(USNewsMag.com) – More changes are coming to The New York Times, this time to its sports department.
The sports department at The New York Times will be disbanded, a move that will affect more than 35 people who will be reassigned to other roles in the newsroom.
Over the years, many of The New York Times sports writers have won Pulitzer Prizes. In 1956, Arthur Daley’s column, “Sports of the Times, won; in 1976, Walter Wellesley (Red) Smith’s commentary won; and in 1981, Dave Anderson’s commentary took home a Pulitzer Prize.
Sports coverage will now come from a website The New York Times acquired in January 2022, The Athletic. The website was acquired by The New York Times for $550 million in a move to help grow paying subscribers for The New York Times as newspaper print ads continue to decline. Since the Times bought the website, it has struggled to turn a profit, losing $7.8 million in the first quarter of 2023 even though its paid subscribers grew by more than three million. The Athletic laid off 20 reporters and reassigned another 20 in June.
The move to disband the sports department and get coverage from The Athletic will expand sports coverage with access to the 150 stories The Athletic produces daily.
In a July 10 letter to staff, New York Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien and Co-Chairman A.G. Sulzberger stated the move will help “maximize the respective strengths” of both newsrooms.he letter acknowledged the news would “be disappointing to some.”
The transition is expected to be completed by the fall.
Unlike other newspapers, The New York Times managed to gain subscribers and remain profitable, though it is now diversifying its coverage with games, recipes, and lifestyle advice.
After two years of talks, The New York Times reached a deal with its newsroom union for a new contract in May. The new contract includes salary increases, a hybrid work schedule, and other benefits.
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