Starting in March, the Tampa Bay Times will transfer its printing, packaging and trucking operation to the Gannett company’s plant in Lakeland. The change comes as the Times continues to navigate the coronavirus pandemic amid declining advertising sales and persistent weakness in the global economy.
Outsourcing the printing of its flagship newspaper and affiliate publications also will result in the closure and eventual sale of the Times’ printing plant on 34th Street N in St. Petersburg and the loss of jobs for 150 employees. Staffers who remain will take a temporary 10 percent pay cut as the company makes the transition.
The Times joins a long list of newspapers around the country that have consolidated printing efforts to improve efficiencies and lower costs while continuing to produce strong journalism.
“This is a hard decision, but it helps position the Times for the future as a vibrant news company in a media landscape that is increasingly digital,” Chairman and CEO Paul Tash said.
Aside from a slightly more narrow page, readers will see little change in the printed product. Home delivery subscribers and retail locations will continue to receive their papers on Wednesdays and Sundays delivered by Times staffers and independent contractors.
In April, the Times reduced its print schedule to twice-a-week in response to steep declines in advertising due to the coronavirus pandemic. Concurrently, the company expanded its e-Newspaper, published electronically every day, and website, tampabay.com. Since then, digital subscriptions and traffic to tampabay.com are growing steadily.
“Thousands of readers, even some who were leery of it, have discovered the advantages of the e-Newspaper,” Tash said. “It seems unlikely that we will return to printing the paper seven days a week, but our commitment to news has increased. We are relying on electronic delivery, and we can give our readers more news.”
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