The Sacramento Bee said today it's exploring whether to consolidate some editing and design functions with its sister newspapers in Modesto and Merced.
The main goals are to improve "economic efficiencies" between the Sacramento paper, the Modesto Bee and the Merced Sun-Star, and to improve journalistic quality, according to a joint statement by Sacramento Bee Publisher Cheryl Dell and Bee Executive Editor Joyce Terhaar. For instance, a consolidated center could make it easier to package content for various digital platforms, they said.
The functions would be consolidated in Sacramento, but a final decision on whether to proceed is months away.
If the consolidation takes place, "it will add jobs in Sacramento," said Terhaar. "I don't know how many." The project is being studied in consultation with officials at the Modesto and Merced papers, as well as the Newspaper Guild.
Dell and Terhaar said the consolidation could be extended to other papers as well. The McClatchy Co. owns two other papers in California, the Fresno Bee and the Tribune in San Luis Obispo County.
McClatchy already has a consolidated production center in Charlotte, N.C. that serves three papers.
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