On Nov. 11, Las Vegas Backstage Access was one of the first media sources to break the story that Michael J. Kelley, 67, managing editor of Las Vegas Sun since 1997 and in the news biz since 1960, would be retiring from his post this December.
Well, it’s December and from credible sources we’re hearing that the behind the scenes, camera shy, but dogmatic Kelley is retiring this week. Timing is everything.
Curiously, though, no news on when or if a pink carpet or anything similar is planned. But maybe that’s all for the better, what with all the Las Vegas CityCenter opening galas this week attendance would probably be low at the bon voyage happening- and perhaps for another reason…
What we learned from Valerie’s Miller’s article today in the Review-Journal is that at least 20 Greenspun Media Group (publisher of the Las Vegas Sun) employees occurred yesterday, Dec. 1.
Interestingly, the lion’s share of layoffs were focused mainly on Las Vegas Sun staffers- Kelley’s “people” you might say. Layoffs reportedly included at least 15 Las Vegas Sun staffers, an In Business Las Vegas editor and reporter, two Las Vegas Weekly staffers, a couple of support personnel and an unknown number of online employees, according to Miller’s sources. Names of personnel were not provided.
The reorganization of the continually dessiminated organization and layoffs were announced Tuesday in a statement released by Brian Greenspun, the Greenspun Media Group Chairman, who said his company will “reorganize into a single location, with the goal of fully integrating print and interactive operations.”
So nicely said by the lawyer-trained kingpin, don’t you think? What really happens only time – and money – will tell.
Greenspun, however, who reportedly spends much time outside his Las Vegas office and Nevada, plans to combine the operations and staffs of its daily newspaper, tucked in the folds of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and the Las Vegas Sun Web site and the tabloid style Las Vegas Weekly, Las VegasWeekly.com, In Business Las Vegas, Las Vegas Magazine, Vegas Magazine and Vegas2Go.
That’s a tall combo order to trim from an already large media waistline and especially for the publishing industry that is among the hardest hit business segments in our recession– regardless if you’re lucky enough to have won the Pulitzer Prizer, as the Sun did earlier this year.
Vegas Backstage Access (VBA) 