WNWO workers facing layoffs

4/25/2008

WNWO-TV, Channel 24, announced layoffs yesterday of reporters, photographers, and editors as part of what vice president and general manager Jon Skorburg calls a "new model of operation."

Toledo's NBC affiliate has struggled in local ratings and recently lost long-time weather forecaster "Blizzard" Bill Spencer, who moved from the Barrington Broadcasting station last month to the local ABC station, WTVG-TV, Channel 13.

Skorburg would not say how many people were laid off, but said no "front line" anchor men or women were let go. He said he wanted to respect those who are losing their jobs by not publicly announcing who is being laid off.

He said the television news business is struggling because of competition from the Internet. "We're facing a brave new world here, and models we've used for 40 or 50 years are no longer applicable."

WNWO will keep its lineup of newscasts intact and has no plans to eliminate any of its shows, he said.