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‘San Francisco Chronicle’ Offers Buyouts to 125

The San Francisco Chronicle is eliminating 125 positions by the end of the year. It will begin by offering buyouts and hopes to avoid “any types of layoffs going forward,” according to publisher, president and CEO Frank Vega.

Layoffs will be likely if the goal is not met.

Newspapers, already struggling to manage costs due to a slack advertising market and the migration of readers to the web, have been hit hard by the economic downturn. News of layoffs has become distressingly commonplace at newspaper groups like Tribune Co. and The New York Times Co. in the first half of the year, though 2007 saw plenty of slimming in editorial positions, as well. In fact, overall staffing in newsrooms decreased more last year than any other year since 1978, according to the ASNE newsroom census.

The overall number of newsroom employees shrank by 2,400 jobs, or 4.4 percent. At the same time, the number of minority journalists in the newsroom fell by 300 positions to 7,100 this year.