Dallas Morning News The paper is moving its longtime printing operations from Plano to a smaller facility in Carrollton, a decision that will save the paper an estimated $5 million a year and involve the layoffs of about 85 jobs.
The paper’s parent company, Dallas News Co., is putting its 620,000-square-foot printing plant, including an 82,000-square-foot parking lot, up for sale. The plant sits on 29 acres of land along West Plano Parkway at Coit Road.
Dallas News Co. President Katie Murray said the yearly savings will put Dallas News back in the black.
“We are exploring all options for the property, including a sale,” she said. The Dallas News has no debt, and a sale would bolster the company’s cash position.
Based on the need for capital investments to support the printing plant transition, Dallas News Corp.’s board of directors has suspended the company’s quarterly dividend of 16 cents per share until further notice.
New presses will be purchased and installed in a soon-to-be-leased 67,000-square-foot building in Carrollton. The new facility is expected to be completed in early 2025 and will significantly reduce operating costs, Murray said.
The facility is a fraction of the size of traditional facilities designed for another era, but it is more than capable of meeting the company’s needs.
“Many of our peers have decided to outsource their printing operations outside of the city. We didn’t want to do that. We’re fortunate to have the opportunity to remain in North Texas,” Murray said.
“At a time when many newspapers across the country have stopped printing seven days a week, we will continue to print,” Murray said. “Reading a printed newspaper is a daily habit for our readers, and we want to continue giving them what they want.”
Grant Moyes, news’ The Dallas News publisher and CEO said the company’s commitment remains unchanged.
“We have consistently produced the finest print products that reflect our commitment to quality journalism, and this decision will put us in a better position to do so profitably,” Moïse said.
Murray said the transition will take about eight months and will include cutting staff by 60 percent. Employees at the printing plant were informed of the changes and job cuts on Tuesday.
Long-time staff will be offered severance packages. The new plant will operate with 60 percent fewer employees. The press installation is expected to cost $8 million. Murray said the company has enough cash to fund the new plant.
The Plano facility was built in the early 1980s and expanded in 1992. Dallas Morning News It was the number one newspaper in the country in terms of total advertising expenditure.
The site is one of the few large parcels remaining in Plano, located across from West Plano Parkway, across from John Paul II High School and about a mile north of President George Bush Turnpike.
Murray said the property is zoned light industrial, which would include new and popular uses such as a data center.
The land is worth more than the building, according to the Collin County Assessor’s Office: The parcel at 3900 W. Plano Parkway is valued on the tax roll at $12.58 million, with the building valued at $6.53 million.
