The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader on Tuesday announced that it is reducing its workforce by 10 full-time and two part-time employees.
The McClatchy Co. newspaper has been through several rounds of layoffs and voluntary buyouts since early 2008. The most recent and largest of those was in March, when the newspaper laid off 49 full-time and four part-time employees, and reduced wages for remaining employees.
“The economic downturn has lasted longer than expected, and despite an upturn in the second quarter, the advertising climate remains extremely challenging,” Publisher Timothy M. Kelly said in a message to the staff Tuesday.
McClatchy, the publisher of 30 daily newspapers – including The News & Observer in Raleigh and The Charlotte Observer – has eliminated thousands of jobs to deal with revenue declines and to preserve its ability to make payments on about $2 billion in debt undertaken in the purchase of the much-larger Knight Ridder newspaper chain in 2006.
In its most recent cuts, The News & Observer laid off 10 employees in August.