Variety of News photo taken 9/12/2012 in Salem, Ore.
Statesman Journal will close printing press
3:48 PM, Monday Sept 10, 2012 Salem, Ore., Statesman-Journal website
The Statesman Journal will close its printing press and begin paying The Oregonian to print the paper and all of its related publications, publisher Steve Silberman announced Monday. Between 20 and 25 full-time positions and about 30 part-time positions will be cut from the Statesman, Silberman said. The company will help those employees with "transition pay," he said. None of the cuts will come from the newsroom. Silberman declined comment on how much the move would save, either annually or over time. Sunday, Oct. 14 will mark the first night the Oregonian will print the Statesman Journal. The contract between the papers stipulates Oregonian employees cannot look at Statesman Journal papers while they're on the presses. In the short term, the change and layoffs will cause "angst and heartbreak," Silberman said, but in the long run, it will be a smart financial move that will help support the health of the newspaper. Silberman said the Statesman looked at four or five other options and signed a four-year contract with the Oregonian. Closing the printing press could be an opportunity to move to a different office building in Salem, Silberman said, but no specific plans have been made. The Statesman Journal also contracts with the Oregonian to deliver some copies of the Portland paper within the Statesman circulation area.
