McClatchy newspaper group to cut 1,400 jobs

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The McClatchy Company, the third-largest US newspaper publisher, announced plans Monday to cut its workforce by about 10 percent due to a "difficult advertising market" and other challenges.

The move will mean about 1,400 job cuts including "both voluntary and involuntary separations" and attrition, according to the group based in Sacramento, California.

"The company will retain its strategic focus on sales, news and online operations as it realigns operations, with decisions about the size and profile of changes differing by location," according to a statement.

"We have been transitioning steadily and successfully from a traditional newspaper company to an integrated multimedia company for some time," said McClatchy chief executive Gary Pruitt.

"The effects of the current national economic downturn -- particularly in real estate, auto and employment advertising -- make it essential that we move faster now to realign our workforce and make our operations ...