Kansas City Star Parent Company Suffers More Layoffs

The demise of dead-tree media isn't yet complete as the almost daily Kansas City newspaper continues to bleed red ink and really isn't sustainable in its current form. 

For those who don't know . . .

EVERY YEAR THE KANSAS CITY STAR LOSES MONEY, SUBSCRIBERS & ADVERTISERS!!!

 Even worse . . .

The newspaper is no longer a leader of local opinion or reporting and some of their most scathing investigations don't even register for most local newsreaders.  

Reality check . . .

The tragic situation doesn't really represent an opportunity for competing organizations because, in general, the rise of social media has revealed that most people just aren't interested in reading the news or anything about local life . . . They'd much rather interact with friends & family or merely play keyboard warrior inside of protected social media bubbles. 

Allow us a quick conspiracy theory . . . The dismantling of the American corporate news hierarchy was obviously orchestrated and works to the benefit of both government and competing corporations. 

Real talk . . . Those of us who remember the apex of corporate news in the 90s understand that the loss of human talent and jobs is regrettable but the "news product" deserved to be replaced.

And so . . .

The layoffs persist and the saddest part of it all is that fewer and fewer people bother to keep track of the ongoing decline . . .  

"McClatchy, whose titles include The Miami Herald and The Sacramento Bee, executed its most severe layoffs in years on Thursday, cutting newsroom staff at some papers by upwards of 40%.

"More than 90 journalists across the country were affected, according to estimates by the unions representing journalists at various papers owned by McClatchy, which is owned by private investment firm Chatham Asset Management. The cuts included reporters, photographers and videographers and affected coverage ranging from government and education to accountability to sports. At least 13 papers across eight states lost staff."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Poynter: McClatchy cuts more than 90 staff in its most severe layoffs in years

Developing . . .