More on this tomorrow, but just to link today’s (Monday) news that the Tribune Co. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as reported here by the group’s own newspaper the LA Times, as well as numerous other news sources. The group also owns KTLA Channel 5, the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun as well as nine other newspapers and 22 other television and radio stations across the country. 

The group’s chief executive Sam Zell said in a statement (via CNNmoney.co.uk):

“Factors beyond our control have created a perfect storm – a precipitous decline in revenue and a tough economy coupled with a credit crisis that makes it extremely difficult to support our debt.” 

“We believe that this restructuring will bring the level of our debt in line with current economic realities, and will take pressure off our operations.” 

The groups says it is able to sustain operations while it restructures. Here, Editor & Publisher looks at concerns inside the newsroom.

Excerpts from Sam Zell’s memo can be read here.

Similar Posts:

• AFP: LA Times and Chicago Tribune in foreign desks merger
• SoE08: Robert Peston on the media’s role in the economic crisis
• Northcliffe’s operating profits drop 81 per cent
• Blogs transformed mainstream media coverage of the credit crisis, Kristine Lowe argues in new book
• Media Release: Schibsted titles to livestream Norwegian football matches

The Chicago Tribune is to follow the LA Times by culling newsroom jobs and reducing the number of pages in its printed editions.

Around 80 of its 578 newsroom posts are expected to be culled with further cuts appearing in non-journalistic positions.

The printed edition of the Tribune is expected to reduce the number of pages it publishes by 13 or 14 per cent each week.

Management began informing staff of the changes late on Tuesady, the Tribune itself reported.

This is the fourth round of staff cuts since 2005, when the paper had nearly 700 newsroom staff on its books. In real terms the paper expects to lose around 55 people as positions made vacant in recent months have remained unfilled.

Last week, The Los Angeles Times, another Tribune Company newspaper, announced that it would reduce the number of pages it published each week by 15 per cent anddo away with 250 staff roles, 150 of them from the newsroom.

Similar Posts:

• LA Times: Los Angeles Times to cut 250 jobs
• BNONews.com: NYTimes to cut 100 from newsroom
• Roy Greenslade: whole editorial board quits NJ Star-Ledger
• Happy New Year – and good luck looking for a new job…
• Editorial job losses at Express Newspapers reduced from 70 following union talks

The Chicago Tribune has reportedly signed a deal with digital video recorder manufacturer TiVo that will see the selections of its TV critic Maureen Ryan automatically delivered to the sets of subscribers to the service.

Similar Posts:

• Guardian: Indian Premier League to live stream matches online and on mobile
• Brand Republic: New digital magazine for Sony Playstation Network
• Hello magazine launches mobile alert service
• Editor&Publisher: Tribune Co. outsourcing not finalised, says reporter on blog
• FT.com: US magazines planning digital store

The Chicago Tribune explains why it has shut down comment boards on its web site for all political news stories.

Similar Posts:

• Chicago Tribune: US Tribune papers to shun AP content for a week
• AFP: LA Times and Chicago Tribune in foreign desks merger
• #FollowJourn: @bill80/digital editor
• WindyCitizen.com: Does local news fail on social news sites?
• CCJ: “When real news didn’t come to me, I decided to go get it myself”

The Chicago Tribune’s network of hyperlocal news sites, Triblocal.com, has launched 13 more websites and will launch print editions for these sites later in the year, according to a posting on Online News Squared.

This development boosts the total number of Triblocal.com sites to 21 since its launch at the beginning of 2007.

A further 14 sites are planned by the end of 2008 according to Triblocal’s general manager Jane Jansen, the site reports.

Similar Posts:

• Craigslist spreads to 120 cities
• Rob Curley: reflections and lessons from WPNIs Loudoun hyperlocal project
• allmediascotland.com: Kachingle delays launch because of ‘overwhelming response’
• New Rue89 venture for Canada goes live
• FT.com: Reader’s Digest looking to overhaul sites but won’t charge for online content