The Oklahoman cuts 57 jobs as ad sector struggles

Posted by Erina Lin on May 6, 2010 at 12:58 PM

The Oklahoman announced yesterday it will cut 57 jobs, blaming the layoffs on the "struggling advertising environment," Editor & Publisher reported.

According to Publisher David Thompson, the layoffs will affect all departments of the paper, including the newsroom. Employees who lose jobs were offered severance packages.

Thompson added that advertising volume is down across all media, and is "in the biggest downturn since the Depression," according to The Associated Press article posted on Google News.

"The Oklahoman's website is seeing an audience increase and that home delivery subscriptions are rising," said Thompson. He mentioned that the digital unit is working on new platforms such as Apple's recent iPad.

This round of layoffs at the paper was about one-third the size of the last in October 2008, E&P reported.