By: The Blade is laying off 25 workers due to declining ad revenue and the newspaper's ties to the auto industry, Assistant Managing Editor LuAnn Sharp said Wednesday.
Most of the layoffs will be in the newsroom, Sharp said. Seven of the employees work part time. After the layoffs, The Blade will employ 425 companywide.
Newspapers around the country have been making cuts as they lose readers to the Internet. Tribune Co., which owns the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, filed for bankruptcy protection this week.
As Detroit's Big Three struggles, the paper takes a "double hit," Sharp said. Auto dealers provide a large portion of the paper's ad revenue, and many living in the area are employed by the industry or companies that support it. Their spending has gone down as the automakers seek about $15 billion in loans to prevent massive job losses and the industry's collapse.
Sharp said layoff decisions were made during a meeting with the Toledo Newspaper Guild. A message seeking comment was left for union president Lillian Covarrubias.
The Blade in May ended a nine-month lockout of about a third of its union workers during contract negotiations. Dozens of employees were cut through buyouts and layoffs.
The Blade is owned by Block Communications Inc. and has a weekday circulation of about 115,000.
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