Laid off L.A.Timer lands at Biz Journal

Francisco Varta-Orta, who was laid-off from the L.A. Times last month has found refuge at the Los Angeles Business Journal. He told Richard Prince's Journal-isms he will "be covering trade and transportation focusing on the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach and manufacturing in the county."

He says he realizes the industry is in chaos and diversity efforts have diminished, but he remains hopeful for a turnaround: "I was very fortunate to land a job with the Los Angeles Business Journal and will start there soon. It's a shift from metro to business but I'm willing to expand and learn and relish a new challenge. Journalism is not dead and in a democracy should never die so it's up to us to get over this self-defeatist attitude and just work with what we have. Maybe I'll be tested again but so far many people I know are hoping it'll turn around in a few more years."

NLRB orders CNN to rehire workers

For years, CNN has sidestepped union issues by subcontracting technical staff through Team Video Services. CNN broke off the relationship with that provider in December 2003 and January 2004 and directly hired employees to perform camera, studio and engineering work in New York and Washington.

It took 4 years, but the National Labor Relations Board has determined that CNN violated labor laws when it ended its subcontract agreement with Team Video for tech work and has ordered the cable news network to reinstate more than 100 workers at the two bureaus.

In its 169-page decision, the NLRB considered CNN's goal was to operate the bureaus without a union.

Administrative law Judge Arthur Amchan found that CNN was a joint employer of Team Video Services and was obligated to recognize and bargain with NABET over the decision to terminate the subcontracting relationship and the hiring of new employees.

CNN said it will appeal the decision.

Pappas stations go on auction block

10 Pappas Telecasting stations, currently under bankruptcy protection, will go on the auction block Dec. 11, according to B&C.

13 Pappas stations have been operating under Chapter 11 protection since May. Shortly after, three of Pappas’ lenders pushed for involuntary Chapter 7 petitions for Pappas Telecasting chairman Harry Pappas and his wife.

Among the stations to go on the block: El Paso, Omaha and Sioux City.

Pappas owns 27 stations. The company recently sold six stations, mostly low power ones, in Nevada and California to Entravision for $4 million.

Llamas moves to NYC

Reporter Tom Llamas is leaving WTVJ, the NBC affiliate in Miami and heading north.  TVNewsday reports he has been hired at the WNBC in NYC, with a January start date.

Tom has been a general assignment reporter at NBC 6 since 2005.  Before that, he worked for MSNBC as a political campaign reporter.  He got his start working with the NBC News Specials Unit during the 2000 presidential election. 

Newspaper Guild suffering from job losses

The industry-wide job cuts have also affected the Newspaper Guild. In the past year, the newspaper union has lost 2,000 members and about $200,000 in membership income, according to Guild president Bernie Lunzer.  

Forbes.com reports the situation has impacted The Guild Reporter.   The union's official newspaper will be cut back from a monthly to a bi-monthly.  Lunzer told Forbes.com the deficit may grow in 2009. 

AP to cut 400 jobs

AP's CEO said the company will "trim" 10% of its work force over the next year, due to the cut in fees paid by member newspapers and the ailing economy.

Tom Curley told AP staff via webcast that there would be an elimination of more than 400 jobs worldwide.  He expressed hope most cuts will be achieved through attrition, but recognized layoffs are not out of the question.

While AP admits the company is still profitable, it expects a drop in cash flow from $95 million this year to $66 million in 2009, due to a $30 million reduction in fees paid by struggling newspapers.

Why Mettey Sued Univision

"When I was fired, I was victim of an injustice perpetrated by a series of inept individuals," Jorge Mettey tells me.  "Those same inept individuals proceeded to discredit and defame me."  

Jorge says there is no evidence that he has ever acted unethically and is out to clear his name. That's why on Monday he filed suit against Univision.  "I've embarked on this process with the only objective to clear my name, as it has always been.  And for those who have made mistakes, to pay for them." 

Jorge worked for Univision 12 years - at KMEX-34 and KTVW-33 in Phoenix.  He was ousted in April of 2007.  The L.A. Times reports that at the time, the company had determined he had "breached ethics policies in directing news coverage."  Univision's general counsel told the Times: "The suit has absolutely no merit."

Anchor sues KMBC for gender and age discrimination

She has been anchoring at KMBC-9 for almost 25 years, but now Maria Antonia, considered Kansas City's most recognizable Hispanic journalist, has been pulled off the anchor chair.  She alleges the ABC affiliate's general manager told her she would "never anchor at Channel 9 again."

She says management told her "the station needed to look ahead to the future" and that her job would be given to a younger female anchor.

The Kansas City Star is reporting she's not the only one who's filing suit for gender and age discrimination.  Two other women - reporter Peggy Breit and anchor Kelly Eckerman claim they have been demoted and passed up for plum positions and shifts at the station, which were ultimately given to younger females.

Mettey sues Univision

Jorge Mettey, former News Director and VP of News for KMEX-34 is suing Univision for wrongful termination.  According to his attorney, Federico Sayree, Jorge is suing his former employer for "Wrongful termination in violation of public policy due to his termination following his refusal to allow the sale of news content."  

The suit contends KMEX allowed companies to buy time "during an actual news broadcast in which the purchasing entity appeared  to be giving an interview of newsworthy material to a news-reporter, however, the true purpose was to allow the purchasing entity to promote their objective, whether through inadvertent advertisement by the appearance of their logos in the background of the interview or merely the opportunity to mention their entity name to millions of television viewers even though the story may not have been news worthy."

The suit also alleges that Jorge was pressured by Univision to use a segment entitled "La Silla del Poder," originally designed to speak with Fortune 500 company execs, to interview non-Spanish individuals that had no relation to the Hispanic community.Jorge claims he refused to allow the sale of news content for such commercial purposes "because it was an unethical and illegal process that compromised the integrity of a pure news-worthy broadcast."

More than 16,000 newspaper jobs lost in '08

Things don't seem to be getting any better in the news industry. Newspapers have been particularly hit hard.

Journalist Erica Smith has been following all the layoffs closely and has produced an incredible Google map pinpointing all the locations around the U.S. that have experienced cuts. The map only shows the distribution of a little more than 13,000 layoffs. It doesn't yet inlcude the Gannett Co. paper layoffs which are estimated at about 3,000 and the Scripps Co., which is another 400.

Riera named Director of Sales @ CW 44

Arturo Riera has been promoted from digital advertising sales manager to director of sales for KBCW-44, the CBS-owned CW affiliate in San Francisco.

Arturo was previously VP of product development/broadband for StarMedia Network, national and local sales manager for KSOL-FM in San Francisco and general sales manager for Telemundo of Northern California.

A longtime Bay Area resident, he's also known as "Mister Latin Jazz."  He's an avid music lover, who has co-founded The Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco and produced CD's.  He was elected Chairman of the Yerba Buena Garden's Festival in 2007.

Layoffs at Current TV

The cable network co-founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore has been hit by the layoff wave. Current Media announced the elimination of 60 jobs. A source told CNET additional layoffs are coming in January. A Current rep denies this.

Current had announced this week that it partnered with the CBC to bring the network to Canada. Meanwhile, the company's plan for an IPO is on hold.

It's expected there will be a change in the programming format of the experimental network, which up until now focused on indie and amateur material. Current TV launched in 2005.

Univision News VP steps down

Helga Silva, VP of News for Univision's Miami stations WLTV-23 and Telefutura's WAMI-69, will be stepping down from the job at the end of the year.

Helga has been with the company for 18 years, starting at the helm of  the news department of Univision's station in NYC, WXTV-41.  She previously worked as news director at Telemundo's New York station.

Helga told employees she will be consulting and teaching after she leaves Univision.

First Spanish-language alternative car blog debuts

Ricardo Rodriguez-Long, longtime editor of Auto a Fondo magazine, has launched a Spanish-language blog focusing on alternative transportation news.

Touted as the first of its kind, transporteecologico.com is already up and running.

Ricardo, who has a B.S. in Automotive Science, has written for multiple publications in the U.S., Spain and Mexico. About this new venture, he says:"hybrids, electric CNG, BioFuel vehicles.  There is so much happening in transportation technology right now that the consumer needs to understand what the future will bring."

Univision hosts DTV forum

Univision's New York-area TV stations will be hosting a public forum on the upcoming digital TV conversion tomorrow.

TVNewsday reports the event, hosted by Nilda Rosario and Angel Villagomez, will take place in Teatro park in Union City.

Rivera to lead FCC transition team

Just two days after Barack Obama won the presidential elections, sources have told Multichannel News that the president-elect is expected to name D.C. lawyer Henry Rivera to head a transition team focused on the FCC.

Rivera, a Democrat, is a partner at communications law firm Wiley, Rein and served at the FCC from 1981 to 1985.  His wife, Bernadette McGuire-Rivera, is one of the officials running the $1.5 billion digital TV converter box coupon program.

Ramón lands in San Antonio

Elsa Ramón joins the WOAI News 4 team in San Antonio.  She will be teaming up with Randy Beamer as the 6 and 10 pm co-anchor.  She starts the new job on November 10.

Elsa previously worked at KABC in Los Angeles, KXAS in Dallas and KSAZ in Phoenix.  She got her start as a production assistant in her hometown of L.A.

More cuts at Seattle Times

The Seattle Times announced this week that it will slash 10% of its staff.  That translates to an elimination of 130 to 150 jobs, through a combination of buyouts and layoffs, less than a year after a similar round of cuts.

In a memo, Publisher Frank Blethen told the staff the move was de to industry changes and the worldwide financial crisis.  The company hinted the cuts are not over.  From the memo:  "As the 2009 budgeting process continues, there will be additional expense reductions, which may include additional layoffs."

Al Dia cuts staff

Al Día was not immune to Belo's mandated cuts.  The Spanish-language publication of the Dallas Morning News laid off 5 people.

Richard Prince reports that Elda Gonzalez, translator, Carlos Moreno, Web editor, Ben Torres, photographer, Liliana Vargas, reporter and Isaac Lasky, marketing director are now out of a job.  The paper remains with 23 editorial employees.

Cox to cut 450 jobs

Cox Communications told its employees yesterday that it plans to cut about 460 jobs through a mix of retirement, attrition and layoffs.

The Atlanta-based telecommunications company has about 23,000 employees.  A spokesman told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, also owned by Cox, that the cuts are "aimed at increasing efficiency."

Contreras leaves Boston Globe

Multimedia reporter Russell Contreras has left the Boston Globe after three years, but he's not leaving town.

"Leaving the Boston Globe was hard," he tells me, "but I couldn't pass up the chance to produce multimedia work for the Associated Press in Boston, while also covering immigration and minority affairs."

Russ says he plans to work on expanding audio and video offerings for AP member Web sites.

While at the Globe, he was the host of "Across the Divide," a podcast of minority issues.  He previously worked as an education reporter for the Albuquerque Journal and an online editor for the AP in N.Y.

Dallas Morning News layoffs

The Dallas Morning News also gave out pink slips at the end of October.  Among them: Eric Garcia, David Hinojosa and Joyce Saenz Harris.  

Eric, who was an editor on the metro desk, told Richard Prince's journal-isms that he had been at the paper for 17 years, arriving from the Dallas Times Herald in 1991, four days after it folded.

Joyce, most recently a food writer at the DMN, said she was one of 22 newsroom people laid-off. She worked at the paper for more than 25 years.  Before that, she was at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and The Boston Globe. 

David covered high school sports for the paper.