Peninsula Press Club: Smaller papers doing better than big ones

Smaller papers doing better than big ones

While reporters, photographers and editors are losing their jobs at the Chronicle and possibly Mercury News, newsroom staffing levels at papers between 50,000 and 100,000 circulation are holding steady, says Poynter Institute media business analyst Rick Edmonds in this commentary. Edmonds (pictured) says the layoffs in the newspaper business are concentrated in about 90 papers ranging from 100,000 circulation up to the Los Angeles Times at 815,000-daily circulation.

But among large papers, there are a few that have avoided newsroom layoffs. He says they're succeeding because they zone heavily, giving their editions a local focus. Such papers include the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the suburban Chicago Daily Herald and Poynter's St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times.