Staff Cuts at Times Community Newspapers

From Times Community Newspapers President John O'Laughlin

Dear TCN Colleague - As we embark on a new era at TCN, our future success will be grounded in our ability to collaborate and consolidate where needed, scrutinize all policy and procedure that limit growth, and relentless focus on reinventing our daily process. To get started, I want to briefly share the following updates:

1. Content- All editorial functions need to be reviewed across all of TCN. While reporters and their beats are local, copy editing and design can be, to varying degrees, optimized across the whole empire. Tony Dodero and Danette Goulet will jointly determine how all TCN editorial resources can be optimized across the entire organization.

2. Advertising - Scott Pompe is working with Hector Cabral and Lisa Cosenza on sales force management. The new structure will be performance based and will focus on selling across the entire spectrum of TCN products; LAT MARCOM under Anna Magzanyan and Mike Kechichian is aggressively working on improvements in collateral, cross-media packages, promo opps, etc.

3. Special Sections - Under Lana Johnson's leadership, the excellent content that has served OC so well will now be applied to all of TCN. In addition, coordinated planning w/LAT Custom Publishing / Annastasia Stafford's team will be paramount and processes/calendar reviewed and established.

4. Web - Under Tony Dodero, this function will now service all of TCN including site maintenance, redesigns, site launch and expansion.

5. Adv Opns – These functions will be migrating to LATMG over the next two periods, this function will be optimized within the context of the larger LATMG organization.

Over the next few weeks, Gordon, Scott and I will be asking a LOT of questions, including exploration of options for GM/Publisher role(s), all with the goal to better assess structure to increase revenue and readership. What is certain is that managing TCN as a whole we will be better able to serve our communities, revitalize our existing products and launch new dramatic new initiatives while enhancing opportunities for all. Thanks for your continued commitment to our readers and advertisers.

Best, JTO

SOURCE: Tell Zell