At least 12 sign for BJ buyouts

With Monday’s deadline approaching a dozen people have applied for the BJ newsroom buyouts, according to our sources.

Since management’s original agenda was to get six Guild and one exempt to take the buyouts, which include a year’s salary, management must decide whether to take all 12 – or any others who sign up by Monday’s deadline – or choose from among the applicants.

The consensus is that reporter Jim Carney and Jewell Cardwell will be at the top of the buyout grants.

The buyout application form specifies that if the applicant puts anything negative out about the BJ, or details how it operates, that their buyout offer will be rescinded. A gag order is part of the price of departure.

Word about the eventual winners of the buyout lottery should creep out late Monday or on Tuesday.

A previous BJ Alums blog article listed the buyout applicants as:

Kathy Antoniotti – Pets column, southern Summit/northern Stark reporter.

Carol Biliczky (Levandoski) - Higher education reporter, Sunday community news.

Jewell Cardwell – Slice of Life columnist.

Jim Carney – General assignment, military affairs reporter.

Bill Lilley - Former sports writer, now copy editor.

Ed Meyer – Courts and crime reporter who came to the BJ as a sports writer.

Dave Scott – Regional issues reporter and former deputy Business editor.

Joe Thomas – National editor.

Olga Reswow – Copy editor.

MAYBE Laura Ofobike, chief editorial writer.