Los Angeles Times to lay off 94 workers – union president

(Reuters) -The Los Angeles Times plans to lay off 94 journalists who belong to the newspaper’s union, the head of the union said on Tuesday, adding to a string of job cuts that have swept the media industry in recent weeks.

The layoffs represent about a fourth of the union’s membership, but are far lower than the number of Guild layoffs initially expected last week, said Matt Pearce, an LA Times reporter who heads the union representing the journalists.

“L.A. Times management has notified me 94 @latguild members are being notified of intended layoff today,” he said on the X social media platform on Tuesday.

In a story on the publication’s website, also on Tuesday, Meg James reported that LA Times had announced it was cutting at least 115 roles, representing over 20% of its newsroom.

The move adds to the turmoil at the newspaper, whose Managing Editor Sara Yasin resigned on Monday, a little over a week after Executive Editor Kevin Merida left, citing differences with the paper’s owner.

The LA Times declined to comment.

The layoffs come amid projections for another year of heavy losses for the newspaper, according to the LA Times report by James, which quoted owner Patrick Soon-Shiong as saying the paper loses $30 million to $40 million annually.

Media companies reliant on advertising dollars have been grappling with an uncertain economy that has squeezed marketing budgets across industries, even as consumers cut back on paid subscriptions. The Washington Post had said in October it planned to offer voluntary separation packages to employees across all functions in an effort to reduce headcount by 240. Several technology companies, including Amazon (NASDAQ:) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:)’s Google, also started the year by cutting jobs as they make big investments in generative artificial intelligence.