Another media company lays off staff

Southeast Missourian

Saturday, May 16, 2020

The website Axios reported Friday that The Economist Group is laying off 90 from its staff of 1,300. Its life and culture print publication, “1843,” will move to a digital-only publication.

“It's the latest media company that's been forced to take drastic measures to survive the economic fallout of the coronavirus,” writes Axios.

The pandemic is forcing dozens of major media companies, including newer, digitally-native media companies, to carry out layoffs and pay cuts, writes Axios. “The Economist Group joins The Hollywood Reporter, Fortune, Billboard, Group Nine Media, BuzzFeed, Vox Media, Bustle Digital Group, Cheddar, Maven Media, G/O Media, Protocol and others who have resorted to layoffs and furloughs.”

Few newspapers in the United States have been spared.

According to the Washington Post: “While newspapers — many held by heavily indebted chain owners — have been hit hard, the broader media landscape has pits in it at every turn. Alternative weeklies and city magazines, dependent on ads from restaurants, museums and local attractions, were the first to hang out urgent appeals for reader donations; several have closed, and others are contemplating it. Even local TV stations, the most resilient sector during the media’s troubled years, are hurting from the disappearance of two reliable advertisers — local car dealers and political candidates.”

In Cape Girardeau, the Southeast Missourian reduced its print frequency from six-days-a-week to three and furloughed several of its non-editorial staff.

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if the southeast missourian does not go back to 6 days a week, when my sub comes due in august its bye bye. not worth it for just 3 days a week. reduced the paper but not the bill...

-- Posted by Steven Puchbauer on Fri, May 15, 2020, at 10:32 PM
Myself, I frequent the online-version steadily. But the wife stills like to get a "hard"-copy, mainly for the shopping ads. We were getting three-weekly even before the virus---but for the past few weeks, we've been lucky to get even ONE-paper delivered by USPS, and then only on the Saturday-route.

Kinda hate to echo another poster's comment, but: "...reduced the paper, but not the bill."

Fair-point of observation...

-- Posted by bruno/rs on Sat, May 16, 2020, at 10:40 AM
I have subscribed to the Missorian for almost 40 years and find that the paper is hardly worth reading anymore. I usually expect almost half of the front page to be filled with photos and most stories copied from another news source. Very little actual investigation and newsreporting going on here.

-- Posted by tobedetermined on Sat, May 16, 2020, at 10:58 AM
Better make some changes Jon or your media will also wither on the vine much like the businesses in this country that are being FORCED to stay closed. Better wake up and soon.

-- Posted by GREYWOLF on Sun, May 17, 2020, at 6:32 AM
I suspect the print version will never come back to 6 per. Whatever they do, PLEASE put the Sunday paper back on Sunday. It's still frustrating to get the ads on Saturday and then realize you have to wait to actually use them! Even the digital daily is a disappointment. There isn't a "whole" paper worth of new stuff each day. I still consider digital to be lazy journalism. Digital articles can be changed at any time with a keystroke. But once it goes to print, you have to live with it.

-- Posted by The Papa on Sun, May 17, 2020, at 8:54 AM

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