Tuesday, March 3, 2009

February Newspaper Layoffs Total 1,492 People

Here is the breakdown of layoffs at newspapers in the United States for the month of February 2009. It totals 1,492 people. Forbes lists the total amount of people laid off in February 2009 in the top 500 compaines in the United States as 125,677. News Cycle's January list of 2,101 people is here.

Links to lists of other months throughout 2009 can be found below at the end of this post.

Feb. 28: The Signal in Santa Clarita, Calif., seven people
Feb. 28: Sacramento (Calif.) Bee, 34 people
Feb. 27: Boston Herald, 20 people
Feb. 27: Wilmington (Del.) News Journal, 40 people
Feb. 26: The New York Times, 19 people
Feb. 26: Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, unknown number of people
Feb. 26: The Rocky Mountain News in Denver, 231 editorial people
Feb. 26: The Commmercial Appeal of Memphis, Tenn., 23 people
Feb. 25: Providence (R.I.) Journal, 100 people (part of the Jan. 30 Belo announcement of 500 layoffs)
Feb. 25: San Antonio Express-News, 165 people
Feb. 25: Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette and KCRG-TV, 100 people
Feb. 25: Hartford (Conn.) Courant, 100 people
Feb. 24: Arkansas Democrat Gazette in Little Rock, 60 people
Feb. 20: Los Angeles Daily News, 12 people
Feb. 20: Pacific Publishing Co. group of community newspapers in Seattle, six people
Feb. 20: Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic, at least four people
Feb. 20: Aspen (Colo.) Daily News, seven people
Feb. 20: Apsen (Colo.) Times, one person
Feb. 20: The Daily Record of Ellensburg, Wash., six people
Feb. 19: Denver Post, six people
Feb. 19: The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Va., 30 people
Feb. 17: Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal, nine people
Feb. 17: Columbus (Neb.) Telegram, 11 people
Feb. 15: Houston Chronicle, 10 percent of its workforce, which is at least 100 people based on figures in its Linkedin profile
Feb. 12: Muskogee (Okla.) Phoenix, eight people
Feb. 12: Hunterdon County (N.J.) Democrat, 11 people
Feb. 12: Chicago Tribune, 20 people
Feb. 12: Lowell (Ind.) Tribune and Cedar Lake Journal, five people
Feb. 11: Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune, five people
Feb. 11: Maryland Gazette of Glen Burie, six people
Feb. 10: Journal Register Co. is closing the eight weekly newspapers in its Taconic Press group in New York, 35 people
Feb. 10: The Forum of Fargo, N.D., 21 people
Feb. 10: The Morning Call of Allentown, Pa., 22 people
Feb. 9: Germantown (Pa.) Courier and Mt. Airy (Pa.) Times Express cease operations, unknown number of people
Feb. 6: The Independent of Hillsdale, N.Y., ceases operations, 30 people
Feb. 6: Waco (Texas) Tribune, seven people
Feb. 6: Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier, 25 people
Feb. 6: The Journal-Standard of Freeport, Ill., five people
Feb. 6: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 17 people
Feb. 6: Daily Reporter of Derby, Kan., is ceasing operations, six people
Feb. 6: The Sun News of Myrtle Beach, S.C., 58 people
Feb. 5: Wisconsin State Journal of Madison, five people
Feb. 5: The Telegraph of Macon, Ga., 58 people
Feb. 5: Wall Street Journal, 14 people
Feb. 4: Bloomberg Financial and Data News Service, 100 people
Feb. 4: Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune, 48 people
Feb. 3: Vail (Ariz.) Sun ceases operations, unknown number of people.

Here are News Cycle's month-by-month lists of newspaper job cuts this year:

December -- 752 people.
November -- 293 people.
October -- 375 people.
September -- 347 people.
August -- 425 people.
July -- 2,505 people.
June -- 318 people.
May -- 1,084 people.
April -- 1,350 people.
March -- 3,943 people.
February -- 1,492 people.
January -- 2,256 people.

Email me to report any job cuts in the newspaper industry.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Portland Oregonian is cutting ten percent of its workforce this Monday.

Anonymous said...

The Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, PA. shut down its printing plant and laid off 30 workers. The Easton Express in Easton PA is eliminating its delivery staff. 18 laid off.

Anonymous said...

Many newspaper HR/executives are firmly stating to employees cut from jobs that they cannot make any statements about their position being eliminated as part of their individual buy-out package, or there will be legal action taken to recover any and all funds provided in the "golden parachute" -- as they call it. Woodward Communications Inc. in Dubuque is one of those media companies that imposes such stipulations. So, the reports of information on this website are not entirely accurate for WCI, due to the intimidation of losing severance packages for those released employees. WCI released over 5% of their staff in 2008 and another 3% in 2009 -- reaching roughly 8% over the past two years.

Jeff said...

Regarding HR people forcing laid off people into non-disclosure agreements. You're absolutely right. This has become a growing problem in newspapers -- an industry that normally demands accountability and transparency from other industries such as auto, banks, manufacturing, etc.

My total count is a best guess based on available information, whether it's an official press release from a newspaper or sources who talk to me. Clearly, it is short of the actual amount.

-- Jeff P.