Sign of the ‘Times:’ Old Gray Lady Cuts Newsroom Staff

One of my mantras of 21st century media relations is that “the New York Times is not going away.” In other words, just because we’re seeing a rise of social media and new important online media outlets such as TechCrunch and Light Reading, you shouldn’t assume that means that long-standing mainstream media are no longer as important to a successful media relations program.

That doesn’t mean, however, that major media aren’t going through some serious convulsions as they adapt to the impact of the Internet on their business models.

Today’s sign of the ‘Times’ comes from the New York Times itself, which announced that it will cut 100 positions from its news staff of more than 1,300 journalists. The reduction in staff will be achieved through buyouts, freezing positions and possibly some layoffs. There was no immediate word on which sections of the paper would most likely be hit (or spared).

Said Executive Editor Bill Keller:

“To meet our budget goals, we will have to do a little less, and every time we do less, we cede a bit of advantage,” he said. “Our challenge will be to set our priorities in such a way that we do less in the areas that damage our competitiveness least.”

Do more with less. That’s really always been true — editors are always wanting more than they can afford to pay for, because newsgathering is expensive. The Times, with its rich advertising base, was one of the very few exceptions in the industry.

Your media relations program must continue to target top mainstream media. But be aware that they are all under enormous budget pressures, so the more media-friendly your information and approach, the better you’ll do in your pitching and placement efforts.

BONUS ITEM: Here’s a link I’ve been meaning to share to a video about the new Times newsroom in their brand new headquarters in New York.