Chicago Tribune to outsource TribLocal content, cutting 20 jobs

The Chicago Tribune will cut about 20 jobs as it outsources some suburban news coverage to Journatic LLC, a Chicago-based company. The newspaper is outsourcing work for its TribLocal suburban newspapers and Web sites following an investment by parent company Tribune Company in Journatic.

Tribune bought a minority stake in the company, said Brian Timpone, a co-founder of Journatic who is also the company's CEO and largest shareholder. Other terms of that investment weren't disclosed. Journatic already provides coverage for the Tribune Company's Daily Press in Virginia and expects to work eventually for other papers in the Tribune family, which include the Baltimore Sun and Los Angeles Times, Timpone said. He wouldn't say how many papers Journatic works for currently other than to say it includes dozens of titles, including Hearst. Journatic will be ending a contract it has to provide real estate coverage to the Chicago Sun-Times as part of the new “exclusive” agreement with Tribune, Timpone said. The Chicago Tribune will combine the work of Journatic with the 20-some remaining TribLocal editorial staffers to expand coverage, said Brad Moore, vice president of targeted media for the Chicago Tribune. The company isn't shutting any of the current suburban offices. The Chicago Tribune worker cuts include reporters and copy editors as well as Web site producers and designers, among others.