Star doing away with stand-alone biz section

Indianapolis Star managers Monday afternoon informed newsroom staffers that the paper’s business section would no longer be a stand-alone section beginning in late June.

Staffers were told the section would become part of the Metro & State section. It is unclear whether the business section will have its own front page within the Metro & State section or that section would have business news interspersed throughout.

It is also unclear where columns by featured business writers such as John Ketzenberger and Daniel Lee would appear. Staffers today said the extent of the changes were still being ironed out.

Star Editor Dennis Ryerson was not available for comment.

“What’s happening to the metro and business section is part of a trend locally and nationally,” said Abe Aamidor, a 20-year veteran of the Indianapolis Star and the now-defunct Indianapolis News who serves as vice president of The Newspaper Guild Local 70. “This is clearly a cost-saving measure.”

Aamidor said the union doesn’t officially have a position on the move, but is concerned over personnel decreases due to staff departures.

Aamidor called the decision a “risky move,” because the business-news consumer is a “more sophisticated” reader who will notice the difference in presentation.