New Haven Independent

The cuts were expected since the bosses at the Tribune Co., which owns the Courant, announced on June 5 that massive cutbacks were coming to papers throughout the chain. Tribune also owns the New Haven Advocate.

“Perhaps these are the numbers you were expecting,” Courant editor Cliff Teutsch wrote in an email to his staff Wednesday. “Perhaps they are a shock. I have had a little time to wrap my head around them; many of you will need to do that too. They will be life-changing for some, and they add a sober reality for all as we continue to remake the paper for a September launch…”

Click here to read the full memo.

Courant Publisher Steve Carver also addressed the cuts in a memo to staff.

“Our newspaper has a long history and I believe a solid future, but only if we fully grasp that the business has changed fundamentally. We need to adapt to a changing economic model that attacks revenue and expense issues simultaneously. We’re redesigning the newspaper with the goal of making it sleeker, smarter and more relevant to our readers’ lives. Unfortunately, the redesign will impact News staffing levels in order to reflect our new business model. As in the past, the company will assist employees who are affected by position eliminations with financial payments, health benefit continuation and career planning support.”

Tribune is fighting two enemies: a general downtown hitting newspapers in the face of Internet competition and a recession; and $12.8 billion in debt that Tribune owner Sam Zell took on when he bought the paper. Click here and here to read about that.

A debate is currently brewing in the industry — whether papers should seek to recoup declining revenues by investing more in their product, or whether they should continue slashing their news coverage. Zell originally announced he’d do the former when he bought the chain. Now he has decided to do the latter.