Commenting on today's newspaper downsizing (L.A. Times cutting 250 jobs), an industry blogger calls it "frightsizing" not the industry's word, "rightsizing." Ken Doctor, whose blog says it's connecting "the rough edges between old and new media," writes that cutting staff is exactly the wrong move. He echoes points I made earlier about how cutting content and product are driving business away -- and going to hurt the digital side as much or more than the print.
By the way, looking at the 45 percent pay cut being taken by Midwest Express' CEO, I have to wonder how much of a pay cut CEOs are taking at media companies? For that matter, as the Journal Sentinel plans to lay off 10 percent of its staff, is it cutting editors and managers? That company, by the way, has lopped off more than half its pre-1995 merger staff, dropping from the full-time equivilancy of 2,500 jobs to 1,170, after the current plan to cut 130. A question one could ask those MBAs coming up with terrible business plans, how's it working out? Readership up? Advertising? Profits? Stock price? Sure, there are frightful industry trends -- but isn't giving readers a lesser newspaper (both in print and on the web) a plan to just sit by and watch them go away? Is that the business plan?
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