Home News Tribune and Others to Cut Staff

, Asbury Park Press, and Courier News will cut their staff by 36 employees this week, said Publisher Tom Donovan.

According to a memo leaked to Gannett Blog and sent to Gannett’s U.S. Community Publishing Division Monday by President Bob Dickey, approximately 700 employees, or 2 percent of the company’s overall workforce, will be let go. The cuts are necessary because of a decrease in revenue, according to the memo, and will effect publications throughout New Jersey.

“National advertising remains soft and with many of our local advertisers reducing their overall budgets, we need to take further steps to align our costs with the current revenue trends,” said Dickey in the memo. “Each of our local media organizations faces its own market conditions, challenges and opportunities. Therefore, it has been up to each local publisher to determine his or her unique course of action.”

Donovan said that in New Jersey, 36 employees would be let go, with cuts coming from all departments, including editorial.

“We’re facing the same problems locally that (Bob Dickey) mentions in his memo,” said Donovan.

Donovan wouldn’t give specifics regarding how many employees, from what departments and from which publications would be cut.

“It will be determined by the local managers. It’s up to them to determine what to do,” said VP of Corporate Communications Robin Spence. 

Dickey, Donovan and Pence all said the economy was to blame for the move, with advertising revenue continuing to decline despite previous predictions.

“As we reach the mid-point of the year, the economic recovery is not happening as quickly or favorably as we had hoped and continues to impact our U.S. community media organizations,” said Dickey’s Memo.

However “weakness in the real estate sector, slow job creation and now softer auto ad demand continue to challenge revenue growth in the division,” means cuts are needed. Dickey said that in addition to the layoffs, furloughs would be required by employees who make a certain salary. Those who are being laid off were supposed to be notified Monday, said Dickey.

This is the second time this year that Gannett has made staff reductions that hit New Jersey communities. In February, the , Courier News and  were told to cut their collective newsroom staff approximately in half.

Collectively, the publications currently employ about 100 newsroom staffers. The Daily Record, based in Parsippany, primarily serves Morris County; the Courier News primarily serves Somerset County; and the Home News Tribune primarily serves Middlesex County. The Courier News and Home News Tribune have consolidated several aspects of their operation in recent years, and now share a website, facilities and several key staff members.

Donovan said those moves were a reorganization effort, rather than a move to reduce staff. At the time, those employees were told to reapply for their positions. That option is not open to employees this time, said Donovan.