Pune-based Sakal Media Group will be shutting down operations for Sakal Times and Gomantak Times, Exchange4Media reported on Thursday. While Sakal is based out of Pune, Gomantak Times is based out of Goa.
According to the report, Sakal Media has also shut down the digital editions of both news companies. However, insiders mentioned that the digital edition has not been closed. Some of them even alleged that they were given the news on Wednesday and asked to resign citing financial losses. However, this is all hearsay and the company is yet to release an official statement about the same.
The news comes a day after Hindustan Times reportedly asked 130-odd staff members to resign, which included sales, marketing and editorial staff. The insiders also mentioned that the Patna and Pune editions were closing down.
Media organisations such as The Times of India, News Nation and The Quint have laid off employees despite of Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking public and private employers not to lay off their workers or cut their salaries. Sources have also said that ET Panache and Bombay Times are all set to merge and that ET Panache has asked its 50% staff to go on leave
Insiders even mentioned that besides layoffs, The Times of India had even announced significant pay cuts for its employees. One insider said that they expected further pay cuts to take place.
News Nation Network has laid off its entire English digital team of 15. They were not given termination notice or allowed to serve their notice period, said the sacked staffers.
The Quint is reported to have asked nearly half its staff to go on a leave without pay.
"In these circumstances, it is clear that our revenues will be under severe strain over the next 3-4 months, at least. During this time, The Quint’s primary objectives should be: a) For everybody to stay healthy. b) For our young operation to survive this period and live to fight another day. That can happen if we take emergency actions, measures only used in the ‘rarest of rare’ situations, measures that may constrain us all, but may also help us stay afloat at a time like this," Quint's Editor-in-Chief Raghav Bahl said.
