300 more layoffs at L.A. Times

It's the fourth round of cuts in 12 months - another 300 jobs will be axed, 70 from the newsroom. That will bring the L.A. Times newsroom staff down to 650, almost 50% down from its peak in 2001, when there were 1,200 employees.

Management announced the cuts and other changes, including the elimination of the paper's California section, on Friday.

According to an article in the Times, as a cost-cutting measure, the paper will fold its California section into the main news pages starting on the week of March 2.

AOL lays off 700

Citing the recession, AOL will eliminate 10% of its workforce and discard merit increases in 2009. Employees got the news via a companywide e-mail sent yesterday.

The reductions, which translate to about 700 jobs, will be completed by the end of March.

No go on DTV postponement

After Senate approval, everyone thought it was a sure thing, but the House has blocked a bill to delay the DTV switch date, saying postponing the action would only cause confusion for consumers and increase costs for broadcasters.

The transition will go on as scheduled on February 17. The Washington Post was more details.

FCC investigates payola allegations in Spanish radio

The FCC is looking into whether DJs at some of Rio Grande Valley's most popular Spanish-language radio stations have accepted cash or gifts in exchange for guaranteeing radio airplay to certain bands or record labels.

The Monitor reports investigators have met with certain radio personalities and station managers. The FCC is not saying which stations are being targeted.

By law, radio stations must disclose on the air if they receive payment in exchange for the promise of airplay. If they don't, it is considered a federal crime punishable by up to one year in prison. Additionally, a station can be fined up to $10,000 per violation.

DTV transition postponed

With the February 17 deadline looming, many, including President Obama, feared millions of people would be left without TV signals. despite the massive marketing campaign to warn viewers of the digital transition.

Well, it looks like broadcasters will have 4 more months to make the DTV switch and viewers will get a chance to reapply for at least one expired coupon. The U.S. Senate voted Monday to delay the switchover from analog to digital television broadcasting until June 12.

It's estimated 6.5 million U.S. households continue to rely on antennas.

Anchor's family suing Ford

The family of 43 yr-old Polly Gonzalez, who was killed in a crash near Death Valley in 2005, is suing Ford Motor Co. alleging the SUV she was driving was unsafe.

Polly, an anchor at KLSV-8 in Las Vegas from 1994 to 2005, was returning from California when her Ford Explorer rolled over. Her two young daughters were injured but survived the crash.

According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, the suit claims the Ford Explorer's roof wasn't strong enough to withstand a rollover accident and that Polly's seatbelt didn't work. The lawsuit is set to start in February.

Televisa and Univision settle out of court

Univision and Televisa will remain "friends." Three weeks into the trial, after an all-night negotiating session between Univision Chairman Haim Saban and Televisa Executive Vice President Alfonso de Angoitia, both companies reached a deal that will keep their program-sharing agreement alive.

The settlement was announced just before Televisa CEO Emilio Azcarraga Jean was going to take the witness stand in the federal jury trial.

The AP reports that Univision agreed to pay Televisa $25 million in disputed royalties, plus give it advertising time worth $65 million a year for the next nine years, an estimated $585 million value. Univision will also increase the license fees paid to Televisa under its existing deal. In exchange, Televisa will continue to provide telenovelas exclusively to Univision through 2017.

The legal battles aren't over. The two companies are scheduled to go to court in March to decide whether Univision has the Internet rights to Televisa's programming.

FCC fines cable operators

The FCC is fining 9 cable TV operators for trying to prevent its investigation of a practice of transferring analog channels to a more expensive digital tier, leaving some customers without access.

According to the Washington Post, the FCC was investigating nearly 600 complaints. The regulating agency says the companies refused to give full disclosure on their practices as ordered. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Cablevision Systems, Bright House Networks, Harron Communications, Midcontinent Communications and Suddenlink Communications are all being fined between $7,500 to $25,000 -- totaling about $500,000. Some companies also were told to refund customers for not giving them a 30-day notice about the channel changes.

Google cancels Print Ads

Google's advertising success gave newspapers hope when they started offering a service to sell ads. But after 2 years, the internet giant has decided to cancel their Print Ads program, which let advertisers buy ads in more than 800 participating U.S. newspapers.

The WSJ reports Google pulled the plug, because the program wasn't as effective as it had hoped and the company needed to focus on "more promising products." Google has never disclosed how much revenue it generated through the service. They will stop offering ads under the Print Ads program on Feb. 28.

Posada moves to Miami

Karen Posada, who most recently was freelance reporting for KTTV, has been hired at WSFL-39, the CW Tribune-owned affiliate in Miami. She will be a reporter/sub host for the station's new morning show, SouthFlorida.com LIVE. Her agent, Al Corral, says the program is currently in rehearsals and will go on the air soon.

Karen previously worked as a reporter at KVEA/KWHY in L.A. from 2005 to 2006. Before that, she spent 2 years at KRCA-62, the Liberman station in L.A.

Will Slim save the NYT?

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim is about to seal a deal to invest $250 million in the New York Times. He already owns 6.4% of the Times Company. He bought more than 9 million shares of the company back in September at $128 million. Those shares are now worth about $58 million. But that has obviously not deterred him from investing more in what he considers to be "a great newspaper, the best of the world. A great brand.”

The NYT reports that under the terms of the deal Mr. Slim would invest $250 million in the form of 10-year notes with warrants that are convertible into common shares. As part of his investment, which resembles a loan, he is expected to get a special annual dividend, which could be as high as 10% or more on the investment.

Mr. Slim apparently is not looking to get any representation on the company’s board or any shares with special voting rights like those of the Sulzberger family, which controls the company. However, he would become the largest shareholder in the Times Company, owning about a third of the common stock.

The company's board is meeting today to discuss the deal. An announcement could come as soon as tomorrow.

Univision station in L.A. #1 nationwide in '08

KMEX-34, the Univision O&O in L.A. was the No. 1 TV station in the country last year, regardless of language, among Adults 18-49. The Spanish-language station also led in the ratings in the same demo with its 6 and 11 p.m. local news.

Mediaweek reports that on average, KMEX's total day audience beat out No. 2-ranked WABC, ABC's O&O in New York, according to Nielsen.

For the 6 p.m. local news, KMEX had 146,000 average viewers compared to WABC's 131,000. WXTV, Univision's O&O in New York was No. 3 with 126,000 viewers. The late news brought even bigger numbers, with KMEX drawing 197,000 viewers. WABC brought in 189,000. WXTV at 11 pm drops to No. 5 with 151,000 viewers.

Martin quits FCC

Republican FCC Chairman Kevin Martin today announced he is resigning from the FCC, effective Jan. 20. He will become a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute in Washington.

During his 8 years with the FCC, including the past 4 as chairman, he heavily promoted deregulation, becoming a controversial figure for his strong stances on cable regulation and some other issues. TVNewsday reports "leaves the office with great pride in the FCC's accomplishments."

He could have stayed on but more than likely in another role, since President-elect Obama gets to appoint the next Chair of the FCC.

Martinez eliminated from L.A. Times pages

He has been an L.A. Times columnist since 1984, but January 19 will be the last time Al Martinez's column will run in the paper - and not because he wants it to end. Why? He sent this email to mediabistro.com:

"I'm not sure why: too old at 79? no space for me? I don't fit the hip, cool, Hollywood demographics? All of the above? Ask them. They did say they couldn't afford me, but since I was "downsized" the first time and hired back as a freelancer, my salary has been halved and I've had no medical coverage, no vacation time, no expense account and generally no staff perks. I haven't been THAT expensive. But I've never been a whiner, and I won't be now."

He says he'll continue to reach out to his public via his blog and I'm sure this multi-talented writer will find something to do with his time. Al is not only a columnist, but an author, scriptwriter, documentarian and television series creator. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Al was also nominated for an Emmy in 1992 for the CBS-TV movie "Out on the Edge." He authored "The Last City Room," "City of Angles, a Drive-By Portrait of L.A." and two books profiling Spanish-speaking Americans, "Rising Voices" in 1974 and "Rising Voices: A New Generation" in 1994. According to his bio, he also created three network television series and has 20 writing credits for TV movies.

Aguilar files lawsuit

Award-winning reporter Rebecca Aguilar, who was ousted from Fox4 in Dallas early last year, on Monday filed a racial discrimination suit against the station. She had filed an EEOC complaint in April of 2008.

In the lawsuit, publicized by Courthouse News Service, Rebecca claims she was suspended and ultimately terminated because of her "documented history of complaining about the treatment of Hispanics and Latinos by her employer."

Rebecca had worked at the station for 23 years.

Del Rincón speaks on Telemundo special

The Del Rincón-Dominicci saga continues. Back in December, Carmen Dominicci poured her heart out on the air in an Al Rojo Vivo one hour special with María Celeste Arrarás. Well, this week it was Fernando's turn to shed some light as to the scandal surrounding his divorce and exit from Univision. He got a full hour as well with María Celeste.

During the interview, which aired on Monday, he denied abuse or infidelity, admitted his and his wife's sexual desires weren't having the same timing and that they did indeed go to therapy prior to their divorce. When asked if he was going to sue Univision, he kind of sidestepped the issue saying he was grateful to Univision for the opportunities the company gave him.

The del Rincón interview gave Telemundo some good numbers. On average, the special delivered over 1.7 million total viewers.

Telemundo names new CFO

Javier Maynulet has been named Chief Financial Officer of Telemundo Communications Group. He was most recently SVP, CFO Universal Media Studios & Universal Cable Productions.

Javier will oversee all financials Telemundo Network, Telemundo Stations, cable network, digital business, international distribution and studios. While at Universal Media Studios & Universal Cable Productions, he oversaw the financial performance for all of NBCU TV Studios productions and development.

Javier replaces André Fernandez, who left his job as Sr VP and CFO of Telemundo in September to join Journal Communications as Executive Vice President, Finance and Strategy.

From reporter to banker

A chance encounter has placed veteran correspondent Pablo Gato in a new career path. He is now the general manager of the newly formed CONCIBAN, a financial consulting firm, which officially launches on January 16th.

Pablo was laid off from Telemundo network at the end of May of last year. After a vacation break, he founded Gato Communications. Prior to leaving Telemundo, he attended a dinner where he met the president of the Spanish bank Caja Navarra, which ended up being a client of his communications company. Eventually, he was offered the opportunity to build the CONCIBAN consulting firm. In addition to providing financial consulting, Pablo tells me the company's objective is to bring the concept of a bank with social responsibility to the United States and other Latin American countries.

"CONCIBAN basically helps companies replicate the model in other parts of the world. We go to other banks and explain how the Banca Cívica model works, which has been in practice at Caja Navarra for the past 5 years." That model consists of the bank donating 30% of its profits to social causes. Clients decide who they want the money to go to. They are also surveyed on a yearly basis and are asked to rate bank employees. If they get low scores, they don't get bonuses.

Pablo says he wouldn't have joined the firm if he didn't believe in the concept. "What's incredible about this company is that it's totally transparent and it has become hugely popular because it's truly reinvesting in the community. People could really benefit from this here. That's why it is a priority to bring the model as soon as possible to the U.S."

Ponce quits job to pursue a music career

Well, here's some good news... a reporter who's leaving the business because he wants to! Dan Ponce, out of WLS-7 in Chicago, an accomplished musician, has decided to leave news and sing. His last day as a reporter is January 16.

Dan is the founder of the a capella group Straight No Chaser, which apparently did so well with its holiday CD, that he decided to make music his new full-time job.

Dan has been at WLS almost three years. Before that, he was a weekend morning anchor/general assignment reporter at WILX-TV in Lansing, Michigan and also worked at WCAX-TV in Burlington, Vermont.

He is the son of WTTW-Ch. 11 "Chicago Tonight" host Phil Ponce and the brother of WMAQ-Ch. 5 reporter Anthony Ponce.

Corona out at KPRC

Wendy Corona was laid off from KPRC-2 in Houston. She was the 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. anchor. The station's news director told the Houston Chronicle Wendy’s departure “was an economic decision” and that her position on the payroll won't be filled. Instead they'll be juggling other news talent until they determine who the permanent replacement will be.

Wendy had been at the NBC affiliate since April 2006. Before that, she anchored the morning and noon news at WPLG-10, the ABC affiliate in Miami. She has previously anchored and reported in California, Arizona, and Texas.

Univision-Televisa trial begins

The trial was postponed four times, but the Televisa-Univision legal battle finally got its start on Tuesday.

Reuters reports that during his opening argument, a Televisa attorney claimed Univision breached its contract with Grupo Televisa by failing to pay more $100 million in royalties. He accused the U.S. Spanish-language network of having "stalled, delayed and misled" Televisa auditors. That's why they want out of their contract with Univision.

Meanwhile, Univision's lawyer, said that while some accounting mistakes were made in "good faith" by Univision, the evidence will show Univision was right on most counts and that "Univision is not violating its contract, not cheating." He claims Univision has paid Televisa more than $1 billion in royalties over the years.

If Televisa wins the lawsuit, they could renegotiate the terms of the 25 yr-contract with Univision or take their programming elsewhere... like to rival Telemundo.

Univision fills about 80% of their prime time slots on its three U.S. networks with Televisa content. According to analysts, advertising from Televisa programming generates about 35% of Univision's $1.6 billion in television revenue.

Hoy in NYC shuts down print edition

16 employees were fired without previous notice as ImpreMedia shut down the print edition of Hoy newspaper in NYC on December 30, 2008.

Javier Castaño, the paper's editor told AP falling advertising revenue and the poor economy contributed to the 10 yr-old publication's demise.

Hoy will now only be available online. Other papers are taking the digital route. The Christian Science Monitor announced last year they would stop printing on paper and move to become the first national publication to switch to a Web-only model.

ImpreMedia bought Hoy from Tribune in February of 2007.

Bankruptcy: is Univision next?

Univision's reduced revenue and cash flow, the heavy debt load, the upcoming lawsuit with Televisa over programming and the credit crunch the industry is experiencing has analysts predicting the Spanish-language network could be next on the list of media companies to file for bankruptcy.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Univision had a 25% drop in auto advertising in the third quarter of 2008. It also also has a lot of debt after its buyout last year by private-equity firms, which included media mogul Haim Saban.

Credit analysts have started to compare Univision and Tribune, which also was taken private at the height of the private-equity buyout boom, despite Univision's stronger growth rate. The company's liquidity has become a concern given the firm's debt load - a $500 million debt payment comes due in March. And the sale of its music arm didn't generate as much cash as Univision management hoped. The company got $153 million - half of what had been expected.

Analysts at Standard & Poor's and Moody's have dire predictions for Univision in 2009. Moody's issued warnings, including in a pre-holiday-season debt-ratings downgrade on the company, its second of 2008.