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2006-10-22 Home Front Economy

Mercury News plans to eliminate 101 jobs

Contra Costa Times says it also has plan to reduce expenses

Bet you thought it was a duplicate or even a triplicate post, didn't you? We're witnessing the end of the newsprint Cenozoic.

Two major Bay Area daily newspapers that recently got a new owner are making aggressive moves to slash costs. The San Jose Mercury News plans to reduce its workforce by 101 positions, or 8.5 percent, by Dec. 19 because of declines in revenue, the newspaper said Friday. The projected staff cuts include 40 jobs in the newsroom, or about 14 percent of the editorial staff of 280.

The Contra Costa Times, which has also experienced steep declines in advertising revenue, plans to act quickly to lower operating costs, according to a memo Thursday from its publisher. And in another memo on Friday, the Times said that Editor Chris Lopez is leaving the paper because his position has become "redundant." Executive Editor Kevin Keane will take over Lopez's responsibilities.

The Mercury and the Contra Costa Times were acquired earlier this year by MediaNews Group, a Denver publisher that already owns every major newspaper in the Bay Area except The Chronicle, which is owned by New York's Hearst Corp., and the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, owned by the New York Times Co. In a complex transaction, Hearst provided financial backing for MediaNews' purchase of some other papers in exchange for an unspecified stake in MediaNews properties outside the Bay Area. An antitrust lawsuit challenging the Hearst-MediaNews arrangement is scheduled to be heard in federal court in San Francisco in April.

Posted by Fred 2006-10-22 00:00|| || Front Page|| [13 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 The Murky News has only itself to blame. Well, maybe themselves and Craig Newmark. Personally, I have little pity. Rarely have I seen anything but banner headlines bearing gloom and doom portrayals of the Global War on Terrorism. When you compare their advertising rates with competing providers, the cost is exorbitant.

As a Rantburg participant, it gives me particular satisfaction to see these ink-stained dinosaurs fall by the wayside.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-10-22 03:52|| 2006-10-22 03:52|| Front Page Top

#2 Zen, it warms my heart that the Jerkury News and the SF Comical are eating big wiener.

2-3 weeks ago The Comical ran its main edition with the entire front page covered with one huge Advertisement for the Bloomingdale's store downtown!

Phil Bronstein calls himself a libertarian lol, but is just another George Soros.

Posted by RD 2006-10-22 15:12|| 2006-10-22 15:12|| Front Page Top

#3 rwo more! They must have all been holding on until the end of the election.

Posted by anon 2006-10-22 15:18|| 2006-10-22 15:18|| Front Page Top

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