Asbury Park Press among hardest hit in Gannett job cuts
Over 200 positions eliminated nationwide, report says
Gannett has eliminated an unspecified number of jobs in its newspaper division, and the Asbury Park Press appears to be among the hardest hit, according to an Associated Press report.
A spokesman for the Virginia-based company declined to say where the cuts are taking place, but the report cites the independent Gannett Blog that estimates the job losses at over 200. The blog lists the Asbury Park Press, the Burlington Free Press in Vermont, The Arizona Republic in Phoenix and The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. as suffering the deepest cuts.
From the Associated Press report:
Jim Hopkins, who publishes Gannett Blog, an independent blog about the company, estimates that over 200 jobs across at least 37 worksites have been eliminated so far. Hopkins, a former editor and reporter at USA Today, said the figures are based on information from Gannett workers.
According to the blog, the newspapers making the most cuts include the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey, The Burlington Free Press in Vermont, The Arizona Republic in Phoenix and The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky…
Like other newspaper publishers, Gannett has faced declines in print advertising and subscription revenue. Recently, the company has been shifting its focus toward television stations.
Gannett Blog also published a spreadsheet on the Gannett cuts based on the information provided by the Gannett workers. The blog listed 13 cuts at the Asbury Park Press.
Long-time Press reporter Bill Bowman was one of those let go, according to a post Bowman made Thursday on a Facebook page for former Press employees. What appears to be Bowman’s final story — about beach badge checkers on area boardwalks — was published in today’s edition of the paper.
Gannett is the country’s largest publisher of newspapers by circulation, according to the Associated Press report.
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