Entire New Orleans Times-Picayune staff axed after sale to The Advocate (1 Viewer)

[camelphace]

The Newhouse family sold the 182-year-old daily The Times-Picayune and its website, nola.com, to a scrappy New Orleans competitor, and the entire staff is being laid off. That has stirred worries across the other papers in the family’s Advance Publications empire.
A total of 161 staff members are being laid off, according to a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) notice filed with the Louisiana Workforce Commission, which listed 65 reporter and editor jobs in the bloodbath.

Wow.

https://nypost.com/2019/05/03/entire-new-orleans-times-picayune-staff-axed-after-sale-to-competitor/

 

[insidejob]

Well, this is the complete opposite move that I heard Georges saying was going to happen last week when being interviewed about the two becoming one.

Pretty shrewd move. At least Duncan's now unemployed!

 

[dutar76]

Possible that some will be re-hired once the smoke clears?

 

[insidejob]

Possible that some will be re-hired once the smoke clears?

Maybe, but they did just spend years building their own New Orleans newspaper, so they already have people covering all the beats of these fired reporters. Georges was saying, though, that it'd be nice now to have reporters from both papers working for the Advocate so journalists who are specialists on the school board can go back to covering the school board exclusively instead of having to cover something else in the afternoon because they're understaffed. Guess he changed his mind, or is going to hire back the cream of the crop - please, God, I hope they don't consider Duncan cream.

 

[XLR8]

Here is what the old TP building looks like now.

 

[Mardiboys]

My understanding is that an out-of-state owner sold the TP to a local owner. If true, that's great news.

While it may stink for the newspaper staff, it reminds me of Blockbuster Video where you kind of had to see it coming with the steady decline.

 

[You]

There’s bound to be some rehiring. I would expect less than 50% since times pic only really represented the new orleans market and the Advocate has that covered.

It’s a shame though and my heart goes out to those affected

 

[Bill]

My understanding is that an out-of-state owner sold the TP to a local owner. If true, that's great news.

While it may stink for the newspaper staff, it reminds me of Blockbuster Video where you kind of had to see it coming with the steady decline.

Frankly, I don't know how any newspaper can make money in today's 'instant media' climate. I'm sure that there are a few businesses that benefit from using that specific printed form of advertising, but most of those companies focus on journals and magazines that cater specifically to the trade(s) they are involved in. I honestly can't remember the last time I browsed through a newspaper to get my news, and when I have read something that was printed in a newspaper, it was an article that I found on a newspaper's website.

If a newspaper can't cut the expense of producing their editions, they simply will not be able to make any sort of legitimate profit. And that's the bottom line.

 

[rsmith2783]

Why didn't they sell it to Benson when he wanted to buy the company?

 

[Krodwhodat]

Why didn't they sell it to Benson when he wanted to buy the company?

this is what i was coming to say. he had an amazing plan of putting the TP pack on the map and creating an amazing daily newspaper. sad to see papers disappearing...

 

[CRESS_137]

To those who didn’t deserve to be fired, I hope you land on your feet.
To the lazy-arse writer types like Duncan, good riddance.

 

[GeauxWhoDats]

I feel for the employees and I hope there is a rehire process but does this mean that the 15 year reign of unwanted newspapers will stop showing up in my driveway?

 

[Moon]

Speaking of Duncan, he’s gone completely silent on Twitter since this was announced (Saturday). Very unusual for him, wonder what he’s hearing about getting hired back...

 

[ndcc]

Sad commentary . Even if they have intentions of rehiring some of the former TP staff, it sort of rings hollow.

Somehow, I have visions of Oliver timidly walking up to ask for more gruel. (SMH)

 

[FLIPPY]

The Newhouse family sold the 182-year-old daily The Times-Picayune and its website, nola.com, to a scrappy New Orleans competitor, and the entire staff is being laid off. That has stirred worries across the other papers in the family’s Advance Publications empire.
A total of 161 staff members are being laid off, according to a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) notice filed with the Louisiana Workforce Commission, which listed 65 reporter and editor jobs in the bloodbath.

Wow.

https://nypost.com/2019/05/03/entire-new-orleans-times-picayune-staff-axed-after-sale-to-competitor/

The Times Picayune was a train wreck.. They needed to clean house and keep the ones worth keeping...

It was basically a WaPo copy and paste newspaper now anyway, and is a shell of its former self...

It's just too bad those idiots wouldn't sell it to Benson when he made an offer...