Performance management strategies for the Los Angeles Tribune

Performance Management

Leadership, will provide

Performance management: Addressing three critical problems at the Los Angeles Tribune

A decline in advertising revenue

A loss of advertising revenue is one of the most critical concerns for the Tribune, given that without advertising the paper cannot function in either the short or the long-term. Unfortunately, because fewer people are reading print newspapers, advertisers are shifting online to venues which offer larger audiences and which are often free. The paper must convey the unique value of advertising through the Tribune to advertisers, given its audience and general outreach (Chapter 3, 145).

In the short-term, calculating the needed increase in overall revenue is of paramount importance. In the long-term, given the likely trends regarding advertising in the newspaper world, the desire to advertise in print at all will likely evaporate. Instead of fighting these trends, the Tribune must grow its online advertising base. Offering a dynamic website presence with videos, additional story content, and features that attract web-surfers that might not normally be drawn to newspapers online, along with current print Tribune readers is extremely important.

Increasing website traffic means that advertisers will be more interested in the paper. However, metrics must be kept regarding website traffic, to make an effective case to advertisers that the Tribune is a worthy venue for them and will achieve their desired objectives. Most advertisers are interested in attracting younger audiences, which have more flexible buying habits and more disposable income. This demographic is more likely to be persuaded by Internet advertising, which is yet another reason why it is so important to expand the paper's online presence.

Overstaffing

One of the most unfortunate aspects of slimming down the newspaper is the need for downsizing, or letting permanent workers go. Quite simply, there is unlikely to be adequate revenue to staff the paper at its current size. However, the tasks of the newspaper are ever-expanding, both in terms of its widening online content as well as attempting to improve its reporting.

Interns from local journalism schools can take up some of the 'slack' left by the reduced numbers of full-time staff. Given the competitive nature of the journalism field today, they are willing and able to work for the benefit of experience, in exchange for the ability to put that they worked for the Tribune on their resume. The availability of online telecommuting is useful, enabling the paper to contract more freelance writers to provide unique content to the newspaper. These contractors are cheaper, can be easily let go at a moment's notice, and are not owed benefits like regular employees. Hiring contract workers enables the newspaper to tailor its labor costs more closely to the immediate needs of the environment.

When paring the number of employed staff, the areas that are targeted should be the ones which can most easily be replaced by interns, contract, and part-time staff, versus the 'hard news' team which focuses on breaking, serious news of a local nature -- the type of news Los Angeles residents need when they access the Tribune for information, as opposed to entertainment. As well as setting goals to reduce employee cost, goals must also be set in terms of reallocating labor more effectively, based upon the holistic strategy of the Tribune.