Home of the Soul Cookie

Long-time readers of the blog will recall that I took a job with ANG Newspapers, based at the Oakland Tribune, just after moving to San Francisco, a little over two years ago. You may also remember that it’s not been all moonlight and roses. In fact, things have gotten progressively intolerable.

“There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [source]

Earlier this year, MediaNews Group, our parent company, acquired four new papers, most notably the San Jose Mercury News and the Contra Costa Times. At the time, the owner of the company denied there were plans for layoffs, but the Merc and the CoCo Times have each been hit.

The speculation and rumor that had run rampant here only intensified after the news broke. What would happen to the ANG newsrooms? No one knew. Or, if they did, they were feigning ignorance.

How ironic, then, that the most complete, up-to-date information available to those of us “in the trenches” about what’s happening with the company is coming from a competitor.

From the Nov. 3 East Bay Express:

Oakland Tribune to Abandon Downtown

The Oakland Tribune plans to vacate the storied Tribune Tower in downtown Oakland in the coming months. [...] MediaNews plans to move all business and most advertising staff from its East Bay and South Bay papers to a building it will lease at Bishop Ranch Business Park in San Ramon. According to one well-placed source, Tribune editorial staff, including all reporters, photographers, and editors may be moved to an office building along Interstate 880 across from the Oakland Coliseum.

And today, Nov. 9: Layoffs at East Bay Newspapers

MediaNews announced a plan to lay off eight newsroom employees on Monday at its ANG Newspapers chain, which includes the Oakland Tribune, Daily Review of Hayward, Argus of Fremont and Tri-Valley Herald. The company says it will lay off two photographers, a staff writer, a business writer, a graphics designer, two part-time copy editors, and a high school sports writer.

I should be pretty safe — I think there’s a shortage of web development folks in the newly-combined company — but I’m probably going to be among those whose jobs are moving to Bishop Ranch, effectively doubling my commute time and costs.

Lovely.