Hong Kong media giant Next Digital axes 100 employees, suspends print format of Face

Of Face magazine’s 60 employees, about a dozen were offered a transfer to Apple Daily. Photo: cover from Face.

(SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST) Morethan100employeesatNextDigital,formerlyNextMedia,willlosetheirjobsinthepublicationgroup’snewmovetoslashcosts.

EntertainmentandfashionmagazineFace–formerlyEastFinder,foundedin1991–borethebruntofthecuts,asthegroupsuspendeditsprintformatpublication.

SomeofFace’sdigitalcontentwillbemovedtoAppleDaily,thegroup’sflagshipnewspaper,fromtheendofnextmonth,accordingtoNextMediaTradeUnionchairmanAlvinWongWai-chun.

Ofthemagazine’s60employees,aboutadozenwereofferedatransfertoAppleDaily.

Face’sbundledprintpublications,Ketchup,TradingExpressandJobFinder,willremain.

Thegroup’sflagshipweeklyNextMagazineanditsbundledsupplementsEat&TravelWeeklyandME!willberestructured,withabout30jobscutintheprocess.

Aftertherestructuring,theproductionofNextMagazine’sdigitalcontentwillbemorecloselyco-ordinatedwiththatofAppleDaily’sdigitalformat.

TheprintversionsofNextMagazine,EatAndTravelWeeklyandME!willremain.ThethreepublicationshavebeenissuedinabundlesinceAugust,afteranearlierrestructuring.

Meanwhile,nxTomoGames,thegroup’smobilephonegamedeveloper,willalsobetrimmed,cuttingabout20workers.

Wongsaidhewasshockedandannoyedbythegroup’sdecision,whichwasannouncedinastaffnoticefromthegroup’schiefexecutiveCassianCheungKa-singonMonday.

“Thechiefexecutivetoldusbefore[that]Facewasalreadyrunningonasmallscaleandwouldsurvivewithnoneedtocutcosts,”Wongsaid.

HesaidCheunghadexplainedinameetingonMondaythatthedecisionwasmadeafterconsideringthecontinuingshrinkageoftheprintbusiness.

Wongbelievedthatdwindlingsourcesofnewsmaterialinthelocalentertainmentarenawereanotherreasontotargetmediaoutletsfocusedonentertainmentnews.

“Somecolleagueswereveryangrybecausethegrouphadpromisednottohaveanotherlay-offintherecentfutureinJulylastyear,”headded.

InJulyandAugust,70editorialstafffromentertainmentmagazineSuddenWeeklywerelaidoffasthegroupkilledthe20-year-oldpublicationandbundleditssupplements,EatAndTravelWeeklyandME!,withNextMagazine.

Thegroupsaidthismovewasinresponsetochangesinthebusinessenvironment,andthatthecompanyhadtransformedintoadigital-orientedmediaoutlet.

Itsaiditwouldassistaffectedworkersinadaptingtonewpositions,orprovidethemwithreasonablecompensation.