Bob DeMay
ONPA Board Chairman
At the Akron Beacon Journal it might be known as the long hot summer. It had
nothing
to do with the weather, but the temperature rose like the tension in the Paul
Newman,
Orson Welles screen gem of the same name.
It played out differently at other newspapers across Ohio, but when it was
all over
there were far fewer staff photographers working for papers in the Buckeye state.
In Akron the angst began in Nov. 2005, when Knight Ridder announced that it
was
going on the auction block. The paper was sold twice in the span of three months.
The
McClatchy Company was the top bidder for the Knight Ridder chain. McClatchy
then
sold the Akron property to Black Press Ltd. for $165 million in June.
By August, owner David Black directed Akron's new publisher Ed Moss
to cut newsroom staffing by 25 percent. The proposed cuts for the photo
department were to be
much deeper. Black wanted six of the twelve positions cut.
Editor Debra Adams-Simmons lobbied to reduce that number to four when the
layoffs
were announced and later saved another position in the department after voluntary
resignations in the newsroom took place. In the end Jocelyn Williams, with 19
years of service and Robin Sallie with 12, opted for voluntary severance packages.
Those actions saved the jobs of Karen Schiely and Ken Love.
Not all of the departures were voluntary though. Lindsay Semple was laid off
and has
since taken a position as a staff photographer at The State in Columbia, SC.
One of those opting for voluntary severance packages at the Beacon was Susan
Kirkman, managing editor of multimedia & special projects. Kirkman plans
to start graduate
school at Kent State University.
The anxiety in Akron is now playing out at its competitor to the south as
Copley Press
has hung for sale signs on The Repository in Canton and dailies in Massillon,
and New
Philadelphia.
In Canton, general manager Michael E. Hanke
and special projects editor Rick
Senften have accepted buyouts as The Repository adjusts operating expenses
in
preparation for the sale of the paper. A number of other staff reductions are
pending.
There is obvious speculation that the Beacon's new owner would be interested
in
other acquisitions in the region.
In Cleveland and Dayton staff reductions were achieved through buyouts
rather
than layoffs.
In Dayton Bill Garlow, Bill Reinke, Skip Peterson and Ed
Roberts have all
accepted the early retirement option offered by Cox Newspapers. In all, the
Dayton Daily
News is losing 18 people from the newsroom.
Cox papers in Hamilton, Springfield and Middletown could see changes as some
operations
may merge to Dayton's new office building.
At The Plain Dealer, staff members Richard Conway, C.H. Pete
Copeland and
Rosemary Kovacs are retiring.
Five-time ONPA Photographer of the Year Mike Levy has left the paper to freelance
and teach.
Eustacio Humphrey has accepted a position as assistant photo editor at the
Seattle
Post-Intelligencer.
All have accepted buyouts offered by Advanced Publications. A Plain
Dealer story
said that 64 of the paper's 372 newsroom employees accepted buyout offers.
Incentive packages were based on age and seniority.
Elsewhere in Ohio it's a game of attrition as open positions go unfilled.
In Columbus, Barth Falkenberg has taken an early retirement
from the Dispatch,
where he served as director of photography for 21 years. Managing editor of
graphics,
Karl Kuntz will take over Falkenberg's responsibilities.
In Canton, the vacancy created when David Distelhorst left
the paper,
will not be filled.
While the cuts are felt at the individual papers, they also have an effect
on ONPA.
To borrow a line from our publishers, we will need to make sure costs are inline
with
expected revenue. Membership retention will be more important than ever in the
coming year.
One of ONPA's newest members had a front row seat for a course not taught
on campus.
Kent State University student David Foster started his internship at the Beacon
in
late August just as staff reductions were being announced.
Half the photo staff was busy pursuing job boards and trying to figure out
what part
of the country they might want to unwillingly relocate to. Not quite the nurturing
environment
one would envision for an internship.
It was a first hand lesson on the state of the newspaper business today. Its
one thing to
hear about an industry's decline in a new story. The lesson sinks in a little
more when
every Friday they are serving cake in the newsroom for another departing journalist.
Wide-eyed high school graduates need to know what they face after graduation
before they start filling out FASFA applications. It can still be a great career
choice for
an aspiring photojournalist.
Don't ignore reality though. Take a realistic look at your
talent level, and the salary
your talent will bring. School loans themselves may be next to impossible to
pay off
earning a non-living wage.
The changing landscape of the newspaper business makes it necessary for veteran
staffers to learn new job skills. Video and multi-media are your new storytelling
tools.
The still camera may soon be relegated to the NFL sidelines where no video is
allowed.
As always, some newsrooms are ahead of the curve, while others talk a good
game,
but don't provide the resources or training needed. It's a challenge for managers
who
must find a way to balance the needs of the print and online products with reduced
staffs
and tighter capital budgets.
ONPA won't sit on the sidelines as our industry is reshaped. We
will make every
effort to tailor educational programs to serve the membership as the distinction
between
still and video members evaporates.
You'll soon be one of those people with a video camera that's been
standing in front of you all these years.