It’s pins and needles once again for employees of Gannett newspapers across the country, including at five dailies in Louisiana. The company announced another round of layoffs as it grapples with an economy in recession, declining ad revenue — particularly in classified advertising — and rising overhead costs. The latest cuts — publicized on-line Wednesday and printed in today’s Daily Advertiser — will be 1,400 across the company. Gannett employs more than 41,000 people nationwide in both print and broadcast divisions. The company reduced its workforce by 10 percent in 2008.
Gannett owns The Advertiser and Times of Acadiana as well as The Daily World in Opelousas, The Times in Shreveport, The News-Star in Monroe and The Town Talk in Alexandria. It’s unclear at present how the 1,400 layoffs will fall among the dailies in the Bayou State. The company is also set to consolidate its copy desk operations in Monroe, a de facto staffing reduction.
In a memo to employees obtained by the INDsider, Leslie Hurst, president and publisher of The Advertiser and The Daily World, urges employees: “Please continue to give 100% every day. It is very important that we all focus on the goals at hand so that we can move the company forward during these tough times. We will emerge stronger, of that I am convinced. I appreciate your commitment and dedication to the company more than you will ever know.”