Some 54 Chicago Tribune newsroom staffers want to take the newspaper's buyout offer -- far short of as many as 100 jobs that the newspaper publisher said it wants to eliminate companywide, sources said Monday.
But workers from other departments were also eligible to put in for the buyouts, which could eliminate the need for layoffs.
Newsroom employees expect to find out by next week if they will be allowed to take the buyout, and knowledgeable sources said that among those looking to leave the paper are City Hall reporter Gary Washburn. Crain's Chicago Business reported columnist Charles M. Madigan is also seeking to leave the paper. Neither could be reached for comment Monday.
Tribune Co., which is being taken private by billionaire Sam Zell, said last month it plans to cut roughly 3 percent of its 2,900 Chicago Tribune Media Group employee base and between 100 and 150 of some 3,491 positions in the Los Angeles Times Media Group. The company blamed soft revenue trends and said the cuts would be made through a combination of firings and a voluntary separation program. The separation program reportedly includes one week of salary and benefits for every six months an employee worked for the company.
The Tribune said revenue fell 3.6 percent in April to $399 million, led by a 10 percent drop in newspaper advertising revenue and a 7 percent slide in circulation sales.
The company said it had a net loss of $15.6 million, or 6 cents a share, in the first quarter.
