Recent downsizing initiatives in newspaper land:

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch offers 60 buyouts – Employees must be at least 50 with 10 years of service. The move is expected to save up to $4.4 million a year, or $73,000 per employee.
• The Baltimore News-American will lay off an undisclosed number of employees, citing the sluggish economy in the area.
• The Daily Herald, third largest newspaper in Illinois, will lay off about 40 employees. Surprisingly, circulation has been flat at the paper, compared to the overall pattern of declines throughout the U.S.
• The St. Paul Pioneer Press said 15 employees will take buyouts, including 10 newsroom staff members. The paper is hoping to eliminate 30 positions in all.
• Media News Group of Denver said it’ll cut back on staffing at some of its Northern California papers. The publisher hopes to eliminate jobs through attrition, but said layoffs can’t be ruled out.
• The Tennessean offered voluntary buyouts to 15 staffers. The paper has already frozen hiring and cut issue sizes by about six pages.