The sell-off of Sun Media newspaper buildings continues this month with Quebecor listing the Stratford Beacon Herald building last week.
"The property at the corner of Erie Street and Packham Road in the city's south end, officially went up for sale last week and several interested parties have already toured the facility," says a Beacon Harold story.
"The newspaper continues to thrive but it is no longer printed in Stratford, making the building far too large for what it requires. The building is over 30,000 square feet including a 5,000-square-foot warehouse for newsprint."
That means the newspaper, now being printed in Toronto, will see its employees downsized to a "smaller non-industrial location more suited to its current workforce."
"I think most of us are looking forward to the move and to a new location," said publisher Dave Carter. "There is a lot of empty space here right now and it will be nice to move to a location where we can all be a little closer together."
Smaller is cozier. Just ask what remains of Toronto Sun staff. They have been reduced from six floors to a section of the second floor, tenants in the building the Sun's early success built in 1975.
But Quebecor is doing just fine "in these challenging times for newspapers," Beacon Herald readers are told in the story.
The story notes Quebecor's news media segment "increased its operating profit by $14.5 million or 26.5 per cent compared with the fourth quarter of 2008."
It doesn't describe the carnage throughout Canada's largest newspaper chain that contributed to those profits. The trauma of job losses, the shredding of workplace benefits, the evaporation of morale and generally turning journalists into sweatshop workers.
"The property at the corner of Erie Street and Packham Road in the city's south end, officially went up for sale last week and several interested parties have already toured the facility," says a Beacon Harold story.
"The newspaper continues to thrive but it is no longer printed in Stratford, making the building far too large for what it requires. The building is over 30,000 square feet including a 5,000-square-foot warehouse for newsprint."
That means the newspaper, now being printed in Toronto, will see its employees downsized to a "smaller non-industrial location more suited to its current workforce."
"I think most of us are looking forward to the move and to a new location," said publisher Dave Carter. "There is a lot of empty space here right now and it will be nice to move to a location where we can all be a little closer together."
Smaller is cozier. Just ask what remains of Toronto Sun staff. They have been reduced from six floors to a section of the second floor, tenants in the building the Sun's early success built in 1975.
But Quebecor is doing just fine "in these challenging times for newspapers," Beacon Herald readers are told in the story.
The story notes Quebecor's news media segment "increased its operating profit by $14.5 million or 26.5 per cent compared with the fourth quarter of 2008."
It doesn't describe the carnage throughout Canada's largest newspaper chain that contributed to those profits. The trauma of job losses, the shredding of workplace benefits, the evaporation of morale and generally turning journalists into sweatshop workers.
..carnage to continue, too.
ReplyDeleteI keep my ear to the ground and eyes peeled for alternative work. If your initials arn't PKP, any safety you may feel is likely an illusion...
Im tired of hearing about the journalists, being under paid and over worked, try being in the front offices putting up with cust complaints, and being forced into doing circulation,classifieds, and reception. for a much lower wage, all for the sake of keeping our jobs! Suck it up and stop complaining
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