READING, Pa. — The new owners of the Reading (REH’-ding) Eagle plan to lay off more than a third of the staff after they assume control of the 150-year-old newspaper and the company’s other assets later this month.
MediaNews Group stepped forward to buy the Reading Eagle Co. for $5 million after the family-owned company filed for bankruptcy protection in March.
A filing with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry says that MediaNews intends to lay off 81 of the Reading Eagle’s 221 employees. The Reading Eagle’s other properties include news-talk radio station WEEU-AM and a weekly newspaper.
MediaNews says it’s “still considering other Reading Eagle employees for possible employment.” It promised to have a final list of cuts by June 28.
MediaNews has a history of buying struggling newspapers and slashing their staffs.
The Associated Press
