Thursday, February 28, 2008
Newsday publisher's layoffs memo
2/28/2008 3:58:58 PM
From: Knight, T. P.
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 3:15 PM
To: Communications, Newsday
Subject: Today's Actions
Dear fellow Newsday employee,
As I informed you a few weeks ago, we have been assessing our business in light of our company strategies and the current revenue environment. Today we initiated job reduction actions across the company. These actions included notifying employees that we are eliminating their positions and posting notices in the editorial, transportation and pressroom bargaining units to eliminate positions in accordance with the labor contracts. About 120 employees are affected. Some individuals will leave today, while others will stay through the end of March. These difficult actions are based on our urgent need to focus on the things that drive audience and revenue growth, while we manage through a soft advertising revenue environment that requires us to significantly reduce costs.
Our vision for Newsday is to grow through innovation and market responsiveness, and my foremost responsibility is to ensure that we are a healthy organization equipped and motivated to succeed in this rapidly changing and challenging marketplace. Though we all know we will not grow by cutting, we have no choice but to respond to the revenue decline and make cost adjustments now. I have reported on recent organizational changes and other new developments in our business that I expect will help us get past this difficult time and ultimately achieve the sustained growth we all desire.
I'm convinced our success will come from learning to continually reinvent ourselves, delivering to our audiences and advertising customers the news, information and connectivity they desire, where, when and in the format they want. Over the next few weeks, I will continue to outline our near-term and long-term plans and the role each of you needs to play going forward.
Today is the last day at Newsday for some of our colleagues, and we wish them well and thank them for their service. As always, you have my continued thanks for your commitment to the future of our business.
SOURCE: Romenesko
4 comments:
For now, we're opening this blog to Anonymous comments. This will continue as long as civility rules. Disagree as you may, just keep it clean and stay on topic. No profanity, and no name calling. We reserve the right to moderate such comments, though the person who made it may come back and reword their message in a more civil way.
Hey Ronnie and the other negotiators.... 24 fellow pressmen were laid off today at Newsday.
ReplyDeleteNewsday pressmen had a contract for 70 years,it did nothing to protect them.
What are you going to tell your bargaining unit brothers and sisters now? Enjoy your meal tickets!
A union is nothing more complicated than a group of workers who have chosen to band together to promote their common interests. One person standing alone may be weak, but many joined together are powerful ....
ReplyDeleteI think we will be hearing more about our local 406 brothers at newsday in the near future... (just a hunch)
I hope the meal ticket money came out of your bonus! lol
"...I hope the meal ticket money came out of your bonus! lol..."
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. I think it was added into the $1,800,000 you will be forking over.
Hey Ronnie, read the news....
ReplyDelete* Layoffs at Daily Breeze
* CNN ImageSource Lays off Staffers
* McClatchy takes $1.47 billion write-down
* Job cuts at papers shrink coverage
* Pressroom will be Reduced by at Least 24 Positions
* MASSACRE AT NEWSDAY COSTS 120 THEIR JOBS
When will you and the union realize what is going on and start working to be part of the solution to the problem!
Or do you still believe that “Participating in this process would give the misconception that we are responsible for the cuts and not the company”.
Why is it always “us versus them” with you guys? Never WE!!