With the departure of 15 to 18 percent of its news department, the combined Contra Costa Times-ANG Newspapers are launching an effort called NewPaper to re-examine what they’re doing, a memo from editor Kevin Keane (via Poynter) says.

“For the sake of the NewPaper discussion, we must assume that the business model of newspapers has been permanently altered, and that we will never be able to support a fulltime news operation larger than what we have now. …

“Perhaps we should shrink our coverage area and concentrate on what we know we can still cover well given the size of our staff. Or form regional partnerships with other media. With pressure to reduce newsprint consumption, should we combine sections on certain days? How should our papers be organized and zoned? And what elements of design should we embrace?”

The CC Times and ANG are controlled by MediaNews Group, whose CEO, Dean Singleton, reportedly was displeased by the Merc’s recent redesign proposal. A few days after Singleton saw a presentation outlining the Merc’s plans, editor Carole Leigh Hutton abruptly resigned.