(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — As expected, Clear Channel Entertainment began trimming its staff as the company prepares for the upcoming spinoff from parent company Clear Channel Communications. The majority of the layoffs have been at the divisional level, but reports indicate that at least two talent buyers have been let go.
One of the largest cuts so far has been the closing of the Seattle office of Bill Graham Presents. Other offices affected to different degrees include Birmingham, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Nashville operations.
The Minneapolis office has been and will continue to be overseen by Mark Campana, of CCE’s Cellar Door office in Detroit.
Among the buyers affected by the changes include Eric Herz with Avalon Attractions in Los Angeles and Brian Drusky with Belkin Productions in Pittsburgh, according to Billboard.biz.
CCE would not specifically confirm any of the moves, but a receptionist told CelebrityAccess to “call back next week” for details.
Many other personnel cuts throughout the company are believed to be coming from the marketing ranks.
As the planned spinoff nears, the cuts at CCE have been far less drastic than originally expected, with many entire offices surviving with only a few low-level employees released. The last streamlining move saw the layoff of nearly a dozen executives including former COO Miles Wilkin, executive VP Mike McGee and communications VP Sydney Greenblatt.
The executives were also closely related to the regime of former CEO Brian Becker, who recently finalized the terms of his split from Clear Channel following his replacement by Michael Rapino. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
