14 job cuts at Archant Suffolk in changes to dailies

Archant Suffolk has announced plans to cut 14 members of its 91-strong editorial team, as it makes changes to the area's two daily newspapers the Ipswich Evening Star and East Anglian Daily Times.

According to a press release, Archant Suffolk is cutting the Saturday edition of the six-day Ipswich Evening Star, leaving the Monday to Friday editions only.

The company said the newspaper will be renamed as the Ipswich Star and feature a Felixstowe Star edition, "reflecting properly its overnight publishing pattern and its geographic strongholds".

Changes are also in store for the East Anglian Daily Times, which will see a new Ipswich edition launched on Saturdays.

But while the company states that this will place the two daily titles "on track for ongoing success in 2012 and beyond", it has confirmed that the changes - effective from Monday 23 January - also mean the proposed loss of 14 jobs, affecting staff working in photography, production and feature writing.

Other roles on the newsdesk, as well as sport, commercial and business writers will not be affected, the company added.

"Ipswich has found the going tough economically over the past few years," managing director of Archant Anglia, Johnny Hustler said in the release.

"The requirements of our readers and advertisers are changing and we must adapt and innovate if we are to meet their needs in the future.

"These proposals are designed to rebalance our activities and focus so that we satisfy our customers' needs and grow our audience in the times ahead."

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