Chicago Sun-Times loses 15 staffers, including all photographers
Two weeks ago, it was announced that what remains of Sun-Times Media would try to get rid of 13-15 employees, through buyouts if possible, through layoffs if necessary. This in spite of getting $23.5 million from the sale of most in of its newspapers, in spite of firing all of the suburban newspapers' former designers. The money seems to be going down the drain somewhere (most likely Aggrego), and employees sure do cost money.
Reporter Adrienne Gibbs, shortly before leaving Chicago Sun-Times one last time (via Adrienne Gibbs)
Well, now we know how many people are going to be leaving the paper. 15 staffers decided to take the buyouts. This Friday was their last day of work.
Robert Feder, himself a former Sun-Times reporter, has a complete list of the employees that took buyouts. But just to touch on a few....Chicago Sun-Times lost Digital Editor (and former Books section editor) Teresa Budasi, Assistant Sports Editor Larry Hamel, feature writer Mike Thomas, sports reporter Seth Gruen...
Lori Rackl, one of the few remaining newspaper TV critics in the Midwest, took a buyout. Her position has now been eliminated.
You would think that knowing that a lot of talented reporters are still on staff would make it sting less. It doesn't.
You would think that knowing that at least Pioneer Press staff wouldn't have to deal with this mess would bring me some comfort. It doesn't. Not even remotely.
It was an awful day for the Chicago Newspaper Guild. Not only did they lose 15 members in one fell swoop, but one of those members was reporter Art Golab, head of the Guild's Chicago Sun-Times unit.
Remember how Wrapports filed 28 Sun-Times Media photographers and the Guild threatened lawsuit, forcing Wrapports to hire four of them back? A year and three months later, all four of them took buyouts. Between some of the other firings and photo editors that went over to Tribune thanks to the sale of the suburban papers, Chicago Sun-Times now has zero staffers that have any experience in photography and/or digital video.
Zero.
What makes this even worse was that, when the photographers were fired, the Guild fought and clawed to get them their jobs back. This was done with cooperation and consent from the Guild, which, according to Chicago Reader's media columnist Michael Miner, hoped that the layoffs would be enough to ensure that nobody else would have to leave.
Here are some reactions to the news
Robert Feder:
Fifteen great journalists are leaving the @SunTimes today. All will be missed. http://t.co/QloQsXkAV8
- Robert Feder (@RobertFeder) February 27, 2015
Brandon Wall, Chicago Sun-Times’ surviving digital editor
The Bright One is a little bit dimmer tonight http://t.co/C5zaLiYv84
- Brandon Wall (@Walldo) February 28, 2015
@photojeskos 140 characters can't contain how much I loved working together. I am gonna miss the hell of you
- Brandon Wall (@Walldo) February 26, 2015
@photojeskos 140 characters can't contain how much I loved working together. I am gonna miss the hell of you
- Brandon Wall (@Walldo) February 26, 2015
Chicago Sun-Times breaking news reporter Reema Amin
Lost the photogs we hired back, as well as great reporters. These people will do fantastic things wherever they land. http://t.co/fXdUFBhALg
- Reema Amin (@reemadamin) February 27, 2015
Former Chicago Sun-Times reporter Jen Sabella
Sending my pals at the @Suntimes lots of love today. Confident the talented folks who took buyouts will land on their feet.
- Jen Sabella (@jensabella) February 27, 2015
Freelance reporter Matt Lindner
A toast to those leaving the @suntimes today. May your unemployment be brief and the good news yours here shortly. http://t.co/fOrjPfVUoy
- Matt Lindner (@mattlindner) February 27, 2015
As for the fired staffers themselves… I just want to highlight two reactions in particular.
First.. from reporter Adrienne Gibbs' farewell blog post.
I’m a native Chicagoan, and I waited a long time and worked at a number of places before the Chicago Sun-Times finally called me in for an interview. I was thrilled to take the position as features writer back in the fall of 2013. I was similarly thrilled to join the paper at which Roger Ebert, Mary Mitchell and Richard Roeper became household names. The Sun-Times is a great paper for a writer with a strong voice. Not even a year into the gig, I started a Sunday column, “The 312.” There, I focused on the diverse backstories - or the Chicago connections - of what’s hot in pop culture, the arts and entertainment.
I grew up reading this paper, and I got a huge kick out of covering the topics that I love in the city of my birth. But, as Robert Feder reports, I took the voluntary buy out. Chicago most certainly deserves two newspapers, and I wish the ST crew the very best. I also look forward to continuing to tell Chicago’s stories.
Then, there are tweets by photographer Jessica Koscielniak, shortly after she confirmed taking a buyout.
Over the next few days I will be sharing some of my favorite videos and images I made at the @Suntimes #celebrate
- Jessica Koscielniak (@photojeskos) February 26, 2015
Starting here with pic from the "the Final bell" series with @bylaurenfitz - she is a damn good journalist and friend pic.twitter.com/05r1M8pKYf
- Jessica Koscielniak (@photojeskos) February 26, 2015
One more of my favorites from "The Final Bell" series... I love that she gives this guy the stink face. pic.twitter.com/blw4Hd1bUI
- Jessica Koscielniak (@photojeskos) February 26, 2015
The List. Gonna miss everyone. http://t.co/tr68GQDn8z
- Jessica Koscielniak (@photojeskos) February 27, 2015
And the worst part, the absolute worst part is that, according to Miner, this may not be the end.
Beset by chronically slipping revenues, the Sun-Times offered the buyout to save a target number of dollars and told the Guild that 15 volunteers might be enough to reach the target. This remains to be seen. The Guild and paper will be meeting next week to discuss layoffs and whether they can be avoided.
Emphasis mine.
Oh, and according to Miner,in a few weeks, Chicago Sun-Times is going to get a new design that would "[bring] the print product into cosmetic harmony with the website." Given what the current website looks like - and the fact that the last redesign was supposed to do something similar but somehow never really managed - I am not looking forward to that.
Especially considering how many talented designers the company fired.
---
Reporter Adrienne Gibbs, shortly before leaving Chicago Sun-Times one last time (via Adrienne Gibbs)
Well, now we know how many people are going to be leaving the paper. 15 staffers decided to take the buyouts. This Friday was their last day of work.
Robert Feder, himself a former Sun-Times reporter, has a complete list of the employees that took buyouts. But just to touch on a few....Chicago Sun-Times lost Digital Editor (and former Books section editor) Teresa Budasi, Assistant Sports Editor Larry Hamel, feature writer Mike Thomas, sports reporter Seth Gruen...
Lori Rackl, one of the few remaining newspaper TV critics in the Midwest, took a buyout. Her position has now been eliminated.
You would think that knowing that a lot of talented reporters are still on staff would make it sting less. It doesn't.
You would think that knowing that at least Pioneer Press staff wouldn't have to deal with this mess would bring me some comfort. It doesn't. Not even remotely.
It was an awful day for the Chicago Newspaper Guild. Not only did they lose 15 members in one fell swoop, but one of those members was reporter Art Golab, head of the Guild's Chicago Sun-Times unit.
Remember how Wrapports filed 28 Sun-Times Media photographers and the Guild threatened lawsuit, forcing Wrapports to hire four of them back? A year and three months later, all four of them took buyouts. Between some of the other firings and photo editors that went over to Tribune thanks to the sale of the suburban papers, Chicago Sun-Times now has zero staffers that have any experience in photography and/or digital video.
Zero.
What makes this even worse was that, when the photographers were fired, the Guild fought and clawed to get them their jobs back. This was done with cooperation and consent from the Guild, which, according to Chicago Reader's media columnist Michael Miner, hoped that the layoffs would be enough to ensure that nobody else would have to leave.
Here are some reactions to the news
Robert Feder:
Fifteen great journalists are leaving the @SunTimes today. All will be missed. http://t.co/QloQsXkAV8
- Robert Feder (@RobertFeder) February 27, 2015
Brandon Wall, Chicago Sun-Times’ surviving digital editor
The Bright One is a little bit dimmer tonight http://t.co/C5zaLiYv84
- Brandon Wall (@Walldo) February 28, 2015
@photojeskos 140 characters can't contain how much I loved working together. I am gonna miss the hell of you
- Brandon Wall (@Walldo) February 26, 2015
@photojeskos 140 characters can't contain how much I loved working together. I am gonna miss the hell of you
- Brandon Wall (@Walldo) February 26, 2015
Chicago Sun-Times breaking news reporter Reema Amin
Lost the photogs we hired back, as well as great reporters. These people will do fantastic things wherever they land. http://t.co/fXdUFBhALg
- Reema Amin (@reemadamin) February 27, 2015
Former Chicago Sun-Times reporter Jen Sabella
Sending my pals at the @Suntimes lots of love today. Confident the talented folks who took buyouts will land on their feet.
- Jen Sabella (@jensabella) February 27, 2015
Freelance reporter Matt Lindner
A toast to those leaving the @suntimes today. May your unemployment be brief and the good news yours here shortly. http://t.co/fOrjPfVUoy
- Matt Lindner (@mattlindner) February 27, 2015
As for the fired staffers themselves… I just want to highlight two reactions in particular.
First.. from reporter Adrienne Gibbs' farewell blog post.
I’m a native Chicagoan, and I waited a long time and worked at a number of places before the Chicago Sun-Times finally called me in for an interview. I was thrilled to take the position as features writer back in the fall of 2013. I was similarly thrilled to join the paper at which Roger Ebert, Mary Mitchell and Richard Roeper became household names. The Sun-Times is a great paper for a writer with a strong voice. Not even a year into the gig, I started a Sunday column, “The 312.” There, I focused on the diverse backstories - or the Chicago connections - of what’s hot in pop culture, the arts and entertainment.
I grew up reading this paper, and I got a huge kick out of covering the topics that I love in the city of my birth. But, as Robert Feder reports, I took the voluntary buy out. Chicago most certainly deserves two newspapers, and I wish the ST crew the very best. I also look forward to continuing to tell Chicago’s stories.
Then, there are tweets by photographer Jessica Koscielniak, shortly after she confirmed taking a buyout.
Over the next few days I will be sharing some of my favorite videos and images I made at the @Suntimes #celebrate
- Jessica Koscielniak (@photojeskos) February 26, 2015
Starting here with pic from the "the Final bell" series with @bylaurenfitz - she is a damn good journalist and friend pic.twitter.com/05r1M8pKYf
- Jessica Koscielniak (@photojeskos) February 26, 2015
One more of my favorites from "The Final Bell" series... I love that she gives this guy the stink face. pic.twitter.com/blw4Hd1bUI
- Jessica Koscielniak (@photojeskos) February 26, 2015
The List. Gonna miss everyone. http://t.co/tr68GQDn8z
- Jessica Koscielniak (@photojeskos) February 27, 2015
And the worst part, the absolute worst part is that, according to Miner, this may not be the end.
Beset by chronically slipping revenues, the Sun-Times offered the buyout to save a target number of dollars and told the Guild that 15 volunteers might be enough to reach the target. This remains to be seen. The Guild and paper will be meeting next week to discuss layoffs and whether they can be avoided.
Emphasis mine.
Oh, and according to Miner,in a few weeks, Chicago Sun-Times is going to get a new design that would "[bring] the print product into cosmetic harmony with the website." Given what the current website looks like - and the fact that the last redesign was supposed to do something similar but somehow never really managed - I am not looking forward to that.
Especially considering how many talented designers the company fired.
---