Advertisement

Header Utility Menu

  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Events

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Virginia Business

Mobile Menu

  • Issues
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Business Law
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Technology
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • Coronavirus 2020
    • Fantastic 50
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read the issue
    • Order a copy
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Nominate execs for 2021

Advertisement

Header Primary Menu

  • Issues
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • Issues Archive
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Business Law
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Technology
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • Coronavirus 2020
    • Fantastic 50
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read the issue
    • Order a copy
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Nominate execs for 2021

Home News Newsroom jobs eliminated at Free Lance-Star, News & Advance

Newsroom jobs eliminated at Free Lance-Star, News & Advance

Cuts follow layoffs at Richmond, Roanoke and Charlottesville papers

Published September 14, 2020 by Kate Andrews

Two more Virginia newspapers — The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg and The News & Advance in Lynchburg — have dismissed employees, following newsroom layoffs last week at three other publications owned by Lee Enterprises.

Two editors, a page designer and two circulation clerks have been laid off at The News & Advance. Their jobs were eliminated effective immediately and they will receive severance packages, according to an employee who received the information from a supervisor Monday. After working 16 years at the newspaper, The Free Lance-Star’s digital editor, Dave Ellis, said Monday that he was informed his last day will be Sept. 25. He said he thinks he is the only person to be laid off at his newspaper.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch saw at least five newsroom jobs cut Friday, including a business reporter, a photojournalist, a multimedia content producer and a sports producer that were all part of the bargaining unit of the flagship newspaper’s newsroom union, Richmond Newspaper Professionals Association. The Roanoke Times expects to lose 10 copy editing and page design jobs next month, and The Daily Progress in Charlottesville expects to lose four copy desk jobs in October. According to the Blue Ridge Guild, the Daily Progress’ newsroom union, two people were laid off Friday and their jobs eliminated, including a digital content coordinator.

Although Lee Enterprises declined to comment on the eliminated jobs, including whether the cuts are temporary, pandemic-related measures, the unions at the three papers in Charlottesville, Richmond and Roanoke said they caught wind of the copy desk cuts last month while Roanoke and Charlottesville employees were negotiating their contracts with Lee, which is based in Iowa. The company, which purchased 30 newspapers from BH Media Group in March, has design hubs in Wisconsin and Indiana, where front pages and websites for several Lee papers are designed remotely. The Roanoke Times, The Daily Progress and other Lee newspapers are going to be designed at one of the Midwest hubs, union members have reported.

Lee Enterprises purchased 30 newspapers earlier this year from BH Media Group, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., for $140 million in cash. Lee was previously hired to manage the BH Media newspapers, including those in Virginia.

The company owns the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Bristol Herald Courier, The News & Advance in Lynchburg, The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Martinsville Bulletin, Danville Register & Bee, The News Virginian in Waynesboro, The Roanoke Times, The Daily Progress and multiple weekly newspapers in Virginia.

Already, one of Lee’s content hubs is handling some social media duties for its Virginia newspapers. On Twitter, several journalists and others noted the ironic timing of a Sunday Daily Progress tweet asking, “What’s your dream job?” posted two days after newsroom layoffs.

 

pic.twitter.com/SYuY2Ecb40

— The Daily Progress (@DailyProgress) September 14, 2020

Virginia Business Deputy Editor Kate Andrews was a copy editor and staff writer at The Daily Progress from 1999 to 2006.

 

Subscribe to Virginia Business.

Get our daily e-newsletter.

Related Stories

Virginia Business logo

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Roanoke Times, Daily Progress see newsroom layoffs

Lee Enterprises eliminates newsroom jobs at newspapers, unions say

Virginia Business logo

Gannett eliminates CEO position for operating company

Paul Bascobert will leave company

Virginia Business logo

Gannett sells business media, marketing subsidiary

McLean-based newspaper publisher sells BridgeTower Media to Transom Capital Group

Trending

Norfolk’s MacArthur Center may meet the wrecking ball

Heavy hitters

Virginia State Capitol. Photo by Conor Lobb, VCU Capital News Service

UPDATED: Va. becomes 2nd state with consumer data protection law

The Virginia Executive Mansion will be occupied by a new (or possibly returning) governor in January 2022. Photo by Kira Jenkins

Election 2021: Who’s running for governor?

University of Richmond names new president

Sponsored Stories

Supply Chains After a Year of Disruptions

The Jackson Ward Collective is equipping Black-owned small businesses with the tools for success

The Hottest Topic in 2021: Keeping People Connected

Advertisement

Advertisement

Trending

Norfolk’s MacArthur Center may meet the wrecking ball

Heavy hitters

Virginia State Capitol. Photo by Conor Lobb, VCU Capital News Service

UPDATED: Va. becomes 2nd state with consumer data protection law

The Virginia Executive Mansion will be occupied by a new (or possibly returning) governor in January 2022. Photo by Kira Jenkins

Election 2021: Who’s running for governor?

University of Richmond names new president

Sponsored Stories

Supply Chains After a Year of Disruptions

The Jackson Ward Collective is equipping Black-owned small businesses with the tools for success

The Hottest Topic in 2021: Keeping People Connected

Get Virginia Business directly on your tablet or in your mailbox!

Subscribe to Virginia Business

Advertisement

Advertisement

Footer Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Footer Secondary Menu

  • Industries
  • Regions
  • Reports
  • Company News
  • Events

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Sign Up

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Footer Utility Menu

Copyright © 2021 Virginia Business. All rights reserved.

Site Maintained by TechArk