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The day after the axe fell at the U-T last Wednesday, the new management had meetings with employees. Among many things, the management said it will continue to print the paper at the Mission Valley headquarters. There had been speculation that it would try to sell the building at some point. (The commercial real estate market is extremely weak.) Now, the plan is to rent the 1st, 4th, and 5th floors and have the employees on the 2nd and 3rd. Management conceded that the U-T was losing a lot of money under the old Copley regime, and revenues were shrinking rapidly. In a note to her staff, Karin Winner, editor, said the new management wants "to restore the financial stability of this company."
The number of employee furlough days has been cut in half and the 401(k) match has been restored.
The company is effectively throwing in the towel on classified advertising, according to one report. (Craigslist has taken that business from metro dailies.) The U-T will initiate "micro-zoning" so small businesses can advertise efficiently. Editorially, the paper will feature local coverage, often in shorter stories. An initiative introduced last month will bring "hyper-local coverage" to targeted communities. The new U-T will launch cooperative programs with other media in the community, employees were told. However, management says it is "committed to the newspaper business."
In her letter, Winner told staffers that "You are the best in this region at your craft." She announced some new positions. There will be three managing editors: Lora Cicalo will handle news; Robert York visuals ad video, along with sports and entertainment; and Bill Osborne will continue to run the editorial department and will also handle some administration.
One question went unanswered: who will be the voice of the U-T? The job had fallen by default to editorial writer Bob Kittle, because Winner and David Copley fear public speaking. But Kittle was fired.
The day after the axe fell at the U-T last Wednesday, the new management had meetings with employees. Among many things, the management said it will continue to print the paper at the Mission Valley headquarters. There had been speculation that it would try to sell the building at some point. (The commercial real estate market is extremely weak.) Now, the plan is to rent the 1st, 4th, and 5th floors and have the employees on the 2nd and 3rd. Management conceded that the U-T was losing a lot of money under the old Copley regime, and revenues were shrinking rapidly. In a note to her staff, Karin Winner, editor, said the new management wants "to restore the financial stability of this company."
The number of employee furlough days has been cut in half and the 401(k) match has been restored.
The company is effectively throwing in the towel on classified advertising, according to one report. (Craigslist has taken that business from metro dailies.) The U-T will initiate "micro-zoning" so small businesses can advertise efficiently. Editorially, the paper will feature local coverage, often in shorter stories. An initiative introduced last month will bring "hyper-local coverage" to targeted communities. The new U-T will launch cooperative programs with other media in the community, employees were told. However, management says it is "committed to the newspaper business."
In her letter, Winner told staffers that "You are the best in this region at your craft." She announced some new positions. There will be three managing editors: Lora Cicalo will handle news; Robert York visuals ad video, along with sports and entertainment; and Bill Osborne will continue to run the editorial department and will also handle some administration.
One question went unanswered: who will be the voice of the U-T? The job had fallen by default to editorial writer Bob Kittle, because Winner and David Copley fear public speaking. But Kittle was fired.