Running Canadian journalism cuts thread

Bringing this back.....it's not completely true but there is a lot of truth to it. And it means there is more bad news coming for the chain's "community dailies," ie. the former Osprey papers.

http://torontosunfamily.blogspot.com/2009/03/barrie-editor-ad.html

http://torontosunfamily.blogspot.com/2009/03/barrie-ad-2.html

"National Page Co-ordinator: Sun Media Corporate Editorial is seeking a National Page Co-ordinator to oversee the building of pages for the chain's community daily newspapers.

Reporting to Sun Media's national content manager, this editor will select the appropriate stories and build comprehensive schedules for the chain's national broadsheet news, entertainment, sports and other shared pages.

Managing a staff of layout editors, this person will also design, edit stories and rewrite headlines. Some Photoshop skills to colour correct photos may also be required. Experience working at a daily newspaper would be an asset.

This position involves working afternoons and evenings, as well as some weekends. Location will be in Barrie, Ontario. Applicants should be prepared to start their first shift on April 4, 2009.

Qualifications include: A journalism degree or diploma; Strong editing skills; A strong knowledge of InDesign CS, InCopy and Photoshop

Interested applicants should send their resumes by Friday, March 27, 2009, to the attention of: Angela Zito Supervisor, Human Resources Sun Media Corporation 333 King Street East Toronto, Ontario M5A 3X5

E-mail: careers@sunmedia.ca Please quote reference number Tor-09-017 in the subject line."

* * *

As a TSF reader notes, the broadsheet community newspapers wording in the ad (which was not included in the e-mail from our Barrie tipster) suggests editing positions at the five Sun tabloids in Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton might not be affected.

We don't know how many broadsheets and how many newsroom editing jobs will be affected. Ontario alone is top heavy with former Osprey broadsheets. Plus former Bowes newspapers in Ontario and other provinces.

The Barrie centre's workload will become known when the newsroom layoffs are totalled.

What the Barrie centre news does tell us is there is going to be a great deal of centralized sameness in Sun Media newspapers across the country.

 

Nanton office is closed effective April 6. Paper apparently still to operate as it's own entity, just out of the High River Times office. Any word on Vulcan?

http://www.nantonnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1482498

 

One lost in Medicine Hat, five in Lethbridge. That's just editorial. More likely to come next month.

We just had a staff meeting here to talk about it all. I wanted to crawl into a hole before now, but it just got 10 times worse. We were told of a pressman who was laid off last week who died over the weekend from alcohol poisoning.

 

Oh shit.....

Sorry to hear, Gomer.....my best to you and your colleagues.

 

From the Canadian pipeline ...

Canwest has just laid off all the non-union
> pre-press staff in Saskatoon and Regina and shipped their jobs
> to the
> Phillipines....

 

We've now lost a total of four jobs - or about 25 per cent - in our editorial staff over the past six months. Almost all through attrition.

I now run a two-man sports department, falling in line with what they're doing in other shops in our chain. When the other guy is on vacation, I'm completely on my own, doing writing, editing, layout, scheduling photographers, taking the odd photo and explaining to people what's happened to our coverage of various sports.

I've been a one-man show at a daily before. It almost killed me. I never thought I'd be back in that position again, and it's more depressing than anything I've ever experienced.