Updated 14/03/09 re Lacombe Globe publisher's name
It has been a busy week for Sun Media layoffs.
A TSF reader says another eight Sun Media layoffs were announced Thursday night at a meeting at the Belleville Intelligencer.
It has been a busy week for Sun Media layoffs.
A TSF reader says another eight Sun Media layoffs were announced Thursday night at a meeting at the Belleville Intelligencer.
The reader says the layoffs are spread across the Sun Media Quinte Newspaper group, which includes the Community Press, Trenton Trentonian, County Weekly News and Shopper's Market.
That same group of newspapers lost eight employees on Black Tuesday in December.
That same group of newspapers lost eight employees on Black Tuesday in December.
Meanwhile, five more Alberta newspapers have had layoffs in administration and circulation departments this week, says a TSF reader.
No numbers or names, but the reader says the layoffs were former Bowes newspapers: The Edson Leader, Hinton Parklander, Grove Examiner/Stony Plain Reporter, Camrose Canadian, Lacombe Globe and Sherwood Park News.
Says a TSF reader: Gone are a sales assistant and a reporter the Sherwood Park News.; a front office employee in Morinville will be working part-time for the next few weeks at Fort Saskatchewan and the lone editorial staffer is being transferred to Fort Saskatchewan to replace one who is leaving for a (and I quote the reporter) "a more secure gig."
Another reader writes: "The publisher in Beaumont and Devon is gone, George Brown. Publisher for Lacombe (Ron Buck), he is gone. He hasn't been there long. Publisher for Canmore/Banff is gone, Brian Bentt. (22 years). They are getting Craig Martin's nephew to oversee Airdrie, Cochrane, Banff and Canmore. In Morinville, four inserters, two sales staffers were let go. There were layoffs in Camrose, Westaskiwin and Leduc."
Jobs here, jobs there. Just how many jobs have been trimmed since Quebecor bought Sun Media in 1999 and Osprey Media in 2007?
Are there any loose-lipped master Quebecor Media payroll employees out there?
Says a TSF reader: Gone are a sales assistant and a reporter the Sherwood Park News.; a front office employee in Morinville will be working part-time for the next few weeks at Fort Saskatchewan and the lone editorial staffer is being transferred to Fort Saskatchewan to replace one who is leaving for a (and I quote the reporter) "a more secure gig."
Another reader writes: "The publisher in Beaumont and Devon is gone, George Brown. Publisher for Lacombe (Ron Buck), he is gone. He hasn't been there long. Publisher for Canmore/Banff is gone, Brian Bentt. (22 years). They are getting Craig Martin's nephew to oversee Airdrie, Cochrane, Banff and Canmore. In Morinville, four inserters, two sales staffers were let go. There were layoffs in Camrose, Westaskiwin and Leduc."
Jobs here, jobs there. Just how many jobs have been trimmed since Quebecor bought Sun Media in 1999 and Osprey Media in 2007?
Are there any loose-lipped master Quebecor Media payroll employees out there?
Your old friend - layoffs are true.
ReplyDeleteI feel horrible, I'm an editor about to bump a reporter.
I don't wanna do it, but I have bills to pay too.
Apparently, Sun Media is about to do all desk duties in Barrie ... seriously ... every page of every Sun Media paper.
All desk editors are gone.
The Edson Leader, Hinton Parklander, Spruce Grove Examiner/Stony Plain Report, Camrose Canadian and Lacombe Globe are not former Osprey Media papers - the are former Bowes papers.
ReplyDeleteNone of those papers you mention have ever been Osprey, all are former Bowes newspapers.
ReplyDeleteAs a reporter that is still around...one Alberta paper was missed...One sales assistant and one reporter were also let go at the Sherwood Park News. As for Morinville, one front office staffer will be working part-time for the next few weeks at Fort Saskatchewan, while Morinville's lone editorial staffer is being transfered to Fort Saskatchewan to replace one who is leaving for a (and I quote the reporter) "a more secure gig."
ReplyDeleteThe publisher in Beaumont and Devon is gone, George Brown. Publisher for Lacombe don't know his name, he is gone. He hasn't been there long.
ReplyDeletePublisher for Canmore/Banff is gone, Brian Bentt. (22 years). They are getting Craig Martins nephew to over see Airdrie, Cochrane, Banff and Canmore.
In Morinville, 4 inserters, 2 sales staffers were let go.
There was layoffs in Camrose Westaskiwin and Leduc.
Too bad about Brian Bentt. Good guy, young family. Was in same group as him at one point.
ReplyDeleteThe quality is gone. Small town papers were about people ... they've cut so far we're losing limbs.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Brown is the current board's president of the provincial association, and on the CCNA board as well. In the business for over 20 years. Just won another international editorial award last year. What sort of product do you end up with when you throw away the people who actually care about the product?
ReplyDeleteLacombe Globe publisher's name is Ron Buck
ReplyDeleteBoth Morinville and Redwater papers were totally closed last week as was the Jasper paper. Eight employees gone in Morinville.
ReplyDeleteThe carnage is sickening and the business plan is nothing short of pure ignorance of the community newspaper business at every level from the top down.
Has no one in western management the guts to stand up for what is right? They bow to PKP, oblivious to the effects they are having on communities that supported them through good times and bad for decades.
My heart bleeds for my old friends and employees.
D. J. Sinclair
Former COO
Bowes Publsihers
RE: Intelligencer cuts
ReplyDeleteThe layoff are indeed true -- buyouts have been offered but no details, those are coming this week, if at all.
Eventually, all layout will be done in Barrie, ads done in Woodstock
Publisher John Knowles noted a third layout centre would be opening in Southwestern Ont.
Your local newspaper has become a wraparound for centralized data
And government is mistrusted?
In regards to layout being done in Ontario....does that include Alberta bi-weekly papers? I'm an editor feeling quite concerned and in the dark in the wild west.
ReplyDelete