Wednesday, July 2, 2008

KTLA lays off two reporters, weekend anchor

Los Angeles Times ^ | July 1, 2008 | Greg Braxton

KTLA-TV Channel 5 laid off a veteran reporter and one of its weekend anchors Monday, part of a handful of cuts at the local station that also included several executives.

Weekend anchor Walter Richards and reporter Willa Sandmeyer were let go along with reporter Janet Choi, executive editor of planning Joseph M. Russin and morning news executive producer John Hensley. KTLA, like the Los Angeles Times, is owned by Tribune Co., which is struggling financially because of major shifts in the media business and the softening economy.

John Moczulski, vice president of programming and marketing at KTLA, said the cuts were economically driven and came after a newsroom evaluation focusing on efficiency. Further cuts may be coming, and other positions may be reconfigured, he said.

In an interview, Richards, who has worked at KTLA for 14 years, said he was hoping to land another anchor job.

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