Gannett cuts 120 jobs in Jersey

Gannett Co. Inc., which operates six newspapers in New Jersey (the Asbury Park Press among them) has eliminated 120 full- and part-time jobs from its organization. A company spokesman has credited deteriorating economic times as one reason for the move by the company.

This announcement by Gannett comes weeks after Advance Publishing, which operates several newspapers in New Jersey (the Star-Ledger among them) announced that the company could close, among other options, by Sept. 1.

My take on it: Print is changing. Newspapers have to redefine themsleves and how they operate or they will die or change hands. Synergy between printed and online products are going to mean a lot in the future. I think the market for news has changed, and newspapers are just sluggish about reacting to that change and finding a new way to carve out a living. The Star-Ledger and the Asbury Park Press, for all of their popularity or lack thereof in certain circles, are great Jersey papers. It's always a shame to see these things happen.

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