By: Joe Strupp The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C., is cutting 53 jobs, including 20 in the newsroom, according to a story on the paper's web site.
The story says the cuts come as "the company continues to contend with falling revenue." The reductions, which are expected to come mostly through buyouts, followed parent company McClatchy's recent announcement that some 1,150 jobs companywide would soon be lost.
"Among those departing are several staffers and columnists who have become the faces of The N&O for many readers," the story stated. "They include: Danny Hooley, whose TV column runs in Life, etc.; Grey Blackwell, an illustrator who pioneered online animations for newsobserver.com with spoofs of politicians and local sports celebrities; Vicki Lee Parker, who writes the Savvy Consumer column for the Work & Money section; Kinea White Epps, an education columnist; and Marcy Smith, who edits the book pages and writes the Notions craft column for Home & Garden."
The story added that the job reductions "are the third since May, as The N&O seeks to keep expenses in line with sinking ad sales. The newspaper also has trimmed the number of sections and pages it produces to save on newsprint, prompting readers and employees alike to question where the newspaper is headed."
"We are going to put out the very best newspaper in the state," Publisher Orage Quarles told his paper. "It's just not going to be as big. We're not lowering our expectations."
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