NWA newspaper merger becomes “officially” official as papers drop simultaneous press releases | Ink By the Byte

The evidence was pretty clear Friday, but the wedding between Wehco and Stephens media groups was officially announced by the Northwest Arkansas Times and the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas simultaneously at 6 p.m. today.

So what does this mean? For the reader, it means that the Sunday paper is published by a new company, Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. What that paper will look like exactly, only a few people know … and they aren’t sharing with the public.

It also means, as follows:

The Morning News, the Northwest Arkansas Times, and the Benton County Daily Record will be primarily local newspapers, as will the various weeklies. The Northwest Edition of the Democrat-Gazette will focus on regional, state, national and international news.

For the hundreds of news gathers and editors and press and production people involved with those newspaper properties, it’s still a chaotic abyss of uncertainty.

The only thing that is certain is that folks are going to be laid off.

I’ve heard that the newsroom of the Northwest Arkansas edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette got the axe today.  They are laid off as of Saturday unless they got picked up by the new company. More information is coming as to who made the cut and who didn’t this week.

Also, I’ve been told (though I’d put this in the rumor category for now) that folks with the Northwest Arkansas Times and the Benton County Daily Record will receive two months severance if they don’t get re-hired.

It’s really a sad day for newspaper folks all over Northwest Arkansas.

SIMILAR POSTS

• NWA newspaper merger accelerates as employees apply for their old jobs | Ink By the Byte at 8:14 pm on October 19, 2009
• NWAnews.com gets a new online editor at 11:37 am on July 12, 2009
• Wehco and Stephens marry as Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. is formed Friday | Ink By the Byte at 12:24 pm on October 24, 2009
• *UPDATE 3* Paper cuts: Axe falls on newspaper employees, others return to the grind | Ink By the Byte at 6:13 pm on October 29, 2009
• Is The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas still for sale? at 5:27 pm on October 5, 2009