SMILEY FACE KILLERS UPDATE WITH KRISTI PIEHL

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Kristi Piehl Star Reporter Laid Off

KSTP layoffs include Emmy winner Piehl
By Amy Carlson Gustafson
agustafson@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 12/04/2008 09:52:41 PM CST


Kristi Piehl (KSTP)RelatedMedia cutbacks
Star Tribune seeks union cost cutsEmployees at KSTP-TV, Channel 5, learned as many as 18 people had been laid off on what one person dubbed "black Thursday." A stationwide meeting was planned for this morning to discuss staff cuts.

Among those laid off was Emmy Award-winning reporter Kristi Piehl, who has been with the station for nearly three years.

"We knew that we were in rough economic times, but I don't think anyone expected 18 people to be laid off in the newsroom," said Piehl, whose "Smiley Face Killers" investigative report earlier this year landed her in the national spotlight and included an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Piehl said news director Lindsay Radford told her she'd been let go Thursday morning and was told other on-air people also had lost their jobs. While Piehl said she was hurt by the news, she's not angry and doesn't regret her time at the station.

"I'm proud of what I've done," she said. "I had no warning this was coming."

KSTP is an ABC affiliate and the flagship station of Hubbard Broadcasting Corp. Messages left for Radford and station general manager Rob Hubbard on Thursday were not returned.

Piehl, who is married and has two children, said she wants to continue reporting in the Twin Cities.

"I'm hoping that one of the other news directors in town hears I'm available and gives me a call," she said. "My noncompete was waived, so I'm out there."

Other local TV stations also have had layoffs this year. Gannett-owned KARE-TV,

Channel 11, the local NBC affiliate, and CBS-owned WCCO-TV, Channel 4, have cut staff, and KARE recently offered a round of buyouts to some of its employees. The highest profile layoff came in April, when WCCO cut popular meteorologist Paul Douglas.
Ken Stone, a University of Minnesota instructor who teaches TV reporting and newscast production, said he expects to see more job cuts at local TV stations.

"I would think it's not going to stop at this point," Stone said. "And how bad it gets, no one knows. For my students who are graduating right now, it's not a great time. The jobs have just sort of frozen. If they're not laying off people, they're cutting jobs."

Amy Carlson Gustafson can be reached at 651-228-5561.