BJ cuts 27 non-news jobs

Just reported (4:30 p.m.) on Cleveland.com by PD reporter Mary Vanac, a former BJ reporter:

The Akron Beacon Journal today announced another 27 job cuts throughout the newspaper’s departments, except in the newsroom.

Non-newsroom departments, such as advertising, accounting, marketing and circulation, are affected by the latest round of cuts, which publisher Edward Moss said would be the final ones, for now.

“What we’re doing is making the moves we have to to make sure the company is healthy for the long haul for our employees and our community,” Moss said.

Both rounds of cuts were meant to position the paper for growth and to match expenses to revenue, Moss said. Like many newspapers, the Beacon Journal’s revenues have fallen by half in the last several years and are expected to fall again this year.

After the cuts the Beacon Journal will have nearly 700 workers, Moss said.

The cuts were effective immediately, said Rita Kelly Madick, community relations and marketing director for the paper. Generally, the workers will receive two weeks’ pay for each year of service as severance, Madick said.

The Beacon Journal was acquired for $165 million by Canadian newspaper chain Black Press Ltd. in July. Moss, formerly a marketing executive from a Virginia media company, took over as publisher in early August.

Blog Update: The news was reported in Friday's Beacon Journal on page D2 as the lead brief in the Daily Backgrounder.