Kelly Hayes
Starting in March, the Tampa Bay Times will have its papers printed at a Gannett plant in Lakeland — closing its own printing facility in St. Petersburg, the Times Publishing Co. announced Wednesday.
The Times will also issue a temporary 10% pay cut to full-time employees whose jobs are not affected by the move. The cut could last for up to six months.
The newspaper signed an agreement with Gannett for three years. The Lakeland printing plant already produces several Gannett newspapers as well as the Orlando Sentinel, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
The St. Pete facility, which has been printing papers for the Times for 61 years, will be sold, according to the Times. The money made from selling the facility will go to pay down debt and contribute to the company’s pension plan.
Gannett is planning on expanding operations at the Lakeland facility, possibly leading to the transfer of some jobs from the St. Pete plant. The Times company has issued a required 60-day notice to about 90 full-time and 60 part-time workers who will lose their jobs as a result of the move.
The papers printed at the Gannett facility will be trucked to distribution centers around Tampa Bay, where the papers will be delivered by Times staff and contractors.
The Tampa Bay Times is currently only printing two editions a week — Sunday and Wednesday. This move was brought on by a decrease in advertising revenue resulting from the pandemic in April.
