Gannett Cuts Hit Cincy, Louisville, Phoenix -- 165 Jobs Gone

By: E&P Staff and The Associated Press Enquirer Media in Cincinnati, which includes The Cincinnati Enquirer in print and online and other publications, has eliminated 101 positions.

Publisher Margaret Buchanan said in an open letter to readers Friday that the cutbacks were part of a companywide tightening of the workforce by the parent Gannett Co., which publishes USA Today and 85 other daily newspapers.

Layoff notices were given to employees, including several in the Enquirer newsroom, on Wednesday and Thursday. The newspaper has an average circulation of about 193,300 on weekdays and 272,700 on Sundays.

Gannett said last week it would eliminate about 1,400 jobs, or 3 percent of its workforce. Publishers nationwide have been making similar cuts amid the struggling economy.

At least 20 staffers have been laid off at The Arizona Republic as part of further cutbacks by Gannett.

According to the Phoenix Business Journal, designers, feature writers, copy editors, and business and community reporters were among the latest newsroom staffers cut. A staff meeting was scheduled Thursday afternoon to officially inform employees of the changes and address the paper's future.

In all, Gannett is eliminating approximately 1,400 positions across its newspaper division. On Wednesday, it was announced that The Cincinnati Enquirer had eliminated 100 jobs, including editorial page editor David Wells, columnist Peter Bronson, and the entire staff of its arts-and-entertainment tabloid CinWeekly.

The publisher of The Courier-Journal says the newspaper has eliminated 44 jobs, or 7 percent of its work force.

Arnold Garson, president and publisher of the Louisville-based newspaper, said Thursday on the newspaper's Web site there "were no easy decisions left to be made" in looking for more ways cut back.

The layoffs were the second round at The Courier-Journal and Gannett since late last year.

The newspaper laid off 51 employees, including 17 who volunteered for a severance package, in December as part of a cutback among Gannett's local newspapers.