More Layoffs At the Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune is the latest Tribune Co.-owned paper to plan layoffs.

A spokeswoman for the newspaper said late Wednesday that the paper is eliminating positions. She said that the cuts would likely impact fewer than 100 current Tribune employees, and that many vacant positions would also be eliminated. The eliminated positions will come from all departments of the newspaper, including the newsroom.

On November 15, Tribune announced that its October revenues fell 3.5%, and that publishing revenue was essentially flat, at $330 million compared to $329 million during the year-earlier period. Broadcast revenue declined by 13.5%, to $109 million from $126 million.
Speculation about job cuts at the paper had been mounting for weeks, as news of cuts at other Tribune-owned papers surfaced.

Cuts were announced this week at the company's papers in Orlando, Virginia, and Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Times is cutting about 85 newsroom jobs, or about 8 percent of its editorial staff, the paper said Wednesday.

Among those exiting:

• Sports columnist Fred Mitchell
• Columnist Dawn Turner Trice
• Food and pop culture columnist Kevin Pang
• Columnist Barbara Brotman
• Reporters:  Mark Caro, Greg Karp, Judy Hevrdejs, Wendy Navratil-Donahue, Bonnie Miller Rubin, Lisa Black, Colleen Mastony, Jon Hilkevitch, Richard Wronski, William Hageman, Bob Secter
• Editors: Printers Row deputy editor Maureen Hart, real estate editor Brenda Richardson, travel editor Ross Werland, lifestyle editor Seka Palikuca, lifestyle editor Toya Smith, lifestyles editor Pam Becker, business editor Greg Stricharchuk, sports editor Mike Kates, weekend editor Stephan Benzkofer, senior digital editor George Knue, letters editor Dodie Hofstetter

Some of the cuts already have come through attrition and some through a voluntary separation program, L.A. Times editor Dean Baquet wrote in a staff memo. The rest will be achieved through layoffs by year's end.

Employees have until Nov. 25 to apply for the voluntary program.