Cox Media Group Ohio enters into production agreement with Gannett plant
Cox Media Group Ohio has entered into an agreement in principle with Gannett Publishing Services to handle production work for CMGO's three daily newspapers and weekly publications at Gannett's Indianapolis newspaper production plant. The daily publications affected are The Dayton Daily News, Springfield News-Sun and Journal-News.
"We remain committed to serving our communities with award-winning journalism and the region's most competitive advertising opportunities, but the media business has changed incredibly since 1999 when we invested almost 100 million dollars to build the Franklin plant," said CMG Ohio Market Vice President and General Manager Rob Rohr. "We believe gaining savings in newspaper production while investing in local journalism and technology is the best way to serve our communities and grow our customers while we chart an aggressive path forward."
Approximately 75 full-time and about 60 part-time employees currently work at the Franklin plant. All impacted employees are eligible to receive severance pay. This new production option requires the company to honor notice and bargaining obligations, and the transition of work may happen over several months starting in the third quarter of this year.
CMG Ohio includes the portfolio of the largest media brands in Southwest Ohio. Since 1898 the community has been served by Cox products and CMG Ohio currently reaches more than 94 percent of the Dayton Metro area each week. CMG Ohio is committed to providing subscribers with a printed newspaper seven days a week. CMG Ohio's weekly publications including the Journal-News Pulse also will continue to be published in their current formats.
In addition to serving Dayton area local communities with print, digital, TV and radio content, CMG Ohio also will continue to play an integral role in supporting local community efforts. This year CMG Ohio has raised nearly $600K for local charities, obtained over $1.25 million in Cox Foundation Grants for area projects including the new Children's Hospital Tower and provided local non-profits with over $1.4 million in advertising and promotional space.