Dallas Morning News moving to smaller printing plant with fewer workers, a new press (2024)

The Dallas Morning News is moving its longtime printing operation from Plano into a smaller facility in Carrollton, a decision that will save the newspaper an estimated $5 million a year in expenses and will include the elimination of about 85 positions.

DallasNews Corp., the newspaper’s parent company, plans to put the 620,000-square-foot printing plant up for sale, including an 82,000-square-foot parking garage. It is located on 29 acres along W. Plano Parkway at Coit Road.

The annual savings will help DallasNews become profitable again, said Katy Murray, president of DallasNews Corp.

“We’re looking at all options for the property including a sale,” she said. DallasNews has no debt and a sale would shore up the company’s cash.

Based on capital investment needs to support the printing plant transition, the Board of Directors of DallasNews Corporation suspended a 16-cents-a-share quarterly dividend until further notice.

A new printing press will be purchased to go into a soon-to-be leased 67,000-square-foot building in Carrollton. The new facility is expected to be ready in early 2025 and will cost significantly less to operate, Murray said.

The facility is a fraction of the size of the legacy operation designed for a different era, but it has the capacity to meet the company’s needs.

“A number of our peers have made the decision to outsource their print operations to locations outside of their city. We did not want to do that. And we’re fortunate that we have the opportunity to stay in North Texas,” Murray said.

“We will continue to print seven days a week while many newspapers across the country no longer do so,” Murray said. “Reading the printed newspaper is a daily habit for our readers, and we want to continue to give them what they want.”

Grant Moise, The News’ publisher and the chief executive officer of DallasNews, said the company’s commitment remains the same.

“We have continued to produce a premier print product that reflects our dedication to quality journalism. With this decision, we will be better positioned to do so profitably,” Moise said.

The transition will take about eight months to complete and will include a 60% staff cut, Murray said. Employees at the printing plant were informed Tuesday of the changes and job losses.

The long-tenured staff is being offered severance pay. The new plant will run with 60% fewer employees. The cost of the press including installation is expected to be $8 million. The company has enough cash to fund the new plant, Murray said.

The Plano plant was built in the early 1980s and expanded in 1992, the year The Dallas Morning News was the No. 1 newspaper in the nation in total full-run advertising.

The location is one of the few large parcels left in Plano. It’s across West Plano Parkway from John Paul II High School and about a mile north of the President George Bush Turnpike.

The property is zoned light industrial and that includes new popular uses such as data centers, Murray said.

According to the Collin County Appraisal District, the land is worth more than the building. The parcel at 3900 W. Plano Parkway is valued on the tax rolls at $12.58 million and the building at $6.53 million.