Friday, January 7, 2011

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The University of Georgia has ended the nightly news broadcasts at university-owned television station WNEG.

The station laid off 12 full-time and five part-time workers, including news anchor Ray Metoyer, leaving the station with a work force of seven people.

The university is changing WNEG from a commercial operation to an affiliate of the nonprofit Georgia Public Broadcasting System.

WNEG's professional news broadcast, which had aired five nights a week, will be replaced by a student-produced newscast called NewsSource, which will air Mondays through Thursdays starting about Jan. 24.

The UGA Research Foundation bought WNEG-TV in 2008 for $1.4 million, with plans to operate it as a commercial business. The plan was derailed by a slumping economy.

(Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.)

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