Blue Jays Eliminate Front Office Positions As Part Of Rogers Cuts
The Blue Jays yesterday cut jobs for about 10% of the front-office staff not involved in baseball operations as "part of a wider cull by team owner Rogers Media," according to Cathal Kelly of the TORONTO STAR. Neither Blue Jays interim CEO Paul Beeston nor "anyone else at Rogers would comment on the specific number of cuts," but "changes to the front-office directory on the Jays' website early yesterday evening showed that 24 names had been deleted." The news "came only hours after" the death of Rogers Communications President & CEO and Blue Jays Owner Ted Rogers. Blue Jays VP/Corporate Partnerships & Business Development Mark Lemmon was the "highest-ranking erasure," while Dir of Guest Services Will Hill also lost his job. Twenty of the cuts "hit full-time contract workers in the ticketing department." Beeston: "It's regrettable. Every sports team is challenged (by the sinking economy) and the Toronto Blue Jays are as well. ... I don't think you can say anything other than we're in for a rough ride and who knows how long that's going to last." More Beeston: "We certainly aren't the first (team to cut) and I suspect we won't be the last. It's an uncertain future." Rogers Media President & CEO Tony Viner in an e-mail to employees "blamed cuts that also affected Rogers' publishing, television and digital operations on a pullback by advertisers" (TORONTO STAR, 12/3). The CP reported layoffs at Rogers "could reach 130 people as the company copes with a decline in advertising revenue" (CP, 12/2). A Blue Jays employee familiar with the cuts said the number of jobs to be eliminated from the team is "probably in the 30s" (AP, 12/2).
|
Related Stories By Company
|
Related Stories By Sport
|
Tigers Cutting, Freezing Ticket Prices
November 19, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Blue Jays Cutting Season-Ticket Perks
November 18, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Beeston To Remain Blue Jays Pres & CEO
October 28, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Surging Loonie Could Benefit Canadian Teams
October 20, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Blue Jays Fire GM J.P. Ricciardi
October 5, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
|
Boras, Manfred Talk About Finances Escalate
November 20, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Selig: Concerns Around Economy Still Exist
November 20, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
MasterCard Present At WS DVD Premiere
November 20, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Hicks Hopes To Remain Rangers Majority Owner
November 19, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Selig Committed To Condensing Playoffs
November 19, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
|
|
