“New media” is growing more popular as Internet dependency continues to rise. As a result of this changing environment, traditional media (specifically news outlets) are struggling more than ever to turn a profit. Deborah L. Acklin, president and CEO of WQED Multimedia, has said that changes in the media landscape have “threatened the future of public broadcasting across the country.” Looking back only a few months, we can see a snapshot of this decline as layoffs, buyouts and other organizational changes become more common.
In July of this year, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette offered buyout packages to 120 eligible employees, including reporters, photographers, copy editors and artists. Post-Gazette parent company, Block Communications, Inc. (BCI), made it clear earlier this year that staff reduction was necessary. In response, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh negotiated this deal with BCI in hopes of reducing the amount of layoffs. In a letter from the guild to its members, union leaders attempted to justify the plan. “Despite the best cost-cutting efforts of the Post-Gazette’s unions during the last round of contract negotiations, BCI once again believes that weak revenue and a difficult advertising climate have created economic conditions dire enough to require thinning the newsroom,” the letter said.
The agreement targets experienced employees. In fact, to have been eligible, employees must have worked at the Post-Gazette for a minimum of three years.
WQED Multimedia also announced a series of “significant changes” late last month in an effort to pay off their debt by 2030. Such changes will include layoffs, decrease of hours (full-time staff moving to part-time schedules) and cuts to executive salaries. In immediate action, the WQED board approved a three-year plan that outlines a restructuring of the whole organization, including their local television production sector. The television unit will make several cuts of their own, trying to reduce their 2016 budget by 6.8 percent. Chair William Caroselli described the changes as a “difficult, but prudent decision.”
This week, Tribune Publishing has scheduled an employee buyout program, similar the Post-Gazette’s, effecting subsidiaries such as the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Baltimore Sun. The buyouts are voluntary, but are being offered only to non-union employees. According to the article on O’Dwyer’s website, this plan is being called a “strategic effort” in delaying a series of layoffs that would hit newsroom employees across all channels. Management has warned, however, that if financial goals aren’t met, the company may begin layoffs. Los Angeles Times editor Davan Maharaj sent a letter to employees on September 22, describing the plan as a way for employees to “make decisions about their own personal and professional situations at a time when the company must continue to execute on its strategic plan, which includes reducing costs.”
Are buyout deals and layoff plans the only answer? What else could be done? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
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Brian Mulligan is an Intern at WordWrite Communications. He can be reached at brian.mulligan@wordwritepr.com or on Twitter, @brian_mulligan1
