Former staffers of the Rocky Mountain News have agreed to accept a severance package totaling $4.8 million from E.W. Scripps Co., publisher of the now-defunct newspaper.
Lump-sum payments to employees will range from roughly $7,500 to a maximum of $50,000 for the longest-tenured workers, according to people familiar with the details.
The newspaper closed Feb. 27 after Cincinnati-based Scripps said it couldn’t find a buyer and was unwilling to absorb more financial losses.
About 100 former employees who are part of the Denver Newspaper Guild voted Monday night to accept the severance package.
Payments of $50,000 apply to workers with at least 30 years of service at the News.
Affected workers had already received 60 days of pay after the closure.
Scripps officials said recently they are not actively marketing the Rocky Mountain News name, masthead, archives and website, which they had announced were for sale when the paper closed.
Scripps spokesman Tim King said “a few” inquiries from prospective buyers were forwarded to Scripps’ broker shortly after the paper closed but with no resulting deals as yet.
Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com
