Yellow Pages
Skagit Publishing Co. Thursday announced a reduction in staff made necessary by the current economic crisis.
Publisher Stedem Wood said that while he regretted the actions he was forced to take, it was important that the newspaper do what is necessary to continue to serve the community and its customers.
Among those leaving the company is Editor Don Nelson.
“The business of running a newspaper is affected like any other in this economy,” Wood said. “Our revenues have been affected by reduced sales in real estate, automotive, retail, help wanted and other areas.”
Layoffs affected the news staff, including two reporters who previously wrote for the Courier-Times and Argus exclusively. Employees working in office support, graphics and sales positions were also affected.
Wood said that the newspaper retains sufficient staffing to meet its commitment to the community and its customers for a quality local news product. As part of that commitment, he said, Skagit Publishing has invested in its new building and state-of-the-art presses.
“We’re family-owned and we’re local, something that’s not often seen anymore, Wood said. “Building our new building has been a challenge — so has starting up new presses — but soon we’ll be more efficient as a result and can bring new revenue from agreements already in place.”
Wood said that the company is providing assistance to the departing employees in the form of extended health insurance and other benefits.
