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Lakeland Ledger Plans To Lay Off 36 Employees

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The Associated Press

Published: August 10, 2008

The Ledger will lay off 36 employees, the publisher at The New York Times Co. newspaper in Lakeland announced Thursday.

The positions that will be eliminated affect almost every department of the newspaper, including 11 jobs in the newsroom, Publisher Jerome Ferson said.

Newspaper executives were not immediately available to comment on any effects at The News Chief in Winter Haven, which sold its newspaper operations to The Ledger in March.

The cuts will be effective Sept. 21.

"It is with deep regret that we find ourselves in circumstances that require us to reduce the workforce. It's never an easy decision to come to," Ferson said in a statement. "This is a very dynamic time we are in. I would characterize it as a struggle of epic proportions, but we have a base of talented employees that are capable of rising to the challenge."

Besides the layoffs, some open positions will remain vacant, Ferson said.

The Ledger will have a total of 284 employees, nearly a third off its high of 415 in 1999. The newsroom will have 62 employees compared to a high of 99 that same year, the paper said.

The Ledger cut 14 jobs in September, then announced layoffs of 18 employees in November and four employees in June. The paper also has cut costs by merging sports and business sections and plans to do the same with local news and features sections, Ferson said.

The announcement came two days after The Sarasota Herald-Tribune, another New York Times Co. newspaper, said it laid off 33 employees.

A representative from the New York Times did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Two weeks ago, New York Times Co. reported an 11 percent drop in second-quarter advertising revenue as shifting reader habits and ad spending combined with the worsening economy.

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