PD and former BJ television critic Mark Dawidziak sent this email to the BJ Alums blog:
You
may have already heard this, but . . .
You knew this was coming, of course, and, turns out, this is the morning
that the Plain Dealer is announcing the elimination of one-third of the
newsroom personnel.
We were told to wait by our phones from 8 to 10 a.m. to
hear our fate. I must have got the first phone call of the morning (just
seconds after 8). I'm NOT being separated from employment (to use their
euphemism for fired).
Now
comes the awful stretch of finding out who didn't make the cut. I'm off to
Elmira tomorrow to deliver a paper at the State of Mark Twain Studies
Conference and a reunion with Hal (Holbrook) and David (Bianculli).
 |
| Don Rosenberg |
I'm
pleased, of course, but that relief is tempered by the realization that so many
good people will lose their jobs today -- including, as hard as this is to
report, Don Rosenberg.
Rosenberg left
the BJ as classical musical critic to go to the PD years ago.
David
Bianculli was the BJ’s TV critic before he left for the New York Post, where he
no longer works, and was replaced at the BJ by Dawidziak. Bianculli is a college instructor in journalism and contributes to National Public Radio.
 |
| Mark Dawidziak |
The Save the Plain Dealer Facebook page reported that 50 –
more than one-third of an already-depleted staff – were laid off. That leaves 110 Guild employees. SPD said the New
Jersey-based Advanced Publications, a private Newhouse company and owners of
the PD, has laid off more than 1,500 nationally in its newsrooms in a move
toward digital publishing.
The PD switches to three days a week for home delivery Aug. 5, but copies are available daily at some outlets. Northeast Ohio Media Group, a PD subsidiary, is handling the transformation.
The PD dropped former BJ artist John Backderf’s
comic strip, “The City,” which has run in more than 100 newspapers. Plain Dealer president/publisher Terry Egger said another round of layoffs will come later this summer. So even today's survivors aren't out of the woods necessarily. Apparently 110 is too many Guild employees for Newhouse.
Former BJ reporter Sheryl Harris, consumer writer, also survived the cut. So did Michael Heaton and Bill Livingston, who were not BJ expatriates. Guild president Harlan Spector was among the voluntary layoffs.
When the BJ Alums blog learns the names of the others “separated” from the PD, we will pass them along on this blog. Since two dozen BJ newsroom personnel switched to the PD, there may be more names familiar to BJ alumni on the fired list. Some of the BJ folks who went to Cleveland already are gone from the PD, too, as the situation got worse and worse.
When the BJ Alums blog learns the names of the others “separated” from the PD, we will pass them along on this blog. Since two dozen BJ newsroom personnel switched to the PD, there may be more names familiar to BJ alumni on the fired list. Some of the BJ folks who went to Cleveland already are gone from the PD, too, as the situation got worse and worse.
It’s yet another sad, sad
day in Northeast Ohio and national newspaper journalism. The main culprits are
the Internet and newspaper managements’ unwillingness to embrace the Internet
in its infancy and become a leader in it rather than continuing management
strategy that was a century old.
Per the "Save the Plain Dealer" campaign, all employees will gather in support of one another outside the newsroom. A news conference and rally will be held outside 1801 Superior Ave. at 6 p.m.
At 7 p.m., the newsroom crowd will congregate at Market Garden Brewery. If you happen by, do send a round their way.
Partial list:
Cynthia C Baecker clerk
Margaret Bernstein columnist
Sandi Boyd clerk
Tom Breckenridge reporter
Regina Brett columnist
Reid Brown artist
Dave Davis reporter
Stan Donaldson reporter
Bob Fortuna reporter
Pat Galbincea reporter
Mark Gillispie reporter
Lisa Griffis layout editor
John Gruner reporter
John Horton reporter
Felesia Jackson graphic artist
David Jardy library clerk
Adrian Johnson layout editor
Ellen Jan Kleinerman reporter
Doug Kramer copy editor
John Kuehner city desk editor (night)
John Luttermoser copy editor
John Mangels reporter
Erik Maruschak sports clerk
Carl Matzelle sports clerk
Joe Maxse sports reporter
Deborah Miller copy editor
Mike O'malley reporter
James W Owens graphics artist
Mike Peticca reporter
Bill Piotrowski layout editor
Racquel Robinson letters editor
Timothy Rogers reporter
Don Rosenberg reporter
Anita Russo clerk
Tonya Sams reporter
Michael Scott reporter
Scott Shaw photographer
Harlan Spector reporter
Edith Starzyk reporter
Peggy Turbett photographer
Brian Zawicki library clerkEileen Zakareckis clerk
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