Vancouver Sun and Province combine newsrooms as part of Postmedia downsizing

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      Two of Vancouver's metropolitan daily newspapers will be combining newsrooms, according to a tweet by Vancouver Sun reporter Lori Culbert.

      The Vancouver Sun and Province are both owned by Postmedia Network Canada, which has reported heavy financial losses in recent years.

      The two newspapers have been sharing content for a while, but this is the first time that there's word of an actual shared newsroom.

      "No layoffs here so far," Culbert noted in her tweet.

      In a subsequent tweet, Culbert added that what her paper and the Province "will look like in the future is unclear but aim is to keep them separate newspapers".

      This point was echoed by her colleague, Denise Ryan.

      It came as Postmedia announced that it has dismissed 90 staff members across the country. Newsrooms have also been merged in Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton.

      Vancouver Sun reporter Jeff Lee mentioned on Twitter that his employer is offering buyouts again but emphasized that there have been no job losses at the Vancouver newspapers in this latest round of cuts.

      Both newspapers are in the Granville Square office tower. If the newsrooms combine, it may offer Postmedia an opportunity to sublease space in the building.

      Last week, Postmedia reported a $4.2-million loss for the three months ending November 30, 2015. That was down from a $10.3-million loss in the same quarter a year ago.

      For the last fiscal year ending August 31, Postmedia recorded a $54.1-million loss, which was slightly worse than the $49.8-million loss in the previous year.

      News of the consolidated newsrooms comes on the same day as the Media Union of B.C. has scheduled a meeting with its Pacific Newspaper Group members. It will take place at SFU Harbour Centre this afternoon.

      "The purpose of the meeting is to update members on the progress of bargaining and to discuss issues that have been raised at the table," the union stated on its website.

      The Globe and Mail's media reporter, James Bradshaw, noted over Twitter that Rob McLaughlin is overseeing the Vancouver newsroom.

      McLaughin was appointed as Postmedia's regional vice president, editorial, for Western Canada in 2014. At the time, the company announced that he would be moving to Vancouver to "work closely with [publisher] Gordon Fisher and oversee editorial operations of The Sun and the redesign and re-launch of The Province".

      Postmedia announced last week that it was going to cut expenses by $80 million by the end of the fiscal year in 2017.

      Meanwhile in other Postmedia news, Edmonton Journal editor Margo Goodhand and Edmonton Journal managing editor Stephanie Coombs are out the door.

      The Postmedia-owned National Post has cut staff in its sports department, letting go of Kaitlyn McGrath, David Alert, and Eric Koreen.

      Postmedia Network Canada B class voting shares are trading at $0.13 on the Toronto Stock Exchange, giving the company a market capitalization of $36.6 million. The nonvoting Postmedia C class shares are trading at $0.15.

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