Trib newsroom latest casualty as decline continues at Utah dailies

By John Rogers

It’s been a tough couple of weeks at Utah’s daily newspapers. In fact, it’s been a tough decade. On the heels of the new owners of the Ogden Standard-Examiner announcing recently that they were reducing the paper’s staff by 21 positions, The Salt Lake Tribune laid off 34 of its 90-person news staff last week — a whopping 38 percent. 

The Standard-Examiner’s firings included employees from all departments and newsroom cuts included a photographer, two reporters, Executive Editor Greg Halling and Managing Editor Anne Christnovich. Even Publisher Brandon Erlacher was terminated. The paper’s new ownership, Ogden Newspapers Inc. of West Virginia — it took over last Monday — also said that five positions that are currently open will not be filled.

{mprestriction ids="1,3"}At the Tribune, the changes included 14 reporters, seven editors, five support staffers, three photographers, two web producers, two columnists and one graphic artist. Included in the list were Utah news icons like columnists Paul Rolly and Michelle Quist. Long-time sports reporter Jay Drew and business reporter Mike Gorrell were also among the casualties.

The Tribune and Standard-Examiner aren’t alone in responding to tough times in the industry with layoffs. The Deseret News, which shares advertising and production operations with the Tribune, reduced its editorial workforce by 43 percent in 2010. 

Charles McCollum, managing editor of the Logan Herald Journal said his paper has half the staff it had 10 years ago. Some of the layoffs in Logan came when ownership — at that time Pioneer Newspapers — combined design operations with other company papers at a central desk. The Herald Journal has since been purchased by Adams Publishing Group of Minneapolis.

In Provo, things have gone downhill since 2009 when Lee Enterprises, then-owner of the Provo Daily Herald, closed its five community newspapers in the north end of Utah County, idling more than two dozen journalists and advertising personnel. In 2011 the company shut down three more papers in southern Utah County. In 2013 the Daily Herald reduced its staff by 10 percent and discontinued its editorial page. In 2016, Lee Enterprises sold the paper to Ogden Newspapers, the same company that recently bought the Ogden Standard Examiner. Since that time, Herald personnel numbers have continued to dwindle — mostly through attrition.

The Gannett Newspapers-owned Spectrum in St. George seems to be meeting a similar fate. Although precise staff levels are not available, an industry veteran characterizes the paper’s news staff as “a shadow of its former self.” The paper also uses shared resources with other Gannett properties, eliminating the need for positions such as page editors and graphic artists. Many of the Spectrum’s local news stories are produced by part-time reporters or correspondents.              

Regional newspapers such as the Denver Post are also in the throes of downsizing. On March 14, the Post announced the impending layoffs of 30 newsroom employees, or approximately one-third of its 92-person staff — and that’s down from 250 just a few years ago. In a bold move, Post editors ran a scathing editorial titled “As vultures circle, Denver Post must be saved.” In a jab at their owners, the new folks included phrases like: “If Alden (the equity firm that owns the Post) isn’t willing to do good journalism here, it should sell the Post to owners who will.”

The ax fell at the Tribune six days after owner and publisher Paul Huntsman told newsroom staff about “impending changes and financial difficulties” facing the paper. At the time, he told employees that in the two years since he acquired the paper, advertising revenues have fallen 40 percent as daily and weekend print circulation has declined, adding that he had personally covered losses for eight months after investing over $1 million to upgrade the paper’s online and digital production capabilities. In addition to the newsroom layoffs, the Tribune announced plans on its website to eliminate its local news sections on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It had previously eliminated the “Utah” section on Mondays. Remaining pages devoted to news, features, entertainment, business, sports and puzzles will all contract slightly, the paper said.

The Tribune had put its content behind a pay wall earlier this year and although subscriptions to the paid service had exceeded expectations, according to Huntsman, the resulting revenue stream has not been enough to stem the ongoing revenue shortfall.

Those remaining at the Tribune seemed to take the news with measured stoicism, but with similar determination to the Denver Post staff.  Editor Jennifer Napier-Pearce wrote in last Tuesday’s edition and on the paper’s website: “Laying off talented and dedicated colleagues has been flat-out excruciating and represents a tremendous loss not only for this newsroom but also for our entire community. With fewer numbers, we simply can’t be all things to all people or do things the way we used to. But losing a trusted news source, a Pulitzer Prize-winning independent voice in Utah, is absolutely not an option. Those of us who remain will continue to provide the high-quality journalism you’ve come to expect from the Tribune.”

Napier-Pearce also issued a plea to the Tribune’s readership to help stem the tide of failing revenues. “And I thank our loyal readers and subscribers — both print and digital — for standing by us through these difficult times,” she said. “We feel the love and hope you’ll continue to value our coverage. Send us news tips. Share our stories on social media. Sign up for our newsletters. Listen to our podcasts. Attend our live public events. Encourage local businesses to advertise in the paper and online. And, of course, subscribe.”

“Knowing you rely on the Tribune gives us courage to move beyond this terrible day,” Napier-Pearce concluded.

In Ogden, those remaining are also looking optimistically to the future. In a statement issued on May 12, Michael Christman, regional publisher for Ogden Newspapers of Utah, said the layoffs would allow the newspaper to “better focus its mission on true community journalism” and “free up” reporters. 

“Ogden Newspapers is committed to providing a strong community newspaper to the residents of greater Weber County, and to providing great coverage on the important issues affecting our community,” Christman said. “We are very confident with the direction we intend to take the Standard-Examiner — and that direction is focusing on how life is lived in this region.”

To a person, journalists are adamant in their belief that print journalism has to survive. The Logan newspaper’s McCollum put it like this: “Although newspapers are losing print subscribers rapidly as mobile devices take over the information landscape, our society still wants and needs reliable news sources as well as a place to connect with community. Newspapers (whether in print or online) fill that role. They are safe harbors in the treacherous sea of online deception. Even if the companies that currently own local newspapers go out of business, someone will try to fill the void.” {/mprestriction}