NY Newspaper Cutting 50 News Jobs, Redefining Rest

A suburban Gannett Co. newspaper is cutting more than a quarter of its news jobs, redefining the remaining positions and allowing all newsroom employees to compete for them.

Among the jobs being cut at The Journal News, which covers three counties north of New York City, is the editorial cartoonist position held by Pulitzer Prize winner Matt Davies. Davies said he would apply for another job at the paper, perhaps in graphics, "because I have three kids and a mortgage."

Thursday, Michael J. Fisch, the newspaper's publisher and president, said that 50 of 192 news jobs and 20 of 96 advertising sales positions are being cut. He said the new job descriptions stress multimedia skills to support the digital transformation of the business.

"We could have used the traditional layoff approach but we really felt that we needed to restructure in order to prepare ourselves for the longer term and redefine the skill sets we need to be successful," the publisher said.

Gannett is the nation's largest publisher, with 85 dailies, including USA Today, among its holdings. It has been cutting jobs and imposing furloughs, but spokeswoman Robin Pence said she knew of no other Gannett paper that had adopted a layoff-and-reapply approach.

Going forward, she said, "it's up to the local papers. They will make that decision."

Fisch said news and ad-sales employees can apply for up to two of the redefined jobs. Columnists, editors and managers all must reapply, except for "a small handful of senior management positions," he said.

Outside applicants won't be accepted unless a job can't be filled by a current employee, he said. Applicants should know by the end of the month if they've been rehired.

Pay will be "the same or comparable if it's the same or comparable job," he said. Service time and benefits will be retained for those rehired. The employees are not unionized.

Fisch said that when he gathered workers Wednesday to tell them, "the mood was pretty somber. But people understand there is a great deal of change going on in the media business."