The New York Daily News announced plans to outsource its printing and inserting operations to the North Jersey Media Group.
The move, which will be negotiated with unions representing affected employees, reflects an industry trend toward consolidation to help blunt the impact of declining print readership and would result in the closure of the Daily News’ Liberty View plant in Jersey City.
Daily News General Manager Michael Gates said “prior public company ownership” had planned to discontinue the print edition, but “current ownership is committed to maintaining the print newspaper and that now requires us to find efficiencies that have become common in the industry by identifying a partner to handle production.”
Shifting production of the newspaper would help fuel continued investment in the company’s digital growth, Gates said.
“The New York Daily News is proposing this step to help offset the ongoing print revenue declines exacerbated by the pandemic ,” Gates said.
The move would result in no change to what readers or advertisers see in the daily newspaper, Gates said. Similar moves have been made recently by both for-profit and nonprofit newspapers, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Tampa Bay Times and the Kansas City Star….
The Daily News plans to begin negotiations with unions representing affected employees. It was not immediately clear how many jobs would be affected.
“Our desire is to work with our employees and union leaders to come to a final agreement before March 12,” Gates said. “We deeply regret the impact this plan would have on the dedicated staff members whose employment would be affected. These are friends and colleagues who care deeply about the New York Daily News.
“We value their contributions and appreciate their hard work and commitment to quality.”
The Daily News was sold in early 2021 to Alden Global Capital, a New York-based hedge fund, as part of Alden’s acquisition of Tribune Publishing.
The North Jersey Media Group, based in Woodland Park, N.J., publishes the Bergen Record, the Herald News of Passaic County and the Daily Record of Morris County, among other titles. It is part of Gannett Corp.
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