Nine bloodbath as more jobs are cut

Channel 9 has revealed that it’s slashed further jobs in a series of cost-cutting measures amid stringent financial pressures.

Channel 9 has slashed more jobs as it continues to battle numerous financial challenges.

It’s emerged that the network’s publishing arm has approved 85 voluntary redundancies across its five publications.

In total, 85 staff members have agreed to voluntarily leave the company in the next few months, a spokesperson said.

The majority of those leaving are journalists and production staff who work across the publishing division’s five titles The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and digital-only titles WAtoday and the Brisbane Times.

The publishing arm of the network is attempting to cut costs. Picture: Getty.

“As foreshadowed in June, we have been working with our people in reshaping the publishing business to ensure a sustainable future in response to the challenging advertising market and collapse of the Meta deal,” the spokesman said.

“We have now concluded this process, with around 85 people from our newsrooms, print operations and audience and commercial growth divisions regrettably leaving the business over coming months.”

According to The Australian, the number of applications for redundancies “far outweighed” the 85 that were being offered to staff.

Among those to have successfully applied for voluntary redundancies are the AFR’s senior correspondent Aaron Patrick, the SMH’s chief sports writer Andrew Webster, the Herald’s former gossip columnist Andrew Hornery, and The Age’s culture editor Osman Faruqi.

Nine Newspapers employees and freelancers as they join together outside the company office to strike for fairer pay. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

It comes just weeks after the boss of Nine-owned Pedestrian Group, which publishes youth publication Pedestrian, announced he was leaving as part of a major restructure, while as many as 40 jobs were set to go which is about half its workforce.

The media conglomerate also plans to end deals that Pedestrian had in place with five niche publications — Vice, Refinery29, Gizmodo, Lifehacker and Kotaku, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

It is expected that the Australian operations of these media outlets will shut down once the deal ends, and most if not all staff will be made redundant.

Nine employees have aired their discontent with the job losses, with unionised staff opting to go on strike for the first five days of the Games.

It comes as Channel 7 and News Corp (owner of this publication) also announced restructures across their businesses.

News.com.au has reached out to Nine for comment.