Layoffs at the 'Daily News': Police desk, City Hall, federal courts and photo department hit so far
At the newsstand.
1:12 pm Nov. 4, 20116
Layoffs have come to the Daily News.
Since this morning, staffers to be laid off have been getting called into a conference room to meet with senior vice president of human-resources Jeff Zomper. They're being told the layoffs are part of a "downsizing" operation at the paper. The layoffs aren't yet complete, (The New York Observer and the New York Post are putting the total number at 10); we've confirmed the names of a few of those who've been laid off so far.
Bob Kappstatter, a 43-year veteran of the paper who just turned 68, was one of them.
"It's been a great ride, I've loved this paper; it's been the best job in the world," Kappstatter, whose most recent title was Deputy Police Bureau Chief, told Capital. "I've seen and done things I never would have done anywhere else. I look forward to staying in the business. I'm available!"
Other victims of the downsizing are long-time political reporter Frank Lombardi; federal courts reporter Scott Shifrel; City Hall reporter Kate Lucadamo; and long-time staff photographer John Roca.
Asked about the layoffs, spokesperson Jennifer Mauer would only say, "we don't comment on personnel matters."
The News is in the throes of some internal tumult. Managing editor and tabloid veteran Stuart Marques was reportedly pushed out Oct. 14, though not all reports seemed sure that he didn't quit.
The managing photo editor also resigned this week and will leave the paper at the end of the month, as Capital first reported last night.
Last week editor in chief Kevin Convey brought the managing editors into a meeting telling them he was restructuring the top of the masthead, according to the New York Post's Keith Kelly.
They would name three new managing editors: One editor from the digital side, one "senior editor of convergence," who is working on integrating the digital and print newsrooms, and a third who'd been Senior Executive Editor.
This replaced a structure in which seven managing editors, each with their own departments, reported to Convey.
Kelly also reported that the M.E.'s appealed to chief executive William Holliber about the changes.
Another change: Arthur Brown's jump from the editorial pages to the No. 2 position at the paper, under Convey.
Convey is rumored to be under the gun. But during an online chat with readers last week, he put a positive spin on all the change at the paper.
"We're in the midst of a reorganization right now to bring the print and web staffs together for the first time, make the company digital first, and make all of our content platform-agnostic," he said. "We're always looking for ways to get better."
The staff reductions come at the end of a week that started off on a high note for the News. Data released Tuesday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations showed that the paper had moved up the auditor's rankings to become the No. 4 top-selling daily in the U.S.
OOOPS some bullies out the dorr too baddddd, now go and join the people you so much TRASHED!
FIRED bullies! LOL
love it!
When is people being laid off a time to make fun? Shame on you. Good people are unemployed today. We are all feeling sadness.
All the layoffs so far (Sunday night) have been from print side, many of the better reporters and those from what used to be a good copy desk and many of them with 15-20 years on job. There are only two or three copy editors left, and even they are being warned not to put on any long-playing records, so to speak. They were warned that they're going to be doing double and triple duty because the intern-level people on the web side are struggling a bit with this "So you start most sentences with a capital letter?" stuff and whether it's OK just to shovel copy word for word off other sites. So much for what was left of journalism at the Snooze.
-Ennuishall overcome
what about james brill junior, he is the trust fund brat of james brill senior & he has done many things espically scaring off women in the advertising division who have come & gone becuase he made passes at them and got away with it!
New daily news is a joke! Its a low life rag written by a bunch of illiterate bullies. It's an embarrassing paper to new yor city and breeds ignorance.