February 29, 2008
NEW Tribune Co.owner Sam Zell yesterday struck Newsday with a vengeance, whacking 120 jobs, including 25 unionized editorial people in the newsroom and about 10 top editors, including the paper's entire national desk.
The cost-cutting moves are at least the sixth major downsizing at the paper since it closed its New York Newsday edition in 1995.
The four-person national desk was brought into the office of Managing Editor Debbie Henley on Tuesday was told that the desk was being abolished and that they had until noon on Wednesday to a accept a "voluntary" buyout or be faced with a potential axing.
Carol Conyne, a 32-year veteran, Mark Toor a 28-year veteran, and Stacie Walker, a 15-year veteran - and all deputy national editors - decided to accept the buyout.
Not yet determined is the role of Sarah Crichton, the assistant national/foreign editor who is still covered by the union contract.
Insiders said they expect the national desk to be replaced with a new "political desk" that will cover everything out of the local town boards in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The two-person Albany bureau and the three-person Washington bureau weren't affected by the cuts.
However, Zell has said that the current set up in Washington for all the Tribune-owned papers is "unsustainable," so no one there is resting easy, either - even if they did escape yesterday's axing.
National Editor Calvin Lawrence left several weeks ago for ABCnews.com, and his position was not filled.
Also believed to be among the high-level departees was Genetta Adams, an assistant managing editor, who was in charge of Part II, the paper's feature section which had borne the brunt of a downsizing two years ago.
Adrian Peracchio, a member of the editorial board and a 30-year veteran, was also among those being shown the door.
On top of the upper-echelon editors, 25 unionized editorial workers are going out the door. That includes six special writers - generally those with five or more years of experience and salaries of more than $87,000 - and four reporters.
Newsday Publisher Tim Knight said in his memo announcing the cuts that some people were being fired on the spot yesterday, but most of those people were outside of the newsroom.
