Four Ledger Employees Will Be Laid Off

LAKELAND | The Ledger will lay off four employees as part of a New York Times Regional Media Group effort to centralize some advertising functions in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Publisher Jerome Ferson announced Thursday.

The affected staffers work as advertising compositors. This marks the third round of layoffs at The Ledger since September. The newspaper has shed a total 32 positions as officials cite financial pressures and revenue declines in the newspaper industry and a weak national economy.

"We continue to operate in a very dynamic environment with multiple forces at play," Ferson said. "We need to adapt, and this move to Tuscaloosa reflects that."

Ferson said the Regional Media Group plans to consolidate specific advertising positions from multiple properties at a Creative Services Center to be located in Tuscaloosa, where it owns and operates The Tuscaloosa News.

The local affected staff are longtime employees of The Ledger, Ferson said.

"It is with deep gratitude that I thank them for those years. Unfortunately, we needed to make some difficult decisions," he said.

The Ledger currently has 330 full-time employees, about 20 percent fewer than its peak of 415 in 1999.