Grand Rapids Press cuts wages, benefits

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The slow economy is forcing the Grand Rapids Press to reduce wages and add cost-sharing provisions to their health benefit package.

The Monday announcement from publisher Dan Gaydou takes effect in June. He added that home subscription prices were raised in 2008 " and probably will need to do so again sometime this year."

Gaydou said The Press will remain a seven-day-per-week print paper, though the Ann Arbor News will cease publishing in July, and the Bay City Times, Flint Journal and Saginaw News will share resources and print three-days-per-week starting in June.

In the release, Gaydou said the Press advertising revenues have been affected by the slow economy. “Even with a reduced number of pages, which reflects the economy’s impact on advertising, we believe putting a print edition on newsstands and into homes is still of significant value," he said in the statement.

“These developments come at a time when Press readership is very, very high. The Press boasts over 310,000 readers every day and 460,000 readers on Sunday with thousands more on its affiliate website, Mlive.com.”

Additionally, production of the Jackson Citizen Patriot, The Grand Rapids Press, the Kalamazoo Gazette and The Muskegon Chronicle will
consolidate in Grand Rapids this summer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.