

Ashton Phelps Jr., the longtime publisher of the newspaper, announced his retirement in March and will be replaced by Ricky Mathews, the publisher of the Mobile Press-Register and president of Advance Alabama/Mississippi.

The Times-Picayune, which has published since 1837, was bought by the Newhouse family in 1962 and later merged with the afternoon daily. Up to now, the paper has avoided some of the deeper cuts in the industry, in part because the newspaper played such a critical role in the coverage of Katrina and its aftermath.

snip

[abb]

Over the years, the T-P has actually been a RELATIVELY decent newspaper. They do dig up corruption from time to time, and they were primarily responsible for taking out Edwin Edwards, the scourge of Louisiana.

It's a shame the state's Gannett papers are not all folding, instead of this one.

[abb]

ping

[abb]

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2012/05/24/times-picayune-employees-in-shock-tonight-as-extent-of-newhouse-cuts-begins-to-emerge
Times-Picayune employees in shock as extent of Newhouse cuts begins to emerge

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120522/NEWS06/120529953/tribune-prepares-to-spin-off-business-units
Tribune prepares to spin off business units

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/business/media/fcc-weighs-treating-video-sites-like-cable-companies.html?_r=1
If Video Sites Could Act Like Cable Companies

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/following-ratings-stumble-cnn-plots-revised-course_b129235
Following Ratings Stumble, CNN Plots Revised Course

http://allthingsd.com/20120522/tv-everywheres-counting-problem/
TV Everywhere’s Counting Problem

[Recon Dad]

responsible for taking out Edwin Edwards, the scourge of Louisiana.

.......but his entertainment value alone was worth living in Louisiana back then.

Edwin Edwards
The five words most feared by a Louisiana politician: “Will the defendant please rise.”
Edwin Edwards
The only way I can lose is if I’m caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy.

[BBell]

I’ve noticed that nola.com has recently been changed for the worse. In regard to endorsements the T.P. has been all over the map. I remember it endorsed 0bama at the same time it endorsed Steve Scalise in 2008. Go figure. It also has consistently endorsed Bobby Jindal as well as Joseph Cao.

[Steely Tom]

I had the opportunity to drive around some of Silicon Valley earlier this week. I saw dozens and dozens of "For Lease" signs; my eyeball-estimate would be 15% of the available office space was looking for tenants.

Those are "deep cuts," but the companies that went belly-up laid off their employees in silence. No David Carr at the New York Times to wring his hands over the "Deep Cuts" as they went out of business completely.

[Cowboy Bob]

Does the Times Picayune States-Item still have the “Black Sports” section (also known as the Crime Reports)?

[abb]

Indeed. Editorially, they are predictably liberal. But I have to give them their due in rooting out local and regional corruption.

Not that it’s hard to do in Louisiana - all one has to do is look...

[abb]

I don’t know if they’ve got a specific section on crime, but they do report about it. I read them online.

[abb]

http://www.wwl.com/pages/13224012.php?contentType=4&contentId=10681084
Report: TP to scale way back

http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2012/05/24/the-death-of-the-american-newspaper-new-orleans
The death of the American newspaper — New Orleans

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/175011/times-picayune-may-stop-daily-publication-faces-deep-cuts/
Times-Picayune may stop daily publication; faces deep cuts

[rstrahan]

New Orleans is NOT Ann Arbor. Totally different demographic, culturally and economically. A thee-day paper is doomed to failure.

[blueunicorn6]

“NEW ORLEANS PAPER SAID TO FACE DEEP CUTS”......I hate paper cuts.....they hurt like crazy.

[abb]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/michelinemaynard/2012/05/24/what-new-orleans-can-expect-when-its-newspaper-goes-away/
What New Orleans Can Expect When Its Newspaper Goes Away

http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/05/nolamediagroup.html
New digitally focused company launches this fall with beefed up online coverage; The Times-Picayune will move this fall to three printed papers a week

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/post/times-picayune-publisher-spews-standard-workforce-reduction-garbage/2012/05/24/gJQAfy4FnU_blog.html
Times-Picayune publisher spews standard workforce-reduction garbage

[iowamark]

http://news.yahoo.com/times-picayune-cut-publication-3-days-week-150123228.html;_ylt=A2KJ3CSEUb5POH4AuQbQtDMD
“Times-Picayune to cut publication to 3 days a week”

[dfwgator]

Indeed. Editorially, they are predictably liberal. But I have to give them their due in rooting out local and regional corruption. Not that it’s hard to do in Louisiana - all one has to do is look...

Louisiana - Half under water, the other half under indictment.

[GOPJ]

Giving the finger to half your potential customers is such an interesting business plan.

What is it about 'general circulation' don't these people don't 'get'?

[The Cajun]

I find them to have a consistent left bias, but still get it because my wife reads it.
Every now and then it has a decent article, which she will point out to me.
If it was just me, would have canceled a long time ago.

[abb]

Mobile, Birmingham, Huntsville newspapers also.

http://blog.al.com/al/2012/05/alabama_media_group_a_new_digi.html#incart_river_default
Alabama Media Group, a new digitally focused company, will launch this fall with expanded online coverage and enhanced three-day-a-week newspapers

[MovementConservative]

"But I have to give them their due in rooting out local and regional corruption."

How lucky you are. I couldn't care less about what the Oregonian writes on it's editorial page. No one has to read those. It's the refusal to look for and root out the corruption that has been galling here.

The people of Louisiana apparently have only had to put up with crooks and other corruption. You can't match our former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt for pure slime. There are plenty of others, unfortunately the Oregonian has little interest in politicians it likes(or their editorial page editors).

[foreverfree]

What duties will the blue collar employees have on days the T-P doesn't publish?

ff