Press Democrat cuts 17 jobs

The Press Democrat on Tuesday announced it would lay off 5 percent of its work force, or 17 full-time positions, to reduce costs in response to sharp declines in advertising revenue.

Four newsroom employees were laid off, including one reporter and three editorial assistants, with other cuts coming in the advertising and production departments, Publisher Bruce Kyse said.

"The economy's going down the toilet at the moment and our advertising clients are hurting big time," Kyse told employees in a newsroom meeting.

Real estate companies, home builders and car dealers, all traditionally strong newspaper advertisers, are suffering and reducing their advertising. Web site advertising has increased significantly, but not enough to offset declines in other areas, Kyse said.

After the cuts, the company will employ about 350 people.

Since 2003, The Press Democrat has reduced its staff by about 30 percent. Last summer, the newspaper cut about 8 percent of its work force, mostly through buyouts. The newsroom now has 78 people, down about 30 percent from its high in 2004.

The paper will be looking at reducing the number of pages, and perhaps combining sections to save newsprint.

-- Kevin McCallum