By: Ohio's largest newspaper today offered voluntary buyouts to most of its 370 non-union office workers -- representing nearly a third of The Plain Dealer's 1,200 employees.
The newspaper reported on its Web site that the move is part of an effort to reduce expenses as the industry struggles with advertising sale.
It follows an earlier buyout offer and comes a day after the newspaper raised its newsstand price from 50 cents to 75 cents.
The nearby Akron Beacon Journal is offering buyouts to all newsroom employees and early retirement packages to newsroom employees 55 and older. Other details of the offers were not released.
[The Plain Dealer reports: "Also on Tuesday, the Akron Beacon Journal rolled out a buyout and early retirement program designed to reduce its newsroom staffing by 20. It's offering up to 54 weeks of pay to those taking a buyout, based on years of service. 'We are doing this because of the economic downturn in our industry,' said Editor Bruce Winges. 'The Beacon Journal is no exception. We believe these packages are a generous alternative to layoffs.'"]
Other newspapers have made similar moves as they face declining revenues due to an economic slump and a continuing migration of advertising dollars online.
The Plain Dealer offered a buyout to all employees in 2006, and 64 newsroom employees left with severance packages. The Akron newspaper laid off 40 newsroom employees ? 25 percent of that staff ? and cut jobs in all of its divisions in 2006, citing a decline in revenue.
Plain Dealer President and Publisher Terry Egger sent letters Tuesday offering the buyout to newsroom managers and employees in advertising, circulation and other departments. He said the newspaper is not seeking any specific number of buyouts.
The Plain Dealer is owned by Advance Publications Inc. and has a daily circulation of about 345,000. The Beacon Journal, which has an average weekday circulation of about 134,000 and 173,000 on Sunday, is owned by Sound Publishing Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Canada's Black Press Ltd.
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