Cuts coming to McClatchy papers

That’s crazy. Is someone else doing their layout?

 

McClatchy has already consolidated the sports desk for Durham and Raleigh so I think Charlotte and Raleigh are next.

Sports editors are hired to create a differentiated product. But if you have only enough staff to cover the major colleges and the major pro leagues and you are sharing a lot of content between papers what is the point of having two?

And from a reader perspective what adds more to a section. One editor in each town or using the second editor position for a NASCAR writer or a recruiting writer?

 

It's being done by a design/finishing hub and has been for some time. I typically do it once a week, but oftentimes the person doing the section is doing so from his home in Sacramento.

 

I was Steve's ASE/ACC Editor in Raleigh for 3+ years. Raleigh and Charlotte share some content and I thought the staffs/managers worked well together, especially given their distance, rivalry and forced partnership. We certainly tag-teamed big events as one staff (ACCT, NCAAT, US Open, etc.). But Raleigh has little to no interest in Charlotte's pro teams, and Charlotte doesn't have nearly as much interest in Raleigh's daily ACC coverage or ACC special sections.

The sections never looked or felt the same. Nor should they. The markets are as different as St. Pete and Orlando.

One person could manage both staffs, in theory, but you'd have to have ASEs in both cities handling the day-to-day, assigning, editing, personnel, etc. No way one person could do everything well ... or even the dreaded "good enough." There's just not enough common ground. In this climate, each staff probably could get away with just an SE, and maybe that's what they'll do, but that would be a monster of a job.

 

So you'd have an ASE each city being a de facto SE but paid like an ASE. I'm sure the suits have already considered that.

 

This is not intended to be disrespectful but to advance this discussion. In a print world I think you are probably correct. But the print side of the house is dying.

In a digital world a combined section would be better. Space is basically infinite. I would think there would be a fair amount of interest in the Panthers in Raleigh because the NFL is popular everywhere. And I would think there would be a fair amount of interest in at least UNC and N.C. State in Charlotte. I would think a combined website would be a superior product.

And on the print side I agree Raleigh and Charlotte deserve separate sections. But I don't know how much longer the two cities can financially support separate sections.

 

Your points are valid. The added problem though is that staffing is so thin -- including in the production center -- that the sports editor really becomes a pure production person, too.

 

I think you'll have one sports editor for the three cities and no assistants.

 

But wouldn't somebody be physically in charge at each newsroom?

 

We are living in a virtual world.

 

Yeah, I know. But they can take that too far. Next thing you know there will be one SE for an entire region.

 

Slightly less than half of the 450 offered are taking the buyout.

Unusual for corporate to send an email about such things.