Newspaper Adopts Strategy To Cut Costs

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin announced Friday that it will lay off staff members and adopt a major format change as part of a cost-cutting strategy.

The paper’s owner, Oahu Publications Inc., announced the elimination of 17 newsroom positions and an undetermined number of employees across the rest of the company. It will also impose a wage freeze on its remaining employees.

The paper will also convert from a standard “broadsheet” newspaper to a tabloid size, similar to the size of MidWeek.

The Star-Bulletin will close its neighbor island bureaus, on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island. Neighbor island news will continue to be covered, by reporters on Oahu and wire services.

MidWeek is ending production of its edition that had been published on Fridays; this week’s edition will be the final one.

The announcements were made by Dennis Francis, president of the company and publishers of the two papers.

(Source: MSNBC)