In New York media today, a massive layoff at the New York Daily News has rivaled as mass layoff, putting the torturous “Massacre of 1996” that took 6 anchors off a job from the newscast at WCBS-TV (of which one of the papers called it the said title at that time) to put shame very lightly. It’s much worse.
Channel 2’s loss 20+ years ago is pure child’s play. And in fact, this may impact the Daily News in almost a similar PR crisis, unlike local TV, you can beat the odds of bad TV ratings 10 years is not something a newspaper in the 2010s can do, especially in a different business climate. Over 40 newsroom employees got the boot, most in the sports unit and photogs that got a notice today, as the paper was sold to Tronic last fall, (aka the Chicago Tribune company… for all intensive purposes, I’m going to just call it Tribune because I feel every time I mention it, I have to pay Disney or somebody for mentioning part of a movie of yesteryear.)
When I saw Tronic trending, I was surprised to see the Daily News in the same graph. I didn’t know they were sold. According to The New York Times, it was actually sold for a $1 by Mort Zuckerman, the former owner.
Some of these people are critical for a news operation, such as assignment editors and sports writers, of which now New York Yankees stories may very well come from a blog or a wire service going to a “local” “hometown team” paper. Even worse, the Bronx Bombers are in Tampa Bay and the writer has been relieved of his duties prior to coming back home to the Five Boroughs.