The Head Count

Next Monday, Aug. 11, at 8:30 a.m. CDT, the buyout period begins. It runs until 5:30 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, Aug. 20. There is no additional time to opt in or rescind one's offer.

The staff is not going to be told by management how many people have asked to take the buyout, although managers will be advised regularly on those numbers throughout the buyout period. Managers must approve all buyout offers, and that process will take more time. Written notices of acceptance are supposed to go out between Sept. 2 and Sept. 5.

While the precise head count goal for the buyouts at the DMN remains somewhat fuzzy, managers have placed that number at about 40 people. If management does not get - or approve - that number of volunteers, the threat of layoffs looms for the staff. The company has not stated when layoffs would occur - if it comes to that - but it has notified its shareholders that it intends to write off all of the costs of the buyout by Sept. 30.

Mr. Sunbeam will do what he can to track how many people have asked for a buyout before the deadline passes on Aug. 20. He will be depending on those who have made submissions to advise him of their decision. You may send them to mr.sunbeam@gmail.com. In the interest of privacy, no one's name will be posted without their permission. And the danger of posting regular counts of buyout-takers is that people can and do change their minds. This happened a lot during the 2006 buyout. Nonetheless, if Mr. Sunbeam has numbers, he will share them.

If talk in the DMN newsroom is any indication, the interest in seeking buyouts seems slight. So far, only one person near retirement age has told Mr. Sunbeam that he will accept an offer. Of course, it's all talk until 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 20. No one knew during the buyout two years ago whether a much larger target number to avoid a layoff would be met. But that offer was more generous, and the economy - especially for journalists who wanted to remain journalists - was stronger. That said, we should all go into the decision-making period aware that more change is coming.