Singapore Press Holdings CEO Ng Yat Chung address reporters at a media conference on 11 October. PHOTO: Dhany Osman/Yahoo News Singapore
Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) will reduce its newsroom and sales staff by 15 per cent by the end of 2017, as the media giant said on Wednesday (11 October) that it is accelerating a previously announced round of job cuts.
The job cuts, amounting to some 230 employees, are part of a 10 per cent reduction of the SPH workforce that was announced last October. The cuts will be implemented via retirements, retrenchments and outplacements, among other measures.
The 10 per cent reduction at the group level, which was originally slated to be completed by 2018, will be achieved by the end of 2017.
SPH chief executive Ng Yat Chung told reporters at a media conference at Toa Payoh North that the group’s print outlets would remain intact. “The various newspapers are serving the needs of our clients and our readers and I think there are no plans to shut down or consolidate any of them.”
Deputy CEO Anthony Tan also spoke of the prospect of pooling resources such as photography, video and art in the interest of cutting costs. “Essentially in the newsroom, (we) are trying to find cost savings through greater efficiency. One of the main features will be consolidating where the content input comes in. And this content will then feed many outputs, whether its the digital or print platforms. In those instances, it will require some work process restructuring.”
Meanwhile, SPH announced that its full year net profit rose 32 per cent to about $350 million from the previous financial year.
However, group operating revenue fell by 8.2 per cent to $1.03 billion due mainly to the disruption to the media business.
Advertising revenue fell by $103 million, or 16.9 per cent, while circulation revenue dropped by $8.7 million, or 5.1 per cent.
In the property segment, revenue rose $2.8 million, or 1.2 per cent, bolstered by higher retail income from the Group’s retail assets.
In response to the news of job cuts, an SPH journalist, who declined to be named, told Yahoo News Singapore, “Everyone’s on shaky ground, particularly those who are mid-career. Of course I’m worried. Who at Toa Payoh North isn’t?”
Source: Yahoo News
Music to my ears, I can sleep soundly for the weekend knowing SPH is thoroughly rotting.
Let SPH bleed big time for all I care.
And the axing begins.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/uncertainty-worry-sph-accelerates-job-cuts-093354719.html
The mood among employees was grim as Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) began
the process of easing some 230 employees out the door by the end of 2017.
Sources at SPH told Yahoo News Singapore that some employees had begun packing their belongings on Thursday (12 October), a day after the media giant announced that it was accelerating the processing of cutting 10 per cent of its work force. This was originally slated to be completed by 2018.
The lion’s share of the ongoing cuts will come from the news and sales divisions. Yahoo News Singapore understands that they will be completed by the end of the month. These two departments will see a combined staff reduction of 15 per cent via retirements, retrenchments and outplacements, among other measures.
Addressing SPH employees on Thursday morning at a town hall at the News Centre in Toa Payoh North, which lasted at least two hours, chief executive Ng Yat Chung cited a Chinese proverb in explaining the rationale for bringing forward the timeline.
This Ng Yat Chung is a major embarrassment, just like that Desmond Kuek. Both completely inept fools.
Congratulations to SPH for getting a massive haircut- snipping away 15% of its scumbag staff just like that. In ultra fat, diabetes-prone Ng Yat Chung we trust to run this mainstream media ship aground, after all he was the same genius who caused NOL to be battered so badly it had to be sold off.
You rock fatty baby Ng! Go sink 'em all! ;)
ALL HAIL THE AWESOME FATTY!!!!!!!
Well done Ng Bui Bui!!!!!!
Oh please make sure SPH disintegrates completely under your useless leadership; it's about time the Shit Times gets relegated to the annals of SG's shameful historic past as a nation of stifled voices.