The Albuquerque Tribune, a newspaper that won a Pulitzer Prize as recently as 1994, will publish its last issue on Saturday. Circulation at the afternoon daily had dwindled from 42,000 in 1988 to just 10,000. Owner EW Scripps Co. had put the paper up for sale last August, but the only serious bidder wasn’t able to close the deal and no other interested parties emerged. Editor Phil Casaus said the last three editions will feature stories about The Tribune’s role in Albuquerque journalism. The 38 editorial staffers were informed this morning.

The Tribune was founded in 1923 and was part of the country’s oldest joint operating agreement. Under the deal, the Tribune and the Albuquerque Journal operated separate newsrooms, but combined business operations. Afternoon papers have been hit particularly hard by the advertising slowdown. BusinessWeek said there are only about 600 of them left in the U.S., down from 1,000 in 1990. See also the Reuters coverage.

Newsstand Mags Drop Circ, ‘Time’ Plummets – MediaPost, Feb. 12, 2008

[Once upon a time, a year-to-year decline of almost 20% in Time magazine newsstand sales would have been big news. Today, hardly anybody notices. Time recently redesigned to make its look less cluttered and more open, but it seens that readers prefer the dowdy old Economist – with its boring design, provocative writing and insightful analysis – over the eye candy that US publishers dangle in front of them. Time has company, BTW: Newsweek‘s newsstand sales were off 16% and U.S. News‘ were down 8%. – Ed.]

For Publisher in Los Angeles, Cuts and Worse – New York Times, Feb. 18, 2008

[The New York Times profiles the controversial publisher of the Los Angeles Times, David Hiller. His unpleasant assignment has been to make sweeping changes at the troubled west coast institution, but his style has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Detractors call him evasive and sneaky, while supporters say he’s just carrying out a difficult job. His approach to the newsroom is viewed by some as meddlesome. Last week, he named Russ Stanton editor, the fourth person to hold that title in three years. Stanton has most recently been in charge of the LATimes.com website, which should offer some insight into what Hiller is thinking. – Ed.]

Dramatics Intesify at the New York Times – social|median, Feb. 12, 2008

[Apparently, big investors in The New York Times Co. aren’t amused at the stock’s 50% drop in value over the last four years, and they’re putting some of their people in place to change direction. The Sulzbergers aren’t going quietly, though. Jason Goldberg summarizes. – Ed.]

Tribune Co. Will Cut Up to 500 Jobs – Editor & Publisher, Feb. 13, 2008
[New Tribune Co. owner Sam Zell initially told employees that he planned to grow the company out of its recent troubles, but those plans are evidently on hold for now. The layoffs only amount to about 2% of the total workforce. In a novel twist, they’ll be funded with overages from Tribune’s employee pension plan. The struggling LA Times will lose 40 to 50 editors. – Ed.]

Tribune Plans More Cuts; Courant May Lose 45 Jobs — Hartford Courant, Feb. 14, 2008
[The Hartford Courant will get caught up in the Tribune Co. layoffs, losing 45 positions, with 10 of them in the 240-person newsroom. -Ed.]

Tribune to cut 400 to 500 companywide, 45 at Sun — Baltimore Sun, Feb. 14, 2008
[It appears that 45 is the magic number for layoffs at Tribune Co. papers. The Baltimore Sun also expects to shed that many jobs. – Ed.]

New York Times Plans to Cut 100 Newsroom Jobs – New York Times, Feb. 14, 2008
[With 1,332 employees, the Times’ newsroom is still by far the largest in the industry. No competitor has more than 900 newsroom staffers. Nevertheless, pressure from shareholders can’t be ignored. An interesting note in this piece is that Rupert Murdoch says he’s committed to making the Wall Street Journal a formidable competitor to the Times and is ready to add to its 750-person newsroom staff in order to do so. – Ed.]

Star Tribune Sinks Deeper Into Oblivion – True North, Feb. 12, 2008
[The Minneapolis Star Tribune will cut 58 more jobs on top of the 145 positions it cut last spring. That will leave the paper with about 1,900 employees, or about 10% smaller than it was at this time last year. No editorial employees are affected by this round of layoffs. Most of the cuts are due to efficiences from an outsourcing contract.

In a recent memo, publisher Chris Harte echoed a now-familiar refrain: “Total revenue (print and internet advertising and circulation) is down almost $75 million in the last two years. Classified revenue has been the hardest hit part of our business, and our 2007 classified revenue was down over 50 percent from what it was at the start of the decade.” – Ed.]

Publisher GateHouse to cut 60 Mass. jobs – The Boston Globe, Feb. 14, 2008
GateHouse Media Inc. is cutting 60 positions at its Massachusetts publications, including The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, The Enterprise of Brockton, and dozens of suburban papers, according to an employee briefed on the plans.

Lost printing contract likely leading to job cuts – Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, Feb. 9, 2008
The News-Gazette will have to cut costs – and probably jobs – as a result of the Chicago Tribune’s decision to print all of its editions in Chicago, News-Gazette Publisher John Foreman said. The News-Gazette will continue printing the Tribune until April 26, when seven of the 24 jobs in the pressroom will be eliminated.

‘Charlotte Observer’ Announces Job Cuts – Editor & Publisher, Jan. 31, 2008

Well, that was fast.

On Tuesday, Transcontinental Media of Montreal announced that it was shutting down the Halifax Daily News, effective immediately. By the next day, the newspaper’s home page had already been relaunched as Metro Halifax, one of the expanding network of free Metro dailies being stamped out by Metro International S.A.

The Daily news just couldn’t continue, said Marc-Noel Ouellette, senior vice-president at Transcontinental. “It was costing a fortune.” The Daily News’ tiny circulation 20,000 put it at a competitive disadvantage against the much larger Chronicle Herald.

The shutdown means that 92 people will lose their jobs, although some 35 of them are expected to find employment with Transcontinental or the new daily.

Metro International has been busy bringing the McPaper concept to local markets. Its Metro dailies sport a common look and feel and are designed to be read in 20-25 minutes. More than 100 Metros are being published around the world right now and, if the current pace of shutdowns continues, there’ll be no lack of new market opportunities for the owner.

Newspaper journalism in crisis: Burnout on the rise, eroding young journalists career commitment

Recent research by Scott Reinardy, Ph.D. of the Ball State University Department of Journalism examines journalist burnout in an exhaustive quantitative study. Quoting from the abstract:
The three-component Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey was implemented to examine burnout among newspaper journalists (N = 770). With a moderate rate of exhaustion, a high rate of cynicism and a moderate rate of professional efficacy, burnout among journalists demonstrate higher rates of burnout than previous work. Additionally, journalists expressing intentions to leave the profession (n = 173) demonstrated high rates of exhaustion and cynicism, and moderate rates of professional efficacy, making them “at-risk” for burnout. Also, 74.5 percent of journalists 34 and younger (n = 223) expressed intentions to either leave newspaper journalism or answered “don’t know.” The most “at-risk” to burnout appear to be young copy editors or page designers working at small newspapers.

AngryJournalist.com lets fed-up journalists vent their (anonymous) rage

[This new site lets anyone vent their anger about the journalism profession anonymously. The creator, Kiyoshi Martinez, says he launched it for several reasons. Quoting:]

“In private conversations with friends I sensed that there is a growing angst among the upcoming crop of journalists entering the field right now. Journalism-school graduates have the odds stacked against them. More than likely, their education was inadequate. It’s rare that new media skills were taught or were de-emphasized making the majority of them less competitive. The job market is terrible. More companies are having hiring freezes or worse, layoffs meaning fewer opportunities are available. It’s an instance where supply greatly outnumbers demand. And of what jobs are available, these entry-level jobs pay poorly. It’s even worse in broadcast media.”

The death of American newspaper – Watchdogs watching, Jan. 29, 2008

[An eager young journalist’s ideals come crashing to earth when he interviews for a newspaper job and finds that the pay won’t even cover the basic costs of living. That’s the way it is, the editor tells him. The owner wants to make a lot of money, and that means paying starvation wages to the staff. The aspiring reporter blogs about his experience, concluding, “Im witnessing the death of American newspaper.” – Ed.]

Inquirer Publisher Seeks More Cost Cuts – AP, Jan. 23, 2008

Quoting: “The owners of Philadelphia’s two largest newspapers said they need tocut costs by an additional 10 percent or the company will face dire consequences…Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC would have trouble meeting debt payments if it doesn’t make changes…[A columnist says:] ‘We’ve gone through a series of economic cuts in the past years, and it is hard to see where they can cut further.’…One year ago, the company gave layoff notices to about 70 Inquirernewsroom employees, or 17 percent of the editorial staff, and laid off 34 people in advertising, or nearly 10 percent of the sales force.”

Inquirer Staffers React to Tierney’s “10 Percent” Threat – The Daily Examiner, Jan. 23, 2008
[The Philadelphia magazine website account adds some facts and color:

• The Guild is speculating that the threat of cuts is a bargaining tactic against the union;
• A Guild memo says executives “did not say what would happen if savings targets are not met, but made references to outsourcing jobs overseas.”
• One features writer asks “Who needs a Neighbors section when we could have the New Delhi Digest every day?”
• Quoting: “When Eagles head coach Andy Reid was suddenly scheduled to appear at an impromptu news conference, an editor went running through the newsroom looking for somebody, anybody, to cover it. ‘There are situations like that every day,’ says a staffer. -Ed.]

Metro – Sources: Globe will cut back staff, raise price – Metro, Jan. 24, 2008
[A strange media war is playing out in Boston, where the Globe and an alternative daily paper in which it owns a significant interest are competing with each other to scoop each other’s bad news. The Globe recently scooped the Metro in reporting the paper’s mounting losses. – Ed.]

Quoting: “The Boston Globe will soon announcecutbacks at the newspaper, including hundreds of layoffs, and anincrease in the per copy price of the paper to 75 cents as of Feb. 1,according to several sources inside and outside of the paper….The Globe saw a nearly 7 percent decrease — from 386,417 to 360,695 —in its daily circulation between Sept. 2006 and Sept. 2007.”

Globe says no big layoff coming — its Metro free paper got it wrong – Boston Business Journal, Jan. 24, 2008

[A Boston Globe spokesman says a report of impending layoffs of “hundreds” of Globe staffers published by Metro, a free paper in which the Globe owns a 49% stake, are false. However, his wording leaves plenty of wiggle room. The spokesman said the story is “factually incorrect” (how is this different from “incorrect?”) and that “There are no plans for a staff reduction of the size cited in the Metro.” His wording leaves leeway for the Globe to lay off up to 199 people and still call the Metro story incorrect. -Ed.]

The Sun May Be Getting Smaller, but We Won’t Give Ground On Local News – Kitsap Sun, Jan. 12, 2008

[The editor of the Kitsap Sun, which has been ravaged by staff cuts, declares his intention to continue the paper’s local news coverage. -Ed.]

After Job Cuts in 2007 — What’s Ahead? – Editor & Publisher, Jan. 15, 2008

[An E&P editor recaps the grim ledger from 2007, when US newspaper industry employment declined almost 3%. -Ed.]

Meanwhile, layoffs at the Chicago Sun-Times announced nearly a month ago continue to generate lots of coverage:

Sun-Times staffers get pink slips…by phone — chicagotribune.com, Jan. 23, 2008
[Management apparently just can’t wait to get laid-off staffers out the door. -Ed.]

Sun-Times wrestles with new reality – LATimes Pressmen Forums

No Quiet on Western Front: Latest on ‘L.A. Times’ Uproar – Editor & Publisher, Jan. 22, 2008
[E&P tries to figure out what really happened at the Los Angeles Times, where editor James O’Shea abruptly resigned this week. Publisher David Hiller called O’Shea’s exit after only 14 months a mutual decision, but reports of O’Shea’s speech to the newsroom indicates it was anything but. The EIC was reportedly asked to cut $7 million from his budget, which sparked a confrontation that led to his firing. Media-watchers are wondering what this says about new owner Sam Zell’s commitment to editorial quality. -Ed.]

Times editor to leave paper – Los Angeles Times, Jan. 21, 2008
[The LA Times plays it straight in covering the story, revealing little of what was said in the newsroom. – Ed.]

Text of James O’Shea’s Remarks on WSJ.com

O’Shea, Hutton Thrown From Speeding Rollercoaster – Content Bridge, Jan. 22, 2008

Veteran journalist Ken Doctor notes the departure of the fourth LA Times top editor in three years and laments the sorry state of the once-great Mercury News. There are 200,000 students in journalism programs in the US, he notes. What are they all going to do? Big metro dailies are plummeting like a speeding roller coaster, but the new media entities that may someday replace them are still too small to offer refuge. – Ed.]

Newspaper Editor’s Departure Is Troubling – U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 22, 2008

[A U.S. News columnist worries about what O’Shea’s firing means, but believes newspapers can weather their current crises. -Ed.]

Recovering Journalist: Another One Bites the Dust
[Mark Potts makes some good points about what’s wrong with traditional newspaper-think and why the industry needs to look outside for leadership. -Ed.]

‘Miami Herald’ Won’t Outsource Editorial After All – Editor & Publisher, Jan. 15, 2008
[The controversial experiment is abandoned over quality concerns. Outsourcing of some production and website monitoring will continue. -Ed.]

The times are changing, and so is your newspaper – sacbee.com, Jan. 13, 2008
[The new editor of the Sacramento Bee makes it clear in her inaugural column that online is where it’s at. -Ed.]

Goldman Sachs Predicts Grim Year For Newspapers – MediaPost, Jan. 10, 2008
Quoting: Newspapers will take it on the chin in 2008, according to analysts with Goldman Sachs, who warned Wednesday of a potential double-whammy, as the industry’s secular downturn converges with a broader economic slowdown. Overall, they forecast a 7.9% decline in revenue, a much more substantial drop than their earlier prediction of just 2.6%. The predicted 7.9% drop is especially gloomy as it comes after several years of losses, compounding a 1.8% decline in 2006 and a roughly 8% drop in the first three quarters of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006."

Bostonian To Blaze New Trail at Edmonton Journal? – Canada Rocks, eh!, Jan. 19, 2008
[An embittered former reporter details the cost-slashing that’s gone on at the newspaper where he used to work and wonders how an optimistic new publisher can make a difference in a company that he believes is bent on cutting costs to a minimum. -Ed.]

‘Chicago Tribune’ Eliminates Print Help-Wanted Ads On Weekdays – Editor & Publisher, Jan. 14, 2008 
Quoting: "Instead, there will be a listing of basic information in the business section every Tuesday. The listing, called ‘Careerbuilder QuickFind,’ will refer readers to the full recruitment ad on chicagotribune.com/careerbuilder through a Web ID…Print help-wanted classified will continue to run in the Sunday paper under Careerbuilder section title, but the Tribune said the section will have ‘a bold new look with fewer columns, larger ads, and clear headings that enable easier page scanning and navigation.’

Dramatic Losses Force Union-Tribune to Lay Off Employees – voiceofsandiego.org, Jan. 16, 2008
[The paper, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2006, has cut about 15% of its newsroom employees in the last three years as Sunday circulation has plummeted 19%. Owner Copley Press’s Washington, D.C. office has been cut in half. Copley CEO Gene Bell wrote in a memo: “[A]ll communications media now face destructive competitive forces seldom seen before…never in our history have we faced revenue losses as dramatic as those of the last 12 months.” -Ed.]

Beaver County newspaper announces employee layoffs – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Jan. 15, 2008
The Beaver County Times in Bridgewater announced Monday that it has laid off 10 full-time and 11 part-time employees in what it calls an effort to eliminate duplication of duties and to streamline production.

[Newport News] Daily Press to cut 14 jobs — dailypress.com, Jan. 14, 2008
[The Newport News paper has cut nearly 100 jobs in recent years as circulation has shrunk 20% since 1995. -Ed.]

Post-Tribune workers face layoffs – NWITimes, Jan. 12, 2008
[The northern Indiana newspaper is cutting 20 positions as part of the broad cost-reduction initiative by parent Sun-Times Media Group. – Ed.]

Allentown, Seattle newspapers will cut jobs – Reuters, Jan. 9, 2008
[I’ve already noted the cuts at the Seattle Times. The new information is about the loss of 10 positions at the Morning Call in Allentown, Pa. This appears to be less than 5% of total staff. -Ed.]

Editorial Cartoon Group Prez Hits Huge Payout to Former Tribune Co. Boss — And Delivers ‘Top 10’ List – Editor & Publisher, Jan. 5, 2008

[News that former Tribune Co. executive Dennis FitzSimons had received a $41 million golden parachute prompted one Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist to express outrage that the payout was so low. Nick Anderson then proposed the “Top 10 ways that Dennis FitzSimons can get a bigger payoff.” They include “Remaining staffers at Tribune papers sell a kidney to go the extra mile for Fitz.” – Ed.]

Back to the chopping block – Reflections of a Newsosaur, Jan. 13, 2008

[Alan Mutter isn’t optimistic about the economy in 2008, and he sees terrible implications for newspapers. If newspaper revenues decline 7.9%, as one analyst has forecast, instead of the generally accepted 5%, then the cost
cuts needed to sustain profitability would amount to 15% of total newspaper payroll. And that’s not all. Debt service costs could increase and papers could be required to make deeper staff cuts to balance increases in insurance and other expenses. Unless the economy rallies, it’s looking like an ugly year. – Ed.]

The Cincinnati Enquirer Expands Coverage and Grows Online Video Presence with Avid Media Publishing Solutions – Business Wire, Jan. 8, 2008

[This press release notes that the Enquirer “has a team of 40 video producers and online editors trained to generate news stories with video elements – up from eight this time last year.” The newspaper, perhaps emboldened by the recent death of the Cincinnati Post, appears to be making some significant investments in multimedia coverage. -Ed.]

Media Biz: Dead trees, dead stocks, dead cat bounce? – CNN Money, Jan. 7, 2008

[A columnist sees another tough year for newspapers, with pressure growing for some companies to go private. But there are bright spots at companies like the Washington Post, which is diversifying and growing revenue. More papers should follow the Post’s lead, he says. -Ed.]

Newspapers:
Hitting The Coffin Nail on the Head – Seeking Alpha

[Noting that the internet is “not built on big. It’s built on a mass of smalls. And newspapers think big. That’s their real challenge,” Jeff Jarvis suggests that newspapers brought their current crisis on themselves by focusing their sales efforts on $100,000 advertisers and ignoring the mass of $100 advertisers. He suggests that the only way out of this predicament – if there is one – is to spin off sales units to go after small customers. It’s wise advice, but can newspapers make the attitude shift to embrace the Long Tail? Doubtful. – Ed.]