Layoffs, hires at Philly-area newsrooms

Five news jobs were among 24 positions cut by Digital First Media at its suburban Philadelphia newspapers, says Bill Ross, business agent for CWA Local 38010, which also represents us at the Inquirer. "We lost 24 positions," as customer service and payroll jobs were centralized at Digital First's Arizona offices, Ross told me. Some advertising jobs were cut too.

Two newsroom jobs were axed at the Delaware County Daily Times, one at the Pottstown Mercury, and two, including a longtime editorial writer, at the Trentonian. The workers were cut by seniority within their job categories, per the union contract, Ross said. That company has also "laid off a lot of management positions." -- Separately, Gannett Corp. cut a similar number of jobs at its nonunion Wilmington (Del.) News-Journal last year; it's also cut back at the Cherry HIll Courier-Post.

Meanwhile, the Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com "have been hiring" new newsroom and business-side employees in recent months, Ross said, even with the publicized legal disputes between ower Interstate General Media's partners. The Inquirer is advertising for a real estate news reporter, for example.

Ross says the union is "looking around" for posts for the newly laid-off suburban papers' staff.