Postmedia to lay off 11 per cent of editorial staff: CP sources

TORONTO –

Newspaper writer Postmedia Network Corp. is shedding 11 per cent of its editorial workers, lower than every week after employees have been informed the corporate was grappling with “economic contraction,” sources inform The Canadian Press.

Postmedia, which owns publications together with the National Post, Vancouver Sun and Calgary Herald and employs about 650 journalists, introduced the layoffs at a city corridor Tuesday afternoon.

In an audio recording of the assembly obtained by CP, Gerry Nott, appearing senior vice-president of editorial content material, mentioned the cuts would influence all the firm’s publications except Brunswick News and Postmedia Editorial Services, which have already been downsized.

“There isn’t a property in our network that won’t be affected by a restructuring, reorganization or layoff,” he mentioned.

“And to be clear, this is about aligning our cost structure with our revenue stream against ongoing decline in our industry and strong economic headwinds leading up to this difficult decision on staff reduction.”

Postmedia didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the cuts.

The sources requested to not be recognized as they weren’t approved to publicly communicate on the matter or share recordings of the assembly.

The job cuts come days after the corporate warned workers in a memo that an unspecified variety of roles can be eradicated throughout Postmedia over the approaching months by means of hiring restrictions and layoffs.

At the identical time, it introduced it was transferring a dozen of its Alberta group newspapers to digital-only codecs, eyeing extra outsourcing offers for printing, shedding employees and promoting the house of the Calgary Herald.

The firm had additionally adjusted print deadlines in main markets, made modifications to its comics and puzzles and eradicated publishing papers on some days, Nott mentioned Tuesday.

“Had we not made those changes, the number of journalists affected by layoff would be considerably higher,” he mentioned.

Nott added that the corporate had but to determine particular jobs that might be lower and mentioned it’s attainable that administration positions might be affected at the next or disproportionate charge than non-management roles.

He anticipated to start having conversations with editors finishing up the reductions within the subsequent 24 hours and urged anybody feeling like they cannot be a part of the corporate’s future to speak to union, human assets or editorial representatives about voluntary layoff packages.

Nott additionally revealed the corporate was going to maneuver to distant work on a everlasting foundation, apart from markets like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, which he mentioned would return to the workplace.

He acknowledged the strikes would create a “difficult time,” however mentioned it was “vital” to discover a path by means of this “extremely turbulent stretch.”

Staff have been “totally demoralized and disillusioned” by Nott’s announcement, mentioned Martin O’Hanlon, president of CWA Canada, a union representing some Postmedia employees.

“I always think we’ve hit rock bottom, and then they always find a new bottom,” he mentioned. “I just don’t know how you can run a successful media company with this level of staffing.”

He added that the cuts solely make the battle towards disinformation and misinformation more durable, are dangerous for democracy and imply that “Postmedia is now treading water to survive.”

Newspaper conglomerates together with Postmedia have lengthy been scuffling with dwindling print subscriber numbers, the rise of massive tech firms which have eaten into media earnings and extra promoting transferring on-line from print.

“The unassailable truth is that the print audience is going away, it’s a demographic that’s not being replaced by another readership audience who consumes news in the same way,” mentioned Nott.

“It’s clear that our advertisers have moved from print to digital. It’s clear that in the digital space we’re up against some behemoth that make it very competitive and very difficult for us.”

In current years, Postmedia has coped by closing quite a few small-town newspapers, decreasing print manufacturing of a few of its titles and resorting to layoffs and voluntary buyouts to handle prices.

Asked whether or not the Montreal Gazette and even Postmedia will exist within the coming years, Nott mentioned, “I think there’s every reason for hope and that we will exist three to five years from now.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Jan. 24, 2023.