In a memo from Publisher Timothy Kennedy, staffers at the Allentown Morning-Call learned that at least three dozen jobs will be lost at the paper, the paper's Quakertown and Lehighton bureaus will be closed and a major redesign is coming on Sunday.

"I am writing today to update you on the status of the redesign and resizing of our paper," wrote Kennedy. "The new design will debut on Monday, July 28th... Beginning today you will be able to see prototypes displayed...on the second floor in the newsroom... We should all be proud of the creativity and energy...involved in this effort.

"In addition to the redesign, we also plan to resize the newspaper... The planned reductions in newsroom labor and newsprint are a required response to the punishing economics that we face... Cash flow was down 27% on an 11% decrease in revenues."

Changes, the publisher noted, will include new editorial zoning, partly to accommodate consolidation among the bureaus, as well as the elimination of 35 to 40 newsroom positions. Affected employees will be notified this weekend and will receive one week of pay for every 6 months of service.

"These changes are painful," Kennedy concluded. "As we move forward with this plan, we will treat our employees thoughtfully and respectfully. Unfortunately, these are actions that I have reluctantly concluded we need to take."

Source: Editor & Publisher