UPDATED: 112 Layoffs Coming at San Diego 'Union-Tribune'

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By: E&P Staff The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that 112 jobs are being cut at the newspaper, the second round of major layoffs since an ownership change in May.

Wednesday's cuts follow the elimination of 192 positions three months ago, when Beverly Hills-based investment firm Platinum Equity bought the city's dominant newspaper from longtime owner The Copley Press.

The newspaper did not say how many positions it currently has. In May, it said the round of layoffs announced then would leave the newspaper with 850 employees.

The newspaper says it is focusing more on local community news and launching what it calls a ''micro-zoning'' initiative for small businesses to advertise at lower rates.

EARLIER:

The San Diego Union-Tribune announced Wednesday that it is eliminating an unspecified number of jobs, as well as introducing a series of editorial and advertising initiatives designed to put the paper back on firm footing.

The independent online newspaper Voice of San Diego reported that Union-Tribune Editorial Page Editor Bob Kittle and Opinion Page Editor Bernie Jones were among those let go, though the Union-Tribune would not confirm any specific layoffs. The announcement comes three months after the Union-Tribune's new owner, Platinum Equity cut 192 jobs.

In addition to announcing the layoffs, the paper announced that it was undertaking several new editorial projects, such as increasing story count in the print edition, and a redesign of its Web site, SignOnSanDiego.com. The paper promised that the new site would feature more use of social networking tools and an expansion of the paper's mobile Web site.

Also, the Union-Tribune pledged to provide more local coverage of "targeted communities," would invest in a new pagination publishing system that it says will streamline the production process, and offer new programs for advertisers that would allow small businesses to advertise at reduced, localized rates.

These initiatives, taken as a whole, strike a balance between our short-term economic reality and our long-term aspirations for growth and reinvention of our product,? Union-Tribune Publisher Ed Moss said in a statement.

The paper also announced that it would partially reverse a series of pay cuts for remaining employees, which were implemented in February.

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