‘GUT-WRENCHING:’ 17 LAYOFFS AT KLAS
KLAS-TV, Channel 8 laid off 17 and transferred four others Wednesday in what management termed a belt-tightening "reorganization" due to the recession.
Management did not return messages, but a memo sent to the staff by KLAS general manager Emily Neilsen said the moves were necessary because of the economic downturn and "a significant recovery is not expected for at least a few years."
In the memo, Neilsen called the move "a gut-wrenching experience for all of us." The email was sent at 9:35 a.m. Wednesday.
The station has been up for sale for months but the negotiations have stalled and were dealt another setback this week when Wall Street giant Lehman Brothers announced it had collapsed on Monday. Lehman Brothers was brokering the deal.
A well-placed source said the layoffs have nothing to do with the sale.
On-air departures include a weekday anchor and a reporter.
--NORM CLARKE, Vegas Confidential
