The shrinkage of newsrooms at Virginia’s commercial newspapers continues apace. Lee Enterprises, owners of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Daily Progress, and Roanoke Times, among other newspapers, have confirmed another round of layoffs.
The RTD has eliminated positions for a business reporter, a photojournalist, a multimedia content provider, and a sports producer. Meanwhile, Iowa-based Lee Enterprises has cut 10 copy editing and design jobs at the Roanoke Times as part of plan to centralize page design. And the Daily Progress has lost two news staff, including a digital content coordinator, reports Virginia Business.
Also, disclosed Virginia Business, the Daily Progress‘ four-person copy desk in Charlottesville will be laid off in October as part of Lee Enterprises’ centralization of copy editing functions. While those important functions will continue to be fulfilled, there is no way that out-of-state copy editors can replicate the local knowledge of home-based editors.
Once upon a time, there was hope that commercial newspapers might preserve their newsrooms by transitioning to digital medial platforms, that digital advertising might replace at least some print advertising. Notice who’s getting laid off: a multimedia content provider at the RTD and a digital content coordinator at the Daily Progress. Whatever those staffers are serving up in the way of digital content apparently is not paying for itself.
— JAB
