While it’s obvious they are not waiting until January to lay off many former Arbitron workers in Columbia, MD (given how many were laid off last week), Nielsen has filed a layoff warning notice to the Maryland Department of Labor, saying the bulk of Nielsen Audio job cuts will begin 1/14.
The 333 number is more than one-third of the workforce at the former Arbitron’s HQ, as the company combines operations and consolidates duplicative functions.
John Borchers, an employee at the Columbia complex, told The Baltimore Sun: “he was told his job will disappear at the end of February. That gives him a few months to prepare. His job is in the panel relations division, which works with radio listeners and is among those facing cuts. ‘There’s some time to start wrapping the mind around it,’ said Borchers…”A lot of people have been impacted.”
The Sun also quoted Nielsen CEO David Calhoun, speaking to analysts last month: “The headquarter stuff is easy, because you don’t need two headquarters. The functional support stuff is relatively straightforward, because you only need one accounts payable processing. You only need one receivables. … I’m confident that we can express big synergies quickly, because I know that path and we’re on it.”
Nielsen issued the following statement: “As part of the integration of Nielsen Audio, Nielsen is implementing changes across the company to enhance growth and to align our resources to meet and exceed client needs. These changes will improve productivity and innovation for the benefit of our organization, clients and shareholders.”
See the Baltimore Sun story here
