[NEohioPAL]B-J Cuts

[Tom Burnett]

When all this shakes out, the BJ's sports department, I'm told, will  
be 6 people. No department is being spared. Having spent 25 years in  
that business, my gut tells me your letters will accomplish little.  
Despite the paper's history of excellence (if we could attach an  
electricity generator to the grave of John S. Knight, he's spinning  
enough to solve the energy shortage), it's been on a downward spiral  
for a decade, coinciding with the reign of Tony Ridder over Knight  
Ridder.

Ridder was strictly bottom line and he started cutting costs (staff)  
at all the KR papers, even the ones that were making a decent profit.  
So you have fewer people trying to cover the same sized community,  
and circulation suffers. Circulation goes down, ad sales go down and  
all of a sudden you have to cut more costs. Many of the Beacon's best  
people found other jobs, so the coverage dropped in quality as well  
as quantity. I'd say the decline goes back even 15 years, about the  
time it stopped being able to compete with the PD on salaries.

Letters and public protests can save things like comic strips or  
features that cost little to keep, but decisions on things like  
theater coverage are based on focus groups and polling and surveys.  
The sad truth is, far more people read the sports pages than read  
theater and movie reviews, so if even the sports staff is getting  
nuked, there's little hope for the arts staff.

Even the PD, for those who haven't heard, is cutting staff. The  
management has asked for voluntary buyouts on the editorial staff,  
offering 2 1/2 years pay and 2 1/2 years health insurance for those  
with at least 20 years at the paper. Left unsaid is what will happen  
if the paper does not get enough volunteers, but I think layoffs are  
not out of the question.

Tom