Yesterday, books took a beating. Today, it’s television’s Black Thursday, with cuts at major news and entertainment channels. And more eras are coming to a close: Your favorite V.J. may no longer want his MTV (or they no longer want him), and your old media op-editorialist maxes out at 140 characters. Alack:
• Cox Enterprises, which shut down its D.C. bureau yesterday, has announced more changes: It’s merging its newspaper, television, and radio divisions into one big mixed-media conglomerate called Cox Media Group, Inc. Cox Radio’s Neil Johnson will become the Media Group’s CFO, and job cuts are expected. [BizJournals]
• Donnie Deutsch’s CNBC show, The Big Idea, has been shelved — though spokespeople say it’s only temporary, because the economy isn’t in the right mood for a show about entrepreneurialism. [Jossip]
• NBC Universal is planning on cutting 500 jobs. The layoffs are already under way at the NBC News bureaus in Dallas and Burbank, with news correspondent Don Teague and Dateline’s Mark Mullen among the laid-off. There are to be a rumored 80 jobs lost at CNBC alone. The cuts are part of a company initiative to cut $500 million from its budget. [TV Newser/Mediabistro]
• The Gannett media group, which has already laid off staffers at its most popular paper, USA Today, and now at the Arizona Republic, is continuing a round of layoffs throughout the company, and approaching its 1,800th layoff. But at least its own blog is on the story. [Gannett]
• CNN, though ranked No. 1 on a list of super-successful online media groups today, laid off correspondents and six producers from its science, space, and technology units, including sixteen-year veteran Miles O’Brien. The company wants to integrate those divisions into its news department, so it’s spinning the cuts as an editorial decision. [Mixed Media/Portfolio]
• Nicholas Kristof has started twittering. New media wins. [Twitter]
