Bloomberg to cut 100 U.S. broadcast jobs

By Robert MacMillan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bloomberg LP will cut 100 television and radio jobs in the first layoffs since it was founded in 1981 by now-New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The news and financial data provider will cut the jobs in the United States, 45 of them from its newsroom staff, spokeswoman Judith Czelusniak said, adding Bloomberg might cut other jobs in Britain, Europe and Japan.

"It is a restructuring really needed in order to make programing changes and a network that really leverages our global bureau system and infrastructure," Czelusniak said.

Bloomberg would also shut all non-English language television operations, including those in Japan, Spain and France, two Bloomberg sources with direct knowledge of the situation said.

The cuts would affect about 40 people in Asia Pacific, including 15 in Japan, mostly on the television side.

Another Bloomberg source said the company was hiring at least a dozen people across the greater China region as it shifts its focus to its text and newswire services.

Multimedia operations, which include broadcast, are overseen by former NBC television executive Andrew Lack. Lack took over last year from Matt Winkler, who founded Bloomberg's news operation and still heads the news group.

Lack told employees Bloomberg would integrate its television operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia into a single English-language global network.