Okay, folks, looks like the TMC layoff totals will only be 50 positions throughout the company. There will actually be 70 positions cut, but 20 are positions which have not been filled and are now being eliminated. And word will come on Saturday night instead of Sunday, so those laid off will not have to wait the entire weekend to find out if they still have jobs. Rumor is the copy desk will be decimated.

Big changes are on the way, including a newly-created "Deputy Editor: Digital." (The rumor was that Chris Krewson was going to take the job, but I've just gotten confirmation from Frank Wiese that he is not.) Check out the full Dave Erdman memo at Poynter Online.

Tuesday May 5 marks the debut of the paper's new all-in-one condensed format, with "a redeployed front section that will contain all local news, as well as state, nation/world, business, and Town Square." The new format will bring TMC in line with other newspapers in the Tribune chain to allow production of all the pre-print sections to be moved to the Baltimore Sun. Advertisers will now have smaller set sizes for their ads with no reduction in cost, which I am sure they'll appreciate.

Get this from an anonymous Tribune insider: "I have seen flow charts of Tribune’s newsroom of the future that includes basically just reporters and section editors. The only reference to visuals workers or leaders was one 'editor' who would 'process' all graphics, photos, video, etc. I think they ultimately envision section editors doing everything — writing, editing stories, photos, video, managing the web site, etc. Frankly, if I was a section editor at a Tribune paper, I don’t know what would be worse, being laid off or having to stay on the job and be part of their newsroom 'of the future.'"

And the Call will soon no longer have an editorial board, with op/ed veep Glenn Kranzley on his way out next month. Hmmmm. . . Who is going to watch the government henhouse??

Here's some advice from fellow blogger Bryan Kleiner: "I think the Morning Call needs to reexamine its motivations and take into account the idea that they are a newspaper and not a fluff rag. . . I don't have a problem seeing the occasional fluff story in the middle of the local section. However, I do have a problem wading through five or six pages of cotton candy just to find one article that feels important. Let the internet take of the fluff, let the Morning Call keep us up to date on what is going on in our community and how it is going to impact our lives."

Hear that, Sam? You said you didn't want "pablum," but it looks like ya got it after all.