Richmond Times-Dispatch eliminates 31 open positions and lays off 59 employees

By: Times-Dispatch Staff | Times-Dispatch
Published: April 02, 2009

The Richmond Times-Dispatch eliminated 31 open positions and laid off 59 employees today. Affected departments include Production, Circulation, Marketing, Business, Advertising, Editorial, News, Operations, Facilities, Prepress Design Services and Targeted Solutions, a new product development group.

In addition, there will be no pay increases for non-unionized RTD employees this year, extending the suspension enacted earlier this year. The RTD will be inviting the Richmond Newspapers Professional Association (RNPA) to join in this needed savings.

All full-time departing colleagues will receive severance packages.

The layoffs follow numerous actions to reduce expenses (previous elimination of positions, improved operational efficiencies, and reduction in work hours). Loss of advertising revenue, including a changing classified market place, and a difficult economic environment force a reduction in the size of the organization. Following the layoffs, the RTD will have 602 full and part-time employees, compared to last year’s complement of 772 for the same period.

“This is not a day I ever wanted to see come. I thank each and every departing employee for their years of valued service that helped publish Richmond’s daily newspapers,” said President and Publisher Thomas A. Silvestri.

There are no plans to eliminate days of publication. The Times-Dispatch will continue its focus on breaking, local news and insightful and thorough coverage of our core market in Central Virginia where more than 80% of its readers live and work.

“Despite today’s announcement, our news mission at the RTD remains clear,” said Vice President and Executive Editor Glenn Proctor. “We will provide readers and viewers with a vibrant news website and print product worth reading every day. We will do that by sharpening our focus on state and municipal government, state and local politics, education, crime and public safety, college and prep sports, and, of course, the economy and business.”

“We will do everything we can to retain our current customers by demonstrating our strength as the leading provider of high-quality content and services,” Silvestri added.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch and TimesDispatch.com are owned by Media General, a multimedia corporation based in Richmond with newspapers, television stations and online operations in the Southeast.