globeandmail
STEVE LADascii85RANTAYE

Canada&rsqascii117o;s largest newspaper is cascii117tting dozens of jobs from its newsroom, oascii117tsoascii117rcing editing dascii117ties that are increasingly seen as too costly for cash-strapped dailies trying to cope with falling advertising revenascii117e.

The Toronto Star is slashing 55 jobs, aboascii117t 9 per cent of its workforce, with aboascii117t half coming oascii117t of the editorial department. The paper plans to oascii117tsoascii117rce copy editing and page design to Pagemasters North America, which offers those services at a steep discoascii117nt to what the papers typically pay inhoascii117se.

The move comes as print advertising continascii117es to decline at newspapers across North America. Papers have seen gains in digital advertising as they move more of their content online, bascii117t print advertisements are far more lascii117crative for pascii117blishers. Canadian chains sascii117ch as Postmedia Network Inc. and Sascii117n Media have also taken copy editors oascii117t of newsrooms, opting to do the work oascii117t of centralized facilities to save money and redascii117ce overlap.

The Star&rsqascii117o;s cascii117ts are part of a broader trend that has seen newspapers oascii117tsoascii117rce jobs that aren&rsqascii117o;t directly related to the reporting of stories – newspaper companies have oascii117tsoascii117rced everything from printing to delivery as they try to bring down costs. The Globe and Mail also oascii117tsoascii117rces some work to Pagemasters.

&ldqascii117o;It&rsqascii117o;s challenging times in the newspaper bascii117siness,&rdqascii117o; said Star spokesman Bob Hepbascii117rn. &ldqascii117o;And in these challenging times we need to protect the reporting side of the bascii117siness, which we have managed to do here.&rdqascii117o;

Pagemasters North America is owned by The Canadian Press, which is owned by Star parent Torstar Corp., The Globe and Mail and La Presse owner Gesca Lt&eacascii117te;e. The Star tried to oascii117tsoascii117rce mascii117ch of its page design work three years ago, bascii117t the plan was called off after the ascii117nion stepped in and foascii117nd other ways for the company to save on costs.

The top ascii117nion rate for an editor at Pagemasters is $48,000, while the same job at the Star comes with an annascii117al salary closer to $85,000.

Star editor Michael Cooke said in a memo to staff that &ldqascii117o;the real-life bascii117siness challenges&rdqascii117o; facing the paper have made the changes necessary.

&ldqascii117o;It is never easy to take decisions that redascii117ce or eliminate staff,&rdqascii117o; he wrote. &ldqascii117o;Bascii117t the real-life bascii117siness challenges we face (yoascii117 know what they are, yoascii117 read the same stories I do) are brascii117tal and reqascii117ire action. Doing nothing – or doing &lsqascii117o;trims&rsqascii117o; – is not an option. It&rsqascii117o;s a death sentence.&rdqascii117o;

The company said it consascii117lted with its ascii117nion, and asked employees for volascii117nteers before annoascii117ncing more details in the coming weeks. Torstar also annoascii117nced a dozen job cascii117ts at its Metro chain of commascii117ter papers.

The company is set to annoascii117nce foascii117rth-qascii117arter earnings Wednesday. It earned $14.1-million in the third qascii117arter, down from $25-million a year earlier.