Leaked Star Tribune memo from publisher Steve Grove details ~65 job cuts, 25 in newsroom, foundation-ownership study

A leaked internal memo sent at 6:32 p.m. on June 2, 2026 by Star Tribune publisher and CEO Steve Grove announced the elimination of roughly 65 positions — about 15% of the Minneapolis newspaper's 495-person workforce — including 25 roles within the approximately 200-person newsroom. Grove stressed that no news-gathering positions (reporters, photographers, videographers) were affected; the cuts targeted other functions as the organization restructures around digital. 'Because we are now a digital media company, our structure and size need to change to reflect that reality, and give us opportunities for more digital growth,' Grove wrote, noting the company had 'grown digital subscriptions by over 25%' and now derives most revenue from digital rather than print products.

The memo also disclosed that the Star Tribune is exploring a conversion to 'foundation ownership, similar to other for-profit newsrooms owned by foundations, to expand opportunities for philanthropic donations to support the core business' — a structural shift that would echo models adopted by other U.S. metro outlets seeking sustainable funding. The memo, published in full by local outlet Racket (byline Jay Boller), is a window into how a Glen Taylor-owned regional daily is repositioning under Grove, a former Google executive and Minnesota state official, and signals continued contraction across U.S. regional journalism even at digitally growing titles.

The disclosure matters because it pairs concrete workforce numbers with an unusual on-record ownership-restructuring signal from a major metro publisher.