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Jan. Media Layoffs More than Double that of Jan. 2007

Time Warner Cable is handing out pink slips to 1,250 workers, the company said this week, while Bloomberg has announced that it is cutting 100 TV and radio jobs in its first layoffs ever.

The layoff news from media companies keeps coming, proving - in the event anyone needed such validation - that the media and entertainment industries are far from invulnerable to the recession, writes The Hollywood Reporter. Other media companies wielding the ax in recent weeks have included Time Warner’s Warner Bros. and AOL units, Clear Channel, NBCU and Viacom.

In all, 4,446 media layoffs were announced in January, up from the already-high 4,283 reported in January of 2008. In January 2007, media layoffs were just 2,155, up from 1,134 in January 2006, according to global outplacement consultantcy Challenger, Gray and Christmas, which says that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. “Even if the stimulus package is successful, it could take months to make a noticeable impact on the employment picture,” CEO John Challenger says.