The worst part about having to write about more layoffs at a New Mexico newspaper is that this probably isn’t going to be the last time I have to do it.
Regardless, several people lost their jobs and others saw their hours slashed in half in a round of cuts announced Friday by The Santa Fe New Mexican. In all, the equivalent of 12 full-time jobs were cut.
The cuts come almost exactly a year after the newspaper eliminated the equivalent of 16.5 full-time jobs to cut expenses. The number of pages the newspaper publishes each day has also been cut in the last year.
The newest round of layoffs included at least one reporter and a couple of editors, I’m told. The New Mexican’s article stated that some jobs “were lost through layoff, some through a decision not to fill vacant positions and others through the conversion of some full-time jobs to part time. The company eliminated the equivalent of six positions on the news staff and six more in the advertising and production departments.”
The newspaper blamed the economy for the cuts.
Of course, we all know by now the bad economy has only exacerbated a previously existing problem: Newspapers continue to lose readers to the Internet, and they haven’t yet figured out how to make the transition, though many are trying hard. Several New Mexico newspapers have made significant cuts in recent months.
Tough times. I used to work at The New Mexican and know some of the affected people. My heart goes out to them.