Bob Fernandez reports for Philly.com


Philadelphia Media Network, owner of the Inquirer, the Daily News, and Philly.com, is seeking to eliminate 30 to 35 newsroom positions through buyouts and warned that it could lay off employees if it fails to reach that target.

At the same time, the company is hiring 10 employees with digital-related skills, such as a newsletter editor and search optimization editor, and said it would continue to hire in specific areas to modernize the newsroom and expand its audience on Philly.com.

“The economics are not getting any better,” said PMN publisher Terrance C.Z. Egger, but he noted that PMN is not just cutting costs.

“We’ve already decided to invest in growth areas like online subscriptions, events, a new content-management system, digital, and the overall marketing,” Egger said. “We are now going through a similar phase in the newsroom to invest in key areas of coverage, storytelling, and our ability to reach broader new audiences.”

Inquirer and Daily News print advertising has declined faster than it can be replaced with newer sources of revenue such as digital advertising, which the company says requires it to cut costs.

But PMN is also encouraged by some early investments. The company last month began charging readers who click on more than 10 stories for further access to Philly.com, and those online subscriptions are “off to a good start,” Egger said.

Employees who lack digital skills or are uncomfortable with the newsroom changes can “self-select” their departure, he added. Egger credited top newsroom executives for crafting a buyout offer that was considerate to employees.

The cutback and expected hirings were disclosed in an email to the newsroom around noon Monday, and represent a net reduction of about 10 percent in the 210-member union-covered staff, according to company data.