Some N.Y.T. News Service jobs moving to Gainesville

The New York Times is relocating some wire service positions to Gainesville, creating about 25 jobs that will be housed in The Gainesville Sun building starting in February.

The New York Times News Service edits text, photos and graphics for news clients around the world, as well as produces the daily Times Digest, International Weekly and Large Print Weekly.

The New York Times reported Friday that 25 of 30 news service jobs in New York were being eliminated, with five employees retaining their positions.

The Newspaper Guild put the number of jobs cut at 28.

Times spokewoman Diane McNulty told The Times new jobs were being created in Gainesville. The Sun's newsroom is not unionized.

Most of the jobs will be filled by editors and photo technicians with experience in wire services but also could include entry-level positions.

Sun editors said the news service was attracted to Gainesville by the successful consolidation of editing and page production duties from The Gainesville Sun and Ocala Star-Banner, both of which are owned by The Times, and by the University of Florida, which has a reputable journalism program.

Sun and Star-Banner Executive Editor Jim Osteen will oversee news operations in the new editing center, reporting to Allen Parsons, publisher of the Star-Banner and vice president of editorial innovation for the NYT Regional Media Group. which includes the Gainesville and Ocala newspapers.

Osteen also advised Times papers in Spartanburg, S.C., and Hendersonville, N.C., in consolidating editing and page production.

"We're gratified by the confidence shown in the regional group to meet the exemplary standards for which the News Service is known," Parsons said. "We also appreciate the employment lift that the editing center brings to our group."

The wire service shortens and edits New York Times stories to fit Associated Press style guidelines.

The move will start in February with 13 jobs for the wire service, the Times Digest -- a shorted edition of The Times that caters to traveling subscribers -- and the Large Print Weekly. Another 12 positions related to the International Weekly, which produces 32 editions catered to various regions of the world, would come a couple of months later.

"Our mission is to continue the tradition of quality editing for news service clients and the associated publications," Osteen said.