Oakland Tribune to be consolidated with other local newspapers
on August 23, 2011
The Bay Area News Group (BANG), which owns The Oakland Tribune, The Contra Costa Times, and several other Bay Area dailies and weeklies, has announced that this November it will consolidate nearly a dozen of its East Bay papers under two mastheads as part of a rebranding effort.
According to an announcement published today in The Mercury News, one of the chain’s papers, The Oakland Tribune, along with the Alameda Times Star, Daily Review, Argus and West County Times will soon share the name the “East Bay Tribune.”
The Contra Costa Times, Valley Times, San Ramon Valley Times, Tri-Valley Herald, San Joaquin Herald and East County Times will share the name “The Times.”
In the South Bay, The San Mateo County Times will share its name with the Mercury News.
Each of the rebranded papers will carry a daily standalone local news section, and the East Bay papers will have a daily regional business news section and an expanded sports section, according to the company’s announcement. The “A” or front section of the rebranded papers will contain a mix of local, national and international news.
The transition will happen on November 2. According to the BANG announcement, the consolidation will eliminate approximately 120 of the chain’s 1,500 jobs, mostly in the production and editorial departments. Production of the newspapers will be reduced to three printing plants, which means the company will close its Walnut Creek printing press.
You can read the announcement that ran in the Mercury News here.
Readers, what do you think this consolidation will mean for Oakland news coverage and reporting?
2 Comments
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Bad news!
I’m tired of our city not getting respect! Weather it’s the A’s or something else. City officials and citizens of Oakland should be outraged! This just goes to show you that history repeats it’s self. Remember the “East Bay Today” or “Reach for the Peach” The city name was taken of the front page then, and people were upset. I hope people will be upset again. I hope the city name will be back on the paper!