Publisher Terry Williams on Tuesday said the cuts were necessary to adapt to the rapidly changing nature of the newspaper industry and declining advertising revenue.
The layoffs were also prompted by the abrupt loss this month of The Telegraph's largest commercial printing customer, BostonNow. The free daily newspaper ceased publishing without notice April 14.
"I'm very sad for the employees that aren't going to be here. They're very valuable to us," Williams said. "But it's hard to argue with the marketplace."
The cuts included four full-time positions and one part-time position in the combined Cabinet and Telegraph news operations, according to David Solomon, executive editor.
Solomon said the cuts were made with an effort to keep as many reporters and photographers on the street as possible.
"There have been situations where we've had two reporters at the same fires, the same accidents, the same meetings. That is the kind of duplication we will not be able to sustain," Solomon said.
The Telegraph's parent company, Independent Publications, purchased the Cabinet Press in April 2005.
Solomon said the company held out as long as economic conditions would allow in a climate of declining revenues. Newspapers across the country are grappling with the same problem as readers and advertisers increasingly rely on the Internet, reducing profits from the print product. The situation has been further aggravated by a slowdown in the overall economy.
The Telegraph's last layoffs came in 2006, when 16 positions were cut.
Williams emphasized that despite declining paid circulation, The Telegraph is reaching more readers than it ever has through the Internet. The company has seen dramatic increases in its Web audience, but has to wait for the corresponding ad revenue to catch up, he said.
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