Media companies using crisis as excuse, says Ghent professor

The major media companies are using the global economic crisis as an ‘excuse’ to carry out rationalisation within editorial departments, according to one of Flanders’ leading media academics. Karin Raeymaeckers, professor of media studies at Ghent University, says that companies are using the crisis to push through reforms that have been on the table for some time. ‘The present situation doesn’t explain why a quarter of the journalists of De Morgen have to disappear. That doesn’t correspond to reality,’ she said.

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In recent weeks, both De Persgroep, which publishes De Morgen, and Corelio, which publishes De Standaard (and also Flanders Today) have announced job cuts. Both companies blamed the economic situation and its effect on advertising revenue. Last week, Flemish minister-president Kris Peeters received representatives of the media companies to discuss the situation. He also plans to meet with journalists and other print workers.

‘Let’s be clear,’ Raeymaeckers said in an interview with financial newspaper De Tijd. ‘Corelio and De Persgroep are not companies in financial difficulties. Look at De Persgroep’s plans to buy the ailing Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. That’s not something you do if you’re suffering yourself.’

Instead, media groups are carrying out long-standing plans to move to a more American-style system, she said, whereby each title no longer has its own editorial team but one department that delivers editorial to various titles. ‘In that one editorial, you would still have knowledge segments,’ Raeymaeckers said. ‘Look at what is happening now: Het Laatste Nieuws provides sports news to De Morgen, and De Tijd shares economic news. If you accept that De Morgen doesn’t need an economic or a sports department, then indeed, they have too many staff.’

Meanwhile, TV broadcaster VMMa, which owns VTM and 2BE, announced it would cut 28 jobs, again as a result of falling advertising revenue. Director-general Peter Quaghebeur (pictured) said that the situation had got worse in the fourth quarter and the gloomy outlook was expected to last through 2009 at least. VMMa is owned jointly by magazine publisher Roularta and De Persgroep. The cuts will come in the television sector, where 430 people work.