LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ Five employees will be laid off when the photography departments are combined at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Northwest Arkansas edition and the Stephens Media newspapers in the area.
Jeff Jeffus, president of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers, said in a memo Friday that the combined department will have eight employees. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://is.gd/yGRwG2 ) that Northwest Arkansas Newspapers will have 409 employees, including 304 who are full-time.
In the memo, Jeffus wrote that the venture, which started Nov. 1, 2009, still isn't profitable. He said the combined operation did not anticipate the severity or duration of the recent economic recession.
Jeffus says the company continues to evaluate all areas for efficiency, and that Friday's announcement only affected the photo staff.
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