Topic: Memos Sent to Romenesko
Date/Time: 11/25/2008 9:05:48 AM
Title: Express-News to outsource more work
Posted By: Jim Romenesko
Memo to San Antonio Express-News employees
From: Rivard, Robert
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 11:40 AM
To: SAEN Editorial
Cc: Stephenson, Tom
Subject: buyouts
Colleagues:
Brett tells me there are newsroom rumors of layoffs today. Not so. The
big in-house headline probably will be the winners of the chili cook-off. We've promised to share information with you as soon as we can, and there is not much to actually share beyond what we had to say last week to the editorial leadership.
I am returning from NY after a meeting with other editors at the Hearst Tower at which we discussed the state of our industry and various cost-cutting measures, including the coming consolidation project and our staff reductions. Today is, I believe, the last official day for opting in to the voluntary buyout program at the Express-News. Nothing on that front is actually happening today. I will meet with Tom Stephenson and others in the leadership next week to review the tally of requested buyouts, and assess the difference between the number of requested buyouts and Tom's stated goal of a companywide 50 FTE reduction. I also will schedule meetings with newsroom staff that will be affected by the consolidation project.
Right now we are producing Travel in Houston and we will produce Taste
there by late December or early January. We expect to produce at least
one of our seven daily SA Life sections in Houston by midyear. That
date, of course, could change, but you can see from the projected pace
of this project that nothing much is imminent here. There will be some
new job openings for copy editors and page designers in Houston at
some point, we believe, but I can't project when those job postings
might occur.
Thank you for all your good work and dedication through these most
difficult times.
Bob
