Staff fear job cuts as Media24 announces new editorial operating model

Media24 has announced it has begun consulting staff on a new editorial operating model for publications under its media division. The owner of News24 and Netwerk24 said the process, which is being led by incoming CEO Minette Ferreira, began on Friday morning. “These consultations are intended to build a new operating model for mostly the editorial management in the division,” outgoing CEO Raj Lalbahadur said in a statement.

Lalbahadur said the company cannot share any further details until the process has been concluded. He said Media24 was legally and ethically bound to handle the consultation process with compassion. However, an employee who spoke on condition of anonymity said the lifestyle section was the division most affected.

The employee said 101 people in the division are affected and 58 people might lose their jobs. “We will probably need to reapply for our jobs. There are only 43 new vacancies that will be filled.

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And the new lifestyle team of Media24 will report to Netwerk24,” the employee said. The company said these latest newsroom consultations are part of a multi-year restructuring process to strengthen its focus on digital news. This followed structural shifts, such as closing print versions of legacy titles and the complete closure of the digital City Press.

In June, Business Day reported that Media24 reported a 60% widening in losses in the last financial year. Revenue for the full year fell 28%, from $141m to $102m. The adjusted loss before interest and tax was $16m from a loss of $10m in the prior year.

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