Oregonian Lays Off 37 Staffers

By Kristian Foden-Vencil | Feb. 24, 2010 12:20 p.m. | Updated: June 16, 2010 11:56 p.m. | Portland, OR

The Oregonian Newspaper laid-off 37 people Tuesday. They were told as they came into work. Most of the cuts were made in the news department, but other positions were lost in advertising, circulation and accounting. Among the better known staff to be cut are columnist Margie Boule, food critic Karen Brooks and arts editor, Shawn Vitt. The Oregonian, like most newspapers, has been hit hard by the recession and the migration of advertising to the internet.After the layoff, the paper will have 750 employees - more than 200 in the news department.Publisher, N. Christian Anderson, wouldn't talk on tape, but said the newspaper is alive and well. He also said there are no more staff cuts planned for the foreseeable future.Staff were informed in a memo last fall that layoffs were coming and that reporting teams would "cease to exist."Instead two larger teams would focus on enterprise reporting and community news. A third team would handle editing and production.

© 2010 OPB

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