Up to 20 editorial jobs are under threat across four daily and Sunday sister titles.
The Glasgow-based Herald & Times group has announced it is looking to makes cuts, with between 18 and 20 roles affected.
A voluntary redundancy programme has been opened to staff at its titles – The Herald, Sunday Herald, Evening Times and The National.
The company has blamed “substantial weakness” in newspaper advertising revenue for the move.
In April, five long-standing journalists left the Newsquest-owned group in a similar scheme.
Last year a voluntary redundancy scheme was also opened up to all 160 staff at the group’s titles, with around a dozen jobs put at risk.
The move was part of Newsquest’s continued drive to relocate subbing operations to Newport, South Wales.
A statement on the latest round of redundancies has been issued on behalf of group managing editor Tom Thomson.
It reads: “The Herald & Times Group said it is making savings in its editorial department following substantial weakness in newspaper advertising revenue and anticipating continued income challenges ahead.
“The company continues to make good digital progress but has to contain costs to ensure the long-term success of the business.
“The company has advised staff that some 18 to 20 roles are affected and has opened a voluntary redundancy programme.
“The group said it regrets the action is needed but it is determined to maintain the most competitive editorial operation it can based on a cost base it can sustain.”
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Sincerely hope it stays voluntary. Good luck to anyone who has a viable employment alternative, so can afford to take advantage of the redundancy offer. But I sympathise with those who remain and will be expected to somehow do the work of those who have left. I suspect the suits at the top won’t see any increase in their workload though…
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Up top 20 editorial jobs at risk… And how many senior suits’ roles are going, given they contribute nothing in terms of specific skills to news production? Ah, yes, of course. As you were then. My sympathies to all affected.
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Suspect this model will be rolled-out across other Newsquest divisions in preparation for armageddon… Err, I mean the imminent merger with JP. Good luck.
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What a surprise, ad revenues failing so editorial jobs must go! Just when will the cheap suites be held accountable and responsible for their under performance and face the consequences? Yet again people who are directly involved in the poor revenue performances manage to skip the noose while those unconnected and powerjess to influence ad revenues must carry the can.
It’s no different to making ad reps redundant for badly written editorial.
Will boards ever cut out the deadwood from the ad department and thus make substantial cost savings as a result with little or no adverse impact upon the business ,or like at Archant just turn the other cheek and let those who are failing in their jobs seemingly untouchable when it comes to accountability continue while journalists take the cuts
Farcical and wrong
All good wishes to those ultimately affected by this weak managerial stance.
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who’s going to be left to actually write the news?
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Anyone who’s set foot in the Glasgow newsroom of late will be wondering just how they’re going to achieve 20 voluntary redundancies at all. There can’t be much more than a few dozen staff journos left on the payroll across all the titles these days as it is.
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“The group said it regrets the action is needed but it is determined to maintain the most competitive editorial operation it can based on a cost base it can sustain.”
Falling circulations, ad revenue in constant decline and no real empirical evidence of on-line riding to the rescue any time soon, one is tempted to ask what kind of an editorial operation based on such a declining revenue base can Newsquest’s determination alone maintain?
I suspect not one robust enough to support the kind of returns that shareholders still demand.
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Newsquest and JP. Now there’s an unholy alliance, given their track record for skeleton staffing. Hope things work out for those left behind and trying to make a living. They could get suits like group editors to actual do some hands on (as in fingers on keyboard) work actually editing instead of waffling at meetings.
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on the sidelines: I asked a suit to do exactly that at a moment of crisis, a request causing a mixture of panic and incredulity as actually doing anything creative or constructive is way out of their comfort zone. They retired to an office to stare at spread-sheets, a vital part of the operation (it must be because plenty do).
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If any strong board was serious about cost cutting, cost savings and effective working practices to help turn their business around they would employ a specialist firm of external business auditors to come in and analyse what every member of staff does to fully determine who are the ones contributing or adding to the business and identifying those sat in Offices, attending meetings or pushing paper all day usually carrying a high salary and incentive package, and which are the biggest drains on a company’s profitability.
Self employed and small businessmen cannot afford to and don’t carry any deadwood or surplus staff, everyone has a job to do which drives their business forward if they’re not contributing and not necessary they go to protect the long term future of those that remain.
It’s apparent in regional press such as JP, news quest and Archant that those taking the decisions are the ones who are generally contributing little or nothing productive and until a board or the shareholders demand such action it will be the same old story time and again whilst once thriving regional press businesses wither and die.
Like anything that’s ailing,cutting out the deadwood leaves the rest of the core healthier but until those who are only interested in feathering their own nests are removed sadly, nothing will change.
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Having worked for 25-odd years in newspapers, presently “resting” and searching for a job, I’ve all but given up on the print sector. The future is obviously in churning out PR guff to fill the spaces on the pages where “news” papers used to put news. Readers are too stupid to notice the difference and will carry on paying for their papers. Oh, hold on, I’ve just noticed something about circulation figures… Mustn’t mention to the advertisers that people have stopped paying for those PR vehicles…
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Dick minim. One manager had a flunkie to run video as he was technically useless. He also had no idea how systems worked!
Still working (waffling).
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