Oregon Media Insiders

It took a little longer than expected, but Newport TV has begun a serious layoff groupwide: 7.5% of the workforce throughout the group, with stations WPTY Memphis and KTVX Salt Lake City hit the hardest:

The company said newscasts were not cut and it did not envision more layoffs in the near term. The spokesperson said Newport remains 100% committed to news.

The 162 layoffs are across the board in terms of station positions, including some on-air talent.

At KMTR in Eugene, I've heard the toll was between two and six people, most likely the latter. From the comments on the original KMTR thread:

So I guess rumors were true. Apparently Cambra Ward walked out 6 people on Wednesday. A producer in training, a producer/reporter, a reporter, a graphics girl, an engineer, and someone in sales. Are you kidding me!? Are you F*cking kidding me. And a week before the OLYMPIC TRIALS???

A source tells me KTVX was hit with 27 layoffs, Tulsa and Albany each with 11, and KGET in Bakersfield lost 10% of its staff. So six doesn't seem so bad for KMTR all in all.

As Newport Television LLC struggles to digest the Clear Channel TV stations it swallowed last year, rumors are swirling about serious cuts throughout its operations, including KMTR in Eugene. I've heard the ax is going to fall at many if not all of the group's newsrooms and production staffs starting today, possibly cutting up to 25%.

Newport is having difficulty getting people to buy its bonds, currently rated CCC-plus (that's seven steps below investment grade). While the bonds aren't directly tied to the Clear Channel deal, all the legal wrangling the company's facing is forcing it to pay upwards of 15.5% return on its unsecured debt.

That extra interest money has to come from somewhere. Guess where? Or so it's being rumored. Eugenians, keep us posted. I always love to be wrong about this stuff.

I've gotten a report that KMTR has been sitting in black for at least an hour now. And their website is down as of this writing. Hm. Anyone know what's up?

Pete Parsons has landed at the Oregon Department of Agriculture, replacing fellow former KOIN weatherman Jim Little:

A familiar face in the Portland television market has replaced another familiar face at the Oregon Department of Agriculture. TV meteorologist Pete Parsons has been hired to fill the vacancy left by fellow former on-air weather expert Jim Little, just in time to do some very important forecasting for this year's Willamette Valley field burning season. Weather information from ODA is critical for the valley's grass seed growers who depend on the ability to burn at least some of their fields.

"One of the things I like about this position is that I'm able to see the impact of what I do right away," says Parsons, who has learned the ropes from his predecessor prior to Little leaving for a position with the Oregon Department of Forestry. "The idea is to try and protect air quality while allowing the growers to do what they need to do."

Down in Eugene, KMTR re-ran NBC Nightly News tonight at 6:30 with a crawl blaming technical difficulties. My correspondent wonders if it was a "Parkervision-style meltdown." It's rare when a news department can't pull SOMETHING together even in the face of a tech meltdown.