Newhouse making major cuts at New Orleans, Alabama papers




Newhouse Newspapers, which owns the

New Orleans Times-Picayune,

is planning major staff cuts at the newspaper and may reduce the frequency of its print publication schedule, the

New York Times’


Media Decoder blog reported.

The newspaper drew widespread praise and won a Pultizer Prize for its coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

According to the

New York


Times

report, Newhouse “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.”


Times-Picayune

editor Jim Amoss and two managing editors will leave the paper, and longtime publisher Ashton Phelps Jr. is retiring, the Times report said.

The

New York Times

report said that the Newhouse family bought the

Times-Picayune

in 1961 and merged it with the afternoon dialy. The paper has been published since 1837.

- Advertisement -

Media blogger Jim Romenesko

noted on his website

that the

Times-Picayune

remains profitable.


Romenesko also reported

that Newhouse is making similar changes at its Alabama papers. The newspapers will be printed only three days a week starting in the fall, and staff will be cut, the blog report said. Newhouse’s Alabama Media Group includes the

Birmingham News,

the

Press-Register

of Mobile, and the

Huntsville Times.

(Sources: Media Decoder,

New York Times,

May 23, 2012; JimRomenesko.com, May 24, 2012.)

About the Author(s)

This is your 1st of 5 free articles this month.

Introductory offer: Unlimited digital access for $5/month
4
Articles Remaining
Already a subscriber? Please sign in here.

Related Articles

KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY

The Family Business newsletter. Weekly insight for family business leaders and owners to improve their family dynamics and their businesses.