Oregonian to slash pay due to pandemic’s financial impact

The Oregonian Media Group, which operates Oregon’s top newspaper, Oregonian, has announced that it will be cutting pays of employees for the rest of 2020 and mandating unpaid furloughs over the next several months.

“Every business is challenged right now,” said John Maher, president of Oregonian Media Group. “And we’re no exception.”

The move comes following declining advertising revenues as advertisers scramble to preserve their own finances during the ongoing pandemic crisis. This revenue gap, Maher says, is the reason staff will see a 2 to 20 percent drop in their income depending on how much they earn.

In addition, the newspaper’s editorial staff will also be taking a one week-long furlough before September. Business staff will be required to take two-week long furloughs over a yet-to-be-determined time period.

Maher himself will be taking a salary reduction.

With so much going on, Maher adds this will change how the industry moves forward.

“Every business is going to look different on the other side of this,” he added. “There’s no question that media is included in that.”