Setting the House Afire

This story has been floating around on a couple sites for the last two days. That Media General doesn't flat-out deny it seems to lend credence. We keep telling newspapers that this is such a terrible idea but  so many are hellbent on self-destruction--and the wreckage of people's careers--that we are simply wasting our breaths. 

Rumor: Media General Plans To Consolidate Copy Editing, Designing, Thus Cutting Jobs

By Rachel Kaufman on Oct 29, 2009 01:56 PM

We hear that Media General is planning to consolidate the copy-editing and design functions for most of its papers into a central location, which would ultimately end in reducing staff.
Several sources, including but not limited to Media General journos chatting in this thread have said that the company plans to move all its design, pagination, and copy editing crew to Lynchburg, Va., starting in the first quarter of the next year. That team will copy edit and design all of Media General's papers (except, perhaps, for the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Tampa Tribune, MG's flagships) from the centralized location.
Presumably those who can relocate will be asked to reapply for their old jobs, but some won't be able to move, and, we speculate, there won't be enough jobs for everyone anyway because the whole point of a consolidation is to, well, consolidate.