News Corp Australia CEO Michael Miller told staff yesterday the business would be undertaking a series of new cost initiatives across the business.
In an email to all staff, Miller said: “This will allow us to continue our commitment to journalism in print and digital while enhancing our focus on digital innovation and improvement.
“In the same way that other publishers are addressing the shifting market dynamic, we too have to examine how we best produce and distribute quality content for our audiences, and our advertisers.
“We will be examining how we can achieve cost reductions across all aspects of our business in terms of resourcing, processes and products.
News Corp Australia’s Michael Miller
“In the short term, this will begin with an immediate review of all vacant positions with the aim of closing positions that are not absolutely critical. We will also introduce new business rules in relation to travel and entertainment costs.”
Miller also mentioned the possibility of a redundancy program. However, he noted latest financial results show that print remains a very powerful platform of unique influence and authority while digital development enables us to build for a robust future. He then quotes News Corp global CEO Robert Thomson: “We are proud of our provenance but also leading the way in defining a digital future for media.”
Yesterday the MEAA called on News Corp Australia to confirm that there will be no forced redundancies as part of its latest round of cost-savings measures.
A statement from the journalists’ union said: “MEAA believes that News Corp editorial staff have made enormous sacrifices in cooperative effort to improve efficiencies and productivity in the business. Far too often these sacrifices have been made with little or no recognition or recompense from management. MEAA calls on the company to provide assurances that any redundancies will be on a voluntary basis.”