More reporters have been axed from the Journal Star:
Publisher Ken Mauser said, “The layoffs were made in an effort to adapt to the changing nature of the newspaper business.” [...]
“Like many companies operating in today’s business environment, change will be inevitable and necessary to position our business for the future,” Mauser said.
Oops, that was Mauser’s quote from January 22, 2009. I meant to say:
We are equally sure that you recognize the value of the news and information, entertainment and many saving values found in the Journal Star everyday.
Oh, no. That’s not right either. That’s from the letter where they raised their rates in August 2008. They raised them again in October 2009.
The Journal Star on Friday announced the reduction of its staffing level by 11 positions. [...] The reductions were necessitated to keep the Journal Star’s cost structure in line with the current economic environment of the newspaper industry which is affected by the general economic conditions across the nation, according to Publisher Ken Mauser.
Billy Dennis provides us with the names of three of the employees who got pink slips: Sports editor Bill Liesse, Statehouse bureau reporter Adriana Colindres, and State editor Lisa Coon.
Right before Christmas. Right after they raised the subscription rates twice in a little over a year. Just eleven months after the last round of layoffs.
The value of the Journal Star keeps going down, down, down. What a shame for readers. Worse, what a shame for those laid off and their families.
C.J. love the logo.
The PJStar is obviously being looted by its corporate owners to pay off debts incurred elsewhere. The newspaper remains profitable, but that means little to GateHouse except as a cash cow to service its debts and high executive salaries.
That said, it remains indispensable reading for anyone who wants comprehensive coverage of the Peoria area. True the coverage has been diminished but it’s still sort of there, with no real competition. It’s a monopoly, so can raise its prices at will. Whatever happened to anti-trust laws?
To Lisa and the others — condolences. If I could survive without the PJS on my doorstep every morning I would cancel my subscription in protest.
And to those who think they can get it all on the website, you are wrong. There’s still lots in the paper that never makes it to the web.
So what’s to be done about the PJStar? I’m baffled. But its staff can only be cut so far and it won’t have enough content to justify its high prices.
What content dosnt make it to the web? Most of the PJStar is not worth reading anyway. Previously we had the paper delivered everyday but I quickly realized that I could read it in about 5 min and that anything of importance was available online for free. It is to bad for the employees losing their jobs but hey the paper business is dying everywhere so Im not really that shocked about it.
They wont have enough content to justify its high prices??????? You can buy a Washington Post for 35 cents. The paper is the size of a book and takes hours to read. The PJStar is 1 dollar on the weekdays 2.00 on weekends and it is painfully thin sometimes humourously thin. The PJStar is a joke.
( March 2009)The Washington Post will lose “substantial money” this year after an “embarrassing” 2008, Chief Executive Officer Donald Graham said in a letter to shareholders released yesterday.
April 2009)We are pleased that, despite a newsstand price increase from 50 cents to 75 cents in January, we have been able to minimize circulation loss and maintain our unparalleled penetration of greater Washington,” said Post president Steven Hills.
Guess things aren’t so rosy in D.C. either
Ummmm yeah still proving my point that for 25 cents less you can get The Washington Post whereas in Peoria you can get a small pamphlet with local news on the front page for a dollar.
[...] rates were raised in October, and just last month the paper laid off 11 employees including Sports editor Bill Liesse, Statehouse bureau reporter Adriana Colindres, and State editor [...]