Staff in tears as job losses hit Bauer Media magazines
STAFF at Bauer Media which publishes Woman’s Day, OK! Magazine and NW were brought to tears last week at news of a company restructure and inevitable job losses.
Confidential
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STAFF at Bauer Media which publishes Woman’s Day, OK! Magazine and NW were brought to tears last week at news of a company restructure and inevitable job losses.
Confidential can reveal staff from several of the Bauer Media titles were called into closed-door meetings last Wednesday where a new model for entertainment reporting was announced.
During the meeting staff were told that serious changes were ahead at the company with a centralised reporting model for multiple publications. Yesterday Bauer boss Fiona Connolly confirmed the changes.
“Yes, I did address the business last week. We’ve created a Women’s Celebrity Entertainment category encompassing Woman’s Day, NW and OK! magazines and I’m now editor-in-chief of those three titles,” she said.
“Content sharing and planning, and reducing duplication in all parts of our business, simply makes sense. “
While Connolly would not confirm the number of staff cuts, she confirmed there would be a number of roles made redundant.
“Yes, there will be a small number of roles impacted, but we are undergoing these changes with a great deal of consultation with the three teams and with a clear vision for the future, commercially, and crucially, with respect for our readers,” she said.
While Connolly explained the changes as the business moving with a new era of media, an insider at the company told Confidential that the news has shaken staff.
“There were people sitting at their desks crying fearing they would lose their jobs,” the insider said.
The new structure will start on July 2.
The news comes after a tough few years for Bauer Media. On top of its ongoing court battle with Rebel Wilson, the publisher has been forced to sell and close a number of its glossy publications.