Norfolk Virginian-Pilot Has Best Month Ever, Then Lays Off 40
The Virginian-Pilot had its best month in at least a year, with every division turning a profit. Yet the profits weren’t enough to pay the papers taxes, bills, and equipment costs, so the company announced today that it will lay off 40 employees, 12 in the newsroom, and eliminate pay raises for the second straight year.
This brings the hatchet count since last fall to 220 jobs cut, bringing the total staff size to 988.
The good news: president and publisher Maurice Jones says he does not foresee any more layoffs in 2009.
The Pilot reported on itself and found:
New revenue-gainers include Pulse, the recent expansion of the Thursday Daily Break to provide more entertainment coverage, and the June launch of a Web site for “busy moms.”
The Pilot also has expanded its direct marketing services, Jones said, and struck deals to deliver national newspapers in Hampton Roads. The Pilot on Monday began delivering USA Today within the region. Last year, it started delivering The Wall Street Journal and will add The New York Times next month and The Washington Post in June.
