Ottawa Sun-Citizen? Calgary Herald-Sun? Edmonton Sun-Journal?

[Steve Russell]

Wow, according to Frank Magazine, so take this with a grain or two of salt, it looks like the Sun Media and Postmedia entities are going to merge in Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton.

Very short Frank Magazine article, and I mean very short

I wonder if this is true.
Appologies to my colleagues at the affected papers.

[Moe Doiron]

The plot thickens, a tweet from The Globe and Mail's media reporter James Bradshaw. Godfrey's comments to equally be taken with a grain or two but lets hope not.

@jembradshaw
Frank Mag sez Postmedia to merge Citizen+Sun, Journal+Sun and Herald+Sun:
http://frankmag.ca/2015/11/postmedia-to-shut-down-dailies-in-ottawa-calgary-and-edmonton/ …
CEO Godfrey tells me, "not true" #cdnmedia

[David Buzzard]

I can't help but think all they're doing is creating a big space for some nimble independent to open up in competition.

[Warren Toda]

Wow, according to Frank Magazine, so take this with a grain or two of salt, it looks like the Sun Media and Postmedia entities are going to merge in Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton.
 (...)
I wonder if this is true.

No it's not true. Each city will continue to publish two papers. But upcoming layoffs are true.

There's an interesting opportunity(?) for the papers in Vancouver but not sure if Postmedia has the guts or brains to do it. There's also obvious(?) changes that can be made to the Sun papers but I doubt Postmedia has the vision to see it.

[Brent Calver]

The whole thing is really depressing, but the one nugget of positivity that seems to be coming out of Postmedia's troubles is that said issues are actually being talked about in larger venues, and in a context other than one publication taking a jab at another.

[Warren Toda]

Today, Postmedia announced layoffs as it merged newsrooms in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa. It will continue to publish two papers in those cities.

The Toronto Sun and National Post will maintain separate newsrooms. (But - and don't tell anyone - that will change next year )


From a year ago:

From Postmedia: “This investment [buying Sun Media] by Postmedia is a strong endorsement of the future of the Canadian newspaper industry and made-in-Canada journalism,” said Rod Phillips, Chair of the [Postmedia] Board.

From Postmedia: “This acquisition brings together an impressive stable of brands that collectively create a stronger Canadian media platform that is better positioned to compete against foreign-based digital offerings and offers a greater range of choices to our readers,” said Paul Godfrey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Postmedia. “We intend to continue to operate the Sun Media major market dailies and their digital properties side by side with our existing properties in markets with multiple brands as we have in Vancouver with the Province and the Vancouver Sun for more than 30 years.”

From the Toronto Star: "Paul Godfrey, president and chief executive officer of Postmedia, insisted at the time that the Sun newspapers in urban markets such as Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Ottawa would continue to run autonomously."

From The Globe and Mail: "Mr. Godfrey has said he intends to maintain separate newsrooms and keep both publications open in those markets..."

[Steve Russell]

Is NPAC going to put out some kind of release on the recent lay-offs or the situation in Halifax?

I think that a lot of photojournalists are victims to cost cutting and NPAC should provide a little bit of a voice for the craft.

John Lehmann was very good about this during his presidency.

[Larry Wong]

I am sad to report that 6 Edmonton photojournalists lost their jobs yesterday. From the Edmonton Journal...Bruce Edwards, John Lucas, and Ryan Jackson were let go. From the Edmonton Sun...Perry Mah, Cody McLachlan and Ian Kucerak.   

LARRY WONG
PHOTOJOURNALIST
Edmonton Journal

T: 780.429.5292
C: 780.699.7510
10006-101 Street
Edmonton, Canada T5J 0S1
lwong@postmedia.com
www.larrywongphotography.com

[Andrej Ivanov]

After all that happened, I feel maybe The Walrus's Jonathan Kay may stirred quite a few feathers with this one: http://thewalrus.ca/charity-case/#.Vp-sLpphc4w.twitter

[David Chidley]

Sorry to hear about the 6! photography layoffs in Edmonton.  I know of 4 from Calgary, but please list anymore that I didn't hear about, and others outside of Alberta?

Upsetting for everyone.  It has been 8 years since I had my buyout.  Life does go on, work is work.  Find some blue sky, don't wallow under grey clouds.  Best of luck to everyone involved.

Calgary Sun: Darren Makowichuk and Stuart Dryden
Calgary Herald: Lorraine Hjalte and Colleen De Neve

[Steve Russell]

Ugh!

Et tu Metroland (Torstar)

Guelph Mecury closes after 147 years

Make it stop.

[Amber Bracken]

This week has been awful and promises to get a little worse yet. My condolences to all affected.

In case you missed it in the other thread, here was our response to the Postmedia portion of the losses.

"POSTMEDIA NEWSROOM MERGERS AND LAYOFF: A RESPONSE FROM NPAC EXECUTIVE

January 22, 2015: As we all know, Tuesday morning Postmedia acted on a grievous decision to terminate 90 editorial positions and merge four newsrooms across Canada. Over half the job losses were in Alberta and, while we are still getting totals on the number of photojournalists lost, this mass layoff is absolutely devastating. It is heartbreaking to watch friends and colleagues lose their jobs and difficult to accept further diminished diversity in journalism.

To the larger community, our members and especially to those who are immediately affected by the job losses: NPAC is here to help and we will get through this together.

As old structures crumble, new possibilities emerge and we believe image-makers are vital in the future of media. The power of the image has never been more relevant across all platforms and especially online. Photographs continue to intrigue, engage and enlighten, and photojournalists continue to be integral to the success of journalism.

This new reality isn't one that we've chosen but NPAC is committed to stand with our members in this harsh time. As new freelancers move into the market, we will be here to demystify the transition and offer support, including business skills to keep the craft sustainable. A formal statement has been issued via CNW to voice our position on these losses and over the next week we will be reaching out to laid off photojournalists. Please don't hesitate to connect sooner if you are struggling. As a community, we are strong."

[David Chidley]

OMG one more I didn't hear about the Nanaimo Daily News is closing too after 141 years! 

Black January

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/nanaimo-daily-news-closing-1.3417316

[Colleen De Neve]

Sorry to hear about the 6! photography layoffs in Edmonton.  I know of 4 from Calgary, but please list anymore that I didn't hear about, and others outside of Alberta?

Upsetting for everyone.  It has been 8 years since I had my buyout.  Life does go on, work is work.  Find some blue sky, don't wallow under grey clouds.  Best of luck to everyone involved.

Calgary Sun: Darren Makowichuk and Stuart Dryden
Calgary Herald: Lorraine Hjalte and Colleen De Neve

In addition, Christina Ryan and Crystal Schick also lost their jobs - so there were 6 of us gone from Calgary.