Austin-American Statesman Offers Severance Pay, Ends Ahora Sí

AUSTIN, TX — Ahora Sí, the weekly Spanish-language newspaper published by the Austin American-Statesman, will cease publication in October, the company said Thursday while also disclosing all of its 200-plus employees have been offered voluntary severance packages.

The moves come not only at a time when the newspaper industry is struggling to survive, but in the wake of its purchase five months ago by Gatehouse Media — a company known for implementing steep cuts at its acquired properties and a penchant for digital (rather than traditional print) news/information platforms.

In the dual announcements, officials revealed Ahora Sí would end its 14-year run Oct. 12, and other staffers accepting severance packages would be out by September.

Statesman publisher Susie Biehle put the best possible spin on the offered severance packages, framing it as something of a lucrative nudge toward staffers who might have already contemplated retirement or switching careers: “This gives our employees a choice for those who were mulling retirement or a change in careers,” she said in a prepared statement.

Further, she posited the move as a positive for readers: “This also allows us to better align our resources around the areas of most importance to our readers and advertisers.”

Gatehouse Media bought the newspaper in April for $47.5 million, ending a four-decade ownership by Cox Media. Biehle stressed the offers of employee severance were theirs, not Gatehouse Media's.

She explained the offers this way: “We are aggressively pursuing a path to greater revenue diversification and eventual overall growth to better support our entire operation. In the challenging media landscape that affects all Texas newspapers, this path doesn’t stray from our commitment to do journalism with impact.”

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Austin American-Statesman Sold For $47.5M To GateHouse Media

Hearst Corp. Lays Off San Antonio Express-News Employees

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