MTV's TRL Loses Time Square Staff

Rumors have been flying inside MTV that their afternoon music video show TRL,Total Request Live, maybe canceled or scaled back soon. Tuesday, February 13, 2007 fanned that flame. Late in the work day parent company Viacom laid off most of their Time Square staff. Viacom had announced 250 planned lay offs the day before, which is six percent of MTV Networks total crew. But, TRL's misfortune shouldn't be misread as distress for the company altogether. Viacom's website boasts MTV as the number one cable network for 12-34 year olds and Viacom's recent cutbacks are being reported not as of a sign of financial strain, but the company restructuring to "focus resources to the company's digital properties." Parent company Viacom, which trades under the symbol VIA in the New York Stock Exchange, closed at $40.16 a share on February 15th and has been steady for the last 52 weeks.