Telegram Staff Slashed By New Owners: More Cuts Possible

Email to a friend Permalink

Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Twenty nine staff members from the Telegram were cut or resigned after Halifax Media Group, the company that recently purchased the Worcester-based newspaper from John Henry for nearly $19 million, officially closed the deal.

The list of positions cut includes copy editors, photographers, reporters, members of the online division and more. While the finalized number was never reported by Halifax, Mark Henderson, one of those fired, says that the final count is 29.

"All of it is unfortunate," said Michael Redding, chief executive officer of Halifax Media Group, in a Telegram article. "You never want to be a part of it. For the future of the business, we needed to get to the right size. We put it in a staffing position that compares to our papers in the south. But I want to say, this will not impact our news coverage in any way."

The staff has been cut from 180 employees to around 156, according the article posted on the Telegram. In addition to employees being cut, at least two employees – editor Leah Lamson and reporter Shaun Sutner – resigned in the wake of the news.

A Potential for More Cuts

The cuts may be over for today, but Henry Frederick, CEO, Editor, and Publisher of headlinesurfer.com, a Florida based news organization, guarantees that more will be on the way for the Telegram.

Frederick, who was born in Southbridge and grew up reading the Telegram, is familiar with Halifax Media Group, living and operating his company out of the same area of Florida that Halifax currently owns some newspapers. In watching how Halifax operated when taking control of the local Florida newspapers, Frederick says that there is no doubt in his mind that there will be more cuts on the horizon.

“Twenty eight will not be the final number by any means,” said Frederick. “A year from now, I guarantee that number will go up significantly. Anyone with any sort of longevity or a large salary will be gone.”

Although Halifax prides themselves in keeping state-of-the-art technology in their newsrooms, according to Frederick, they do not put an emphasis on keeping around the best employees. Rather than focusing on in-depth and proper reporting, Halifax is more concerned with advertising revenue and making money.

“Halifax is good about keeping state-of-the-art equipment in the newsroom but they are fine with hiring nimrods to report on the news,” said Frederick. “It really creates a subpar product; the Telegram will turn into watered down drivel.”

Blasting Halifax, John Henry

Cutting so many staff members in such a short period of time has the potential to really alter the newsroom. Experts in the news industry, including Frederick, acknowledge these cuts have the potential to create a shortage in local coverage. To supplement, the Telegram will be forced to use more wire stories which lack local flare.

Many will attempt to blame the Telegram and its reporters for the lack of coverage, but Frederick says that the blame falls solely on Halifax and their CEO Michael Redding, who has a reputation for making large cuts to newspaper staffs that he has bought out in the past.

“Redding knows nothing about journalism; he used to be a sales manager who got involved with some rich friends,” said Frederick. “It’s pretty bad when your first entry into a new market involved gutting a newspaper staff. That’s why I compare Redding to Darth Vader in term of coldness toward staff.”

And while Frederick has nothing but ill will to say about Halifax and Redding for their continuation of buying up newspapers and cutting staff – which in term dulls down production and quality of the newspaper – he says that John Henry’s hands are not clean of the situation either after telling the people of Worcester that he would sell the paper locally or try to keep it for himself.

“John Henry lied to the people of Worcester; he is nothing more than a politician,” said Frederick. “People have to remember that Henry wasn’t on the field of any of the Red Sox championships; he is just the money guy. He is just another empty suit that speaks out both sides of his mouth.”

Local Reaction

When staff cuts began to happen on Monday morning, Twitter became the best area to keep up to date on news. Although few of the names of staff members cut were confirmed – multiple attempts were made to reach out to Halifax Media Group for comment – many from both inside and outside the newsroom offered their condolences.

“The names that are being released – these are big and important names in the newsroom,” said Ed Collier, a local photographer who has freelanced for the Telegram in the past. “It is difficult to see how the paper can move forward without some of these people.”

Collier was one of the outspoken people who took to Twitter to voice their opinions. There was a mixture of confusion, anger, sadness and support; a Twitter hashtag (#supportthetelegramstaff) was created to show support for those who lost their jobs.

While support was shown to the Telegram staff, many were upset and confused by Halifax’s decision to cut so many employees. Many are left wondering what is next for the Telegram and whether or not they can continue to deliver the same quality of news with the reduced staff.

“I have been trying to reach out to people and wish them the best,” said Collier. “Many of them have become local institutions. A newspaper is so much more than circulation. I don’t understand what the new company is thinking; I don’t understand what they thought they were buying.”

---

Related Slideshow: The Living History of the Telegram and Gazette

Related Articles

• Boston Globe and Telegram Sold - Lose 94% of Value
• What the Experts Say About the Boston Globe and Telegram Sale
• REPORT: Telegram Could Sell for $3 Million, 97% Loss in Value
• For the Telegram & Gazette, a Moment of Opportunity
• Who Will Buy The Worcester Telegram?
• Telegram For Sale
• NEW: Carpenter Union Protests Outside New Telegram Building
• NEW: Worcester Telegram, Boston Globe Facing Layoffs
• NEW: Worcester Telegram, Boston Globe Up For Sale
• The Living History of the Telegram
• NEW: John Henry Makes it Official - Telegram for Sale
• Dean Starkman: Telegram & Gazette Becomes a Thanksgiving Leftover
• NEW: Worcester Telegram Reporter Rips State Workers on Facebook
• John Henry Goes Silent on the Future of the Worcester Telegram
• Worcester Telegram Sold to Florida-Based Halifax Media Group
• INVESTIGATION: Inside the Telegram Sale
• Worcester Telegram Could Cut 20-30 Staff Members Under New Owners
• BREAKING: 28 Telegram Staff Members Cut by New Owners
• NEW: Former Telegram Building Gets $16M in Funding for Renovations
• Worcester Telegram’s Sole Local Bidder Walks - Future in Question

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Email to a friend Permalink