More bad news for Media General, the publishing company that owns the Daily Progress.
After 30 years, the News Service Bureau in Washington, D.C., and the associated website, mgwashington.com, will close on March 27.
In 2008, the bureau was reorganized to reflect a web-first approach. The six journalists working at the bureau have been given severance packages.
“We very much regret having to take this step,” said Graham Woodlief, president of the Publishing Division. “However, as the economy continues to contract, and businesses and consumers continue to reduce spending, our advertising revenues have been adversely affected at unprecedented levels. While the Publishing Division reduced expenses in 2008 by 8 percent, excluding severance, we must continue to find ways to align our costs with the available revenue.”
Just a couple of weeks ago, Media General cut two North Carolina papers to two days a week from five. Locally, the Daily Progress decided to furlough its employees to a mandatory 10 days off without pay.