Tampa Tribune biz editor laid off

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

Mark Guidera, the business editor at The Tampa Tribune, was laid off on Monday, multiple sources tell Talking Biz News.

Guidera had been at the paper since 2003. Before that, he spent 18 years at the Baltimore Sun as a reporter and an editor. He’s a University of Maryland graduate.

During his tenure as business editor, Guidera led the Tribune’s business news staff to a number of national, regional and state journalism awards, including SABEW awards for best project and an SPJ award for an enterprise-investigative package on toxic lead levels found in toys widely available at retailers.

Dale Hokrein, an assistant business editor at the paper, says he will be shepherding the paper’s business coverage during the next few days until a decision is made about who will oversee it going forward.

Last month, the Tribune cut its standalone business section, but it brought back the Sunday Business & Money section due to reader demand.

The paper has been locked in competition with the St. Petersburg Times for decades. But earlier this year, the Times also dropped its standalone business section due to the economy, and it’s hired a new business editor.