With advertising revenue in 2012 less than hoped, The Daily Herald Co. on Friday laid off six employees, including four in the news department. The company also is leaving several vacancies unfilled and is shifting resources to emphasize digital products.
“As you know, our advertising revenues did not rebound in 2012 as much as we had hoped,” Publisher David Dadisman said in an email to employees. “We have taken some action this week to right-size our business for 2013. Unfortunately, that means some of our colleagues will be leaving soon. Additionally, some vacant positions will not be filled.”
Those laid off were a news reporter, a sports reporter, a photographer, a copy editor, a circulation employee and an operations worker. The news department has two vacancies that will not be filled, and one news reporter’s hours were reduced.
The layoff is the third significant staff reduction in as many years. There were layoffs in late 2010 and early retirements in late 2011.
Last year, the company closed The Weekly Herald, which served south Snohomish County, and it soon will cease distribution of the free Herald Shopper. While the company is cutting distribution of printed products, it is reorganizing the management and staff responsible for digital information and revenue, Dadisman said in an interview.
Besides the Herald newspaper, The Daily Herald Co. publishes HeraldNet.com, the Spanish-language weekly and website La Raza del Noroeste and The Herald Business Journal.
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