McClatchy's Raleigh Newspaper preparing for layoffs

Via McClatchy Watch we learn that a Raleigh TV station is reporting imminent layoffs at McClatchy's Raleigh News & Observer:

The News & Observer is preparing to lay off about 10 percent of its newsroom staff and will announce other cuts affecting its news operation, sources inside the N&O tell WRAL.com.

However, a formal announcement may not come until next week. The N&O is part of the McClatchy (NYSE: MNI) newspaper chain, and the group reportedly is planning to announce corporate-wide cutbacks, one newsroom source said. McClatchy also owns The Charlotte Observer.

Herald Watch readers may remember that I posted a tip from a reader about a possible layoff of as many as many as 230 Herald employees at the end of the quarter. At the time a skeptical reader challenged the report:

I find this hard to believe. 11 percent of the workforce?

While the WRAL report only talks about newsroom layoffs it would be fair to say that the layoffs are going to be across the board since the newsroom is charged with actually producing what the newspaper sells and everyone else is in some kind of support role. Needless to say the 10% number is in line with everything we're hearing. And end of the quarter seems right.