It's looking like tough times at The Charlotte Observer. Already, the paper has outsourced several jobs, eliminated others, and offered buyouts to several newsroom staffers. (More than a dozen accepted the buyouts, which were concentrated in the regional bureaus and a lifestyle areas.) The paper recently redesigned, saving money on newsprint. Now, its parent company, McClatchy, says it will have to eliminate 10% of its total workforce in yet another cost-saving effort. And this morning, Observer publisher Ann Caulkins sent a memo to the staff announcing the elimination of 123 more positions, in all departments, through a combination of layoffs and buyouts.
