TIMES MIRROR MAGAZINES CUTS 125 POSITIONS
By Lorne Manly
Folio: First Day

Times Mirror Magazines has lowered the boom on its employees, 
announcing the elimination of 125--more than 20%--of the division's 
positions as it flattens the management structure and sounds the 
virtual death knell for its ambitious multimedia efforts. 

But the company reiterated that it had no plans to sell any of its 
magazines, which include Golf, Ski, Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, 
Yachting, Popular Science, Transworld Snowboarding and The 
Sporting News.

The moves were expected in the wake of the Times Mirror Co.'s 
hiring of new CEO Mark Willes, who in turn put Efrem "Skip" 
Zimbalist in charge of the struggling magazine group two months ago. 
The cuts make a swath through every division of the company, from 
editorial to manufacturing. 

The bulk of the layoffs affect the centralized services (such as the 
sports publishing group, corporate marketing and the photo 
department), which lose 29% of their positions. The magazines 
suffered a 14% slash.

The goal in all these moves was to rid the company of as many layers 
of management as possible and bring decision-making closer to the 
magazines themselves. For example, the circulation and 
manufacturing departments are being reorganized into magazine-
specific teams rather than be retained as central functions.

The carnage formally brings to a halt Times Mirror Magazine's much-
vaunted marketing redirection, which was introduced under the 
leadership of former magazine group CEO Francis Pandolfi. 

Times Mirror, faced with relatively mature titles in its male 
enthusiast area that were losing much of their tobacco- and liquor-
advertising bases, had embraced the vision of a becoming a true 
consumer marketing company. 

Plans called for it to leverage its magazines (now called brands) 
across whatever medium the consumer and advertiser desired. 
Marketing programs such as the World Cup of Fishing and Ocean 
Planet were created by corporate-level groups--and enjoyed 
underwhelming success. 

The company also embarked on an extensive multimedia effort, 
creating its own TV footage so it could own the content it would 
repurpose. The magazine division hatched the idea for an Outdoor 
Life channel and planned on a becoming a major content provider for 
it.

Now, the emphasis is on boosting the print magazines' fortunes. The 
multimedia department still exists, and will work on existing online 
projects such as SkiNet. But future TV and new-media efforts will be 
done out of each magazine. And the company' production capabilities 
are being disbanded. 

In addition, the Conservation Council, which was used to help brand 
the magazine group as an environmentally conscious company, was 
eliminated. Individual magazines will still sponsor individual 
programs.

Times Mirror Magazines, which currently employs 611 people, said 
the elimination of 125 positions is in addition to jobs already cut 
since August.
=Cowles/SIMBA Media Daily 10/12/95=
=Copyright 1994 SIMBA Information Inc.  All rights reserved.=


Transmitted:  95-10-12 17:44:37 EDT