The Tampa Tribune is reporting on its own website this morning that the paper's parent company, Media General, has issued a press release stating that 165 employees of the Tampa Tribune and its sister publications will be laid off, a reduction of 16 percent of the total workforce at the paper.
Some of those layoffs will also come at the paper's digital operation, TBO.com (though none reportedly from WFLA, News Channel 8).
Among the casualties is long-time television critic Walt Belcher, who informed his friends on Facebook this morning that "My 35 years at The Tribune was a great ride. I probably have more bylines than anyone in the history of the paper — and the way things are going, no one will ever top that. It was never work. It was fun."
We'll update this story when we have more information to report.
This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2011.