Posted by chicagomedia.org on July 29, 2008 at 09:26:26:
How tough is it at Tribune Co. these days? Even the boss of WGN-Channel 9 has lost his secretary.
Helen Hoffmann, the longtime executive assistant to the vice president and general manager, was one of at least eight staffers at Channel 9 whose positions were eliminated in recent weeks.
Other departments hit by the company-mandated layoffs were programming, finance, creative services, community relations and engineering, sources said. A vacancy in the sales department also is not being filled.
Channel 9 general manager Tom Ehlmann declined to talk about specific cuts, but released a statement Monday about the need to reduce expenses.
"The media industry is going through tremendous change, and we believe there is a great future ahead for Tribune and its television stations," the statement said. "Just as our newspapers are doing, Tribune's television stations are trying to operate as efficiently as possible."
The cutbacks came despite top ratings for the station's morning news and plans to expand its midday news to 90 minutes and add a 5:30 p.m. newscast this fall.
Tribune-owned news/talk WGN-AM (720) eliminated three off-air support jobs last month.
The Chicago Tribune newsroom is bracing for the loss of 80 positions in the coming weeks.
(Feder)