Munster paper reshuffles, promotes after layoffs
The Times of Northwest Indiana laid off 12 employees on Friday, including four in the newsroom.
Business editor Bill Bero is probably the most notable departure — and his role will not be filled. When I met Bero, he was a metro editor. Then he was pushed off to advertising to run a couple of magazines. When he made those successful, editors welcomed him back to the newsroom as features editor. In the last move, he became business editor. No matter where they tried to put him, Bero succeeded, and mentors many journalists along the way.
Also laid off was long-time sports reporter and columnist John O’Malley, columnist and community coordinator Adele Mackanos, and community reporter Barb Martin. Another 15 positions throughout the paper will not be filled — almost half of them are from the newsroom. No details on severance packages — or if there was one.
Executive editor Bill Nangle sent an e-mail to staff outlining how vacated roles would be filled. The Times is located in Munster, Ind., has a daily circulation of about 85,000 and bureaus in three Indiana towns: Crown Point, Valparaiso and Portage.
From: William Nangle
Sent: Fri 8/1/2008 3:42 PM
To: MUN Newsroom
Cc:
Subject: Staff Assignment ChangesMedia Center Assignment Changes
In order to facilitate operations of the Media Center, the following changes in assignments are being made effective August 11:
Sharon Ross becomes Metro Editor overseeing east Lake, west Lake and Illinois coverage.
Melinda Moore assumes the role of Assistant Metro Editor based in Munster.
Robert Blaszkiewicz assumes the role of Assistant Metro editor based in Portage. He retains certain Portage community duties.
John Scheibel assumes supervision of staff in the Portage office and continues as Porter County Editor based in Valparaiso.
Marc Chase continues as Issues Editor with the business staff becoming part of the Issues Desk. He will remain in Crown Point.
Matt Saltanovitz becomes Assistant Issues Editor and remains in Munster.
Jen Pallay assumes responsibility for Illinois and west Lake community pages.
Annette Arnold will handle a combined Valparaiso and Portage community page.
Carolyn Thompson assumes the role of community staff writer based in Munster.
Previously announced staff reassignments:
Theresa Badovich from Marketing Director to Managing Editor / New Media
Chris Keller from Illinois Editor to News Editor / New Media
Christopher Smith from Assistant Director of Photography to Director of New Media Visuals
Hillary Smith from Sports Staff Writer to Coordinator New Media Sports
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- Filed under: , buyouts and layoffs, The Times of Northwest Indiana
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Again, sad news. And, again I’m amazed at how you can comment from a distance and be equally off-base on your analysis. Reshuffling? Sure. That always happens when there are layoffs. It has to happen. So, calling it that makes you dead on. Where you drift is in the “promotion” reporting. New titles do not promotions make. What most likely happens — and I’m pretty certain it happened in Munster — is when personnel is lost more work is put upon other employees. As salve for the wound, titles are given as responsibilities double and triple. This is not a promotion. If it is, it’s backhanded at best. I’m not quite sure how I stumbled on to your reporting of the journalism industry but it’s starting to become clear to me that you like picking at this ever-increasing wound. If you can’t stop yourself at least make a fair attempt at getting it right. When I read your name it rang a bell (even if I’ve landed on my head one too many times). Years ago at the SND workshop in Savannah Lee Enterprises had a recruiting table. We had a big map of all Lee properties. I encouraged Lee papers to send us their best work to display in hopes of showing young journalists that Lee was in fact a major player. After leaving the table to attend a few sessions I returned to see that most of the pages on display were pushed to the side and a bunch of Munster pages were now on display — along with a stack of resumes. Your resume. You had turned our recruiting table into your own personal job fair. Nice.
Greg, you’re correct that I was at the SND workshop in Savannah. And I was asked to take my portfolio to leave at the Lee recruitment table as a example of work that The Times was doing. But I did not leave a stack of resumes there, although there was a copy of my resume at the front of the portfolio. Any other Munster pages would have been left by other designers; The Times had four designers there: three of us have since left that paper, but two of us still work for Lee.
And we met again a few years later at a Lee conference.
A promotion is a change in position or rank, right? That’s what’s happening. I didn’t say those people who have new titles and jobs received massive raises or anything of the sort, but they were promoted to new roles and responsibilities.
How ever you want to split that hair is fine by me.
And, three folks are still with Lee, unless you forgot Tucson was a Lee paper.
But, that’s just a factual thing. Don’t get hung up on it.
I was including Tucson, Greg: I said that three people left The Times, but two of us still work for Lee. The one who is still at The Times? Clearly, still with Lee.
Gregor:
Now that was funny.
I haven’t worked for The Times in nearly 12 years. I loved O’Malley. He’d been there nearly 23 years or something like that. What’s the story behind this? I hope he’ll land on his feet. My thoughts are with him and his family.
Так держать, подпиÑалаÑÑŒ!
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