Media General Troops Ordered to Take Furlough

Image via WikipediaRichmond-based media conglomerate Media General has ordered staffers to take a 15-day furlough before the end of the year, Mediabistro blog "TV Spy" reports.

Fresh off a $4.2 million loss in operating revenues for the First Quarter of 2011 (see "TUOL" post 4/21/11), Media General is hopeful the mandatory furloughs will enable the company to avoid staff layoffs and attain its cash flow goal, the "TV Spy" blog posted. Media General, whose largest footprint is in the southeastern U.S., owns 18 TV stations, 3 metropolitan dailies, 20 community newspapers and 200 specialty publications. Among its diverse holdings are Providence's WJAR-TV, WVTM-TV in Birmingham, Alabama, The Tampa Tribune and The Richmond Times-Dispatch.