PEORIA, Ill. – Staff and printed editions of the Peoria Journal Star have been cut significantly over the years — now, the cuts may get worse.
According to a company e-mail obtained by the Poynter Institute, parent company Gannett announced this week more cuts, on top of four hundred layoffs and four hundred open position cuts made months ago.
The company now plans to suspend 401(k) matching and further hiring, and will require employees to take a week off unpaid in December. They’re also seeking volunteers for buyouts.
Company CEO Mike Reed wrote, “the company continues to face headwinds and uncertainty from the deteriorating macroeconomic environment.”
Local union officials say they’re unsure what impact the new cuts will have in Peoria.
“When I started my career here in 1993 there were almost 100 people in the newsroom,” reporter Leslie Renken, president of the Peoria Newspaper Guild told 25 News. “Now there are 11.”
Just this year, the paper cut a print edition on Saturdays, leaving it to online, and longtime columnist and reporter Phil Luciano was among a number of reporters to leave.
