Dallas Morning News Scales Back Commercial Printing, Cuts 92 Jobs

The Dallas Morning News is cutting back its commercial printing services and retaining only its biggest clients in order to focus more on its core newspaper business.The decision will result in 92 jobs being eliminated at the company’s Plano printing plant, the company said Thursday. Fifty-seven of those positions are currently filled.Employees were told of the job cuts this week and will be offered severance packages. Before the cuts, the plant employed about 350 people. In addition to publishing The News, the Plano plant will continue to print regional editions of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Denton Record-Chronicle. But about 25 smaller commercial customers and weekly newspapers, including the Dallas Observer and Fort Worth Weekly, have been dropped.For many years, commercial printing was a growing business for The News, but it’s now a declining market and many smaller contracts “are no longer in our favor,” said Grant Moise, president and publisher of The Dallas Morning News, which is owned by Dallas-based A. H. Belo Corporation.Moise said the decision will result in an additional $2 million in annual operating income for A. H. Belo.  Continue reading...