New year, same buzz word for newspaper employees: Furlough

Asheville Citizen-Times employees will be forced to take unpaid time off in the first three months of next year, according to a new round of cost-saving measures announced by corporate owner Gannett Co. this week.

The furloughs, which will affect employees at all of Gannett’s 82 community newspapers, started this year when Gannett required employees to take unpaid time off in the first and second quarters of the year. The latest round of furloughs will last up to one week, depending on the employee, according to a Gannett memo.

Other media companies have been shedding workers as weak advertising continues to take its toll on the newspaper industry, the Associated Press reports. USA Today, Gannett’s flagship newspaper, announced it was reducing its newsroom staff by 5 percent. The New York Times, the Associated Press and Time Inc. have also announced job cuts in recent weeks, the AP reports.

Gannett cut 10 percent of its workforce in 2008 and slashed another 3 percent this past summer. At the Citizen-Times, that has translated into about two dozen layoffs. Another 60 employees lost their jobs at the newspaper’s printing plant in January when the company closed down its press. The newspaper is now printed in Greenville, S.C.

— Jason Sandford, multimedia editor

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.