Media General Wants to Cut Fla. Staff

Offers included a severance package based on years of service with the company, said John Schueler, president of Florida Communications Group, which oversees the operation of The Tribune, WFLA, the Web site TBO.com and Media General's other Florida properties.

Schueler said the company has not determined how many employees it wants to shed in Florida, but he said there could be layoffs if not enough of them accept the buyout offers.

The company's Florida properties also include Centro Grupo de Comunicacion, Sunbelt Newspapers, Suncoast News, Hernando Today and Highlands Today.

The Tampa Tribune is the largest of Richmond, Va.-based Media General's 25 daily newspapers.

In March, Media General president and CEO, Marshall N. Morton, cited the poor performance of the Florida properties as the primary reason the company's first-quarter results would be worse than Wall Street analysts expected. He blamed it on the state's struggling economy.

The situation has led to an expected proxy war at the company's April 24 shareholders' meeting. The hedge fund that forced its way on the board of The New York Times is urging Media General investors to elect three of its nominees to the company's board.