The Desk appreciates the support of readers who purchase products or services through links on our website. Learn more...

Sacramento Bee headquarter move will come with 200 job losses

Photo of author
By:
»

mkeys@thedesk.net

Share:

The Sacramento Bee’s decision to move out of its 2100 Q headquarters will go hand-in-hand with steep layoffs that will see around 200 workers lose their jobs.

In an article peppered with invasive, animated advertisements on Thursday, an editor announced the newspaper would abandon its long-time headquarters at the corner of 21st and Q Streets in Sacramento.

As part of the move, the Bee intends to shift its editorial and other newsroom staff to remote working until a smaller office can be secured. The Bee will also outsource printing responsibilities to other presses in Northern California.

The decision to outsource the print production of its daily newspaper will result in around 60 full-time employees and more than 130 part-time employees losing their jobs, a Bee spokesperson told a local television station on Friday.

Layoffs are nothing new to the Bee: Saddled with an enormous amount of debt from its parent company’s acquisition of a rival newspaper chain coupled with ballooning pension obligations, the Bee has laid off dozens of veteran reporters, editors and other newsroom staff over the last several years, with the latest round of cuts occurring in early 2018.

In an effort to stay relevant, the Bee’s parent company McClatchy made several risky gambles, including the launch of a virtual reality laboratory on the assumption that the technology would be the future of journalism. It wasn’t. McClatchy filed for bankruptcy protection last year; its assets, including the Bee, were acquired by the parent company of the National Enquirer this summer.

On Thursday Sacramento Bee editor Lauren Gustus said the paper would eventually relocate to a smaller office when it is “safe” to do so. A spokesperson told a television station the move will happen in July and the smaller office will better accommodate a digital-first newsroom.

As of Thursday, the Sacramento Bee convinced around 30,000 customers to sign up for its website at a cost of around $13 a month.

Never miss a story

Get free breaking news alerts and twice-weekly digests delivered to your inbox.

We do not share your e-mail address with third parties; you can unsubscribe at any time.

Photo of author

About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is the award-winning founder and editor of TheDesk.net, an authoritative voice on broadcast and streaming TV, media and tech. With over ten years of experience, he's a recognized expert in broadcast, streaming, and digital media, with work featured in publications such as StreamTV Insider and Digital Content Next, and past roles at Thomson Reuters and Disney-ABC Television Group.
TheDesk.net is free to read — please help keep it that way.

We rely on advertising revenue to support our original journalism and analysis.
Please disable your ad-blocking technology to continue enjoying our content.

Learn how to disable your ad blocker on: Chrome | Firefox | Safari | Microsoft Edge | Opera | AdBlock plugin

Alternatively, add us as a preferred source on Google to unlock access to this website.

If you think this is an error, please contact us.