Washington Times to cut work force by 40 per cent

Dec 4, 2009, 15:14 GMT

Washington - The Washington Times, the conservative newspaper in the nation's capital, will cut 40 per cent of its staff in the coming weeks and change its delivery platforms, the publication said Thursday.

The cuts are necessary for the newspaper 'to keep pace with the dynamically changing economics of the news business,' acting publisher Jonathan Slevin was quoted as saying in a front page story in the newspaper.

The staff of 370 received individual letters warning that they may be among those forced to leave. Under US law, employers who intend to make mass layoffs must give at least 60 days notice.

The cuts will be among the latest as the US newspaper industry haemorrhages workers. In 2008, at least 5,000 jobs were lost, the Pew Research Centre says. Large newspapers like the Washington Post, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times have laid off hundreds of staff.

The movement by readers to free access on the internet, where advertising produces less revenue, and the recession, which has eroded ad sales both online and in print, have combined in the past five years to undermine the newspaper industry.

The Washington Times plans to stop its subscription service for home delivery and will switch to distributing a free paper to targeted opinion makers. The company also plans to expand TheConservatives.com, a new website, Slevin said.

The newspaper's nationally syndicated talk radio show, America's Morning News, is now heard in 70 major markets and was thriving, Slevin was quoted as saying.

The Times was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, as a conservative alternative to the liberal Washington Post.

The Times has lost an estimated 2 billion dollars since its founding, the Washington Post reported Thursday.