ABC 33/40, NBC 13 cut jobs

Two Birmingham stations cut 25 jobs in the past two weeks.

On Thursday, NBC 13 laid off 10 people:

Ten people in the news, sales and marketing departments were laid off this morning and their positions eliminated at NBC 13.

“As a result of the continued business recession, WVTM has been affected by lower advertising spending,” Vice President and General Manager Gene Kirkconnell said of the layoffs.

“Parting with valued employees is difficult,” he said. “I don’t anticipate anything else to come.”

And less than week before that, ABC 33/40 laid off 15 people (nearly 13 percent of its total staff):

Birmingham’s ABC 33/40 laid off 15 full-time and part-time employees Friday afternoon, including sports reporter Melissa Lee and meteorologist Brian Peters, a station official confirmed.

The cuts affected all areas of the station – including producers, engineers, photographers and sales representatives – but Lee and Peters were the only on-air personnel let go. The station employed 120 people before the layoffs.

“It’s a very difficult time,” ABC 33/40’s vice president and general manager, Mike Murphy, said Friday. “We regret that it had to take place.”