BJ layoffs reported on business front

Announcement of the layoff of one-fourth of its staff was made to the public in a Gloria Irwin story on the business front todaiy.

The headline:

Beacon to cut its news staffing
Dropping profits spur new owner to lay off quarter of newsroom


Irwin’s lead graphs said:

About one-quarter of the newsroom employees at the Akron Beacon Journal will lose their jobs within the next two months.

``It's a very sad day for the Beacon Journal,'' new publisher Edward R. Moss said Tuesday in announcing 39 layoffs, which he said are necessary to align costs with revenue.

The moves are part of a companywide restructuring that will result in additional job reductions, Moss said.

It was only the second time in the newspaper's 167-year history that there have been layoffs in the newsroom.

The last graph hints that the coverage of its traditional five-county area might be slashed also.

The restructured newspaper's efforts will focus on Summit County, its core market, said Managing Editor Mizell Stewart III.

Reuters reported the layoffs in seven graphs quoting a new Beacon Journal spokeswoman.

"The newspaper is profitable, but profits have been steadily declining and they've got to realign," said spokeswoman Rita Kelly Madick.

Click on the headline to read all of Irwin’s story or click here or Google to read the Reuters story.