Bay Area News Group Cuts 34 Editorial Jobs

From Staff Reports —  The Bay Area News Group, which publishes which publishes the Hayward-based Daily Review, the Fremont-based Argus newspapers, the Oakland Tribune and other daily newspapers serving cities throughout the East Bay, cut 34 newsroom positions Tuesday to reduce costs as it attempts to shore up its online presence.

Ten of the positions were via voluntary resignations; the rest were layoffs. Staff members were notified on Tuesday morning, according to employees who did not wish to be named.

The newspaper group operates 12 daily newspapers in the East Bay, the South Bay and the Peninsula.

Last month, the newspaper reversed an August  that it was rebranding many of its newspapers with new names.

In announcing that decision, Bay Area News Group President Mac Tully said, "Instead of emphasizing regional news, we will have more in-depth local news."

The news group is also closing its printing press operation in Walnut Creek and moving those production operations to an existing printing complex in San Jose, where it owns the San Jose Mercury News. The building on Shadelands Drive in Walnut Creek will be sold and non-printing staff operations will be moved to another nearby office.

Some of the staff members who were laid off or who volunteered to leave, have worked for various divisions of the news group for as long as 30 years.

They include Steve Waterhouse, editor of the (Fremont) Argus and the (Hayward) Daily Review, who worked for the company for 31 years, and David Newhouse, longtime sportswriter and columnist for the Oakland Tribune. Also laid off were Barry Caine, former movie critic for the Oakland Tribune and an entertainment editor for the Contra Costa Times and David Boitano, editor of the Berkeley Voice and El Cerrito Journal.

Laid off employees include reporters, newsroom clerical staff members, photographers and copy editors.

The Bay Area News Group is a division of the California Newspapers Partnership, which is owned by Denver-based MediaNews Group along with partners Stephens Media and Gannett Inc.