Report: Times to cut back biz, features sections
April 28, 2008 at 3:41 pm by Wayne GarciaInsiders at the St. Petersburg Times have been relaying to me for about two weeks bits and pieces of the planned cutbacks at the larger of the two Bay area dailies, but nothing officially has been released from the HQ on 1st Street South. Now, the word is reaching a wider audience, with former Times and Tampa Tribune reporter Chris Roush reporting in his business news blog:
The St. Petersburg Times will cut its standalone business section during the week but keep its Sunday business section, current and former members of the business desk have confirmed.
The change is expected to occur next month, likely with the paper of May 19. The business section will be combined with the paper’s metro section.
The Florida paper joins other large metro dailies such as the Denver Post, Orange County Register, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal, Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, Monterey (Calif.) Herald, Palm Beach Post and Akron (Ohio) Beacon-Journal.
The paper will also be cutting its stock listings, using three-quarters of a page for market data bassed on Associated Press modules. It will have a full page for business news and the bottom of the market data page for jumps and briefs. Business stories will also be candidates for the front of the metro section.
Business will not be alone. In addition, the Times is cutting its Floridian features section during the week. It will also have a page inside the metro section.
The changes would echo similar cutbacks already undertaken at the Tribune.
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