Texas, Wis., dailies latest to consolidate printing ops

The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman will begin printing sister paper Tribune-Herald in Waco, Texas on July 13.
The move will eliminate 43 jobs, according to the Tribune-Herald.
The American-Statesman — located approximately 104 miles from the Tribune-Herald — recently beefed up its postpress operation and has sufficient press capacity to print the 35,000-subscriber Tribune-Herald.
The Tribune-Herald said it hopes to retain some of its existing commercial printing accounts even after it stops printing the daily paper.
Cox Newspapers owns both dailies.
Meantime, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Kenosha (Wis.) News announced a 5-year deal in which Journal Sentinel Inc. will print and package the News at its West Milwaukee production plant.
The shift is expected to commence with the August 26 edition.
News Publisher Ken Dowdell said the production arrangements will have no impact on the content of the newspaper and minimal effect on its delivery schedule.
The News reported that 13 full-time and 40 part-time News employees will be affected.
“Businesses face the challenge of restructuring from time to time,” Dowdell said. “Operating and capital costs, under scrutiny because of the recession and developments in the information industry, point to a change in how we produce our printed newspaper.”