Ballard paper to move its office

The weekly Ballard News-Tribune announced in print this week that its business office in the heart of Ballard will close next month and business functions will be consolidated with its main office in Burien.

Also, said the announcement, the Ballard weekly will no longer be delivered by youth carriers. Starting Sept. 16, home delivery will be by mail.

The announcement, by News Editor Ken Robinson, appeared in Wednesday's edition. Robinson later declined to give details on the planned changes.

According to the announcement, the Ballard office at 2208 N.W. Market St. will close Sept. 9. But employees said they had been given an Oct. 1 closing date and told that they'd be working from home. Unnamed employees also said full-time employees' hours had been cut to 32 hours a week.

In his "notice to readers," Robinson said electronic transfer of information allows the paper to be more efficient with laptops and digital cameras in the field.

"It is a natural progression of technology," the notice said. "We believe we can consolidate resources and still produce a great product."

The Ballard News-Tribune is part of the Robinson Communications group.

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