The Lexington Herald-Leader said today it is shutting down its internal advertising design operations in favor of outsourcing the work to an Illinois company with design centers in India and the Philippines.
"Like dozens of other newspapers around the country, and after a lengthy, careful review, we have decided to outsource the majority of our live ad design and production to the advertising firm, Affinity Express," said publisher Tim Kelly.
"Nobody is being laid off today," he added. "That won't be determined for several months. The affected employees will be applying for other jobs that are open in the Advertising division. Those who do not get them may be offered a comprehensive severance package. One of the employees potentially impacted already was approved for an open position earlier this week."
Kelly said it was a difficult decision, but necessary in a challenging economy.†
"Competitive pressures and technological changes affecting our production methods are growing in everything we do - print, online and advertising. Therefore, we must continuously look for ways to be more efficient and improve customer service with high-quality products for both our readers and advertisers, while keeping our focus on our core business."
Kelly said Affinity, headquartered in Elgin, Ill., provides design expertise, the latest technology and process controls to improve customer service and deadline accuracy.
Kelly said Affinity offers state-of-the-art technology; high-quality design; an online e-proofing system whereby advertisers can review their ad proofs and make changes from any computer anytime; an improved ad submission portal for customers who supply their own creative, and improved archiving and retrieval of previous ads.