BusinessLive reports that the Independent Media group has confirmed that it is restructuring, but has not said how many jobs would be affected.  

The group, which owns or has stakes in newspapers including The Star, Cape Argus, Cape Times and The Mercury, reportedly has to cut costs at divisions, including lifestyle, sport, politics, editorial production and live editors.  Independent Media sent section 189 (i.e. possible job cut) letters to staff in these divisions.  The restructuring process has to be completed by 20 December.  The group, like its competitors, has had to move away from print media towards online and multimedia to stay profitable.  The letters indicate that the group has had to make more income from non-print sources and that it faced competition from overseas media and media houses using better technology than it has been using for years.  "The constant pressure on the media industry with declining revenues, increasing costs and the continued competition by overseas technology platforms brings us to a point where we have to review our team structures and to reorganise our workflows," the letters to staff stated.

• Read this report by Alistair Anderson in full at BusinessLive

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