By: (AP)
The Kansas City Star will cut 125 jobs as part of a wave of layoffs that has been spreading among the country's newspapers.
Publisher Arthur Brisbane said in a memo to employees Tuesday that the paper hopes to make the cuts through buyouts and early retirements, "but we cannot promise there will be no layoffs." He said the paper hopes to announce a voluntary buyout program by mid-May.
The cuts will affect 6.7% of the 1,869 employees at
The Star and
Star-owned newspapers in Kansas City, Olathe, Harrisonville, Lee's Summit and Belton. The layoffs follow profit mandates from
Star parent Knight Ridder.
"This will be a difficult period for all of us, but I believe our highly experienced and committed employees will help us navigate through it," Brisbane wrote.
Knight Ridder, the nation's second-largest newspaper company with 32 dailies, said last week it would cut jobs at most of its newspapers because of declining advertising revenue and rising newsprint costs.
The company reported a 19.9% decline in operating profits in the first quarter. For the last quarter of 2000, it had a 20.8% operating margin.
Brisbane said details of the changes at
The Star had not been worked out yet. "We're working through the various functions and departments ... and when we're able to complete that, we'll have a clearer idea of where the reductions will happen," he said.
Brisbane said the reductions would be shaped by two objectives: "One is to sustain the quality of the newspapers, and the other is to do right by our employees."
Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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