Sacramento-based McClatchy Co. on Tuesday announced a surge in second-quarter earnings following the latest round of company-wide downsizing. More cutbacks are still in the works to staunch a continued loss in revenue. Next week, members of the editorial employee union at The Sacramento Bee, the company's flagship, will vote on a proposal to use accrued vacation days rather than face unpaid furloughs this year. However, a small amount of hiring is still taking place. Net quarterly profit rose to $42.2 million, up from $19.7 million in the second quarter of 2008. Per-share earnings grew to 50 cents, up from 24 cents for the same period last year, according to the report released Tuesday

“Here’s a copy of anti-FOX news,” says the woman with a warming smile as she hands a folded newspaper from her purse to a passerby on the street in midtown Sacramento. This woman is Jeanie Keltner, longtime coordinating editor of Sacramento’s progressive bimonthly newspaper Because People Matter. Tonight Keltner and fellow coordinating editor Joanne Fuller spearheaded a community meeting to discuss the future of the newspaper with the publication’s volunteers and supporters. Due to the anticipated resignation of Fuller and Keltner, and the absence of several other key contributors, BPM organizers asked supporters and volunteers whether or not they could commit to keeping the newspaper ali

 After two and a half years in its latest incarnation as a weekly news magazine, the Sacramento Union has ceased publication once again. In a statement to Union readers, editor-in-chief James Dutra blamed the closure on "the difficulties so many local businesses are encountering," likely a reference to the economic hardships imposed by the global recession. The closure of the Union comes amidst news of further cuts and layoffs at the Sacramento Bee, fueling concern among newspaper employees over the industry's future. The Union, which was originally founded in 1851, was published as a daily newspaper until its closure in 1994. When it resumed operations in 2006, it was a changed publica

The Sunday, March 1, edition of the Sacramento Bee, included an article written by publisher Cheryl Dell entitled "It's not a lack of readers, it's a lack of advertising."  The gist of the article was that despite the Bee's growing readership, advertising revenue has fallen, forcing the paper to reevaluate its business model.  While it's never a bad idea to revisit policies when times get tough, I don't think Dell's column went far enough to acknowledge one of the biggest albatrosses hanging around the Bee's neck : the McClatchy Company. I'm not trying to demonize McClatchy. The problem is that as a profit-seeking business, McClatchy has institutionally different goals and definitions of

Just one work day after union members voted to accept wage cuts and layoffs to postpone even more cuts, The Sacramento Bee started laying off some 128 employees in editorial and other departments Monday morning. Among the names of those getting pink slips today were pop music writer Rachel Leibrock and sports writer Martin McNeal, as well as general assignment reporters Ramon Coronado, Melissa Nix, Walt Yost, sports writer Scott Howard-Cooper, and photographers Brian Baer and Florence Low. And for virtually the first time since the paper started shedding positions nearly three years ago, there were editors among the casualties. Also leaving are IT wunderkind and newsroom gadfly Marco Smo

Another 34 employees of The Sacramento Bee will lose their jobs in an uncoming round of layoffs, after a vote today by the newspaper's union, the Newspaper Guild. The question put to the guild's members asked if they would be willing to take pay cuts of either three or six percent, depending on salary. It also forced employees to accept one unpaid week off per year. Two-thirds of the guild's voting members voted to accept the company's plan, after company management made it clear that an additional 19 guild-covered positions would be lost if there was a "no" vote. The 34 positions already targeted were not going to be saved no matter what the outcome of the vote. According to the Associ

The Sacramento Press has been a long time in the making. We first formed our little company way back in 2005, what seems like an eternity ago. Back then we noticed that our media was delivering fewer and fewer local stories and we began to think of how to remedy the problem. Now, three years later, that idea stands before you today as the Sacramento Press.   With the help and serious hard work of many people we've finally gotten to the point where we can show Sacramento what we are working on. For those that have worked here, hard work barely does the effort justice. In the last 6 weeks most of us have had more sleepless nights than restful ones, but we persevered.   The Sacramento Pre

Its easier than you think. If you want to be a writer, sign up or log in and click the "write!" button on the top of the page. Now you can sign up to become a Community Contributor. Our journalism support department offers a manual, seminars, and workshops on becoming a better writer and journalist. The more workshops you attend the better your credibility with us and the more likely our editing staff will place your work on the front page. For more information contact journalism@sacramentopress.com. Please pay close attention to our ethical code and disclose your biases. Our watchword is transparency because it helps us balance the news we report on the front page. Start by covering on