5 Laid Off At Kiro As Part Of Sale

About 50 people were notified yesterday by KIRO Inc. that they will be laid off in the next few weeks as the corporation dissolves itself and sells KIRO-TV (Channel 7) to A.H. Belo Corp.

The layoffs, rumored since November, will leave 227 full-time employees at the television station and a related production unit, a level stipulated by the sales pact between owner Bonneville International Corp. of Salt Lake City and the buyer. The layoffs are mostly in corporate management, finance and TV programming.

Belo, which owns the Dallas Morning News and six other TV stations, is likely to draw on its own Dallas-based departments to handle finances and buy syndicated programming, for example.

But three or more people among 116 at Bonneville's two radio stations are among those being laid off, and no department was untouched, said KIRO spokesman Nick Latham.

Nobody in the KIRO layoff performs in front of a TV camera, Latham said, but the radio-department reduction includes on-air talent. He declined to name anyone being let go.

More than 10 people who are over 55, but who are not subject to the layoff, have been offered early retirement. Their acceptance of the terms could make room for rehiring of some of those laid off.

Bonneville is selling KIRO-TV to Belo for $162.5 million. When the deal is closed, probably next month after approval by the Federal Communications Commission, KIRO Inc. will cease to exist.

Bonneville, primarily a major-market radio company owned by the Mormon Church, will retain its radio stations here under a newly formed firm called The Northwest Radio Group.

Bonneville owns separately programmed news-talk stations KIRO-AM (710) and KIRO-FM (100.7). It is in the process of buying all-news KING-AM (1090) from Classic Radio Inc. principals Priscilla "Patsy" Bullitt Collins and Harriet Stimson Bullitt.