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ALBANY
WNYT last station to cut staffing
At least 13 workers will lose jobs or see reduced hours
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

    Albany television station WNYT laid off or reduced hours of at least 13 people Friday, the last of the four television stations in the Capital Region to adjust staffi ng in response to the recession, said a union official.
    Bill Lambdin, president of Local 51021 of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, said 13 full-time union members will lose their jobs or see reductions in their hours. The union represents 80 of the 110 employees at WNYT, all workers in news, engineering and production.
    The station is also laying off nonunion employees, but Lambdin did not know the number. The layoffs are effective immediately unless they involve a reduction in hours, Lambdin said.
    General Manger Steve Baboulis said the station made cuts due to declining revenues.
    “We are in a situation where our revenue potential for advertising is less than it used to be, and we are resizing our work force to be more in sync with that,” he said.
    He said he does not anticipate further job cuts, “but we always have to watch the situation closely.”
    Two on-air personalities, John Allen and Kelly Lynch, are part of the cuts.
    Allen, a reporter who joined WNYT in 1996, accepted a severance package and is leaving the station, Lambdin said.
    Lynch, who works part-time, will no longer anchor the station’s midday news, Lambdin said. She has the option to accept another part-time assignment or leave the station, he said.
    Baboulis informed affected workers Friday in special meetings, Lambdin said. “The company made it clear that the layoffs are not based on poor performance but simply because of the ..........................................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01000