Prominent Atlanta Paper Makes Dramatic Cuts
Another troubling look at the Newspaper industry. As the new world of mostly free and more expansive as well as interactive and cross medium terrain of the Internet, combined with 24 hour cable news, traditional TV newscast, and radio; it appears both consumers and advertisers are looking away from the pages of newspapers.
ATLANTA (AP) – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is cutting its staff by nearly 200 jobs and eliminating some targeted news sections.
Publisher John Mellott said Wednesday the moves are a cost-cutting effort in the face of dwindling advertising revenues and steadily increasing fuel and newsprint costs. Mellott said the job cuts will be mainly in news and advertising departments between August and October through voluntary buyouts and layoffs.
The cuts represent about 8% of the 2,300-member staff.
It’s the second downsizing in two years at Georgia’s largest newspaper. In February 2007, the Journal-Constitution announced it was offering contract buyouts to 80 newsroom employees and reducing its circulation area.
Also sadly for people who love newspapers, surveys have shown that the older you are the more inclined you are to be a regular reader of and or subscriber to newspapers. Well the younger you are the less likely you are. So advertisers, newspapers, and staff in this increasingly conglomerated and ologopolized field are seeing a dimming future for newspapers on the horizon.
However, as I have said before I wouldn’t totally count out newspapers. In the past rather it has been newspapers, books, magazines, radio, movies, television, video cassettes, DVD, or computer; forms of media have never really completely gone extinct, they have just changed formed and adapted to the situation by finding a new niche in the media and or news media world.
