You have to go down to the 11th paragraph of a news release from the Washington Post Company to learn that the company will be offering voluntary early retirement buyouts next month as its flagship newspaper prepares to consolidate DC area printing at a single plant. The company did not specify how many positions will be eliminated “in light of the current economic environment” and to prepare for the closing of the plant in College park, MD as printing is consolidated in 2010 in Springfield, VA.
The lead of the news release is that Katharine Weymouth has been named CEO of Washington Post Media and Boisfeuillet Jones Jr. has been named Vice Chairman of The Washington Post Company and Chairman of The Post newspaper.
Weymouth is the great-granddaughter of Eugene Mayer, who bought The Washington Post in 1933, granddaughter of Katharine and Phillip Graham and, thus, a niece of current Chairman and CEO Donald Graham.
“Katharine is ready for this. She is Kay Graham’s granddaughter, but that is not why she’s getting this job. She’s had a rare combination of big jobs at both the newspaper and the digital company. In all those jobs, she has shown herself to be smart, decisive, modest and a great manager of people,” said Donald Graham.
Bo Jones succeeds Donald Graham as Chairman of the company’s flagship property. He has been publisher of the Washington Post since 2000.
