Sun Media newspaper chain to lay off 200 workers

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      The layoffs keep coming at Sun Media Corporation.

      Today (December 4), Canada's largest newspaper chain by circulation announced it will eliminate around 200 jobs across Canada.

      About a quarter of those job losses will be in editorial, according to a news release issued by the Quebecor Media Inc. subsidiary.

      “It is very tough to announce job cuts,” Julie Tremblay, president and CEO of Sun Media, said in the release. “But as distressing as they are for the employees involved, these restructuring initiatives are necessary to maintain our leading position and ensure the Corporation’s sustainability. We truly regret this decision’s impact on the professionals who are leaving our organization. We thank each and every one of them and we wish them every success.”

      A media union is calling for Sun Media to cancel this latest round of job cuts.

      "Each time we think they have hit rock bottom, they bore down and find a new bottom," CWA Canada director Martin O'Hanlon said in a news release. "Our newsrooms are already like ghost towns and I don't know how the smaller papers will even be able to cover basic local news anymore." 

      Back in July, Sun Media announced the layoff of 360 employees, the closure of three free commuter dailies, and the shutdown of eight community papers, in an attempt to save $55 million a year.

      In November, Quebecor Inc., which owns 75.4 percent of Quebecor Media, said the operating income of its news media group had increased by 14.7 percent to 25.8 million in the third quarter due to "significant cost-containment and repositioning efforts" in recent years.

      Sun Media publishes 24 Hours in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal; the Toronto SunLe Journal de Montréal; and around 200 other newspapers.

      Comments

      2 Comments

      WTF

      Dec 5, 2013 at 9:30am

      Welcome to the 21st Century & the Net.

      12 8Rating: +4

      Mouse Chaser

      Dec 5, 2013 at 1:20pm

      This Is What Big Corporations Do At This Time Of Year.

      12 9Rating: +3