Katie Couric and NY Times Among Media Layoffs Making News

It seems like all we’ve been hearing about lately are media layoffs. With good reason: the news has generally been negative, we’re headed into (if not already in) a recession - just look at gas prices, advertising expenditures are down across most industries and journalism is in a state of unrest.

According to today’s New York Post article, The Worst of Times by Keith J. Kelly who pens “Media Ink,” “The New York Times' news room is bracing for a bloodbath in the next 10 days.” Kelly shares lots of details as to why – be sure to read his article.

Other media layoff stories include:

WCCO.com Chicago, Good Question: Why So Many Media Layoffs? by Jason DeRusha

Los Angeles Times, CBS layoffs signal a financial squeeze on TV stations by Matea Gold and Meg James

Webpronews.com, Nielsen Business Media Makes Layoffs by Doug Caverly

And here are more articles that came up in my search:

'NY Times' Expected to Turn to Layoffs After Buyouts Fall ShortEditor & Publisher - 7 hours agoManagement and other non-unionized employees were to have accepted their buyout offers by Monday," the Post said, later quoting Anthony Napoli, a Newspaper ...

New York Times Expects Layoffs In Newsroom to Meet Job-Cut TargetWall Street Journal - Apr 15, 2008By SHIRA OVIDE NEW YORK -- New York Times Co. said it expects its flagship newspaper will resort to newsroom layoffs as buyouts offered to trim the paper's ... NYT

WNWO workers facing layoffsToledo Blade, OH - 17 hours agoWNWO-TV, Channel 24, announced layoffs yesterday of reporters, photographers, and editors as part of what vice president and general manager Jon Skorburg ...

The Look and Feel of Newspaper LayoffsPhoto District News (subscription), NY - Apr 18, 2008By David Walker San Jose Mercury News designer Martin Gee is one of thousands of inside eyewitnesses to the decline of the newspaper industry. ...

Lay off Katie Couric! CBS is to blameMSNBC - Apr 10, 2008In the morning, she was a popular personality as one of the co-hosts of NBC’s TODAY. But since she opted for the night shift as anchor of the “CBS Evening ...

Katie Couric Likely to Leave CBS Evening News After ElectionBroadcasting & Cable, NY - Apr 10, 2008The news of Couric's departure, which was first reported Wednesday night on The Wall Street Journal Web site, comes on the heels of a raft of layoffs ...

Seattle Times to cut nearly 200 jobs by next monthSeattle Post Intelligencer - Apr 7, 2008A second memo, issued later Monday, said 70 percent of the 191 positions set to be cut will be eliminated through layoffs, while the remaining jobs will go ...

Layoffs sweep TV networks and their affiliatesBroadcast Engineering, KS - Apr 7, 2008Also, last week, ABC News announced that it was eliminating about 20 jobs (though an ABC spokesperson said other positions will be added, ...

Layoffs of CBS veterans signal industry in crisisSan Jose Mercury News, USA - Apr 5, 2008They were part of 15 layoffs spread over CBS 5 and its sister station, KBCW-Channel 44. Combined, the two San Francisco-based stations employ about 250 ...

Local TV is no longer a cash cowBaltimore Sun, United States - Apr 3, 2008This week, CBS announced a series of layoffs at its stations in cities across the country, including Baltimore. And last month, the local ABC affiliate, ...

Harold Greene, Ann Martin leaving anchor posts amid CBS budget cutsLos Angeles Times, CA - Apr 2, 2008Reporters Jennifer Davis and Jennifer Sabih also are among those affected by layoffs at sister TV stations KCBS and KCAL. Los Angeles television news ...

TV media finally feeling print media's painSan Francisco Chronicle, USA - Apr 1, 2008The cuts follow 20 layoffs last week at ABC News. Over the past two years, NBC News has lost about 30 jobs as a result of a companywide effort to reduce 700 ...

Layoffs, Restructurings Hit CBS O&Os, CBS NewsTelevision Week, MI - Apr 1, 2008By Michele Greppi The first quarter of 2008 ended with separately directed layoffs and restructurings at CBS News and in the news operations at several ...

TV Layoffs in Miami, Denver, and SacramentoU.S. News & World Report, DC - Mar 28, 2008Three different metro newspapers are reporting layoffs at local CBS stations. The Sacramento Bee reported today that the CBS affiliate in Sacramento would ...

More Layoffs at ABC NewsBroadcast Newsroom, CA - Mar 27, 2008It will also make that support more directly responsible to those at ABC News who depend on it the most. And it should move us forward faster and more ...

ABC workers face layoffsHollywood Reporter, United States - Mar 27, 2008While Scott didn't specify the number of staff that would be made redundant or the cost savings involved, he said the creation of a new ABC Resources ...

Dealing with a PR Crisis - WSJ Outlines First 90 Days

Last week, Toddi Gunter, Special to The Wall Street Journal, wrote “Dealing With a PR Crisis Takes Planning and Truth” and hit the nail on the head!

In Gunter’s article, she outlines what a company should do in the first 90 days of a crisis.

-Remember, rumors are a crisis, too.
-Gather your crisis team.
-Identify the type of crisis.
-Determine who needs to know.
-Create a consistent message.
-Manage and monitor media flow.
-Reflect and move on.

However, too often corporations (and law firms alike) don’t take the proactive steps necessary to prepare a crisis communications plan. And as an attorney and publicist, I advocate that including corporate counsel in the crisis communications planning process is also an imperative part of that mix!

That said, if you’re considering crisis communications planning, I encourage you to register for Rich Klein’s upcoming seminar on April 16th: Crash Course on Crisis Communications for Law Firms.

Not having a crisis communications plan is like running a business without liability insurance. It’s better to invest in the coverage and never have to use it than not have it at all.

New York Times to Cut 100 from Newsroom

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the New York Times will cut its newsroom staff by 100 this year. According to David B. Wilkerson of the WSJ:

“New York Times Co. spokeswoman Catherine Mathis said Bill Keller, executive editor at the flagship newspaper, told staffers that newsroom jobs would be reduced by ‘not filling newsroom positions, attrition, buyouts and, if necessary, layoffs.’”

To read what the New York Times had to say, click here.

McCain and Lawyer Jokes

Until now, I've been quite about the presidential election. I've been listening - not voicing an opinion. However, my friend Rich Klein of Riverside Public Relations forwarded me Peter Lattman's post today from yesterday's Wall Street Journal Law Blog.

John McCain: Not a Lawyer, But Loves a Good Lawyer Joke
Posted by Peter Lattman

The Law Blog hasn’t focused much on John McCain because, well, he’s not a lawyer
and the other leading candidates — click here for Law Blog art — all wield JDs.
Perhaps it’s because he’s emerging as a front runner, but today we’re shining
the spotlight twice on the Arizona senator.A Law Blog reader alerted us to a
lawyer joke that McCain delivered on the stump today in Boston. We checked in
with our WSJ colleagues on the campaign trail, who told us that he delivers the
routine at many events, and even told it on the Tonight Show last week:What is
the difference between a catfish and a lawyer?One is a scum sucking bottom
dweller. The other is a fish.McCain then says, “There goes the lawyer vote.” (We
wonder what Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of his closest confidants, traveling
companions and an Air Force reserve JAG attorney, thinks of the bit?)Law Blog
Question of the Day: Law Blog readers, what should we make of a leading
presidential candidate going after the profession so aggressively? And while
we’re at it, any wannabe presidential speechwriters care to give McCain more
lawyer joke fodder?Update: We just heard from Jill Hazelbaker, a spokeswoman for
the McCain campaign. When asked for clarification on the comment, she said,
simply: “It’s a joke.”

Personally, I am so disappointed to read this. In response to Jill Hazelbaker's statement that negative stereotyping is a “joke,” then perhaps McCain’s speech writers should come up with some “jokes” targeted at other professions. While they’re at it, perhaps they want to “joke” about race, gender, religion, ethnicity, etc. There are a lot of great diversity training programs out there - perhaps it’s time the McCain camp invests. Until now, I was on the fence about who I was voting for. This has made up my mind!