Globe, T&G look to cut 125 spots
The New England Media Group said yesterday it will offer voluntary buyout packages to employees at The Boston Globe and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, as it aims to cut 125 jobs from the two papers, including 19 in the Globe newsroom and editorial pages.
Fifty-five jobs to be cut in the buyout will be outsourced to outside contractors, said Alfred S. Larkin Jr., the Globe spokesman, primarily in finance operations.
"Our expectation is we will be able to accomplish our goal without resorting to layoffs," Larkin said.
The buyouts, the second round since the fall of 2005, come as the newspapers struggle with falling circulation and advertising revenue against the backdrop of similar declines in the industry. The New York Times Co., parent of the Globe and Telegram & Gazette, recently said that ad revenue at its New England group fell 11 percent in November from the same period a year ago.
In the six months ended in September, the most recent figures available, the Globe's average daily circulation declined 7 percent to about 386,000 from 414,000 a year earlier. The Telegram & Gazette reported an 11 percent decline in average daily circulation in that period, to 89,000.
Globe publisher P. Steven Ainsley said in a memo to employees that job cuts are the result of "one of the most challenging periods in our history."
"Even though we have the potential to reach the larger audiences through the combination of print, online, and emerging platforms, such as mobile, we still face tough advertising and circulation markets," Ainsley said.
The pending job cuts at the Globe reflect a broader industry consolidation as online and other rivals slice into newspaper circulation and advertising revenues. Revenue generated by newspapers' own websites are growing quickly, but still represent only a fraction of those from print.
Over the past few months, several big newspapers have cut staff, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, which recently laid off about 70 editorial employees, nearly one-fifth of the newsroom. The Globe buyout would reduce newsroom staff by about 5 percent.
The Boston Herald last month laid off about 10 editorial and business workers, after cutting about one-fourth of its newsroom in 2005. In the six months ended in September, the Herald's average daily circulation fell 12 percent, to 203,000, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, an independent group that monitors newspaper circulation. The privately held Herald does not report revenue.
The Globe and the Telegram & Gazette used buyouts at the end of 2005 to cut about 160 jobs, including more than 30 in the Globe newsroom. In this round, managers and Newspaper Guild union employees with at least 10 years of service are eligible. The Guild represents more than 1,000 editorial, advertising, business office, and other employees at the Globe through its local, the Boston Newspaper Guild.
The buyout program should be completed by the end of March, Globe officials said. Financial terms of the buyout were not made public yesterday.
Dan Totten, president of the Boston Newspaper Guild, denounced the outsourcing initiative as "corporate greed at its worst."
"Outsourcing efforts by The New York Times [Co.] on our beloved Boston Globe shows a lack of respect for the quality, dedication, and work ethic that Boston Newspaper Guild members have brought to their Globe jobs," Totten said.
Robert Gavin can be reached at rgavin@globe.com. 
