 |
Chicago-based tronc Inc., which acquired the New York Daily News from real estate investor Mort Zuckerman for $1 in 2017, is axing the tabloid’s editorial staff by 50 percent in what it calls a restructuring move.
“We are re-focusing our talent on breaking news, especially in the areas of crime, civil justice and public responsibility,” said a statement from tronc.
Jim Rich, editor-in-chief, is among the cutbacks. Robert York, e-i-c of tronc’s Morning Call in Allentown, will replace Rich on July 30.
Tronc says the cutbacks “reflect the realities of our business and the need to adapt to an ever-changing media environment.”
In welcoming the Daily News to its roster, tronc pitched it as “another strategic platform for growing our digital business, expanding our reach and broadening our services for advertisers and marketers.”
Tronc acquired the Virginian-Pilot in May and closed on the sale of the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Times Union-Tribune in July.
It still owns the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, Sun-Sentinel and Daily Press (Virginia).
Underscore Media, a new creator-led media venture dedicated to New York sports, is built around three established New York sports personalities, Sal Licata, Jimmy Traina, and John Jastremski.
McClatchy, which owns 29 daily papers across 14 states (including The Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee and Kansas City Star), launches a wave of layoffs that extends to at least 13 of those papers... The Toledo Blade, which was founded in 1835, is set to shut down on Dec. 31, unless owner Block Communications manages to find a buyer for it... A bill awaiting approval by California governor Gavin Newsom would give local newsrooms a boost. 
Fox News Media issued a pretty sparse release to announce the departure of one of its stars. “Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media,” it reads.
Brunswick Group partner John Simons has joined CNN as senior director of business & media. He held top jobs at Time and the Wall Street Journal.
WNET, the nation’s largest public media company, names Edward O’Keefe its next president and CEO, effective September 21. O’Keefe succeeds Neal Shapiro, who becomes president emeritus and will retire at the end of the year... The Stealth Bot Prohibition Act, which would empower news publishers and other content providers to defend themselves by mandating transparency for all bots crawling their sites, in introduced in the House by Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC)... Google gets socked by European Union regulators with a $1 billion fine for using the platform’s dominance as a search engine to illegally undercut competition.
