The publisher of Britain's biggest-selling regional daily, the Wolverhampton-based Express & Star, is seeking to axe 10% of its workforce.
The Midland News Association (MNA) has begun talks with staff councils to achieve 90 redundancies. These cuts are necessary, it says, because of "difficult trading conditions."
This is further proof, as if any were needed, about the depth of the plight among regional newspaper publishers. It is very grim news.
Aside from the Express & Star - which sells 116,000 copies a day in the West Midlands - MNA also owns the Shropshire Star (58,000 sales) and 20 weekly titles.
In a press statement, MNA's managing director Alan Harris said: "Like every other newspaper publisher, the MNA is facing very difficult trading conditions and there seems to be no sign of improvement.
"If we are to continue to invest for the future in our publications, both in print and online, then we must make some cost savings.
"The board fully understand that this is a very difficult time for all staff and we are doing our very best to keep everybody informed of what is happening."
Consultations with staff are due to take place over the next month. Chris Morley, the northern and Midlands organiser for the National Union of Journalists, said: "This is a devastating blow and comes on top of huge cuts in the recent past."
In October 2008, the company cut 120 jobs and merged the business functions of the Express & Star with those of the Shropshire Star in order to save £3m.
The new announcement of job cuts comes in the same week that the two papers began charging for access to some of their online content.
Sources: MNA press release/HoldTheFrontPage/Birmingham Mail
