Topics / BUSINESS : Newspaper Group to Reduce Staff

The newspaper group that publishes the Pasadena Star-News and San Gabriel Valley Tribune announced this week that it wants an unspecified number of its 783 employees to take buyouts so the company can save money.

Officials with the San Gabriel Valley Publishing Co. declined to say how many positions they want to cut. Company spokeswoman Jan Berk said the number “is not that significant” and will vary according to the salaries of those who volunteer to leave.

The company expects plenty of employees to take the buyout, meaning layoffs probably won’t be necessary, Berk said. The buyout offers a lump-sum payment equal to one week’s pay for every six months on the job, company-paid health coverage for a year and career transition services.

Cuts in the news departments at the Star-News and Tribune will be about equal to those in the company’s other departments, Berk said.