New Orleans Times-Picayune Cuts Entire Staff After Sale To Rival Paper

In another devastating blow to the newspaper industry, The Times-Picayune of New Orleans has laid off its entire staff following a sale to rival publication, the New Orleans Advocate.

The 182-year-old Times-Picayune and its website nola.com were acquired Thursday, The Advocate announced on its website.

The article said Advocate owners Dathel and John Georges purchased their award-winning rival from the Newhouse family’s Advance Local Media.

“New Orleans has never lost its love for a daily newspaper,” John Georges said. “I want to thank Advance for working with us to ensure a strong print and online news company for years to come.”

However, the future for Times-Picayune employees is uncertain at best. Citing a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) filing with the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the New York Post said all 161 of the paper’s staffers, including 65 editors and reporters, are losing their jobs.

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Advocate Publisher Dan Shea told the Post the two publications would merge in June as a single daily paper, and a yet-to-be-determined number of Times-Picayune staffers would be rehired. Under the changes, both brands will be listed on the masthead and the two websites will be combined on nola.com.

The Times-Picayune had not been up for sale, but its owners agreed to the transaction after being approached by the Georges.

The Newhouse family had owned the paper since 1962. Over the years, it won four Pulitzer Prizes, including two for its coverage of Hurricane Katrina.